The 2012 NME Awards are now upon us, with the prestigious ceremony set to take place at the O2 Academy Brixton on 29th February. The heat is on as NME announce The Nominees this week!
This includes the famous Boxfresh Best New Band Category – one of the most hotly contested awards in UK music.

The nominees for Boxfresh Best New Band are as follows:

Foster The People
Lana Del Rey
Tribes
The Vaccines
Wu Lyf

So whether you prefer jamming to the dark euphoria of Wu Lyf or get pumped up by Foster the People, MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

Spread the word and get three of your most rock n roll mates voting and you could very well find yourselves winning the NME ULTIMATE PRIZE, partying with the music elite at the 2012 NME Awards.

What is the NME Ultimate Prize exactly?

4 Tickets to the NME Awards Ceremony at the legendary 02 Academy Brixton
1 Night’s accommodation in London for the party
A Digital Camera
£200 Boxfresh vouchers
£200 spending money

Here’s what you need to do:
Decide which of the nominees you think should win Boxfresh Best New Band.
Cast your vote here at www.facebook.com/BoxfreshUK
Choose three mates you’d like to take to the NME Awards Ceremony (choose carefully now)
Get each of your mates to vote for their favourite nominees in the Boxfresh Best New Band category

Kick back and wait to see if your luck’s in.

Remember you’ll need 4 votes in order for 1 whole group entry to count
Voting opens on the 31st January when the The Nominees are announced

The competition closes on the 21st February

Good luck!

Keep up to date with all things Boxfresh and NME Awards
www.facebook.com/BoxfreshUK
www.twitter.com/myboxfresh
www.nme.com
www.twitter.com/NMEmagazine
#NMEAwards

Shane Walter is the co-founder of onedotzero, the innovative digital arts organisation he started in 1996 when he was 27. Since then, onedotzero has grown into a renowned international network and every year they travel around the world, appearing at their own festivals and partnering with many others.

When and how did you first know you wanted to be involved in digital arts?

I don’t think I woke up one day and thought I will be involved in this digital art area. It’s something that happened very organically I was and am driven by a passion and interest in art, design and entertainment. I have being working in the digital area approaching 20 years. No one ever understood what I did, and I have never had a CV. Now it is a little more understandable in today’s hybrid creative culture.

Since touring onedotzero to over 50 cities, which has been your favourite experience?

The whole thing has been an adventure, many, many highs and thankfully relatively few lows. Off the top of my head… surviving earthquakes and typhoons across Asia, 50,000 attending our Buenos Aires festival and Girls knickers thrown at me in Taipei..

In regard to onedotzero is there anything you wish you could have done differently?

Well there are always creators we wanted to work with, projects we could not get financed and festivals in cities that were dropped due to funding and sponsors falling through. All these things could have shaped or changed our future to some degree. But I don’t think I would have done anything different or could have done much more over the years. I can honestly say I have worked my butt off – so in some respects maybe having been more successful at having holidays!

What is your next big project after the adventures in motion festival at the BFI southbank?

After the London event, onedotzero_adventures in motion festival embarks on an international tour – visiting around 60 cities.

Who’s work do you most admire at this point in time?

So many names, so many disciplines, we showcase about 200 works from people i admire each year. There are many we don’t have the fortune of being involved with as well. A short burst… cross disciplinary designers Trokia, architect / designer Thomas Heatherwick, music promo directors Canada, animator David O’Reilly and coding genius Karsten Schmidt.

Which technological discovery has most influenced your work?

The Internet allowed onedotzero to be truly international. To reach new creators about what we and they were doing, research work, connect people and communicate to our partners allowed us to have this global network of events in the real world. This international perspective is vital and part of our DNA.

Which piece/installation most speaks to you or excites you and why?

Monolith from UVA I still find an exciting piece of work. Why it still excited me is how they used a fairly hard, imposing piece of LED technology and made it appear alive. It responded to your movement and proximity with sound and light – very simply. And to me it is the holy grail of interaction – it draws you in and needs no instructions, you intuitively know how to related to it and form an immediate dialogue.

What app could you never live without?

I do use many day to day to like Instagram, Echofon for twitter, etc but I can live without apps completely to be honest. What I would find hard to live without would be my notebook.

What’sthe next step for digital?

I have seen the rise of a new kind of creative force – that of the Coder. Coders or programmers were always relegated to the back room geek dens and not considered to be ‘creative’ types. Now code is in its purest form is a new raw material that artists and designers can shape and sculpt in a myriad ways to create interactive art, generative designs and stunning motion sequences.

Who is your hero and why?

Leonardo Da Vinci – the true Renaissance man. I love his hybrid practice, the idea of convergence across so many areas from art to technical innovation. His craft, skill and multi-talent are still awesomely impressive to me. His mix of art, commerce, tech, entertainment, science, invention and exploration is staggeringly inspiring. No one has come close to his achievements in any era.

Finally, any words of wisdom for our readers?

The best advice I can give is to never stop looking. A lot of people can see but never look around them. Here are a few things I have personally learned along my journey, which may or may not be useful [in no particular order]:

Trust your instinct
Be open, never stop looking
Start from a position of trust
Be honest, be yourself, don’t try to be someone else
Make friends not just contacts
Become a tourist – travel is good for you
Enjoy the journey not just the destination
Don’t stop learning, share your knowledge
Talking is good, doing is better
Learn to operate out of your comfort zone
Be interested rather than trying to be interesting
Keep a notebook
Collaboration can achieve bigger things

onedotzero_adventures in motion festival will take place on the 23 – 27 Nov 2011 at BFI Southbank

http://www.bfi.org.uk/onedotzero/

www.onedotzero.com / www.facebook.com/onedotzero / www.twitter.com/#!/onedotzero / www.bfi.org.uk/onedotzero

Teaming up with Liverpool’s Drome Store, Boxfresh are proud to be bringing you an exclusive student lock in where guests can expect a 20% discount on the night and a live acoustic performance from one of the UK’s most exciting new bands, Frankie & The Heartstrings. Boxfresh and Drome will be welcoming in students on Wednesday 26th Oct (5 – 9pm) so don’t miss out!

NME favourites Frankie & The Heartstrings are a Sunderland five-piece with a modern approach to traditional songwriting, hewing infectious songs out of deceptively simply melodies and arrangements. As well touring with Florence & The Machine and The Futureheads, the band played to huge crowds at Bestival, Reading & Leeds, T in the Park, and Glastonbury. This year saw the release of their eagerly awaited  LP ‘Hunger‘.

Drome is a Liverpool based fashion retailer stocking Boxfresh and other aspirational brands. They pride themselves on being locally relevant having been established in Liverpool for over 15 years. There are two stores within the city centre.

For more information:
Boxfresh: Official Website | Twitter | Facebook
Frankie & The Heartstrings: Official Website | Twitter | Myspace | Facebook
Drome: Official Website

Brother

Hello hello, we are proud to announce DJs for our special Life’s A Beach Event at the Isle of Wight Festival. Spinning the vinyls and banging their laptops we have Stornoway, Brother, Scarletz, Man  Like Me, Gareth Icke, Ska’d For Life, NME and maybe a few other special guests…

Because we are having a beach party and you are invited…

The legendary Isle of Wight Festival 2011 celebrates its 10th birthday by turning up the summer vibe and creating its own urban beach. ‘Life’s a Beach’ supported by Boxfresh will take festival goers to the seaside without them having to leave the Festival site.

Tonnes of silvery sands are being delivered to Penny Lane on the Festival site to create the original Festival beach. ‘Life’s a Beach’ with Boxfresh will be the perfect place to relax, unwind, re-energise and build sand castles! Deckchairs, beach huts and a full program of activity that includes; exercise classes, beach yoga & zumba, by day and DJ’s (a few very, very special guests), live music and fire jugglers by night.

Who needs Bahamas?

We’ve teamed up with the Isle of Wight festival and are giving away a pair of tickets for the weekend. Head to our facebook to enter the competition and see Terms & Conditions below.

BOXFRESH INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (“Boxfresh”)

PRIZE DRAW STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The following Terms and Conditions apply to the ‘Life’s a Beach with Boxfresh’ Prize Draw (the “Prize Draw”):

1. The Prize Draw is open to all entrants who (i) click the ‘Like’ tab and (2) submit your answer to the question on the Boxfresh Facebook page (the “Entry”) at www.facebook.com/boxfresh. Entrants must ensure that they provide a valid email address and are contactable at this email address.

2. This Prize Draw is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Entrants are providing their information to Boxfresh International Limited and not to Facebook. The information provided will only be used for purposes as detailed in clause 12.

3. The Prize Draw opens at 09:00 am (GMT) on 31 May 2011 and the closing date is at 12:00am (GMT) on 6 June 2011. No entries shall be accepted before the start date or after the closing date. Entries are limited to one (1) entry per person. Third party or bulk entries will not be accepted and illegible or altered entries or those not in accordance with the entry instructions are invalid. The Promoter cannot acknowledge receipt of Prize Draw entries and shall not be responsible for any entries lost or damaged in transit.

4. The Prize Draw is open to anyone aged eighteen (18) or over, resident in the UK only. The Prize Draw is specifically closed to employees of Boxfresh International Limited, Pentland Brands plc, and any associated companies, and their families.

5. NO PURCHASE OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO TAKE PART IN THIS PRIZE DRAW. You do not have to buy or subscribe to any Boxfresh product in order to enter this Prize Draw.

6. There will be one (1) prize of two (2) Standard Camping tickets to the Isle of Wight 2011 Festival on Friday 10 June 2011 – Sunday 12 June 2011, and one (1) survival kit which may contain Boxfresh apparel and/or shoes (at the Promoter’s discretion) (the “Prize”). The tickets will be couriered to the Winner.

Please note:

• the Winner’s chosen travel companion must be over the age of eighteen (18);
• the Winner and their travel companion shall be responsible for their own transportation to and from the Isle of Wight Festival;
• the Winner and their travel companion shall be responsible for providing their own camping equipment;
• the Winner and their travel companion will be responsible for adhering to the Isle of Wight Festival ticket Terms and Conditions which can be found at: http://www.isleofwightfestival.com/Files/Documents/IOW2011TandCs.pdf
• if the Winner and/or their travel companion are asked to leave the Isle of Wight Festival or incur any damage charges, the Promoter will not be responsible for covering any additional costs; and
• the Promoter accepts no responsibility for the Winner and/or their travel companion being refused entry to and/or ejection from the Isle or Wight Festival.

7. The Winner will be drawn at random on 3 June 2011 from all entries received. The Winner will be notified of his/her success via Facebook on 3 June 2011. If the winner cannot be contacted by 6 June 2011, the Promoters reserve the right to select another winner at random and award the prize to this entry.

8. The Draw will be made by an independent person and the Promoter’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. The Winner and their travel companion agree to take part in post-Prize Draw publicity at the request of Boxfresh.

9. The Prize may be altered or varied at the Promoter’s sole discretion and substituted with a prize which, in the Promoter’s sole opinion, is a suitable alternative. The Prize is subject to availability. There is no cash alternative and the Prize is non-transferable.

10. The name of the Winner may be found on the Boxfresh Facebook page on 10 June 2011.

11. Information regarding personal data provided in the entry form will be collected, stored and processed in a database for the purpose of managing entry into this Prize Draw. Suchinformation will not be used for any other purpose than as stated in these Terms and Conditions or as separately accepted by you. If you have separately agreed to receive communications from the Promoter then your personal data may be used for such purposes, including direct marketing. All information submitted to the Promoter as part of this Prize Draw will be treated in accordance with the Promoter’s privacy policy at www.boxfresh.com and will be held and processed in accordance with the requirements of the 1998 Data Protection Act.

12. The Promoter reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions and/or cancel the Prize Draw at its sole discretion.

13. The Promoter of this Prize Draw is Boxfresh International Limited, The Pentland Centre, Lakeside, Squires Lane, London N3 2QL.

14. By entering this Prize Draw entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. All entry instructions form part of these Terms and Conditions. English law governs this Prize Draw and each party submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

© Boxfresh International Limited 2011. All Rights Reserved.

The boys back in the day.

It’s all about film this week. After tonight’s Libertines premiere we are already preparing ourselves for Friday and some serious short film action. Our friend Jon McClure, who you might know as the front man of Reverend and the Makers, has expanded his talents into film making. Lies is a collection of short clips based on lies that he told his brother as a kid. We had a quick chat with the artist himself and asked three cheeky questions about, well, lies.

Q:  What is the biggest lie you’ve ever told?
A: Yes, I’m not having it off with that girl.

Q: We love Fleetwood Mac’s song “Little Lies”. What are your three favourite songs about lies or mistruths?
A: I do love that Fleetwood Mac song, too! So that’s one. The second one could be “Promises and Lies” by UB40, I listened to it a lot when I was 12 years old. And the third one…(starts humming) that one! Madonna’s Secret. What a tune.

Q: Where would you like to lie down this bank holiday weekend?
A: In a field, any field, with a beautiful woman.

Good luck with that, Jon! The film along with other shorts from new UK talents are screened at the Barbican on the 29th. Beats William and Kate, we think. Buy tickets here: http://www.barbican.org.uk/film/event-detail.asp?ID=12164

The festival opens with the World Premiere gala screening of Roger Sargent’s ‘The Libertines – There are No Innocent Bystanders’.

Who is Roger you might ask? he’s been described as one of Britain’s most important photographers, having snapped many of those iconic photos associated with The Libertines. The documentary is a revealing access all areas with Carl Barat, Pete Doherty,John Hassall and Gary Powell when they got together in 2010 for the band’s reunion.

If you’re down in Brick Lane over over the bank holiday, don’t miss the exhibition of Roger Sargent’s photographs in Spitalfields Market.

Click here for more info on the East End Film Festival

More to come on Jon McClure’s ‘Lies’ short films

The Libertines photographed by Roger Sargent East End Film Festival

East End Film Festival

Here’s a quick look at what you missed …

ATrak, LL Cool Gray (that's meeeeeeee), Chromeo ... watch this space kids.

Chromeo live - amazing!

Parrrtyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Fun Times on the Slip & Slide

Possibly the best thing to happen at Coachella 2011 - GOLF WANG!

More posts to follow. Until next time

LL Cool Gray

xoxo