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The much awaited second issue of Blinky Magazine, the new music magazine for the myspace generation

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BlinkyThe Magazine

Bands*Reviews*Photography*Clothing*Record Labels*Tech Focus*Graphics Design*Venues*Local Scenes*Promoters

£2.00

Forever Wednesday*Go Audio and Saving Aimee* Room 94*None The Less*

Emma Bowdidge Photography* Death Cap Records* Ashton and George* The Hat Factory*

Sean Smith Interviewed

Intorducing:Room 94

For our readers who haven't heard of you, whats Forever Wednesday all about and who would you compare yourselves to?Forever Wednesday is all about writing music you can relate to. There are so many bands that are out there for the wrong reasons and write non-genuine music. We want to make it so we can get our music to a wider audience not so we can buy a Porsche on be on Cribs! I wouldn't compare us to anyone, if you want to know what we sound like, go listen to our music and hopefully you will vibe it!

Who would you regard as your biggest musical influence?Who would you regard as your biggest musical influence?Well, although we take great influences from other bands that we listen to, or we play with, I would say that our biggest influences come from our friends, family and our surroundings. Taking influences from the issues that effect us make us the people we are today and has a huge impact on the writing process.

You have a new EP out soon, was it good fun recording it, where did you record it?YYes that’s correct. We recorded our EP at LongWave Studios in Cardiff with Romesh Dodan-goda (Funeral for a Friend, The Blackout, Kids in Glass Houses) on desk duties. It was an awe-some experience and turned out to be like a holiday for us as well, so it was a win-win situa-tion! We went out into Cardiff a couple of nights which turned out to be quite messy but we all had such a good time, and hopefully will be going back as soon as possible! I think it was the laid back atmosphere that won us over!

Any funny stories from the days in the studio?Where do I start? We went to Cardiff Weatherspoons and the drinks were dirt cheap, so cheap that we all were drunk after about an hour of being there! It was funny seeing Rin and Andy sipping on cheap cocktails, trying to be distinguished! Then Romesh decided to buy a round of tequila shots! We all were up for it apart from Charlie who insisted that spirits don't treat him very nicely. After many minutes of persuasion and general banter, he 'manned-up' and did the shot with us. We awoke from our slumber the next day and Charlie wasn’t feeling too good at all, the seriousness of our hangovers left a black cloud hanging over us all day! He ended up having to run out of recording to throw up about 3 times whilst doing his guitar! He hasn’t having to run out of recording to throw up about 3 times whilst doing his guitar! He hasn’t touched the stuff since.

Who are they??

Band: Forever WednesdayFrom: MidlandsMySpace: www.myspace.com/foreverwednesdaybandBand members:Sam king - VocalsMatt Ormerod - Guitar/vocalsMatt Ormerod - Guitar/vocalsCharlie Grout-Smith - Guitar/vocalsEiran Simpson - BassAndy Allen - Drums/vocals

Realeases:Lovers and Lunatics (Out now, released April 26th.

Quick Intro: 2 words sum up Forever 2 words sum up Forever Wednesday, Catchy and addictive!With songs that just cry out to be played loud and sung along to like watching you fall apart’.Make sure you see these guys on their HUGE summer tour.

Forever Wednesday....

You did Redbull Bedroom Jam with Fighstar, what was that like?It was intense, it was a proper nice day, we were with good people and just turned out to be a really positive experience. We were given free Red Bull and genuinely had a good laugh. It was a weird situation, playing a gig in a bedroom with no crowd live on the internet, but we all had fun. It turned out we only opened for a interview with Fightstar but even knowing they were watching us was a very weird feeling indeed!

What else is happening for you guys in 2009?What else is happening for you guys in 2009?We are just gearing up to release our brand new single 'Lovers and Lunatics' via Myspace on the 26th of April. Three of our brand new songs will be available from I-tunes by the end of May so were looking forward to having our tunes available all over the world! We are con-firmed for Guilfest again this year but will be on the Rocksound tent. So it should be a pretty amazing show and we are counting down the days until we play. Come along, it's always such a good weekend!

Do any of you have any unusual pre-gig rituals?Well, although we don’t tend to do a certain dance or give each other kisses and cuddles, we do have our own weird things to help relax and concentrate. I personally find a quite place (usually the toilet) and meditate, it sounds stupid but I really do think it helps my performance! Charlie has a weird method of relaxing, before a show where we wont see him for sometimes hours, and then he will show up just before we go on stage. So god only knows what he gets up to in the meantime!

Where is your favourite venue/city to play and why?Where is your favourite venue/city to play and why?It has to be Studio 24 in Edinburgh. It was one of our last tour dates in November and we were all blown away. It was the biggest venue we had played in our tour and we were worried about the amount of people that would show up, but it turned out that there was about 250 people to-wards the end of the night and it was just one of those shows where everything was perfect. Scottish kids know how to have a good time and a lot of people hung around to meet us which was surreal! It was just such a good show.

Any bands out there at the moment that you think everyone should check out?

There is some amazing new music out there at the moment, personally I would recommend LYU and All Forgotten. Both awesome bands who write proper tunes!

None The Less.....Band: None The LessFrom: WatfordMyspace: www.myspace,com/nonethelessonlineFor Fans of: Exit Ten

Band Members: Anthony Giannaccini (vocals), Anthony Giannaccini (vocals), Owen Harvey (guitar/screams), Joe Page (guitar),Oli Stanton (bass), Mike Smith (drums)

Record Label: Irony Records (our own label)

Upcoming releases: MiniUpcoming releases: Mini Album out on May 18th - 'The Way To Save Ourselves'

Quick intro:None The Less are a 5 piece 'metal 'n roll' None The Less are a 5 piece 'metal 'n roll' band from Watford in Hertfordshire. This year the band are releasing a single + video shot by Lawrence Hardy (You Me At 6, Enter Shikari) on May 18th which has plans for TV viewing and are due to release their debut mini album 'The Way To Save Our-selves' the following week. They have upselves' the following week. They have up-coming dates including a 15 date tour with Young Guns in July and Download and Un-derage Festivals.In 2007 the band were voted 5th top un-signed band by Kerrang magazine, in 2008 recorded a BBC radio session in early Feb-ruary, performed a Red Bull Bedroom Jam on April 10th and played last year's Under-age Festival with Gallows and more.

The Interview:

How did none the less start out?We were jamming at school, playing the classic Oasis and Beatles covers, learning our in-struments and how to play together as a band. Things progressed and we slowly learned how to do things and how to perform.

The bands been going awhile now and been getting lots of attention, whats been the high-light so far? Playing last year's 3Style Festival (hometown festival) and getting the reaction we did was amazing. Bodies everywhere and plenty of singalongs. Also, we just played this year's Camden Crawl and that was also an aweosme show. Anywhere we can go to that we havwen't been before and get a reaction goes down well in our books.

2009 is looking to be a big year for the band, whats happening? We've been confirmed for this year's Download and Underage Festival That's a massive deal for us! Also a 15 date tour with Young Guns over late july/early August is going to be ex-tremely good and waiting to see if our debut single can get itself some radio and TV plays!

Whats the plans for after download and the mini album? We'll be touring over September and October too in support of the CD. All the way to the end of the year is going to be more relentless touring and possibly a new single release by then too.

Whats your favorite city/venue to play and why? Hometowns are always awesome. Getting to see your friends and even pull in fans you've made from elsewhere. Also, any show that we've never been to before and get well received. Always a pleasure.

What would be your dream line-up to play on? Muse, Metallica and None The Less at the Watford Railway Club? I don't think so somehow!

FinallFinally, where can everyone grab a copy of the mini-album and why should they check it out? Its a bunch of honest, catchy metal/rock n roll songs that have plenty of riffs and plenty of singalongs. We like to think this CD has catered for everyone. You can pre order it right now at www.nonetheless.bigcartel.com or come and buy it at ANY of our shows!

We just checked out the bands page, looks like a busy year coming up what do you thinks going to be the highlight?We're all super excited for the album to come out, we cant wait for people to hear it, Its gonna be a good year!

Your doing some UK dates before hitting the vans warped tour, where is your favorite venue to play?Whenever we play London & Manchester we have awesome receptions, the crowds are big and Whenever we play London & Manchester we have awesome receptions, the crowds are big and more up for fun it seems!

The album and new single are out in May, what was it like getting the tracks ready?Recording the album was an amazing experience, we went to El Paso Teaxs to record with Jason Perry. Jason is in my top 5 people ever list after the time we spent together.

Whats your favourite track off the upcoming album?I'm not just saying this but i cant choose one, i love them all like my newborn children.

There seems to have been loads of bands come out of wales over the years and many more There seems to have been loads of bands come out of wales over the years and many more starting to grab attention,such as yourselves and newer bands such as Go-X, do the Welsh crowd just like good bands and make good bands or do you think there is more to it?I think South Wales is such a small area that seeing so many other bands do so well and write such good songs has made people want to get up and do something, i know that's the reason we shifted up a gear was seeing bands like Lostprophets and Funeral fora friend do so well.

Any advice to new bands just starting out?Play anywhere and everywhere, dont expect to ever make any monePlay anywhere and everywhere, dont expect to ever make any money. be passionate!

What bands do you recommend our readers check out?At the moment im loving the Architects new record - hollow crown, also the Hexes record Black sound/White noise and the lonely islands incredibad record!

You recently started doing DJ sets at clubs etc, just a good excuse to have some fun and a good party?

I used to dj before i was in the blackout, so whenever i get time off i love to play clubs, its kind I used to dj before i was in the blackout, so whenever i get time off i love to play clubs, its kind of like playing live with a band, i do a bit of everything from Rock to Pop, Electro to Dance. I'm having a blast and you should come check it out!

Sean Smith, The Blackout....

BLINKY Will be at FarmFest 09!

See news pages

Reviews...

Stars of the search party Getting things underway with a blistering Getting things underway with a blistering set! Gripping from start to finish and flow-ing beautifully from 1 song to the next, the band lead by the smooth moving frontman Rob Harral, get into their set with out-standing professionalism that makes you forget entirely where you are. With standout songs such as See you in Strasbourg, The Culprit and Vanity Scars the band show their musical diversity from the brutal and uniquely coherent screams to the wonderful warmth of synths and punk influenced guitar riffs. This band will have you jumping, screaming, shouting all night long.long.

www.myspace.com/starsofthesearchparty

YOUR LAST WINTER

A live gig review by Craig Whitehouse.

Venue: The Little Civic, Wolverhampton

What is there to say about these 3 young lads from the Black Country? What is there to say about these 3 young lads from the Black Country? Well, for starters they're quite possibly one of the hottest local bands performing their take on the pop punk genre. With Josh White on lead vocals and guitars, Daniel Binl on bass and backing vocals and Joey Stanton (AKA 'Joey Deathproof') beating away on the drums, all 3 pro-vide the feel good pop with rather twisted lyrics, and shocking to some, it works really, really well. Drawing influence from such acts as Blink182, Alkaline Trio, Brand New and The Cure, Your Last Winter provide the current scene with something fresh without re-sorting to being “just another punk band”, with their melodies and catchy riffs, not to mention lyrics despite the subject matter.

Live is no exception. Opening up with the catchy riff enough to rival that on any song in Blink 182's catalogue, 'Anna Don't Go' is one great set opener. Expanding their set list with modern pop punk songs 'Sorry Doesn't Cut It' and 'Locket V.S The Key', moving onto much traditional punk sounds with 'Decay Today!' and returning to their most popular song 'Let's Work This Out', Your Last Winter are covering all the grounds with ease, whilst putting heart, soul, passion, fury and energy into their performance.

It is safe to say that this band, with all their passion and drive for what they do, and enIt is safe to say that this band, with all their passion and drive for what they do, and en-joying every second of it, they will go far - so keep an eye out for these, go to a show and you will not be let down.

Photos ByEmma Bowdidge, our fea-tured photogrpaher for this issue.

Left Go:AduiRight Saving Aimee

Reviews... Go:Audio- Cambridge Junction 02.04.09

The wait for the first band, seemed to take ages. But it finally went dark and Eighth Wave came on stage. They gave a good performance, and the song which was most memori-able to me was 'Heartbreaker'. The crowd seemed to enjoy what they were seeing, as they were going absolutely crazy, jumping around and shouting!

Now it was time for the second support, Saving Aimee. Now i had been a fan of theirs for a while, but had never gotten the chance to actually see them live, so was looking for-ward to what they had to give in a live performance. They came bounding on stage, and they started their set off with Luke grabbing the microphone and saying to the crowd 'When I say Saving you say Aimee....Saving' and the crowd shouted back 'Aimee'. They then burst into the first song of the night. Their set was one of the best live performances that i have seen. The members were jumping down into the crowd. The crowd seemed to have loved every moment!! Savinghave loved every moment!! Saving Aimee had after their last song went out in the same fashion i n which they started their set. With Luke going 'When i say Saving, you say Aimee..Saving' and with the crowd shouting back 'Aimee', i would call this a successful night for Saving Aimee.

The lights went dark, the crowd pushed forward and were screaming their heads off. The main attraction of the night came on stage. They went straight into their first song of the night. A couple of songs into the set already and someone in the crowd threw two glo-sticks onto the stage, it headed straight for Josh who was on the synths, luckily he caught both of them! He then threw them back into the crowd. During the break between the songs, James wanted the crowd to jump more. So the obligation was there for the crowd to jump, so we took the opportunity! They gave us a live performance of their single which is yet to be released, which is 'Drive to the city'. A few songs later and they ended up doing 'She Left Me' which every member of the crowd were singing along to. The band members then disappeared off of the stage without a warning, and i thought the night had come to an early end. The crowd were shouting 'We want more! We want more!' After what seemed like ages, they came back on to play 2 more songs! The last song of the night was a Go:Audio which every Go:fan will recognise as 'Made Up Stories'.

Written By Caroline Pawson

Reviews... O2 Academy Islington - 5th May

One of One of Two Days Time's most notable performances to date. The biggest gig since the addition of the band's new Drummer and backing voclaist (Daniel McNamara) and new Lead Guitarist (Robbie Cooman). A well rehearsed two day's time took to the stage promptly at 8pm ready to show the croud that the first isn't always the worst. During the introductions the crowd showed that they were ready for something special from this up and coming band, cheering, clapping and bouncing around. The first song in the two days time set list - 'Promises' got the crouds attention and got The first song in the two days time set list - 'Promises' got the crouds attention and got them tapping their feet, although 'promises' is an instrumental its a short showcase of the skillful guitaring from both Robbies. The 2nd song in the set list for two days time was in fact the song entitled 'Two Days Time' with the very distinctive and memorable signature breakdown got the whole croud singing the tune to themselves. With the speedy drumbeat and easy to dance to sound 'Two Days Time' was a major hit with the croud. With a 'thank you' from Robbie the croud cheered and clapped like mad. 'Are'Are You Madeline?'was the 3rd song on the setlist, again with its upbeat tempo and amazing guitaring and catchy lyrics this song was another huge hit with the crowd. Also with an unexpected addition to the end of the song a more in depth introduction to each band member each playing a small rehearsed solo. This was again a treat for the croudbecause it showed everyone that there is alot more to 'Two Days Time.' After the intro-duction with a well timed drum roll from Daniel which seemed to get the croud moving, the chorus from 'Are You Madeline?' was repeated twice which gave a nicerounded feel to the song. Another small surprise for the crowd came at the beginning of 'This is not the end' where Robbie C and Ben congregated with Robbie D at his microphone. All 4 band members performed the chorus to 'This is not the end' in a gang vocal chant, this again showed the audience that there is alot more to Two days time than what they may have thought. With the very distinctive drum beat and chorus this song seemed to be the feather in Two Days Time's cap. Lead by drummer Daniel and joined by Robbie C and Ben they began to clap, likewise so Lead by drummer Daniel and joined by Robbie C and Ben they began to clap, likewise so did the audience after a few words of encouragement from Daniel the croud screamed out making as much noise as possible. After a few repeats of this the band struck up again which seemed to send the croud intoa frenza frenzy. The ending of 'hold onto her tonight' was another highlight of the entire evening with the death screams eminating from Daniel's Microphone repeating the words 'Hold Onto Her Tonight.' Again with another amazing reception from the audience. Another sur-prise to both the band and the onlookers a man (who shall now be referred to as the 'cockney loving rap dude') took Robbie's microphone and began to rap in the spur of the moment Robbie motioned to Daniel to start playing something. So using a rather rudi-mentry drum beat Daniel began to play, joined by Ben and both Robbies. For the end of 'You Can't Run' Daniel moved to the front leaving the drum kit behind and taking control of Robbie's microphone, he then proceeded to thank everyone involved, which againput the croud into a frenzy. Once the set was finished a chant emerged from the croud 'Two Days Time! Two Days Time!' but unfortunately due to time restraints an encore was dis-allowed. All in all a very very good performance from thisvery young band.

The future is bright for this up and coming band.

Written by Robbie Dowling.

Reviews... Amy Studt

Photos from the tour Top left: Everyone together from Amy, The Broadcast and Last Man Down

Top Right: The Crowd looking on and en-joying an energetic set from The Broad-cast

Bottom: Amy in action

Amy Studt, Last Man Down and The Broadcast at De-bees in Winsford, Cheshire

Being 170 miles and three hours away from home I found myself in Winsford, Cheshire for the final night of the Amy Studt tour with Last Man Down and The Broadcast.

Strangely after some more 'local' talent,Strangely after some more 'local' talent, Amy Studt took to the stage before her support bands to deliver an amazing acoustic show which saw her perform a large proportion of songs from her new album 'My Paper Made Men' including her latest single 'Nice Boys'. The acoustic set let her show off her amazing vocal talent, although the audience consisting of many drunken people in their twenties only appreciated it after being told abruptly to shut up and listen to Amy's music. Amy's set lasted about 50 minutes and finished on an old song 'Misfit', a song which near enough anyone will recognise if they hear it even if they claim never to have heard of Amy Studt.

Amy proved that despite being away for a number of years she still has the talent and ability to Amy proved that despite being away for a number of years she still has the talent and ability to capture an audience's attention and perform a flawless set.

Straight afterStraight after Amy Studt departed from the stage her support band The Broadcast came to the stage. Despite being hundreds of miles from their home town and thus being near enough un-heard of, this doesn't deter the band and they still got the audience moving. Not even part way through their first song the members of the audience edge their way forward creating an inti-mate, cosy atmosphere; everyone's ears caught by the mix of pop and electronic sounds blast-ing from the speakers surrounding them: And despite having too short a set in my opinion they still packed their set with songs both new and old, including their latest single 'In Your Eyes' and older songs such as 'Plans'. Within the half of hour of music there are plenty of dancy disco beats and catchy melodic harmonies causing people to sing even if they don't know the words.

Blinky Scoops awards double!

The origina of Blinky is a Promo company based in Luton, which up til decemeber had a 3 year run at various venues including The Hat Factory, Luton, the spiritual home of Blinky ( and also our featured venue this month)

ThisThis April The Hat Factory celebrated its 5th Anniverary, and as part of which they held an awards night to celebrate some of the acheievements over the years. Blinky won the award for Contribution to Local Music which was voted for by management and also the pub,ic vote for Favourite hat Factory Music NIght.

These were amazing acheivements, and we were dead impressed to get 1 award let alone 2and Blinky boss Chris was put well and truely on the spot having to come up with a speech on the spot.

Its great to get these awards and we want to thank everyone thats come to shows, thats Its great to get these awards and we want to thank everyone thats come to shows, thats played for usm everyone at the Hat Factory and I want to thank all of the Blinky team, old and new, all I can say is good times.

Blinky supports 'Im Me' Campaign by Cutiepies clothing

We are always on the look out for interesting projects and ways to support and help dif-ferent causes aswell as the great music talent in the UK.

The Im Me Campaign is a project started by Cutie Pies clothing team and is all about being yourself and being happy and coming together, mushy stuff but it important none the less, so we want you all to head over to www.myspace.com/cutiepiesrulz

Also keep your eyes peeled for special features involving Blinky and Im Me!

Blinky News... Blinky Magazine to hit Farm Fest 2009

Blinky will be hanging out hopefully in the sunshine at Farm Fest, now in its 4th year Farm Fest is all about food music, good food (local and organic) and just generally having a good time.Its a 2 day event on 24-25th July and based in Somerset, this years line up is bigger and Its a 2 day event on 24-25th July and based in Somerset, this years line up is bigger and better than before featuring a mix of bands, DJs, genres, stalls, crazy gold and entertain-ment! You can get more information and tickets from www.farmfestival.co.uk.O and its only £25 for both days including parking and camping!

See you there we hope

Arusha Accord: http://www.myspace.com/thearushaaccordukFrom: ReadingSchizophrenic chaos!Schizophrenic chaos! A band that will be at the forefront of tech-metal with their fantastic polyrhythmic song structures and constant guitar shredding. A band that not only appeals to fans of insane moshpits, but also those who critically debate guitar those who critically debate guitar solos and time signatures on in-ternet forums.

If Hero’s Should Fail http://www.myspace.com/ifheroesshouldfailFrom: South East EnglandDark pounding rhythms with softer dreamy melodies Dark pounding rhythms with softer dreamy melodies which offer an almost perfect contradiction. Almost haunting screaming mixed with punk style spoken word chorus. Fantastic technical ability shown throughout their songs.

A Day After Tomorrow! http://www.myspace.com/adayaftertomorrowFrom: South East EnglandWWeird and Wonderful! A teenage band that utilises Nin-tendoesque synth arrangements to create a different and experimental sound whilst retaining a coherent song structure! A successful mould of musicianship, unique lyrics, and retro electronics leave an original sensation that will have you coming back for more.

My Minds Weapon http://www.myspace.com/mymindsweaponFrom: Aberdeen.Destructive Metalcore riffs with a technicality and pro-gressive nature that overshadows many of their Ameri-can counterparts. A band that will attract both casual lis-teners of Metalcore for their anthemic choruses and die hard progressive fans for their phenomenal instrumentalism.

10 Bands to check out..

Screamo/Metalcore specia

l!By Ben Shorter

Proceed: http://www.myspace.com/proceedFrom: HertfordAA rich infusion of soft, melodic tones and bone shattering break-downs with an almost overwhelm-ing technical prowess. A band that successfully transgresses genres on individual tracks; with a vocal ability that wouldn’t be out of place in power metal, thunderous Screa-mo riffs, progressive guitar work, and the listenability of more main-stream rock bands.

The U.K has a long tradition of alternative music, producing such act as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Although, in recent times, the metal scene has been flooded by American bands with major label support; this list is evidence that the U.K has some of the hottest screamo/Metalcore bands in the world, so support your scene!!!

Give each of these bands are try! The U.K has an amazingly diverse scene that accommodates all fans: from those who start mosh pits, to the worshipers of technique, to those that trawl

through thousands of songs for something different and everything in-between, SUPPORT YOUR SCENE!Ben Shorter

First signs of Frost http://www.myspace.com/firstsignsoffrostFrom: BuckinghamshireThis band embodies every characteristic you want within Metalcore. Roaring riffs, pulverising beats and delicate melodies topped with some powerful and dynamic vocals mean that First signs of Frost have that First signs of Frost have limitless potential

Scream shout Say nothing http://www.myspace.com/screamshoutsaynothingFrom: HertfordAmbient Post-Hardcore at its best. Mellow guitar Ambient Post-Hardcore at its best. Mellow guitar work, coupled with a mixed of angsty screamed vocals and soft sung vocals give this group a dis-tinctly individual yet listenable sound. A band that propels the 90’s post-hardcore sound into the modern era by adding the technicality of the U.K scene.

Yashin: http://www.myspace.com/theyashinFrom: GlasgowAA band that focuses on the more main-stream pop element of screamo without sacrificing their music reputation. They have a repertoire of songs that can attract a mainstream fan base whilst showing off the progressive and technical nature of the U.K music scene

Deaf Havanna http://www.myspace.com/deafhavanaFrom: Kings LynnPower choruses delivered by an extraordinary talentPower choruses delivered by an extraordinary talent-ed front man shows that the U.K has vocal ability as well as technical skills. Deaf Havanna deliver subtle melodies, energetic verses, and have a vocalist who is willing to challenge himself allow them pick up the scene where Her Words Kill left off.

Open the Skies http://www.myspace.com/opentheskiesbandFrom: Open the Skies flirt with mainstream punk Open the Skies flirt with mainstream punk tendencies such as chanted choruses without becoming generic, and have a host of well written songs. Anthemic Met-alcore choruses, strong riffs and the oc-casional brutal breakdown give us a band that wouldn’t be out of place on primetime Kerrang.

Ones to watch.....Sam Evans, London based Filmmaker/Music Video DirectorTHE FILMBOY PROJECT - [email protected] What is the filmboy project about?The Filmboy Project is the name I operate under and the production platform for my work. I The Filmboy Project is the name I operate under and the production platform for my work. I didn't want to work for someone else. In this kind of game I couldn't see myself being successful unless I did it my own way. I need to be in control of what I do, and with the experience I had pre-viously, being on other peoples sets and just some of the people I've come across within the in-dustry, especially in this country... it can be real fake. And I don't want to be apart of that. People love to talk and tell you about what they're doing, but nothing ever gets done. I'm trying to build something here, and do something big, I was tired of having to listen to peoples chatter. I didn't have any connections that could help me get started, so I had to just start doing my own thing.

I call it 'The Filmboy Project', because I don't want to stand still, I need to keep moving and push-ing forward. It needs to be an on-going project.

Who's invloved and who have you worked with?

Across the board there are several people tied to the Filmboy Project. I work closely with a pho-tographer, Hema Patel at Vital Imaging and designer, Jem Fevzi with Zidesigns. For each project I pull a small team together depending on what's required, which allows me to work tightly and ef-ficiently.I've worked with a number of up and coming talent - DNA, an East London hip hop act who've been raising their profile over the last year or so and regularly pick up plays on Radio and TV. I work closely with these guys and have several projects in the pipeline to date. On the pop side of things I recently did the video for a soon to be 'Pop Princess', Jasmin aka Young London. She's making moves over in the States right now and has real depth to what she's doing. Plus, there's a Poem Inbetween People, a big London based Spoken Word/Poetry/Fusion group, who are regularly on the festival circuit throughout the country. The spectrum for who I work with is something I'm constantly trying to push and I'm always looking for something that's not expectsomething I'm constantly trying to push and I'm always looking for something that's not expect-ed for me to do. tion on the first in a series of five short films which we're working on getting completed within the next year. I've started to look into clothing/T-shirt design, so we'll see where that leads... At the moment, exposure is a priority and pushing the projects that come through as far as they can go. It's getting real exciting, and big things are beginning to take shape!

Ones to watch.....What sort of work do you do? Music videos is primarily my focus right now. Film is the main goal for where I'm heading. But to learn and develop my craft, to push ideas and experiment, I find music videos a great base to work from. They're very immediate. At the moment I'm also pushing to get into the commercial game. When I was studying I spent a At the moment I'm also pushing to get into the commercial game. When I was studying I spent a little time focusing on Advertising and enjoyed what I did learn. There's been no major names just yet... but a small viral campaign for ZiHost, a web hosting company based in London and I did a couple of entries for the Armani, Get Together brief that was set back about a year ago. Effects based work is something I've started to explore, however, I find live action, true locations and 'real life' to be much more inspirational. Graphic Design, Photography and Art Direction all play a major part in whatever project I'm in-volved in. How did it all start? I've always been caught up with film and tv. Hype Williams, I studied closely as I stepped up to do my degree in Graphic Design. I would get real excited with what he was doing visually. I was in quite a few bands growing up and I've always had a passion for music, I just couldn't find my fit within music. So I mean, taking the love for film and then the music thing, music videos seemed to be the natural fit. A lot of people tend to run music videos as a second rate produc-tion in comparison to something like a 'serious' film, they're very different though and I think there's a great skill to a great music video. I was studying over in New York back in 2006. A guest lecturer we had told me that if you're able to connect the right image with the right music you'll always find work. Within any film work I do, this is where I feel I know what I'm doing. Finding that image, the specific visual that works with whatever the music is saying, as long as I can do that I know it's all good! What's your plans for 2009?What's your plans for 2009? Right noRight now, the new single for DNA, Never Wanna Lose You, is picking up plays on youtube, hit-ting over 50,000 and is getting regular rotation on TV, so I'm sitting down with those guys in the next week or so to see what the next step is with future projects. I'm just about finished on the project I mentioned with Young London, so there should be a release with that over the summer hopefully. Lots more videos have been put in the pipeline for the next couple months, I'm going to be working with a real talented singer/songwriter/producer Tez-Lee who's just been released from his contract with Song BMG. I'm playing with the idea of some animation for a short film and I've just gone into pre-production on the first in a series of five short films which we're working on getting completed within the next year. I've started to look into clothing/T-shirt design, so we'll see where that leads... At the moment, exposure is a priority and pushing the projects that come through as far as they can go. It's getting real exciting, and big things are beginning to take shape!

Above: Ashton and George with their Myspace Trident comedy award

Below: Ahston and George as ‘The onmatopeodophiles’Dont wanna try saying that when your drunk!

Ones to watch.....The Ashton And George Show

Myspace: www.myspace.com/ashtonandgeorgeshow

Youtube: www.youtube.com/ashtonandgeorgeshow

Names and Date of birth: Ashton Jones (25 Sep 92) George Styles (1 Feb 93)

Where you from?: Where you from?: Watford & Abbots Langley

Profession: Ashton & George (Funny guys, apparently)

The Interview:So what is the Ashton and George show? G: The Ashton & George Show is a combination of letters put together to make certain words that spell: The Ashton & George ShowA: It's like A: It's like Wayne's World except we do sketches and flirt with one another.How did it all start?A: We were actually visited one night by three ghostsG: Yeah, they told us to change our ways, give our money to charity and start our own show and stuffA: Those ghosts are dead now...G: DeaderG: DeaderYou entered into the Trident Myspace comdey awards, how did it go?G: ShitA: They did have a Burger King there though...G: Yeah so we went and won the thingSo you could say its opened doors for you? G: G: Yes you could A: Doors to people all over the internet and the readers of BlinkyMag everywhere! Whats happening in 2009 for you guys? G: We're due to shoot our pilot series with ComedyBox in the Summer, that's gonna be shown on Myspace and shiz-zleA: Imagine the show as it is now but with celebrities and Music Festivals and stuff.G: Our first interview is actually supposed to be with Phar-rell from N.E.R.D, they're driving us up to the National Ad-venture Sports Show for a few days in our very own Ashton & George Mobile. Do you plan you sketches or are they sponatenous? G: We like to think of our sketches in a similar way to our sexual maneuvers. To certain extent, they are planned or written down, scripted if you will, and they're often shit.A: They make people laugh.G: Yeah, and we also sometimes involve our cameraman, WoodgerWhats your favourite joke then? A: Why did the chicken cross the road.G: That was really the joke that got us into comedy. The first time i heard that joke, i dunno, something felt right, inside meA: It's a classic to say the leastWhats been your highlight over last few years?A: I got a haircut on Thursday.G: It's really nice actuallyG: It's really nice actuallyA: And you bought those purple jeans didn't you...G: Yeah, i thought it was a bit of a brash decision but i ac-tually pull them of really wellA: Sometimes in public...

Featured Venue....

Photos from the monthly goth/industrial clubnight The Coven

Photos by Russ Sealy

The Hat Factory, Luton

Where:Bute Street, Luton, LU1 2EYWebsite: www.thehatfactory.org.ukPhone: 01582 878 100Age restriction: Varies for different events but live music for all ages every week.Sort of Nightlife: Jams, gigs, club nights dance, cinema, theatre.Sort of Nightlife: Jams, gigs, club nights dance, cinema, theatre.Whos on this month: My Passion, Maggie Bell and regular jams etc.

About the venue:The hat Factory is Luton's leading arts and entertainment venue, featuring live music, club nights, theatre, dance, films, children's activities, workshops, classes and gallery exhibi-tions.

The hat Factory was originally Britain's oldest straw-hat firm (Vyse's) and produced hats for Luton's massive hat industry until Black Tuesday 1930 when the basement caught fire due to overheated beeswax. After the fire the hat factory was rebuilt on the same site and continued to make hats until 1956. Since then the building has been used for a Tourist In-formation Centre, Citizens Advise Bureau and opened as an arts centre for the first time in 1997. It ran under the name of Artizium for 3 years before finally becoming the hat Factory as we know it, in 2000. the hat Factory has now been open now for 5 years.

The hat Factory is a multi-facility complex and is host to many musical, art, theatre, com-munity and workshop events.

2009 has brought big changes to the hat Factory. The entrance to the hat Factory is now through Poco Loco Cafe at the front of the building, providing you with a comfortable meeting place before and after events. Our music programme is as diverse as ever with regular club nights from Leviticus(dance) to The Coven(gothic), World Jazz Music from DJ Perry Louis and a variety of band nights supplied by PDM Music and DTA Promotions, with the introduction of a new music promoter who is looking to programme the most current breaking artists. The hat Factory is also home to Koolworld Studios, visit them at wwwww.koolworld.co.uk.

So if you want to hear alternative and dynamic music then the Hat Factory is for you! The Hat Factory is located in Bute Street just next door to Luton train station entrance, which is just 20 minutes by train from London.

For more info on future events go to www.thehatfactory.org

Above: Photos from the pioneering insirational arts shows.Below: Photos from a PDM show, one of Lutons top promoters for new music, Photos by

Paul Curry

We say:

The Hat Factory is where the Blinky story begins, being the venue for our first gig way back on 29th April 2006, which means we celebrated outr 3rd anniversary on the same night as The hat Factory celebrated their 5th.

When we started our shows the hat factory was yet to find its lace at the heart of the Luton When we started our shows the hat factory was yet to find its lace at the heart of the Luton music scene with no where near as many promoters and events as they have now, we owe alot our sucess to the support and guidence from the Hat Factory team in out early days.

Now the venue in luton with a repuation for giving new bands their first chances and gigs and starting them on the road to, hopefully stardom, bands that have played there include My Passion, Saving Aimee and Luke Pickett to name just 3.

One of the great things about the veune is the range of facilities available from gigs/venue One of the great things about the veune is the range of facilities available from gigs/venue hire, a recording studio, a gallery, cinema, performance space for dances and drama, There is literally something for everyone regardless of age, music taste and budget, with some events being free.

As the spiritual home of Blinky the Hat Factory holds alot of memories and hoefully many more to come in the future, when we get round to hosting out own shows again!