With Easter weekend upon us, Soho’s independent record stores and retailers have teamed up to bring us one hell of an event that’s guaranteed to make this bank holiday one to remember. On Saturday 19th April Record Store Day will descend onto Berwick Street; Central London’s largest concentration of independent record stores and go-to destination for vinyl collectors since the 80s, to bring us a day of live music, vinyl culture and festivity.

As the vinyl revival continues to escalate with a total of 780,000 vinyls sold in the UK alone in 2013, the highest number in over 16 years and Record Store Day now a worldwide phenomenon, expect Berwick Street to be brimming and bustling with music lovers and bands alike as seven artists including 80s pop sensation Adam Ant and Irish Band The September Girls take to the Main Stage to bring us a free outdoor gig alongside DJs, music quizzes, and parties in stores. For the vinyl lovers, Reckless Records, Sister Ray, The Music & Video Exchange, Sounds of The Universe, BH Soho and Phonica will open their doors to the public from 8 a.m. bringing us limited edition vinyl releases and copious amounts of vinyl records to browse through across the day.

For the fashion and retail lovers Oliver Spencer will be throwing a first-rate party in store with their very own DJ, drinks and vinyl fair followed by Weekend Offender offering a generous discount on clothing and a free haircut in store for customers who make a purchase. If that isn’t enough to get you off your feet and marching down to Berwick Street already, Nudie Jeans and Foot Patel’s flagship stores will also be participating in the event and thriving throughout the day.

Amongst the DJs and in-store parties, the world street food traders from Berwick Street’s fruit and vegetable market are also proud to participate in Record Store Day catering vinyl fans with pizza, sandwiches, falafel and fresh produce. As Berwick Street is also home to some of London’s most in demand restaurants you certainly won’t be heading home this Easter weekend with an empty stomach. Polpetto will be serving Venetian dishes from their open kitchen alongside Ember Yard, a tapas restaurant inspired by Spanish and Italian methods of cooking over charcoal, delivering a menu of artisan cheese, meats and vegetarian plates.

Offering free entry to all and a stellar line up to boot, round up friends and family and head down to Berwick Street, as this year’s Record Store Day is certainly not to be missed.

Tags: Record Store Day, Vinyl

For those who are yet to discover Wolfgang Tillmans, this coming May proves to be the perfect time to explore the world through the lens of the German fine-art photographer. The turner prize winner, most renowned for capturing contemporary landscapes, club scenes and astronomical phenomena is set to publish Wolfgang Tillmans the artist’s first complete record of work across his twenty-five year career. Published by Phaidon Press, the updated and expanded publication will present the German photographer’s latest projects over the last ten years alongside an essay by New Museum curator Joanna Burton and an interview with Stuart Comer, the chief curator of media and performance at the MoMA. What’s more, Wolfgang Tillmans will also feature new writings by the artist himself across the 240-page hardback edition.

Tillmans is mot renowned for his observation and exploration of the world through photography, stating “I take pictures, in order to see the world.”

Dividing his time between London, Berlin, New York and Frankfurt, Tillmans is praised on an international scale, showcasing his work at the Serpentine Gallery and Tate Britain in London to appearing in i-D, Interview and Spex Magazine. For a rather short lengthened career thus far, Tillmans has achieved incredible recognition for his photography, going on to be the first photographer to win the Tate annual Turner Prize in 2000 and if that isn’t enough, Between Bridges, Tillmans non-profit exhibition space in Berlin, re-opened this January and has so far featured works by Patrick Caulfield and Jochen Klein.

Wolfgang Tillmans is undoubtedly one of the most influential artists of his generation and Wolfgang Tillmans is set to be an unforgettable milestone in his career. Pre-order at uk.phaidon.com

Tags: Phaidon, photography, Wolfgang Tillmans

Have you been yearning to release that inner artist? Or are you scared to death at the thought of simply picking up a paintbrush? PopUp Painting is the answer to all of the above. Established in January 2013, the latest art mania introduces a practice, that many of us consider nothing short of a nightmare, into a social environment: “We want to make painting accessible to everyone, and highlight the fact that it is fun. Most of our guests haven’t painted since their school days and just want to try something different (normally with a drink in their hand).” Popping up across venues such as Le Pain Quoitidien, PopUp Painting invites us to overcome our fear of the canvas, whilst mingling with likeminded guests at some of London’s most social and beloved hangout spots.

Originating in the States, PopUp Painting hit a home run and within months dispersed internationally, from Canada to Australia, and over to the UK where Phylissia Shelton, the UK’s Founder and Director, was quick to take note of the creative craze. Shelton set the ball rolling and joined forces with a select number of artists and supporting staff to launch in the UK’s capital at the Soho Hotel last April. It spread like wild fire and the past year has seen the company expand and ‘pop up’ across Central London and its surrounding boroughs. From Kensington to Richmond, the trend has attracted both students and parents alike to rekindle their love for painting across some of London’s favourite pubs, cafes and bars.

Last week Twin Magazine was lucky enough to head down to East Dulwich’s The Plough for the Roy Lichtenstein class to see what all the fuss was about. Taking on the American pop artist’s classic Oh Jeff, guests were welcomed to The Plough, a.k.a ‘Dulwich’s Friendliest Pub’, where a section had been cornered off especially for the painting class. At the flick of a switch, 60’s music filled the room and merged with the joyous sounds of guests socialising amongst one another. Priced at £25 per ticket, guests were provided with a fresh white canvas, a palette of acrylics, brushes and an upbeat talented art tutor who guided them through the course of the night. With an example to follow and a white canvas to fill, guests were slowly navigated through sketching the basic outlines of the pop art ‘fantasy drama’ piece. Newcomers showed no hesitancy in applying the brush to the canvas and as a result Oh Jeffs sprung up in minutes, followed by a wave of determination and elation. With not a single restriction in sight, participants bid farewell to their painting woes and transformed blank canvases into mini masterpieces. As the night drew to a close, the painters reviewed and praised the clashing and charming interpretations that had resulted from the experimentation of colours and the choice of text in the speech balloon.

With a selection of fantastic nights to boot, from Banksy to Picasso, PopUp Painting is set to be the next best thing to sweep the nation.

popuppainting.com

Tags: Art, PopUp Painting

Renowned British artist Patrick Thomas returns to the UK for the first time since 2008 to showcase a collection of silkscreened bold heart diagrams in his latest exhibition titled 100 BPM. Just in the nick of time for the Feast of Saint Valentine, Thomas’ show approaches the romantic hallmark holiday through the use of free-form screenprinting and collage, a technique, which the graphic artist has been honing for the past 18 months in trending European cities Berlin and Barcelona.

Currently on display at Stoke Newington’s Hang-Up Gallery until 16th March, the graphic artist’s show consists mostly of fresh new work and limited edition pieces, with a small number of perforated prints that mimic arrow shots alongside further pieces that feature arrows installed into the walls of the gallery. Titling his first solo-exhibition after an accelerated heartbeat and the number of beats per minute of someone who is ‘in love’, the exhibition also includes prevailing and clichéd slogans such as ‘I Love My Baby’, ‘True Love’ and ‘LUV U 24/7’.

Having showcased his work on an international scale, from Florida’s Salvador Dali Museum to Tokyo’s Ginza Graphic Gallery, Thomas has released over 150 editions of work and is also featured in Studio laVista’s publications Black & White and Protest Stencil Toolkit.

100 BPM is by far one of Thomas’ strongest pieces of work and takes us on an amourous and lively graphic journey that is bound to make your heart flutter.

hanguppictures.com

Tags: Hang-Up Gallery, Patrick Thomas