AMBUSH just revealed the lookbook of their 2013 jewelry collection "VVV". Hip Hop, fierce and very romanesque, I absolutely love this new collection.
"Appetite for subversion and ancient Rome as an inspiration, AMBUSH®'s new collection "VVV” cries havoc and transforms classic motifs into iconoclastic chaos."
Art Direction and design: YOON (AMBUSH®)
Styling: Matthew Josephs
Photography: Liam MF Warwick
I don't talk about kpop in this blog, but I used to be huge fan. My passion for kpop started to fade away around 2010 and now I almost don't listen to korean music anymore, except from one group: BIGBANG. I've been a huge fan since their debut in 2006 and it's the only group I've been following since then and I call myself a real "fan". It has always been a dream to be able to see them live, so when they announced their dates in London, of course I would try to be there, and I managed to get an early entrance ticket for the concert of december 15th.
I went to London with my friend on friday and we stayed at Astor Victoria hostel. We had a lot of fun. Our Early Entry ticket left us some time to go around London on saturday morning, so we went to picadilly, carnaby street and oxford street to shop.
not sure what I'm doing in that second picture
I love lazy oaf
not ready
that station was scary, down to hell
We arrived at the Wembley Arena around 1PM. There was already hundreds of fans queueing for the Soundcheck experience and in our early entry queue, we were quite surprised. There was a good mood around, even though some fans are quite annoying.... and VIP are fashionistas !
A goodies shop was outside the arena so I bought a crown lightstick because I knew the free goodies in our package won't include this one. It was 20£ ! So expensive ! And I was even more mad about it because I ordered two crownsticks on YG EBAY a month ago and I never receveid them and I don't know if I'll manage to get a refund ! I have spent way too much money for this concert but I don't even regret it to be honest.
I think we started to get in around 5:30PM. I was very disapointed with the Early Entry organisation ! The management of the queue was ridiculous and we didn't get to chose where we wanted to be in the standing area ! People with the early entry ticket were mostly on the sides of the stage, I do think some of them went to the front but we didn't had the chance de chose and at the very least they could have told us about it before. The stage plan is like a T so of course a lot of us wanted to be in front and not on the sides (But I heard the front crowd was a nightmare, everyone was pushing, some people fainted, could not breath proprely, and asked the security to help them getting off to go behind, so I am not going to complain). I managed to be in front of the barrier with only one little girl in front of me so I could see everything.
They played the lastest music videos of BIGBANG during the wait and everyone was already screaming and singing along, the crowd getting reallyy louder at every apparences of TOP on the screen, he's really the most popular! The concert started at 7:30PM.
ADVICE FOR FANS ATTENDING BIGBANG'S CONCERTS: If you can, DO NOT go on the right side from the boys view (left side of the stage for the audience) because the members have the really bad habit of barely go on that side ! Don't ask me why, I don't know, I guess they're not aware of it but they always go to the other side.
I think TOP never came close to my side, which is really sad because he's my favorite member and was obviously also the bias of many fans on my side because every single banners was about TOP ! But he did looked at us and all, but he never stayed in front of us.
G-Dragon came close to us one or two times, same for Seung Ri and Taeyang. The only member that came many times to play with us was Daesung, and I really love him for that !
I am not going to say like every fans "we had eyes contact" because I actually think it's impossible to know if they are really looking at you, exept when they point at you directly, like Daesung and Seungri did. Many times I though, "damn, did he just looked at me ?" but I just don't know and I will never know haha.
G-Dragon throwed his towel toward me and my friend, my friend got it but two fans next to her also catched it and they started a mini fight, ugh, they even broke her crown lightstick !! So the security guys had to interfer and that's when the band started singing CAFE !!! I am SO SO SO MAD I missed the start of my favorite song ever. It's one of my biggest regret of that night.
The concert was really good ! The setlist was okay, I might have wished more "old songs" though but I knew it was not going to happen because they don't performs those songs anymore....
One of the big quality of the show is the live band/orchester ! The songs arrangement are really good, the result of every songs is really awesome ! The drummer is amazing ! I really enjoy live bands music instead of playback music so I love BIGBANG for always doing everything live.
The YG dancers are really good and are also playing with the fans. The kwon twins were there ! I love the Kwon dancers so It was a really big surprise because it's rare see them dancing with BIGBANG nowadays (most of the time they are with 2NE1). At the second song of the show I saw one of them dancing right in front of me so I yelled at my friend "I think one of the twins is here, maybe the two are here !", she said "no, I doubt it", a few minutes after the two were in front of us that's when we realised it was really them !
The "bad" thing about the overall concert is something we can't really be mad at but it bothered me I guess, it's the staging. I would have wished something more structured from the members. The dancers are doing the technical staging of the show, and it's like the members are always on a freestyle, going everywhere whenever they want. I guess I wished I would see more global choreographies moments. You can really feel it at the encore, the encore is all about fun, they go down to go see the fans, sing whatever they want, hug each others, do funny things etc, well I didn't feel a big difference between the show and the encore, that's why I think the concert could have been better with a good structured staging for the members.
Taeyang's solo was the less impressive because of that reason. He basically sang "Look only at me" and "wedding dress" alone on stage or with a few dancers doing the dance routine, played with his mic, did his OH so famous moves (he really need to learn some new moves btw) and ripped his shirt for the satisfaction of every fans on the arena with the crowd screaming 57 octaves louder, and it's finish. I was very disapointed since Taeyang has the best solo songs and the best choreographies but there was nothing. I also have very conflicting feelings about his live vocals performance. It's not like he's singing false but his voice is not so smooth anymore, and I wasn't expecting a high pitched natural voice, to not say nasal (it was like hearing YG speaking). But I do love the person, he's really nice and always giving his all, the boy want all the attention from the audience so he's always doing something, dancing and having fun.
On the other side, Seung Ri's solo was A M A Z I N G ! He came on the stage like a boss with green lazer submachine gun and a hot white outfit. Everything was perfect, he took the stage very smartly, coming in front of the standing area gradually with the dancers, his solo stage even included a very cool mix with nirvana's song "smells like teen spirit", making the audience jumping like crazy. You can really tell that boy is working really hard.
GD&TOP stage had random staging but it's rap songs so I don't mind, because while with Taeyang's solo things could have been made in a very more awesome way, with GD&TOP it's all about rapping, doing some moves here and there together and show some "swag", you know. It was really cool. "High High" was really fun because everyone was doing the dance moves.
G-Dragon's solo was flawless. He is really charismatic and he knows how to literally take the stage so our eyes were only on him. "CRAYON" was really fun, the whole arena was screaming the lyrics with him. He did a little english accapella rap, I'm not sure If I liked that part...it's like he was trying too hard. Some rumors said that he was sick but I didn't really feel it, I though he was very cheerful and that smirk on his face make me melt.
The best solo stage is, without any hesitation, Daesung singing "wings" ! The only bad point is that he wasn't wearing his big white wings in his back witch which he was supposed to fly around above the audience, like in the other concerts. I guess it was impossible in the wembley arena. But even without this, he was explosive, best live vocals, a real charisma, amazing contact with the audience, everyone was singing and enjoying it. He blowed my mind. He didn't spoke much but the crowd was very loud when he did, just like TOP. I think it's impossible to not love that boy because he's genuinely adorable, 100% with the fans and very talented
the wings are amazing, too bad we didn't get to see it
TOP doesn't have any solo apart the GD&TOP stage. But the boy is really the most popular, the arena was going wild at every of his parts, he didn't talk much during the MC times. That man is really really realllllyyy shy; you can see it and that makes him even more adorable, but when he talked, oh my god.... his deep voice was making everyone going crazy haha, he said like 2 sentences in english that I barely heard because of the loud screams and he then talked in korean. I still have no idea what the fuck he said but when he smiled at the end my heart stopped haha. Something is really bothering from all the reviews/fan-accounts I am reading. It seems that many fans thinks that TOP was not really into the concert, but I really do not feel like he was absent minded at all ! Sure he looked tired but nothing more and by watching him I did saw the TOP I "Know".
Sometimes he would go alone in a part of the stage to dance like a weirdo all alone, or go sit in front of the fans just like that for a few minutes. TOP, and Daesung, gave me the most natural feeling. I don't say the three others are fake, but the two are themselves on stage and do not act. TOP isn't the type of doing fanservice so he just don't do it, he's shy so he don't talk, but yet when you look at him you could feel his emotions and that he was really enjoying it. I'm not sure everyone could see/feel it, but being close to the stage I can tell you that. Also, we all know he's not a good dancer but the man did a choom top dance for us at the end of the concert, it was hilarious, the other members were laughing and singing "GO TOP, GO TOP" and I felt like he was pretty proud of himself for like 1 second then he went to the back like "omg wtf did I just do"
End of the concert: TOP dancing like said above + and Seungri & Taeyang wishing us a merry christmas and a happy new a year
The boys are really funny. Seung Ri is the mood maker and is hilarious, his english is so so so funny. He kept saying "alriiight" and "lovely", his limited english forced him to always say the same words haha. Taeyang said "The ladies are so beautiful, and the gentlemen are so.... gentle" to that Seungri replied "How did you know that ?" making the whole arena laugh. The fans standing in front were pushing to much so they had to say "please move back" during the breaks, to that Seungri added something like "I know you all want to see me, I know you love me but please move back", I swear that kid is something. My most memorable moment of the show is the acoustic version of "Haru Haru". EVERYONE in the arena was singing and the emotion was all over the arena and I got to admit I was moved to tears, even the boys were truely amazed and bowed at the audience. I will cherish this moment forever !
Some of my crappy fancams will be uploaded on my vimeo account here.
I will never forget that night and I will forever have a deep affection for those boys. I Might not be the most active fan in the future because I am moving on from all of this, but I will always support BIG BANG ! I really hope to see them again one day !
Untagged pictures and videos are by me and my friend, do not take out without proper credits.
Born in Stockholm, Ellinor Olovsdotter is the singer behind Elliphant, a name she choosed after her trip to the UK, where she fell in love with the urban music of London.
Elliphant is a MC and pop singer, her previous releases are way more gangsta, like the track "Ciant Hear it", but she's back with "Down on life", a dope pop/dancehall song with hip-hop roots and a gorgeous music video filmed on an iceberg in Iceland.
Elliphant will release her self-titled 6-track debut EP on January 20, with the interesting and various influences of the singer , it's defenitively something I'll check out !
Every year I take the time to decorate the house with my mother. I love Christmas lights, it's always a lot a fun to do it ! I'll try to go take a lot of pictures of Christmas lights in my city, I took a few pictures last year. I'll go to London in two weeks so I guess I'll take some pictures there too !
It's already Christmas soon... I can't believe a year went by so fast ! 2012 was 60% of good things and 40% of disapointment. I definitely want 2013 to be MY year !! Ah, but maybe we're all going to die anyway.
M.I.A. covers the december/january issue of Jalouse Magazine.
The Photoshoot was under the direction of ROMAIN GAVRAS, who already worked with the singer for the music video of "Bad Girls", helped by the photographer Cedric Viollet and the stylist Jennifer Eymère.
Cover story: M.I.A. Mantangi speaks of the Hindu deity whose name she bore without knowing until his unexpected discovery on Google. Faced with so many similarities between himself and the goddess, she will name her fourth album to be released in March.
I think TOP never came close to my side, which is really sad because he's my favorite member and was obviously also the bias of many fans on my side because every single banners was about TOP ! But he did looked at us and all, but he never stayed in front of us.
The YG dancers are really good and are also playing with the fans. The kwon twins were there ! I love the Kwon dancers so It was a really big surprise because it's rare see them dancing with BIGBANG nowadays (most of the time they are with 2NE1). At the second song of the show I saw one of them dancing right in front of me so I yelled at my friend "I think one of the twins is here, maybe the two are here !", she said "no, I doubt it", a few minutes after the two were in front of us that's when we realised it was really them ! 
On the other side, Seung Ri's solo was A M A Z I N G ! He came on the stage like a boss with green lazer submachine gun and a hot white outfit. Everything was perfect, he took the stage very smartly, coming in front of the standing area gradually with the dancers, his solo stage even included a very cool mix with nirvana's song "smells like teen spirit", making the audience jumping like crazy. You can really tell that boy is working really hard.
Sometimes he would go alone in a part of the stage to dance like a weirdo all alone, or go sit in front of the fans just like that for a few minutes. TOP, and Daesung, gave me the most natural feeling. I don't say the three others are fake, but the two are themselves on stage and do not act. TOP isn't the type of doing fanservice so he just don't do it, he's shy so he don't talk, but yet when you look at him you could feel his emotions and that he was really enjoying it. I'm not sure everyone could see/feel it, but being close to the stage I can tell you that. Also, we all know he's not a good dancer but the man did a choom top dance for us at the end of the concert, it was hilarious, the other members were laughing and singing "GO TOP, GO TOP" and I felt like he was pretty proud of himself for like 1 second then he went to the back like "omg wtf did I just do"
