Hide All Blog

Which is yours?

Sophie (working in Hide All Greenwich most Saturdays) is off to Glastonbury - well done on finishing your AS-Levels!

No-one here at Hide All has Wimbledon tickets but oh we do love this fortnight! And what a game last night… Good luck Isner and Mahut! The question is; do you have any legs left for today?

 Our town centre manager in Greenwich, Emma, is getting married on Saturday. Lots and lots of love and best wishes on your special day! We will all be there and look forward to celebrating with you.

 As for the football, roll on Sunday! Remember boys, it’s Germany - no penalty shoot-outs please.

Just like to share our love of yet another wonderful place, the Eden Project in Cornwall - a great day out; inspirational and fun. This summer they have Paolo Nutini and Martha Wainwright in concert there - all of us  at Hide All just want to  be there but only Nick is going.

Yes it’s true - Nick has left. Help. He is Mr Hide All Tower Bridge. Seriously, this is a blog entry dedicated to our much loved and missed no.1 photographer, footballer and lover of all things fashionable. He is off to join Lucy in Falmouth and in the process has landed a cool job at the Eden Project. They have snatched him up and congratulations to Nick. We know you will be very successful and happy and tanned and oh all those cream teas. Keep up with the football!

Helped by Rough Trade Records, this is some of the new music that Hide All has chosen to play in store this month…

1) Jeffrey Lewis - 12 Crass Songs: Featuring Rough Trade’s favourite anti-folk singer-songwriter, Jeffrey Lewis reinvents 12 protest songs by the band Crass on this 2007 release. It’s good but watch out for the swear words!

2)  Gil Scott-Heron - I’m New Here: Best known for his spoken word soul performances during the late 70s and early 80s, Gil Scott-Heron’s latest album marks his fourth decade as a recording artist and has already been described as one of this decade’s best records by The Guardian’s Jude Rogers.

3) The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin: This American folk-rock four-piece have been going since 2006 but have recently come to prominence with their second album, wittily entitled Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. Very Hide All.

4) The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa: The debut album from singer Esau Mwamwaya and London DJ duo Radioclit, this album combines an Afro-Western mix of dance, hip-hop, pop and the traditional music of Malawi where Mwamwaya hails from. Watch out because we’ll be playing this one throughout the summer months!

This is the music that you and we are all loving in Hide All at the moment. Previously known as Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, The Unthanks‘ 2nd album The Bairns was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize and critics have loved their unique folk songs…

“Even more satisfying, compelling and varied than the Mercury-nominated The Bairns. Haunting, original and magnificent” **** The Guardian

 ”Absolutely exquisite. A real work of art. I will be playing it least forever” Paul Morley

 ”an exquisite mixture of light and dark, instinct and artistry” **** Neil Spencer, Uncut

James, the Hide All music expert, treated his mum Pauline to a night out at the Union Chapel, Islington - Andrew Bird performing at his very best, with lots of impromptu whistling and violin playing. Original and inspiring, we love his work - see a selection of his performances on Andrew’s YouTube channel.

And Charlton results. We won’t talk about the bad ones, but Saturday 5-1 to us! We’re still watching those goals on BBC iPlayer. Lloyd Sam’s is Mick’s favourite - what’s yours?

Plus the Olympic Aquatic Centre’s roof went up - on schedule! Whenever you drive along the dual carriageway (A12) it’s always so exciting to see the progress of the Olympic site.

There was a time when Hide All could pop into the local independent record shop and pick up an array of exciting new releases, advised by enthusiastic staff members (including Jamie Reynolds of Klaxons fame!).

So, in search of good music for the store, Hide All’s Pauline made her first trip to Rough Trade Records in Brick Lane.

Saturday’s choice includes new releases from…

The Young Republic, a Tennessee-based classically trained six piece, whose previous album ‘12 Tales From Winter City’ (2007) was a firm favourite in our shops.

The Unthanks, a Geordie outfit who received a Mercury Prize nomination for their 2007 album ‘The Bairns’. We like a bit of folk!

Leonard Cohen’s unforgettable live performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.

And a Dylan number… Christmas is coming!

Yes, Hide All went to Glastonbury, and yes, it was incredible. As always, the atmosphere was magical, with music that combines generations. Friendly Fires and Dizzy Rascal lit up the day performances while Blur truly were a Glastonbury defining moment. Long live Glastonbury…

Music has always been a huge part of life at Hide All…we are constantly listening and reading about new acts. So it’s been incredible following the rise of local boy Jack Penate who used to accompany the Hide All family to Charlton football matches when he was young!

His second album ‘Everything is New’ is a total reinvention from his first record ‘Matinee.’ There are many musical influences, from Latino rhythms, African beats to Smiths inspired vocals.  It truly is a fantastic second album that is mature, cohesive and defiantly pop. This album is upbeat and shows all those critics that Jack is here to stay. This will definitely be on our soundtrack this summer.