We caught up with The Heavy guitarist, Dan, during the filming of their ESPN 2013 NFL Draft Telecast with 50 Cent.

We see you are playing a few festivals this summer. Do you prefer an intimate venue or do you thrive in a festival atmosphere?

Smaller venues are usually a lot easier to say the least, festivals can be so unpredictable, you literally turn up and play! I think I speak for everyone when it comes to Glastonbury this year, WE ARE FINALLY PLAYING! Forty five minutes to get home too, bonus......

What couldn't you live without when you are on the road?

Green tea and my iPad. I'm a simple man with simple needs......

What have you been singing along to in the shower recently?

I've been murdering that Bruno Mars ‘Locked Out Of Heaven’ tune of late.....

We've seen you wearing Ben Sherman at some of your shows and in TV appearances. What's your favourite piece from our collection?

I managed to pick up a couple of the Camden style suits, they are a great cut.

Who do you think embodies 'British style'?

Probably Paul Weller although lately his barnet appears a little unpredictable. He's been sticking to that mod vibe forever and always looks sharp. I've seen a few shots of Tinie Tempah of late looking pretty tidy too....if I had an all time favourite embodiment of British style it would have to be The Beatles circa 67/68, great tailoring clashing with wild psychedelia!

Do you think British style has changed dramatically over the years? If so, what's your biggest style regret?

Not really, I still think the classic looks are still ever present and influential. In my dark distant past I have been guilty of rocking that whole awful skater street wear vibe, baggy jeans and hoodies, but hey, I was young!

If you could have a pint with anyone, who would it be and why?

Probably Jonny Marr, Bigmouth Strikes Again was the first tune I attempted on the guitar and I still haven't nailed it!

The Heavy are wearing Ben Sherman Tailoring from our Spring collection.

Never look back, always keep moving forward – that’s the general rule. However, in some cases you simply can’t rival a classic. This week we proudly launch a collection of seven iconic pieces, Duke Street Foundry.

Ben Sherman’s humble beginnings were in a small factory in Brighton, England, back in 1963. If you’re reading this blog, we’re sure you already know the story. Who could have imagined, though, fifty years on his name would be synonymous with British style throughout the decades.

Duke Street Foundry. ‘What is it?’ we hear you cry. It is a collection our true advocates will applaud – seven styles, all proudly made in England, each distilling the very essence of our brand heritage.

Duke Street – the location of Ben’s very first shop

Foundry (n) ­– a place where objects of lasting importance are cast

You can get your hands on the pieces below from Monday 8th April.

Fishtail Parka

Candy Stripe Button-Down

Short Sleeved Polo

The Classic Oxford

House Check Button-Down

 Traditional Harrington Jacket 

We were invited by the charity to take a look around a Teenage Cancer Trust unit at The Royal Marsden hospital in Surrey and to see first hand how patients and staff benefit from it’s facilities.

The Oak Centre for Children and Young Peopl was officially opened in May 2012 by Sarah Duchess of York and Princess Beatrice of York, and since then has been a place of rest and of hope to many young cancer patients in living in Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Even though its location is within the grounds of The Royal Marsden, the centre is a complete escape from the usual hospital environment. Upon entering you are greeted by warm and welcoming staff, bright colours and intriguing wall murals, immediately put us at ease as guests in an environment where patients are in the stages of recovery.

We were guided around the home-from-home unit – stopping to admire the patient and parent kitchen with dedicated house cook, a unique outdoor roof terrace for patients to grab some fresh air and a large education room (with brand new computers and musical instruments, allowing patients to continue their studies).

Our favourite features, prompting us all to release a classic firework display ‘ooh, ahh’, included:

> The chill out room complete with X-Box, Playstation, pool table and juke box as well as a nifty football table. We met two of the patients here and had a short conversation about the previous evening’s football game, hello to you both if you’re reading!

> Shower rooms with inbuilt iTunes allowing patients to listen to their own music when away from their beds – an excellent use of technology!

> Uniquely decorated rooms with extra room for parents to stay over when required – all of which have built in TV’s and music systems

The Teenage Cancer Trust unit can also provide specialist treatments such as stem cell transplants and radioactive iodine therapy as and when they are needed, in an environment where these teenagers can feel as ‘normal’ as possible.

To help Teenage Cancer Trust continue their work, and open more of these exceptional centres for young people, please donate anything you can here.

Base Miami is a lifestyle retail store that carries everything from clothing , music, accessories, to niche publications. What are three things you're currently loving?Color, no dress rules, and Laura Mvula 'Sing to the the Moon'.

What does British style mean to you?
Individualism - the cult of personality, which takes precedence over any mercurial trends.

Do you think British style and music has an influence on Miami fashion?
We live in an inter-connected age - the same influences prevail be it London, Berlin or Miami, only lifestyle and climate change the parameters. There are a slew of remarkably talented female artists that have recently emerged from the UK and they are certainly featured at our CD Bar.

This upcoming week Winter Music Conference will begin, any favorite bar, clubs or parties we should know about?
BARDOT in Wynwood should not be missed. The Electric Pickle, and The Corner Bar in the bowels of downtown Miami where you can drink until 8AM!

You've been in Miami for over 20 years, actually approaching your 25th anniversary next year, what have been some of your favorite trends? (fashion, art, etc.)
I think overall the spawning of Miami as a truly international, and recognizable, mecca for Art, Architecture and Design.

Anything we can look forward to with your 25th anniversary next year?
We're nurturing the penultimate BASE store - let's see if we can make that happen? That would be our legacy.

Lastly, if you could have a pint with anyone, who would it be? Why?
Queen Elizabeth 11 - it's such an implausible idea that it's worth giving it some thought - I'd love to hear her take on everything. I hear she has an excellent sense of humor which you'd need for that job!

www.baseworld.com / @Baseworld

We had a really hard time keeping ’50 Years of British Style Culture’ to ourselves during the lead up to launch. Excitement in the office peaked when the book was sent to print, so we shuffled along to the printers rubbing our palms together with glee for a first look.

The London based print company allowed the Ben Sherman team to take a peek behind the scenes; and since this week marks the release of the limited edition book, here are some images of the very first copy emerging from the press.

50 Years of British Style Culture (Limited Edition) by Josh Sims, £50.

This week local band Little Eye select five of their favourite destinations in their hometown of Glasgow – including their eatery of choice and the best place to play a game of pool after a gig.

FIVE OF THE BEST PLACES TO VISIT WHEN IN GLASGOW:

1. Post-gig Pool / Q Club – This members only club has pool tables a plenty, it also has a self-proclaimed first class bar and diner. What more could you possibly need in a post-performance venue.

101 St. Georges Road, Glasgow G3 6JA

http://www.qclub.org.uk/

2. Black Sparrow / Basement Beers – This place has a great basement bar and Wednesday’s quiz night presents an opportunity to win a crate of beer if you hadn’t consumed enough already.

241 North St, Charing Cross, Glasgow G3 7DL

http://www.theblacksparrow.co.uk/

3. Music Venue / King Tuts – The one and only King Tuts. If you are into music and you live in Glasgow, you frequent The Tuts. Glasvegas and Andy Burrows are playing here over the next two months.

272a St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5RL

http://www.kingtuts.co.uk/

4. NYC IN G11 / Tribeca Cafe – Describing themselves as ‘a little bit of NYC in the heart of the West End’, Tribeca’s dishes are names after the Big Apple’s boroughs and landmarks.

102 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow G11 6NX

http://www.tribecacafe.com/

5. Menswear / Cruise – Stocking every premium brand the fashion savy gent could possibly require, including Plectrum by Ben Sherman.

180 Ingram St, Glasgow G1 1DN

http://www.cruisefashion.co.uk/

Little Eye will play Cruise on Thursday 28th February to celebrate the launch of the Plectrum at Ben Sherman collection in-store.

This week we feature Cologne - the fourth largest city in Germany. Although many associate Berlin as the cultural epicentre, Cologne is a hotspot for modern architecture and has a particularly vibrant arts and music scene.

FIVE OF THE BEST PLACES TO VISIT WHEN IN COLOGNE:

1. Music Venue / Luxor – One of the biggest music venues in Cologne, Luxor hosts performances by major international artists. One of our style advocates, Jake Bugg, is set to play here on March 7th 2013.

Luxemburger Straße 40, 50674 Köln
http://www.luxor-koeln.de/

2. Sugar Fix / Törtchen Törtchen – Sweet tooth? Pay a visit to this café and chocolatier a short walk from the Ben Sherman Cologne store. Try their new ‘Pear Helene’ cake.

Old Wallgasse 2A, 50672 Köln
http://www.toertchentoertchen.de/

3. Going Out / Rose Bud – The cocktails bar of choice for locals, Rose Bud is the place to grab your whisky sour.

Heinsbergstr 20, 50674 Köln
http://www.rosebud.de/

4. Fine Dining / Bali – Usually we would recommend a restaurant serving traditional German cuisine, but Bali has a particularly good Indonesian menu to choose from and a great relaxed atmosphere.

Brüsseler Platz 2, 50672 Köln

5. Café Stop / Salon Schmitz – Salon Schmitz serves food and alcoholic beverage amongst some interesting surroundings. Another favourite with locals, you won’t be disappointed.

Aachener Str 28, 50674 Cologne
http://www.salonschmitz.com/

 

While you are there, why not visit Ben Sherman Cologne? Find out where we located here.

 

 

]]> http://wordpress.bensherman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Cologne_by_night_photocase_Thomas_Iskara_021-294x189.jpg Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:02:07 +0000 We caught up with Tim at the launch of ’50 Years of British Style Culture' to talk Valentine’s Day, life on the road and his biggest style regret.

 

 

 

 

We hear you just launched a new solo album – ‘Oh No I Love You’. What can we expect?

Well a long time ago I met a guy called Kurt Wagner (of Nashville band Lambchop, one of Tim’s favourite bands) and I asked him if he would like to collaborate.
Years went by and nothing happened, then in April 2011 I called him and told him if I was visiting Nashville and would he like to write some songs. He said ‘when are you coming?’ to which I replied ‘two weeks’ time’. Kurt only had four weeks before he left for Berlin.
So after two weeks in Nashville I returned with enough material for the album and it was recorded the following October.
It’s been out four months now and the reviews have been fantastic.

Are you planning to tour?

Live shows have been great.  The UK and Italy so far, but I’ll be in Germany in May and then possibly France too.
I’m doing Field Day here in London too.

What is the one thing you can’t live without when you are on the road?

Home. You take everything with you but it’s not home.

Valentine’s Day is round the corner. Have you ever been on a date that made you say ‘Oh no, I don’t love you and I never will’?

Well there’s a remix album called ‘Oh No I Love You Too’.
There’s also a possibility of a fellow artist writing a track called ‘Black’ in response my track ‘White’. It will feature some negative connotations; you should have a listen to that one.

Thank you for joining us for the launch of ’50 Years of British Style Culture’. How would you describe your own personal style?
Oh it’s a pleasure, thank you.
My staple items are my moccasins, jeans, loose t-shirts and always a hat.

Do you think it has changed dramatically over the years? If so, what’s your biggest style regret?

Punk and mod when I was younger, but they were pretty cool.
I had some 22 inch flares which I wore with a denim shirt in the 90’s, double denim.

If you could have a pint with anyone, who would it be and why?
He presented me with an award via Skype but it’s not the same – so I’d have to day David Lynch.

 

Tim Burgess, ‘Oh No I Love You’ – out now. You can tweet him here: @Tim_Burgess or listen to his new album on the Spotify player below:

 

]]> http://wordpress.bensherman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Tim-Burgess-294x189.jpg Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:51:31 +0000 Last night we hosted a launch party at our conceptual retail space, Mod_ular Blanc to launch our new book and same name exhibition entitled, 50 Years of British Style Culture. Leading members of the UK's menswear press and friends of Ben Sherman were amongst the first to preview the exhibition and get their hands a copy of the newly published hardback.

 

With a DJ set by the renowned Tim Burgess, his selection of Northern Soul sounds provided the soundtrack for the evening while guests sipped on our favourite beer provided by Saint, whilst we kept the rest of the guests topped up with champagne.

Both book and exhibition pay tribute to the evolution of British Menswear and music led movements, going on a journey through five decades of fashion, music and politics, whilst also providing a rare glimpse into our history, and Ben Sherman himself. Within this clean and contemporary space we've showcased iconic images and text taken from our 50th anniversary book, written by Josh Sims, as well as archival and collaborative products from the past 50 years.

To find out more about the exhibition click here, and to get your hands on our anniversary book click here.

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It feels like such a long time since ‘Cassius’ blasted through the PA system at festivals, house parties and club nights across the globe. Just when we’d filed them away in our auditory association cortex (musical memory for non-brain science buffs), they’re back in our lives with their third studio album, Holy Fire.

The album is yet to be released, but already the airwaves are consumed with familiar infectious hooks in the form of the first single ‘Inhaler’. Satisfying our yearning for Foals times gone by and setting our toes tapping.

 

 

We are expecting big things after such a prolonged silence and the boys are keeping up the anticipation with their antics on Jack Bevan’s Instagram: http://instagram.com/jackbevanxiii

Foals - Holy Fire, out February 11th 2013.

http://www.foals.co.uk/ / https://www.facebook.com/Foalsforever

 

 

 

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