Ben Sherman Blog - Australia

The Monster of All Music Festivals

Exhausted yet? It's almost the end of summer and it's definitely been the summer of festivals, at least one on every week, but it's almost over - for some.

The US is about to head into their festival season. We thought we'd shine a spotlight on one of the USA's best kept secrets (well in Australia anyway), Washington's Sasquatch festival.

Located 2 hours outside of Seattle (home to Nirvana, Sub pop records, has music cred a go-go), what makes this event so amazing is the view. The Gorge Amphitheater is an outdoor venue near the Columbia River located in George, Washington. While you site back and listen to tunes from Iron & Wine, Deathcab for Cutie, Death from Above 1979, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips & more, one thing that never escapes us is the view. A Grand Canyon style vista, complete with Lakes and views for Hundreds of miles is your companion.

With Airlines offering return tickets to $1000.00 perhaps its time to head out into the hills in the US and catch site of the famous Sasquatch for yourself.

Oh and there is the usual festival antics that go on here along with the view and great bands

The Company Men

 

Most of us evaluate things daily and for most city dwellers a lot of that revolves around our jobs. If you work for a corporation, chances are you spend more time there, than anywhere else in your life, it's your number one habitat. Writer / Director John Wells from ER & West Wing Fame has crafted "The Company Men", which has a bunch of corporate officers are forced to ask about their place in the universe when they are unceremoniously dumped on the scrapheap.

The film brings together four Academy Award Winning Actors - Tommy Lee, Chris Cooper, Ben Affleck & Kevin Costner. Strong performances from all depict how men in suits handle things in different manners once the s&*t hits the proverbial fan.

While we've all seen dramas of doom n gloom (and there have been a few GFC themed movies to date) and some cheesy "you can do it" moments, the cast has a great turn out in Company Men. Cooper and Lee are especially compelling, with every strain, stress and demoralizing nature of being put out to pasture prematurely, etched in their faces.

It's your world turned upside down, those you thought you could count on no longer available and a chance to define oneself beyond gainful employment. It's also a little night out at the movies for some lucky winners.

We have 20 double passes to see "The Company Men" when it opens in March.

To enter click here and tell us your biggest lie (or extension of the truth) you've told to get a job.

Terms & Conditions

Ladies & Gentlemen - Mr Syd Barrett

 

The myth behind some of rock n' roll's most outrageous stories, Syd Barrett was the pioneering songwriter and musical visionary of the greatest psychedelic rock band in history, Pink Floyd. For the first time, the largest collection of unseen photographs, personal love letters and original artworks will go on display offering an unprecedented insight into the inspired life of this rock legend.

Syd Barrett | Art and Letters, will be the first and largest exhibition of its kind, offering a rare insight into the lesser known side to the original Pink Floyd frontman's inspiration and creativity. The exhibition will include a series of previously unseen photographs ranging from intimate images from Syd's childhood holidays through to the psychedelic hothouse of 1960s progressive rock as well as personal love notes written during the early days of Pink Floyd.

Not only a stunning documentary of Syd Barrett, the exhibition features a series of completely unseen photographs of early Pink Floyd, including the first ever images of the band playing live in Denmark and images by the photographer Mick Rock he had considered lost forever. The exhibition will also include an extraordinary collection of Syd Barrett's original artworks - the largest to date.

If you're a fan we suggest you get to London's Idea Generation Gallery from 18th March to 10th April 2011, or help us petition the exhibition to come to Australia!

Mayer Hawthorne & The County

 

We first heard of Mayer Hawthorne back in 2009. Soul croonings, killer suits and hip hop inspired, smokey background beats were enough to get us interested. When we were lucky to catch him live in January 2010, with his band The County dressed to impress and sweating it out at the Basement in Sydney, we were hooked.

Good news is that Mayer Hawthorne & The County are once again gracing Australian shores this month

Mayer counts Isaac Hayes, Leroy Hutson, Mike Terry, and Barry White among his influences, but draws the most inspiration from the music of Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield and others. His record label boss Peanut Butter Wolf recalls when he first heard Mayer's music - "He showed me two songs and I didn't understand what I was listening to," Wolf recalls. "I asked him if they were old songs that he did re-edits of - I couldn't believe they were new songs and that he played all the instruments."

Mayer spoke to Billboard recently saying "You're going to hear more of my affinity for Steely Dan and the Beatles and the Byrds and the Hollies and the Doobie Brothers -- probably some Public Enemy and N.W.A. too."

We can't wait to hear the new tunes and see the new suits

New Season collection - When We Were Casuals

Drawing inspiration from the functional utility of the Scout movement and blending it with the colligate aesthetic of early 60's Americana, Ben Sherman's collection for Autumn 2011 offers a 'blue collar' twist of practical preppy.

New collection pieces in stores now

 

January SALE Still On!

Our massive January sale is still on at our New Zealand and Australian stores. Selected items are 30%-50% off until Australia Day 26^th January. Come in for some hot additions to your summer wardrobe at pretty cool prices.

Our Stores

Flood Appeal

 

Our hearts go out to all of those in Queensland during these devastating floods. At time of print 2/3 of QLD is flood affected. There have already been some great fundraising efforts and it seems the music industry is about to step up to the plate.

Music promoter Michael Gudinski of Frontier Touring has been working on a fundraising event, Sound Relief 2, for the past few days. You may remember the first Sound Relief concerts were held on March 14, 2009 to help those affected by the Victorian bushfires and Queensland floods, raising more than $7 million.

At the recent Channel nine fundraiser, $10 Million was raised, whilst tennis player Andy Roddick raised $10, 000.00 at the Brisbane International Tennis tournament ($100.00 for every ace her served). Soccer player Tim Cahill is auctioning off box seats to an Everton home game and a trip to London and is expected to raise $14, 000.00.

If you can give, please give generously; the Premier's flood appeal is a good place to start:

Donate to the Premier's Queensland Flood Appeal

Going Up The Country

 

It's rare to find a band that unites audiences from 18-80, but UK brother / sister trio (who perform on stage with their mum & dad), Kitty, Daisy & Lewis manage to do that in spades.

T heir music is a mix up of dirty R'n'B & blues, whiskey soaked country, haunting Hawaiian jungle drums and Gospel fever, with a punch in the face by Daisy's hard beatboxing. With such a massive mix of genres, you'll find hipster kids, rockabillies and your mum shaking, jiving and swinging to the band's rhythm.

While their first gig was ten years ago (at the time Kitty was eight, Daisy was twelve and Lewis was ten), the band has won widespread acclaim across the globe.

They've just rocked their way through Australia - playing festivals and culminating in a 3 night residency in Sydney at the world famous Spiegeltent (a portable music saloon built in the 1920s).

Check out their music clip and shake your tail-feather.
or check them out on myspace.

Don't Go Overboard!

 

There's no end to the stream of boutique beers that seem to pop up every day. The humble lager has been continuously turned on its head in recent years.

You can now swill from a taxidermied squirrel (thanks to Scotland's Brewdog), drink an $800.00 bottle of beer (thanks to WA's Nail Brewing co) and of course we've all had a desert beer...haven't we?

From the files of "Just get me a bloody plain pint!" comes cheese beer. Yep and it's a good old boutique British brewer that has come up with the latest twisted pint - The Blue Brew.

At 4.2% the beer combines Stilton's blue cheese with yeast to produce a "a unique and smooth taste with creamy textures".

We'd like you, dear reader to be the judge, but unfortunately the brewery has sold out of all stock. Is it beer nutters buying it in droves or cheese lovers, or some new cheese beer subculture, we are not a part of? Maybe we'll just have to wait till they get it on tap at the local.

Belvior Brewery

Stocking Stuffer?

At Ben Sherman we love distinguished. Nothing says dapper better than a leather carry case. San Francisco based Mr Simo has gone a step further.

Mr Simo has been mucking around with difference portable sound devices since the early 2000’s, but with the Boomcase he has hit the mark for the hipster masses.

Boomcase is a series of portable speakers, batteries and headphone jacks all pieced together in vintage, bespoke suitcases. Most are one offs, with 8 hours of battery life, you can plug in anything with a headphone jack and away you go.

Mr Simo will even though in an inbuilt charger and a few other special order options. Starting around $200.00 this is one killer stocking stuffer.  

Available through their website: http://www.theboomcase.com/