The Steel City Tour

We recently went to see The Steel City Tour gig at the Sheffield Arena for our Christmas Party. The show featured three legendary Sheffield groups who brought electro-funk (Heaven 17), orchestral disco (ABC) and synth pop (the Human League) to the masses.

Heaven 17 was the first act up to perform some of their biggest hits, including Geisha Boys and Temple Girls, Penthouse to Pavement and of course the classic Temptation. (It’s worth mentioning that the girls who sang along with Glenn Gregory to Temptation sounded amazing)!!

Martin Fry followed, offering a 40-minute extravaganza of theatrical pop rock from the ABC back catalogue. Featuring all of their biggest hits from the catchy Poison Arrow and When Smokey Sings to the more recent releases like Ride and The Look of Love. It was a flawless performance from 50-year-old Fry whose velvety vocals have not tarnished with age.

There was no doubt who the night really belonged to – 80s synth-pop heroes the Human League. Emerging like something from The Matrix, in a leather trench coat and shades, Phil Oakey opened with haunting 1981 hit Seconds, before being joined by the band’s original female vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall, for Mirror Man. From there it was non-stop for 12 songs from hardcore new romantic – Empire State Human – to 90s pop – Tell Me When.

The sound was immaculate, the visuals magnificent – all sci-fi lights and flickering images on a giant screen, from A Clockwork Orange to Barack Obama. I believe all concerts should be this arty, ambitious and entertaining.

The band ended the show with crowd-pleaser Don’t You Want Me and the uplifting Electric Dreams. It was easy to see why the electro-pop pioneers are still going strong.

Take a look:

Human League - Don't you want me - Sheffield Arena

Posted by: Linda

What’s Cooking?

I like What’s Cooking? Jamie Oliver for the Nintendo DS. This fun and interactive cooking game feature’s a whole book’s worth of Jamie’s fantastic recipes. The concept of the game is that you follow the recipes in one of the virtual kitchens, or with real ingredients in your own home. The game has a voice-recognition feature, which means your hands are free to concentrate on the cooking.

I particularly like the mobile shopping list function – making shopping hassle-free. Simply choose the recipes you want to make and the ingredients will automatically be added to your shopping list.

You can cook against the clock in a series of exciting challenges that will soon have you chopping, stirring and baking your way to the top. The game also allows you to get creative with hundreds of ingredients and utensils, but what’s brilliant is that you can come up with your own recipes then share them with your friends and family over Wi-Fi.

Definitely a more fun way to cook!

Posted by: Linda

Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite

I like this book by Paul Arden - Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite. This book is a daring attack on the way we look at our work and our world. Instead of the usual boring advice, Paul Arden offers daring quips, aphorisms and paradoxes – all seeking to revise what we hold as our ‘common sense’. Whether you sell, manage or buy, Arden inspires you with his original thinking, startling anecdotes, brilliant photographs and offbeat quotations from artists, scientists and philosophers.

Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite will force a rupture in whatever it is you used to think – even if you didn’t know you thought it. And it will give you the confidence to take bigger risks and enjoy your work more than you can imagine.

Posted by: Linda

A Postcard from Tinsley

I like these postcards which are intended to represent the Tinsley Cooling Towers as viewed and experienced from within the community of Tinsley.

Photographer, writer and digital artist Ali White engaged local residents in lengthy and often heated conversations – on the streets, in the bookies, the Fox & Duck, the local library, Tinsley Youth Club and Tinsley Green – about how they perceive the towers, what they mean to them, and the place they have had in their lives. All the quotations emerged from these encounters, and many of the photographs were taken by local people.

Here are some of the quotes – spoken in a true 'Yorkshire man’s' tone of voice:

“I like them being there. I don’t know if I like them, but they give me a homely feeling. It’ll look odd when they’ve gone.”

“We used to mess about down there by the canal with the lads from Park House High School playing kiss-catch and tallyho and kiddin on the Irish navvies that were building the viaduct to come down the club for a babycham. We must have been about 14.”

“They’re just stood there doing nowt.”

“When I was a little lad running around in this pub, people knew what Tinsley was about and expected it to stay that way. But a little lad running round in here now – what will Tinsley be about for him when he’s 40? And what will he know of what it used to be? It’s not about the towers. To me it was a crime when the old 600 gates came down. There’s a lot of history here, and it mustn’t be forgotten.”

Posted by: Linda

Bling beyond belief!

This ultra-bling version of Apple's 1Gb ishuffle comes encrusted with 430 diamonds. The controls in the center are plated in solid 18k white and pink gold. The iDiamond as it's been dubbed is going under the hammer at some charity auction in London. The estimated final price is in the £20,000 range.

Posted by: Linda

Violent Veg!!!

I saw this card at a local exhibition, and then went on the website http://www.seedlingshowcase.com/ to find a range of fun and humorous cards you can buy for all types of occasions.

Posted by: Linda

Furtive Fashion

If you’ve gone to the beach and wanted to find some way to stash your valuables, without having to lug a bag around or find an elusive bikini with pockets, then these may be the answer.

These flip-flops, from premium surf brand Reef feature discrete slide away drawers in the soles. Not sure how waterproof they are, but you can check out the range in more detail here.



Posted By: Linda

Doodle Disks

Datawrite specialise in recordable CD and DVD discs. They create a range of on-body disc designs and recently launched a competition to help British art students achieve worldwide exposure.

The 10 winning artists have had their work published on a new range of discs called Scribbles, which all look great.

Posted By: Linda

Dr Stuart's Tea

Extraordinarily good teas: extraordinarily great packaging. The pack designs are so different to other tea brands, something which couldn’t be said of their old packaging.

See the website for some of the strangest characters on the internet; you certainly won't forget this brand anytime soon! www.drstuarts.com

Posted By: Linda