Introducing Micko and The Mellotronics

Left to Right; Nick Mackay (Drums), Micko Westmoreland (Lead vocals, guitar) Vicky Carroll (Bass) and Jon Klein (Lead guitar). The band were put together by Mr Westmoreland in 2017 with the intention of turning his songwriting skills into a dynamic live prospect. Their influences include; Kraftwerk, Dylan, Eno/Roxy, John Barry, Syd Barrett, Can, Beck, The Fall, The Rutles, Magazine, The Big O, Grand Master Flash, Kate Bush, Nick Drake, and Marc Bolan. I was lucky enough to recently catch them play live at the legendary Hope & Anchor pub, where bands like Madness, The Blockheads and The Specials played in the late 1970s just before making it big. Interestingly Micko has collaborated with members of all the bands I've just mentioned. He's also made videos for his songs which feature cameos from some of Britain's best comedy actors. Have a watch of his latest effort, "The Finger" which features Paul Putner (last seen in Little Britain and Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle) Click: Here And then have a read of the recent Q & A I did with Micko below...

I was a big fan of the legendary comedy shows, Fist of Fun and This Morning with Richard Not Judy, so it's great to see ex cast members Paul Putner (a.k.a The Curious Orange) and Kevin Eldon (a.k.a "The real Rod Hull") appear in your promos. The video for both 'Schmescos' and 'The Finger' are a delight to watch from start to finish. Were they fun to make? "Absolutely, we have made them both with good will and marvellous things have come as a result. Working with Ashley & Sue ("The Chaos Engineers") has always been very straight forward and highly creative, we are very grateful to them both. Kevin Eldon too, who is just ace, he introduced me to Paul Putner."

How did you come to write The Finger? "There’s a fair amount of observation about whingeing in my songs, it’s not that I’m not guilty too, but I do find it gives insight into character when you look at what people like to complain about. With ‘The Finger’ there's also a subtext about manipulation, a massaging of discontent if you like, which can be seen exerted by the powers that be."

What was the inspiration for the lyrics? "There was a guy I used to see all the time when I got off the bus in the local pub. His face hardly ever changed, he had a kind of glazed expression of bemusement but not in a good way. I kept thinking about that expression and how it got there, what were his thoughts, opinions etc. At the same time I didn’t wish to condemn. The disdain within the piece however lies with him, with my projection of his attitudes I guess. But there’s also a degree of empathy there too. I’m a great believer that our emotional complexion can offer up highly distorted views and opinions about things which some actually seem to cherish, it’s quite bizarre. In the video we made with The Chaos Engineers (Ashley Jones / Sue Wright Uppington), we exaggerated & developed the idea, made it more about a clash of cultures, but we came across a resolution in the film so it had a more positive energy. We were very grateful to the actor Paul Putner for appearing as he gave a very unique performance which makes his character ultimately more likeable."

You're performing with The Monochrome Set at the end of the month at one of my favourite venues in London (The Lexington). Are you a Monochrome Set fan? It feels to me like they were ahead of their time. "We are delighted to be playing with a band of cult status and such longevity, in actual fact we have now played with a number of acts I used to listen to as a teenager, The Television Personalities, The Blue Orchids and our good friends, David Devant & His Spirit Wife."

What's it like working with ex Banshee Jon Klein? "I’m a huge fan of Jon's and I make it no secret. He’s a brilliant player and I sometimes pinch myself that we work together regularly. He has a vast array of styles at his command & he really knows when to dazzle and when to drop out in equal measure. He brings serious fire power to the table which seems to work well with the sometimes cerebral nature of the lyrics . We are both guitarists and producers so as you can imagine there’s lots to talk about. Lovely bloke too."

And Horace Panter? "I’ve known Horace for about 4 or 5 years now, he's a very supportive and generous musician, we met as a result of a Teenage Cancer trust project called Specialized and we get together with Rat Scabies, Neil Innes, Kevin Eldon to record a track once a year, we're called, 'The Spammed’. He came to record on two songs for the next album, he’s always has a good idea worked out. The funny thing with 'The Finger’, is he said that he wasn’t 100% on what he had down for the verse, but within moments he created this really amazing part very spontaneously, which can only be described as 'the killer bass line’, which drives the track. That’s the thing with stellar players they can make your eyes and ears pop out!"

Is there a new Micko album being released soon. What image will be on the cover? "There’s a first Micko & The Mellotronics album in the pipeline, and another single before this. I’ve written the songs but we have all worked together as a band on how to arrange the material so there’s investment all round.. Nick and Vicky build a rhythm section from the ground up, it’s an intuitive process where we are all allowed to critique and sometimes take the piss out of each other. We are keeping a lid on the album title for now, but all the artwork will feature birds painted by the wondrous Twinkle Troughton, she somehow manages to capture exquisite beauty coupled with wit all at the same time."

How do you feel about Boris being your P.M.? "Certain individuals you come across should be pickled, sealed and placed on the top shelf out of harms way but not quite out of sight, so they serve as a reminder of how not to be, behave or act. If only it were that simple eh?"

Where would you like to be 5 years from now? "Slightly happier and slightly richer." For more info about Micko and co visit: here

30 years of collaborations between Harry Pye and Rowland Smith

Above: 'You Know More Than I Know' painted by Harry Pye and Rowland Smith (2019)

Above: Rowland Smith, Summer, 2019

Above: Harry Pye, Summer, 2019

Above: Harry and Rowland doing their first painting together in the Summer of 1989

The most recent painting made by Harry and Rowland is inspired by Saraswati (The Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, wisdom, and learning. She is a part of the trinity (Tridevi) of Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati.) Pye and Smith have been collaborating on paintings for three decades. Here are 5 favourites...

1) Let's Get It On

2) Whose Go Is It?

3) Weird Nightmare

4) The Angel of Death

5) Dial P for Pablo

A plethora of Pye/Smith paintings appear in a group show called, 'You Know More Than I Know'.

The opening party for, 'You Know More Than I Know' is on Wednesday the 11th Sept from 6pm till 9pm. On Thursday the 12th and Friday the 13th the gallery is open from 10:30am till 6:30pm. On Sat the 15th and Sunday the 16th the gallery is open from 11am till 5pm. The Art Academy used to be Newington Library The address is: 155 Walworth Road S.E 17 1RS It's 5 minutes from Elephant & Castle tube.

Introducing Alex Day of Polydeus

Over 100 artists are taking part in The Tate Staff Biennale which will take place on the last week of August on Level 5 of Tate Modern. Over the next few weeks The Rebel Magazine will be chatting to some of the Tate staff who are showing their artwork. Today it's the turn of Alex Day of Polydeus.

Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "Born and bred in Southeast London I graduated from St Martins in 1994 with a degree in Fashion Design."

How long have you been working at Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "I have been working at the Tate for more than twelve years I think, more than I care to remember anyway. Although the last eight years have been part time, allowing me the opportunity to work on other projects." In the last few years my friend Harry Palmer and I have created a fashion brand "Polydeus" I have enjoyed being around the Lichtenstein's recently as the work I am currently working on has a similar comic book influence."

What can you tell me about the work you're exhibiting in the Tate Modern Show? "The work I am exhibiting in the Tate modern show is titled "Cent Ans" A homage to the Jean Paul Gourds 1985 Citron advert featuring Grace Jones and the 100-year anniversary of the marque. It comprises of four T-shirts and a short video piece."

"The T-shirts and video feature a character I have been developing named "Dot "who inhabits a future devastated world. "Dot" has appeared in previous works by Polydeus and is set to continue." How can people find out about you and you work? "We have an online shop www.Polydeus.com and we can be found on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube."

What's the best thing about working at Tate? "Working at Tate has provided a good source of inspiration, but it's always about the people."

The Tate Staff Biennale will take place on Level 5 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG

Tate Staff Biennale runs until 3rd September

Unearth the hidden talent of Tate Staff at an exhibition showcasing the passion and work of those who keep the gallery running Responding to Tate Exchange’s theme for year 3, Movement, The Inside Job Collective have been invited to take over Tate Exchange and pull together the work of staff across all Tate sites into one exhibition. The exhibition showcases the often-hidden skills of staff members at Tate and allows you to see the impact of working with Tate’s collection has had on their practice. Approaching the different strands of Movement through varying mediums, there will be a dynamic series of live performances, workshops, installations, film and 2D works, as well as an evening of specially curated music and performances from staff for the August edition of Uniqlo Tate Lates. Whether you want to drop-in to a comic-book workshop, share a confession on the place of religion in a secular institution or join a storytelling walk along the Thames, we have loads activations to get involved with. You can also hear the experimental work of sound practitioners, explore the diverse photography, painting and sculptures put together by staff and watch a collection of curated films touching on migration, physical movement, stillness and journeys. This exhibition has been curated and organised by The Inside Job Collective for our colleagues and to share their work alongside the rest of Tate’s collection.

Above: Raksha Patel's photograph, Nai Zindagi, Naya Jeevan (New Life)

Above:Helen Dixon's Big Blue #4

Above: 'On The Road Again' by Harry Pye

Above: Co-curator Micheal Freer photographed by Huguette de Chassiron.

Above: People pointing at the work of Bonnie Wong

Above:Natasha Vasiliou and her art

Above: It takes Two: Will K with Corey Samuel

Above: Co Curator Jumpei Kinoshita with Tate Modern's director Frances Morris

Above:Miguel Zapata is delighted to find himself included in the Inside Job book.

The Inside Job Collective are a group of Tate Staff who organise and curate an exhibition dedicated to the many creative talents of their colleagues. TATE MODERN Tate Exchange Blavatnik Building, Level 5 Bankside London SE1 9TG THURSDAY 29 AUGUST 2019 AT 12.00–18.00 30–31 AUGUST 2019 AT 12.00–22.00 1–3 SEPTEMBER 2019 AT 12.00–18.00

Introducing Fred Postles

Over 100 artists are taking part in The Tate Staff Biennale which will take place on the last week of August on Level 5 of Tate Modern. Over the next few weeks The Rebel Magazine will be chatting to some of the Tate staff who are showing their artwork. Today it's the turn of Fred Postles.

Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I grew up in a small village on the west coast of France, around 1 hour inland from La Rochelle. I went to local schools and was educated in French up until 2008, when my family moved back to the UK, where I completed the last two years of secondary education, received my GCSEs and then went on to study the International Baccalaureate. After that I moved to London and studied Liberal Arts - a course based on the American model, where you can choose your classes from a wide range of arts, humanities and social science courses - with a major in History, focusing on British colonial history. As I write this, I'm in the final few days of my Masters in Visual Anthropology, which has taught me to make anthropologically informed films."

How long have you been working at the Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "I've been working at Tate since the Hockney show in spring 2017. I think it would be difficult to pick a single show, however my personal highlights have included Mona Hatoum, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Soul of a Nation and Giacometti."

What can you tell me about the work you're exhibiting in the Tate modern show? "This year I am exhibiting a cut of what will be the final from my MA. The film is about 'home', focusing on the experience of people who have grown up between two or more societies or communities, looking into how that affects their sense of belonging and identity. It is based around a series of conversations I had with others about what this experience was like."

How can people find out about your work - do you have a website or do Instagram? People can find out about my work on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/fredpostles and my instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/fredpostles/

What's the best thing about working at the Tate? "I'm going to cheat and give two answers here. I've met some great people through working here, so that has to be mentioned. Another thing is, as a precarious worker getting by on fixed term, part time and/or zero hour contracts I would never have been able to afford to see and experience as much art in London as I have been able to do thanks to working at Tate."

Introducing Rosie Gibbens

Over 100 artists are taking part in The Tate Staff Biennale which will take place on the last week of August on Level 5 of Tate Modern. Over the next few weeks The Rebel Magazine will be chatting to some of the Tate staff who are showing their artwork. Today it's the turn of Rosie Gibbens

Where did you grow up and what kind of education did you receive? "I grew up in a village near Brighton. Then I moved to London to study 'Performance Design and Practice' at Central Saint Martins. I also did an Ma at the Royal College of Art in 'Contemporary Art Practice' which I finished last year."

How long have you been working at Tate and what's the best show you've seen there? "I've worked at Tate for over two years. There have been many shows I liked.. it's too hard to choose one! I thought the Jesse Darling and Marguerite Humeau rooms in the Art Now section at Tate Britain were both beautiful. I love the Rebecca Horn videos currently showing in the Tanks at Tate Modern too." Also, the Early Years and Family department (which I work in) curated a performance in the 1840s room at TB called 'Men and Girls Dance' by Fevered Sleep that has stuck in my mind. It's an example of family programming which is conceptual and challenging whilst being beneficial for the participants." (above below: Concert for Anarchy by Rebecca Horn)

What can you tell me about the work you're exhibiting in the Tate Modern Show. "It is a short video called 'SeDUCKtion' which documents a failed attempt by me to attract some ducks using a speculum as a beak, washing-up gloves as webbed feet and a repetitive dance. Onlookers are confused. In the voice-over, a child reads online discussions comparing the sexiness of Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse."

How can people find out about you and you work? My website is: www.rosiegibbens.com My instagram is: www.instagram.com/rosiegibbens What's the best thing about working at Tate? "My colleagues are lovely and working with children is often fun."

The Tate Staff Biennale will take place on Level 5 of the Blavatnik Building of Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG