Portas review gets government approval

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The Government has accepted recommendations from Mary Portas that are aimed at reviving the high street.

Under the recommendations, dedicated ‘town teams’ will manage high streets, a £10 million high street innovation fund will bring life back to empty shops and a National Markets Day will be created.

Natasha-Rachel Smith, spokesperson for TopCashBack, said, “It’s extremely important that the UK’s high streets are productive as a competitive environment in today’s retail sector. Although the most attractive deals and savings will almost always be found online, consumers will always need the requirement to access goods on their doorstep. This is particularly true for essential products and services in situations where the items aren’t available online as immediately as shoppers need them.

“Consumers will always be lured by online bargains but they will continue to need the high street to be the background canvass of their communities.”

Hatcham Social – About Girls | Music Review

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I like About Girls. It’s a record that reminds me of the time when I first got into music, in the late 1990’s, and went to shows. It was a time when Britpop was dying and the last of the scene was coming through. The likes of the Warm Jets and Gay Dad. It’s a time that most people look back on with regret and perhaps a little bit of a snigger. Nobody’s going to describe being there in the same way they do as San Francisco in the 60’s or New York in 1977 but, d’you know what – it’s my Hacienda and I rather like it.

About Girls captures the post-Britpop sound brilliantly. It’s a better effort than their debut,You Dig The Tunnel, I’ll Hide The Soil, released in 2009 which tried to hard and had too much going on. About Girls is a less complicated and straightforward album. Less try-hard. Nobody likes a try-hard. The album works best when played as a complete album in the order it was intended. I’ve listened to this album a dozen or so times and it sounds best when you turn shuffle off on your mp3 player and play it from 1-13 with each song telling the next chapter of the story.

It begins with NY Girl, the archetypal tale of lost love, which could be Olympian-era Gene and with its driving bassline it begins with a confidence and swagger, which dissipates as the song goes on and it becomes clear this won’t end well. Nicola Tells Me is a slice of Shed Seven-esque jangly pop, Lois Lane is built entirely around a beautiful swooning bass. Little Savage appears to have borrowed heavily from the Johnny Borrell songbook but setting that aside is two and a half minutes of nice catchy hooky pop. Escape From London is that moment, committed to tape, where once in a while you need to escape the business of living in the big city and run to the hills.

About Girls isn’t just a record that’s borrowed heavily from the dying days of Britpop, it’s a record that’s the soundtrack to your emotions. Every emotion. It’s about growing up, something the band have clearly done on this record. It’s about life. It’s about love. It’s about loss. It’s about whatever emotion you want it to be, it’s got everything on here. Buy it and enjoy it and whatever you do don’t put it on shuffle!

 

About Girls is released on 2nd April 2012 by Fierce Panda Records

 

 

 

 

 

Business For Sale?

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Ever wondered how you could buy a business? Well, its easy: you just hire in a business broker. Knowledge is power when it comes to both life and business. It pays to hire a specialist who can guide you and keep you away from any pitfalls in the process. A business is not a pair of shoes that you can just take back. You need help to make sure you are getting a good deal. It is a scary time full of potential mistakes, not to mention the unscrupulous people out there.

Of if you have built up a business that you want to sell, or you have a law firm for sale you will need someone who knows all about that niche area as well as every step of the sales process. It pays to bring in the professionals. One of the companies you could choose are Business Brokers UK, who are a dedicated UK specialist who can help you if you have physiotherapy practice for sale or a dental practice. They don’t get paid until they work with you to achieve your goal whether you are a buyer or a seller. Which I personally find impressive. Definitely people who work for their money. Good luck whether you are buying or selling.

Summer Wine Review

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Stowells Cabernet Merlot

I really like this red wine. Red wine is not usually my thing as the wrong one gives me a headache, but I think I have found a winner. This one is reasonably priced and medium-bodied and a little sweet. It is very smooth. A really good fruity red wine. It goes down very easily so you might drink too much. Never put red wine in the fridge. It is not meant to be drank cold.

Nottage Hill Chardonnay 2011

This is a nice white wine. Quite light. It doesn’t taste cheap or like acid as some white wines do. Has a very good, fruity flavour. Eat with white meat and always keep white wine and rose in the fridge.

Has tastes of melon and tropical fruit with subtle oak characters.

Hardys Crest Sparkling Rose

This is not my favourite Rose. I like my Rose sweet and this is the least sweet Rose I have ever tried. It is much drier than most rose’s but is perfect if you want some fizz. However, I know a lot of people who would love Hardys Crest Sparkling Rose because it is not overly sweet. It is an affordable, sparkling wine which is good for summer. Just not to my tastes.

Does it Work? | Chlorella

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I am an actress and since nearly every film and TV show is now filmed on HD I am always looking for ways to make sure my skin looks perfect. Here is the first of my ‘Does it Work?’ reviews on beauty and health products. We tell you whether or not it actually works.

 

Chlorella: The new Crème De La Mer?

 

I have to be honest here, I have never tried Crème De Lar Mer, but I do know it works because some of my rich friends told me. So when I was sent Chlorella to review and they said it was the new Crème De Lar Mer I got excited about finding something that works for a fraction of the price. Sun Chlorella ‘A’ also has a celebrity fan club, Miranda Kerr describes her beauty regime as such “To keep my skin in check I always eat lots of greens and take Chlorella supplements and drink lots of water”. Victoria Beckham, Fergie and Sadie Frost are also fans.

 

But did it work for me? Yes, my skin did become clearer and I felt better. One of my friends said I was ‘glowing’. I also felt like I had more energy. My nails even seem to stop splitting. So I am converted. It actually did make me healthier and improve my skin.

Sun Chlorella ‘A’ is a single-celled green algae . It is entirely natural and balanced and is packed with vitamins. It also has the iron equivalent of nine cups of spinach. If you can afford £21.95 per month I would definitely include this in your beauty regime.

 

Available from www.sunchlorella.co.uk or www.victoriahealth.com

Mari Wilson | Music Review

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The “Neasden Queen of Soul” is back with an album funded by fans and a glamorous “attic sale”.

 

The voice, the music, the all-round talent.

 

Wilson had done an album of cover versions with a difference: she really brings her own spin to the songs. Wilson first broke through 30 years ago with the 1982 hit “Just What I Always Wanted”. Although she already has an army of fans, hopefully Wilson will come to the attention of an even wider audience now.

 

Wilson had a career artists half her age could only ever dream about. She played Dusty Springfield in Dusty the Musical in 2000. Her brilliant version of Springfield’s “I Only Want to Be With You” is on the album. Her version is slower and more emotional. Wilson’s voice is just absolutely divine; soulful, powerful, emotional. She is a storyteller as well as a singer, and that is the description of what makes a great singer.

 

Wilson had been described as the “British Bette Midler” . That is about right. Buy her new album and have a look at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/mariwilson to get your hands on some of her memorabilia.

http://www.mariwilson.co.uk/

 

 

King of Cats – America | Music Review

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King of Cats is a boy called Max from Oxford but I’m afraid I don’t know about the name. I don’t like to ask. He sends me nice emails and is very polite but I do need to get one thing off my chest: I don’t much like cats. My sister has one that looks like it is going to defecate when you look at it. My parents have one called Pumpkin who drew blood from me the first day we met, and 19 years later she’s nothing if not Machiavellian. What I do like, though, is the King of Cats.

This album is what happens when a singer-songwriter from Oxford takes himself off to America to travel around on greyhound buses armed with only an acoustic guitar and a four track. I say only but I hoped he’d taken some clean pants and a toothbrush but Max hasn’t let on to me about that so we’ll have to assume.

America, the debut record by KoC, was committed to tape in some odd places whilst on his travels in the USA. Max recorded on a cherry picker in Seattle, in the mountains of Oregon and at a hardcore show in San Fransisco. Having sat in on more recording sessions than is enjoyable I wish more were conducted in such delightful surroundings. The results are really rather good.

Each song on the album is named after where it was recorded. My personal favourite is “Hooters Casino, Las Vegas, whilst Mike was showering” but other stand out titles include “Next to the train-tracks in Flagstaff, Arizona” and “on a plane, in the high desert and Seattle”. It’s a nice record.

The album begins with the aforementioned “One a plane . . . “which builds with each of the many plucking of guitar strings. It sounds like Super XX Man were they to have been from Middle England.

Each song captures not only the sound of Max’s guitars and vocals but also incidental sounds such as dogs barking and the sounds of people clapping and talking. At the end of “Golden Gate Park . . .” a couple can be heard arguing between themselves including the female, Suzie, uttering the cutting line of “I’m not trying to be mean but I just don’t give a shit.” She’s set her stall out clearly there and so I will do the same for you: this is a good record. If you like the idea of the folky acoustic sound of the Mouldy Peaches with the vocals of Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel then this is a record for you. Otherwise move along, because, like Suzie, you just won’t give a shit.

America is released on 19th May 2012 via http://kingofcats.bandcamp.com/album/america

 

Montezuma: The Best Chocolate in the World.

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Montezuma is a British chocolate company that makes the best chocolate in the world, and, dammit, it makes me feel so proud. Upon receiving Montezuma’s Monkey Bars in the post I was so happy that I actually couldn’t speak for at least a minute.

 

Montezuma have just brought out new Monkey Bars that are bigger than an ipad. These half-kilo slabs of pure chocolate heaven are named after Cockney rhyming slang for ‘500’. They measure an impressive 10” by 6”. They have been inspired for this special year for Britain; the Royal Jubilee and the Olympics in case you have been living in a cave.

 

I tried the Nanny Goat; Venezuelan Milk Chocolate with salted peanuts and butterscotch, and Adam & Eve; Venezuelan Milk Chocolate with Orange and Hazelnuts. It was so hard to pick a favourite but the latter just managed it. Rick Stein call this family business “food obsession at its best” but that’s an understatement. They also mix chocolate with traditional desserts like Eton Mess, Spotted Dick and Apple Crumble. Montezuma’s chocolate it one of my favourite things in the world, and, no, I am not being paid to say that.

 

Available from montezumas.co.uk, one of their stores [there is one in Spitalfields in London that I pass and nearly spend all of my money in], and John Lewis. They may be £13.99 but they are worth every penny. Foodie Heaven.