Say hey to Hey Louie
Plus new Christmas market launches, South Shore and the Penrose Web, our weekly events guide, and more
A Rochester resident has launched a new online shop for creatives, so we’ve been finding out more. Further down, we have news of a new Christmas market, we review South Shore and the Penrose Web at Rochester Social Club, our weekly events guide, and more.
Say hey to Hey Louie
Hey Louie is a new online shop from Rochester’s Nat Tyler. We caught up with her to find out more…
“Hey Louie is a project that I’m building, starting with an online shop,” says Nat. The project combines three of her passions, “which are art and design by independent UK artists, affordable vintage homewares, and handmade items using repurposed vintage fabrics.”
For Nat, this is about fun, creativity, and colour. “That’s probably not going to be my tagline,” laughs Nat. The bigger dream is to develop the project in a physical space “eventually.” Right now, she is focused on the foundations. But why is it called Hey Louie? “I knew that question was coming. Louie was my nickname up until about the age of 12,” which is when she decided she didn’t want to be treated as a child anymore. “Now I’m older, I’ve decided I would like to be a kid again.”
The name represents those child-like qualities, “being led by curiosity, adventure and using your imagination.” The items available on the website will be a combination of those by artist-creators she is championing and those she has made herself. “There’ll be lots of art and design, handmade items by UK-based artists and makers. I’m really searching for artists that I love that are making cool things, that fit with the Hey Louie aesthetic. Nat tells me that by starting small, adding items over time, and bringing in more artists, the project remains manageable.
“My previous role was curation and discovering artists and giving them an audience. That was something that I absolutely loved.” Nat knew whatever she wanted to do had to incorporate that as well. “We’ve got art prints, we’ve got candles that are handmade by a company called the Colour Emporium.” She is working with five artists at the moment. “I love Dick Vincent’s illustration. He does pop culture, but they’re cool illustration designs. If you’re into 80s pop culture, you’ll appreciate his work”.
There is an artist called Bea Müeller, who does “beautiful prints of seaside scenes. There’s a White Cliffs of Dover print. There’s a beautiful seaside art print, and she’s featured on the homepage. She does work around diversity and female empowerment as well. Really bright, vibrant colours, which I love.”
Hand Over Your Fairy Cakes is “somebody who I have had items bookmarked in my Etsy store for about ten years.” They make pin badges and earrings which feature the colour wheel, “which is really cute. I love those.” There are also prints from Onneke. “She does beautiful nature prints, in really beautiful, vibrant colours, which I really love.” Last and by no means least are stickers from Clarice Tudor, including “a Rigatoni sticker. Everybody should have one of those.”
With more to come as the project develops, the original idea came to Nat to focus on what she loved after leaving her last employment. “After spending a long time working for a global marketplace, I think my first port of call was that I just missed making stuff.” Nat started by spending one night a week at Sew In Kent with “Naomi, Hazel and a bunch of lovely, inspiring people”. This helped her to focus, develop and improve her sewing skills. “I’ve been making clothing, which has been fun, and I’ve fallen in love with finding uses for vintage fabrics again.” Nat also volunteers at the Zigzag Scrap Store. “That’s been really inspiring. They have such a treasure trove over there.” Those two things got Nat back onto a journey of making and creating again.
Nat’s other passion is vintage home decor, “basically finding weird and wonderful items and trawling antiques markets, charity shops and boot fairs for fantastic stuff.” Nat has amassed a huge collection of “my own things” before thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice to do this and combine it with the other elements that are on the site?”
Whilst Nat has enjoyed making clothing, these won’t be on the Hey Louie website. She will be focusing on accessories and homeware, such as bags, lampshades, and cushions. “There’s already a small collection of lampshades on there and there’ll be more home decor coming soon”, using her “massive stash of vintage fabric”.
Nat reassures me that there hasn’t been a risk that as she collects this passion project together of not wanting to put items on the website for sale. “There will definitely be things that I want to hang on to, but I’ve probably reached my limit. My partner is a good reminder of how much stuff I have room for in the house. I like to have clear outs and a line has been drawn where I can definitely know when I’m shopping for the site and when I’m shopping for myself.”
With the unrelenting march to Christmas, if you were looking for something for a loved one, or a family member, then Hey Louie could be for you. “If you know someone that loves colourful home decor, anybody that has a bright home, I think they’ll find something they will love.”
You can find out more about Hey Louie on their website and follow them on Instagram and TikTok.
Christmas market comes to Chatham House
A Christmas market of work by local artists will be at Chatham House, which may or may not be in the Intra area, at the end of the month. We spoke to Holly Chadd to find out more.
The art Christmas market starts on Friday 28 November from 5.30pm until 8pm, at Chatham House, with a bar thanks to Poco Loco. The market will then be open across the weekend.
Holly is a sculptor, having graduated from the Royal College of Art, and when she moved to Medway from London, she became interested in ceramics, making big and small sculptures.
The market has been created by Holly, along with her Nucleus Arts colleague Carol Smith. They ran a summer market as part of Medway Open Studios, following damage to their studios in the fire at Nucleus Arts last year. They decided to be proactive and hired Chatham House, and it went very well for them, along with their friend Catriona Faulkner.
Holly highlights that it has been a tough year for artists and creatives financially, “there’s so much potential in Medway. We just wanted to do something. It’s not a profit venture at all. Just trying to cover costs and give all these talented people an opportunity.”
They had the vision of a Christmas market in the newly refurbished Georgian building being “amazing.” Working well together as a trio, they have provided space for 17 further artists to take part in the market. A wide variety of artists and creatives including millinery, precious metal jewellery, fashion jewellery. Different artists working in different mediums, all by talented local artists.
The artists are a mixture of people that Holly knew and those who responded to an open call. They offered an opportunity to their neighbours at Nucleus Arts, and they were contacted thanks to word of mouth. Amongst those are people Holly considers great friends, and she is looking forward to hanging out with.
Holly highlights the support of the owner and manager of Chatham House, Michael Entecott and Peter Moorcroft, respectively, for their support, both in the summer and for this Christmas market, as well as Jody Carrington at Poco Loco for running the bar and providing well-needed advice. This is all part of why Holly thinks Chatham Intra is a special place for the arts. As well as the market that weekend, there will be the Wayzgoose Print Festival at Intra Arts on the Saturday.
Holly assures me that there will be items with a Christmas focus, along with a large Christmas tree in the ground entrance hall of the building. Artists will have something on or around the tree that advertises their work. There will be a rail of Christmas frocks available and a range of vintage items. If you are looking for gifts this Christmas, Chatham House might be a great place to check out.
South Shore and The Penrose Web at Rochester Social Club
Affectionately known as ‘The Bin Men’s,’ Rochester Social Club tonight accommodates two shining examples of the strength of artistic collaboration in Medway, both the antithesis of rubbish.
South Shore’s performance showcases the evolution of the band from their debut in-at-the-deep-end triple outings at last year’s Sweeps festival. Long-time bandmates Stuart Turner and Nick Rice lay down the secure foundations for a sound which brings out the very best in Rachel Lowrie’s astonishing vocals. Sounding by turns bluesy then folky, Rachel’s voice has the range, versatility and textured layers of Stone Poneys-era Linda Ronstadt. She spins beguiling tales of the ghosts and spirits of the Medway, some tinged with genuinely gothic notes, others inviting us to link relatable life experiences to this psychic topography. Nick’s competent, soulful basslines complement this soundscape. There are multiple drummers in the audience, itching to occupy the vacant kit, but Nick’s bass is really the only rhythm section required. Stuart seasons the mix with delicate, understated guitar accents, building up to a more prominent psychedelic slant on “Chatham Skies.” South Shore feels like a project with legs – musicians who work sympathetically to optimise each other’s potential.
The headline act tonight also exemplifies the concept of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, featuring as they do multitalented performers of recognised pedigree, not least the core duo of Allan Crockford (The Prisoners, Galileo 7) and Ian Button (Death in Vegas, Swansea Sound). Shamelessly wearing their influences on their sleeves, The Penrose Web blend the pastoral psych of Syd Barrett, Floyd, and Village Green Kinks with the astute pop of Graham Coxon, yet still produce their own ambitious, unique sound. “Hexapod Scene” in live performance becomes more freewheeling than on record, the feel-good sound given extra dimension with the addition of Charlie Hannah’s keyboards and the ineffably cool, chic presence of Robert Rotifer. Any one of them could take over lead vocals or any of the instruments at any time, and they do. Crockford and Rotifer’s guitar lines interweave in duelling, yet still compatible layers, while Viv Bonsels elevates and softens the overall sound with backing vocals and additional percussion. “Geraldine” draws nodding approval from some of the old guard garage fans in the crowd, perhaps reassured by the familiarity of a three-syllable female name as a song title. Lyrically, the band ranges from the frustrations and mundanities of everyday life to encounters on the fringes of a more spiritual or psychic plane, another topical link to their support act tonight. This is a much fuller, complex sound than the recorded output of The Penrose Web, far beyond Medway garage by numbers. “Melting” opens with fearless glam-rock stomping drums and escalates to a riot of playfully driven guitars and ascending vocal harmonies. Feet are most definitely being shuffled at this point. There is a vibrancy and verve to the show, and for a band with only one album so far, anticipation that there is more of this quality to come. - Moira Mehaffey
Medwayish have launched a crowdfunder to support the production of South Shore’s first single. For just £20, you can get the limited edition single release package, including a lathe cut of the single. You can support the crowdfunder here.
Final shout out for charity art auction
Don’t forget that Second Chance Medway is organising an art auction at Sun Pier House to provide Medway residents with food support at Christmas. The exhibition of artworks will be continue until Saturday 15 November for silent bidding.
If you are unable to attend, you can make a blind bid! Simply make a donation to Second Chance Medway via their GoFundMe, and they will bid on a piece of art on your behalf.
Events this week
🎤 Sat 15 Nov - Kent Dreams // Poet and spoken word night for any poets, new or old. Sun Pier House, Chatham. Tickets £5.
🥕 Sun 16 Nov - Rochester Farmers’ Market // Wide range of traders selling food and gifts. Blue Boar Lane car park, Rochester. Free.
🎤 Fri 21 Nov - Attila the Stockbroker // Punk poet, multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter performs classics and new poems. Part of Medway River Lit. Sun Pier House, Chatham. Pay what you can.
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