LOCKDOWN ADVENTURES: Volume 1

WELL. What a few months it’s been. Firstly, I hope everyone is keeping well.

It’s been a tricky fourteen or so weeks for me - as I self-employed musician, I have had very little work. I miss gigging! I miss my sisters and my friends and our musical escapades. I miss weddings and theatre shows and being on tour. I miss bandwiches and long car drives and late night service station stops.

But of course there have been some positive things as well - I can’t remember the last time I spent more than three nights in the same place in the past 18 months, and so lockdown has meant becoming extremely well acquainted with my flat, which has been wonderful. I’ve been taking part in Yoga With Adriene’s yoga videos, going for long (and safe) walks, and I’ve been learning to cook. Despite not being able to work and earn a living, I am extremely aware of how lucky I am.

There has still been plenty of music though! I’ve been fortunate enough to take part in several music videos, and I’ve been setting myself some jazz transcribing homework. You can see most of my transcribing videos over on my Instagram, but here are a couple for now. The first one is Dexter Gordon’s solo on Darn That Dream, and the second one is James Copus’ solo on James Beckwith’s latest release.

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I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in several lockdown videos as well.

The Spitfire Sisters have been singing remotely (but together) for a few weeks now - we have a few videos released and a couple more to come over the next month or so. It’s been so strange doing this all separately. We’re so used to performing together that singing these songs alone is a very weird feeling! Here’s our video of Coffee In The Morning, one of my favourite songs from The Boswell Sisters. Also, please note how involved my coffee making process is - once a Monmouth employee, always a Monmouth employee! (Also - I LOVE OATLY.)

You can find our other videos as well as the full credits on The Spitfire Sisters IGTV.

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Down For The Count have also been busy, filming and recording for our new Lockdown EP, Lockdown for the Count. The EP is awesome, features 35 amazing musicians and 50% of all profits will go to MIND, a fantastic charity who campaign for better mental health.

I’m singing Don’t Get Around Much Anymore on the EP (how apt!), one of my absolute favourite tunes. The video for that song is coming soon. In the meantime, here is the video that Michael Bublé described as ‘awesome!’.

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I worked with Greg Pringle, a fantastic drummer, on a song to commemorate VE Day this year. He chose ‘When The Lights Go On Again’, a beautiful song by Vera Lynn. I had never heard it before, but I fell in love with it and it was an honour to perform it with Greg and his band. I have another project that’s coming up with Greg - it’s very different to this one and I can’t wait to share it soon.

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And finally (for now!), the biggest musical project I think I’ve ever been a part of - an epic collective of 121 musicians singing Stevie Wonder’s Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing! Colin Willsher organised this fantastic recording to raise money for the Countess Mountbatten Hospice Charity. The video alone is a huge feat, so congratulations to Colin for organising, arranging and editing it all together!

Thanks so much for reading - and listening! Let me know how you’ve been getting on in Lockdown, and if there are any songs you would like to hear. There are more videos and projects to come, which is exciting - but above all, I would love to get back to gigging live for you soon.

Stay safe! x

A Sustainable Fashion Trip

I disappeared on holiday for a few days last week; as much as I love my job it was a it was a much needed escape from work. I couldn’t completely turn my phone off though - I was on a sustainable fashion mission!

I was away for four days and could only bring hand luggage so I decided to pack as sustainably as possible. With the exception of my trainers (a necessity for all of the walking we did - 32 miles and over 80,000 steps in four days) and a t-shirt for the plane every item of clothing I took was vintage, second-hand or sustainable in some way.

Dress: Monsoon via fellow Spitfire Sister Louisa Revolta (on long term loan)

Jeans: recycled denim from ASOS.

Shirt: Cheap Monday via eBay.

We had two days of ridiculously warm weather, a day of torrential rain and a day of cloudy skies, so I was pleased to have packed transitional pieces to wear.

Jeans: Recycled denim from ASOS

Sweater: L.L. Bean via ASOS Marketplace

Shoes: Nike via ASOS (not second hand)

Classic HC brings her own water even when it’s completely tipping it down. We got drenched! L.L. Bean is something I always search for on eBay or ASOS Marketplace, as they are quality pieces and really last a long time.

Dress: Made by my mum

Cardigan: Second hand Uniqlo

Cardigan: Second hand Uniqlo

Headscarf: Birthday present

Now that I’m home I have been inspired to do a huge wardrobe clear out. I have nothing against buying new from shops instead of vintage and second-hand but thinking about sustainable fashion has really made me think twice about the pieces I do buy that are brand new.

April & May - Where Have They Gone?

April and May both disappeared into a haze of late nights, new songs and exciting creative projects, brought swiftly to an end with five gigs in four days, While I probably haven’t quite caught up on my sleep yet, I’m feeling slightly refreshed and ready for June. I think. Here’s a run down of the last couple of months. 

Gigs

Obviously April was the month that The Spitfire Sisters sang on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express…I wrote a whole other blog post about it but we haven’t stopped talking about it so it’s worth mentioning again! We also had a wonderful performance at Beaulieu Abbey and at The Pallant in Havant on the day of the Royal Wedding, where there were definitely wedding dresses involved.

Photo Credit: Will at The Pallant

Why did I already have a wedding dress in my closet? That's a story for another day.  

With Down For The Count I’ve been all over - Gloucestershire, Oxford, London, Sussex, Kent - and to a lovely gig by the sea in Bournemouth!

Shameless Selfie By The Sea

I’ve had some lovely gigs with Blue Lion Band as well; it’s such a privilege singing with different bands and performing so many genres of music. 

What a lovely group of gents I get to gig with for Blue Lion.

Photoshoots and Videos

April and May saw three photoshoots, a music video shoot a live video recording. Two photoshoots and the music video were with The Spitfire Sisters. You may have seen us chucking cake at each other and Anna’s amazing stop-motion in the video for Afternoon Tea; you can watch it here if not! Aside from the volume of laundry and intensive hair washing, this was one of my favourite projects I’ve worked on. 

We also frolicked in the Bluebells for a photoshoot at the beginning of May, with Steve Christie taking some beautiful photos for us. 

Back in April, Down For The Count recorded a performance at The Tabernacle live; here’s me singing the Ella Fitzgerald song Sugarfoot Rag. More scat singing as you will hear! 

I also had the privilege of working with the amazing Sara Lincoln; she photographed my cousin’s wedding last September and the photos were beautiful. Sara is wonderful to work with, full of creative and ingenious ideas and I’m so pleased with the photos she has sent me so far. 

New Songs

Several gigs in April & May required learning new songs. My learning process differs for each song. When it’s a Spitfire Song, like the arrangement of Royals by Lorde that Louisa wrote for us, Louisa will send over a written part as well as a midi file or vocal example to learn with. I never used to like learning with sheet music in front of me but now I almost always find it easier to read it, hammer it out on piano and then go from there. 

I also had to learn a few new Ella Fitzgerald songs for a Down For The Count performance at Hideaway. Perdido was my favourite song that I added to my repertoire in May; I use an app on my iPad to slow down the scat section of the song so I can transcribe it, then I gradually increase the speed while I practice. I normally start at about 50% of the speed - it’s an intense process, much to the delight of my neighbours I’m sure!

I like to record my singing when I’m practicing; it helps me work out which bits are going well and which parts of songs I need help with. I don’t often show anyone these videos but occasionally I share a Work In Progress video on my instagram which you can check out here.

One Completely Lost Voice

By the end of April I had completely lost my voice for the second time in about 6 months. This is obviously pretty devastating for a singer; without a voice you can’t work, and without work you can’t pay your bills There is no sick pay when you’re self-employed. This prompted me to go and see the brilliant Lucinda Allen who understood my situation completely. It's scary as I know I have a lifetime of bad habits to iron out but I trust Lucinda completely so I'm looking forward to working with her over the next few months. 

And The Other Stuff...

What I’ve Been Watching: Season Two of The Handmaid’s Tale on Channel 4. It’s horrific and painful to watch but an absolutely essential, brilliantly made programme. I could not recommend it enough, but I advise not watching it on your own. 

What Bands I’ve Been Listening To: I keep an updated Spotify playlist of my Music Monday blog posts here, but I’ve also been trying to see as much live music as possible. I’ve been to see some amazing gigs in the last few weeks, but the best was Band of Skulls at The Joiners. They were amazing and played all of their best tunes. I was even lucky enough to score a signed vinyl for my birthday from James. 

What I’ve Been Reading: I’m currently reading Heartburn by Nora Ephron which is hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. I haven't found anything I've loved reading since I finished The Power by Naomi Alderman back in February, so I'm looking for recommendations. 

What I’ve Been Eating: As much healthy stuff as possible! It’s hard to keep that up when you’re driving several hundred miles in a weekend; I eat sweets to keep me awake and I confess there’s an occasional drivethru…but mostly it’s been wholesome meals and no snacking. My brother Joe bought me back some Everything But The Bagel seasoning from New York and I’ve put that on everything, James made the best Paella I’ve ever had, smoothies and coffee keep me going when teaching, and Leon’s Vegan Menu keeps me alive when I’m in London for work. 

What I’ve Been Wearing: Ghost, Vivien of Holloway, Lady V Vintage, & charity shop sequins for gigs, and comfy spring dresses from ASOS, denim jackets and sliders for everything in between. 

Tour Essentials

I had my last tour date of the 2017/2018 season with The Spitfire Sisters on January 10th, and I'm missing it already. 

There are so many aspects of touring I love. Meeting people in venues and cities we haven't played before, long car journeys to theatres listening to the past (ahem, music from the 90s), and hanging out with the band in amazing places. The house we stayed in for our tour date in Cornwall had a hot tub. Living the dream. 

One of my favourite things, however, is the 20 minutes we have between soundcheck and curtain up to do our makeup and get changed. 

Getting ready at Hall for Cornwall at the beginning of January. Please note the difficulty with my false eyelashes - I have to apply them twice. Still learning! 

I used to hate this part of the evening. I used to panic. I could never get my false eyelashes on. One eyeliner wing would be oversized and dramatic and the other would be practically non-existent; the more I would try to even it up, the more abstract they would become. My lipstick couldn't be contained by any amount of lipliner or cotton bud tidying up. Essentially, it always looked like I had broken into my mother's make up bag and gone wild. 

Everything changed after I gave up my full time job at a coffee roastery and started temping between gigs. I only did this for about a year - I've been performing and teaching full time for just over a year now - but I had a lot of time where I'd finish one task and be waiting for the next one to appear. I decided that I would seize these moments to do my research on how to take a more organised approach to skincare and makeup. 

One essential resource that I go back to again and again is the website Into The Gloss. I've been a fan of Into The Gloss for years, all because of founder Emily Weiss's appearance on The Hills - I am a sucker for those 'Whatever Happened To Those Teenagers From Those Shows You Watched When You Were A Teenager' kind of tv show. Reading Into The Gloss was a big part of my temping life. Before I began religiously reading their Top Shelf articles and product reviews, the idea of wearing makeup everyday was crazy to me. I had to desire to do any kind of skin care, and I really wasn't prepared to spend money on products that I had no idea if they would work on my skin. Every so often I would go crazy and spend £14 on some false eyelashes - £14!!! - and immediately regret it because we all know Eylure make the best false eyelashes and they are a third of the price. 

At the Glossier showroom in London last November.

So when Into The Gloss sent out an email that said Glossier were launching in the UK, they already had my trust. They're more expensive than drugstore products, but not by much, and they work. As soon as I could, I invested in their Phase 1 Skin Set, which includes Milky Jelly Cleanser (the only face wash I have ever used that doesn't dry my skin out), Priming Moisturiser, and Balm Dotcom in Birthday. I purchased Boy Brow at the Glossier Showroom in London in November, and over Christmas my Glossier collection expanded with Glossier You and Super Pure Serum. Seriously, I'm a woman who uses serum now. 

Phase 1 Skin Set. Look at that packaging! I'm all about branding.

Aside from my clear Glossier addiction, I have really started to expand my make up bag in other ways. After a bizarre bout of Impetigo a couple of years ago I purchased bareMinerals Blemish Remedy Foundation. For me this was a pricey purchase, but I keep going back to it because it lasts a good amount of time and it is the only foundation I've ever used that doesn't dry out my skin. I get on a lot better with powders than I do creams, and this gets rid of any shine which is especially important for when I'm on stage sweating it out under the lights. 

I'm a sucker for free samples and I've just worked my way through quite a few from REN, including the Revitalising Night Cream which is amazing, and has made my face so ridiculously soft that I can't stop touching it, which I know is against Skin Care rule 101. I'm thinking of investing but it is a little bit more than I want/can afford to spend right now so I'm looking for recommendations. I normally swear by E45 in the winter but it's a bit heavy for the warmer months, but you can't argue with the price. 

I'm always looking for ideas about what to try next, so send me any suggestions. 

By the way, if you fancy 10% off Glossier send me a message and I'll send you a code. (This is not an advert and I am not affiliated with Glossier in any way, I just genuinely love their products.)

Ready for the stage!

Sometimes there's a wig involved in getting ready.

Hold Me Tight And Don't Let Go

This article originally appeared in Vintage Life Magazine

I'm wearing dungarees. My life is in boxes. I'm eating cereal straight out the packet because I packed all the bowls. I'm mildly stressed.

I'm also massively excited. My room was beyond the point of tidying, and the tidying was never going to happen, so I can just sweep it all up and tidy as I unpack at my next place. While moving isn't renowned as the easy way to get out of cleaning and tidying, it is regarded as a highly appropriate moment to get rid of some things. Throw some stuff away. Create a new start with less clutter. Go for a minimalist approach.

I'm ignoring that. My name is Hannah, and I can't throw anything away.

I like to collect things, and to keep things, and to find things again that remind me of the past. It can be my past or someone else's past, but I like the idea of time travelling via objects that I've kept for reasons I can't always remember. I've kept so many birthday cards, postcards and tickets that I have several shoe boxes full of the things. When I go into charity shops, the first things I search for are the old photo albums or loose photographs and letters. It breaks my heart to see things like that that aren't claimed. I want to look at the faces in the photograph, investigate the story behind them, and learn their history.

That's the reason I find it so hard to part with things; I can pick something up in my room and remember where I was and who I was with when I found it in the first place. I have books on my shelves that people recommended to me but I haven't got around to reading yet, and I have records that are waiting to be played that I purchased because their cover art was so beautiful. I have a problem with clothing as well; my wardrobe rails were buckling under the weight of knitwear, and yet I still think I'll wear every sweater I've ever owned this winter, even though everyone knows (including myself although I'm in denial about the whole situation) that I'll wear the old man charity shop sweater until December, and the 90s LL Bean fisherman's jumper until February, and all the others will wait patiently on their hangers just begging to be worn. 

I'll try and be ruthless when I'm moving this time around, because the packing process is hugely delayed by my sentimentality. I think I am addicted to the feeling that I will have things in the future that will be able to transport me straight back to this moment and the moments that came before it, and I find that unbelievably comforting.

Four thousand jumpers, but I've packed the only two bowls I own. I reckon cereal tastes better straight out the packet anyway.