Latest news with #KateJackson
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Flyovers can be incredibly beautiful!' Long Blondes singer Kate Jackson's new career as a motorway artist
As the singer in cult indie band the Long Blondes, Kate Jackson experienced all the thrills of the mid-00s music scene: chaotic gigs, hedonistic parties, an abundance of winklepickers and angular fringes. But years later, when she went back over all the photographs she'd taken during that period, things looked rather different. 'I've got tons of photos of airport lounges and long stretches of road in Europe,' she says with a shake of the head. 'Lots of German service stations. Nothing of the band! No backstage fun, no frolics!' Jackson may regret not capturing more of the band's short but spectacular heyday, but the road has always been important to her. As a Pulp-obsessed teenager in Bury St Edmunds, she would gaze out of the kitchen window and dream of escaping small town life via the A14. The Long Blondes track Separated By Motorways told the story of two girls doing a runner down that exact road ('Wipe your eyes darling, it's OK / Meet me on the dual carriageway'). And over the last decade or so, roads have become a central feature of her second career in visual art. Using bold, pop art-inspired colours and sharp geometrical lines, Jackson's paintings transform parts of our unloved motorway network into dazzling scenes of romance and possibility. Think Ed Ruscha's gas stations propelled along by the motorik beat of Kraftwerk's Autobahn. The service station at Leicester Forest East has never looked more beautiful. Jackson lists Andy Warhol, Australian surrealist Jeffrey Smart and printmaker Paul Catherall as influences – but also the lyrics of Jarvis Cocker. 'I love how he could write about the interior of a bedroom and make it seem like the most exotic, romantic place in the world,' she says. 'I try to do the same thing with my paintings of flyovers and bridges. Nobody really takes any notice of them. You're always whizzing by. But there's always a moment when the light catches them in a particular way and makes them seem incredibly beautiful.' This month, Jackson has been selected to pick the theme for DRAW!, a nationwide drawing project backed by David Hockney that is part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. She has chosen 'landscape', and will be on social media encouraging people of all ages to pick up a pen or pencil or iPad and sketch something fitting. The project's aim is to get people to pause and reflect on their surroundings, and it's already having an impact – on Jackson herself. 'It's funny,' she says. 'You spend years trying to develop your own style, to make your work recognisable. But then you get stuck in that style. You stop experimenting and you stop being playful. And art is all about experimentation and being playful. So this has made me go back to my sketchbooks and try different things.' Jackson is actually creating a new body of work as we speak, saying she's 'completely changed everything' as a result of DRAW! 'I'm using a celestial astrological wheel, drawing the symbols that represent the star signs and bringing some animals in.' She has drawn and painted since she was young, sketching boats on the harbour with her 'very talented' artist mother. She would have completed a fine art degree in Sheffield had the Long Blondes not taken off during her final year – even then, she carried on making art for their record sleeves. In fact, she thinks a painting of Diana Dors made in her student bedroom may have helped the band crystalise their aesthetic: a mixture of retro glamour, film and literary references, and spiky guitars. With her neck scarf and beret, Jackson added some much-needed style and intellect to the era's male-dominated indie scene. The band earned a devoted fanbase and wrote one of the defining anthems of the 2000s: the disco-punk single Giddy Stratospheres. But after two albums, guitarist and songwriter Dorian Cox had a stroke and was left unable to play the guitar. The band called it a day. Sign up to Art Weekly Your weekly art world round-up, sketching out all the biggest stories, scandals and exhibitions after newsletter promotion Jackson released a solo album in 2016: the excellent British Road Movies, written with Bernard Butler. But that record's painful gestation convinced her to redirect her attention towards painting. She spent four years refining her style in Rome, and has developed an eye for brutalist landmarks as well as all the motorways and bridges. More recently, though, she has caught the music bug again. During lockdown, and with her then two-year-old son asleep next to her, she found herself messing around with Logic on her iPad and began pushing herself to compose electronic music. Heaven 17's Martyn Ware was impressed with the results and offered to produce them, and a Terry Farley remix of her track Don't Doubt Your Power (recorded under the name Corselette) will hit clubs later this year. It took a while before Jackson could look back fondly on the Long Blondes' time in the spotlight. 'We didn't make Kaiser Chiefs money,' she says with a wry smile. 'But I think [debut album] Someone to Drive You Home still stands the test of time.' And despite the lack of photographic evidence, Jackson knows she had a lot of fun too. 'Oh definitely,' she says. 'In terms of getting to be in a band, that whole period was really the last hurrah.' DRAW! a Landscape with Kate Jackson at
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Flyovers can be incredibly beautiful!' Long Blondes singer Kate Jackson's new career as a motorway artist
As the singer in cult indie band the Long Blondes, Kate Jackson experienced all the thrills of the mid-00s music scene: chaotic gigs, hedonistic parties, an abundance of winklepickers and angular fringes. But years later, when she went back over all the photographs she'd taken during that period, things looked rather different. 'I've got tons of photos of airport lounges and long stretches of road in Europe,' she says with a shake of the head. 'Lots of German service stations. Nothing of the band! No backstage fun, no frolics!' Jackson may regret not capturing more of the band's short but spectacular heyday, but the road has always been important to her. As a Pulp-obsessed teenager in Bury St Edmunds, she would gaze out of the kitchen window and dream of escaping small town life via the A14. The Long Blondes track Separated By Motorways told the story of two girls doing a runner down that exact road ('Wipe your eyes darling, it's OK / Meet me on the dual carriageway'). And over the last decade or so, roads have become a central feature of her second career in visual art. Using bold, pop art-inspired colours and sharp geometrical lines, Jackson's paintings transform parts of our unloved motorway network into dazzling scenes of romance and possibility. Think Ed Ruscha's gas stations propelled along by the motorik beat of Kraftwerk's Autobahn. The service station at Leicester Forest East has never looked more beautiful. Jackson lists Andy Warhol, Australian surrealist Jeffrey Smart and printmaker Paul Catherall as influences – but also the lyrics of Jarvis Cocker. 'I love how he could write about the interior of a bedroom and make it seem like the most exotic, romantic place in the world,' she says. 'I try to do the same thing with my paintings of flyovers and bridges. Nobody really takes any notice of them. You're always whizzing by. But there's always a moment when the light catches them in a particular way and makes them seem incredibly beautiful.' This month, Jackson has been selected to pick the theme for DRAW!, a nationwide drawing project backed by David Hockney that is part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. She has chosen 'landscape', and will be on social media encouraging people of all ages to pick up a pen or pencil or iPad and sketch something fitting. The project's aim is to get people to pause and reflect on their surroundings, and it's already having an impact – on Jackson herself. 'It's funny,' she says. 'You spend years trying to develop your own style, to make your work recognisable. But then you get stuck in that style. You stop experimenting and you stop being playful. And art is all about experimentation and being playful. So this has made me go back to my sketchbooks and try different things.' Jackson is actually creating a new body of work as we speak, saying she's 'completely changed everything' as a result of DRAW! 'I'm using a celestial astrological wheel, drawing the symbols that represent the star signs and bringing some animals in.' She has drawn and painted since she was young, sketching boats on the harbour with her 'very talented' artist mother. She would have completed a fine art degree in Sheffield had the Long Blondes not taken off during her final year – even then, she carried on making art for their record sleeves. In fact, she thinks a painting of Diana Dors made in her student bedroom may have helped the band crystalise their aesthetic: a mixture of retro glamour, film and literary references, and spiky guitars. With her neck scarf and beret, Jackson added some much-needed style and intellect to the era's male-dominated indie scene. The band earned a devoted fanbase and wrote one of the defining anthems of the 2000s: the disco-punk single Giddy Stratospheres. But after two albums, guitarist and songwriter Dorian Cox had a stroke and was left unable to play the guitar. The band called it a day. Sign up to Art Weekly Your weekly art world round-up, sketching out all the biggest stories, scandals and exhibitions after newsletter promotion Jackson released a solo album in 2016: the excellent British Road Movies, written with Bernard Butler. But that record's painful gestation convinced her to redirect her attention towards painting. She spent four years refining her style in Rome, and has developed an eye for brutalist landmarks as well as all the motorways and bridges. More recently, though, she has caught the music bug again. During lockdown, and with her then two-year-old son asleep next to her, she found herself messing around with Logic on her iPad and began pushing herself to compose electronic music. Heaven 17's Martyn Ware was impressed with the results and offered to produce them, and a Terry Farley remix of her track Don't Doubt Your Power (recorded under the name Corselette) will hit clubs later this year. It took a while before Jackson could look back fondly on the Long Blondes' time in the spotlight. 'We didn't make Kaiser Chiefs money,' she says with a wry smile. 'But I think [debut album] Someone to Drive You Home still stands the test of time.' And despite the lack of photographic evidence, Jackson knows she had a lot of fun too. 'Oh definitely,' she says. 'In terms of getting to be in a band, that whole period was really the last hurrah.' DRAW! a Landscape with Kate Jackson at
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Preston Park aviary works begin, as major revamp continues
Works to revamp a popular aviary, as part of a multi-million upgrade of a local park, are due to Preston Park is undergoing significant redevelopment after the council secured £20m in government Levelling Up funds for the regeneration of the Yarm and Eaglescliffe area. Preston Park's aviary, which has been a key feature of the site since the early 1980s, is set to be expanded as part of the redevelopment, affording visitors better views of the River Tees. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council said they expect work on the aviary to be completed in July. The aviary's steel-domed structure will be retained, with the roof refurbished to provide additional shelter and a flexible seating small buildings within the aviary will be revamped, with secure doors added, which the council says could provide storage for outdoor activities such as paddle-boarding and open-water swimming by visiting artist, painter and former musician Kate Jackson will also create a mural across the back wall of the aviary, as part of the Stockton and Darlington Railway festival (S&DR200) which began in March and continues until September across the region. Other redevelopment projects in the park, including a two-storey extension to the museum, are near completion. The revamped museum, situated in a Grade II-listed, 19th century manor house within the park grounds, includes a new exhibition and gallery space for international exhibits - with councillor Nigel Cooke saying the site is "set to gain national attention".The enlarged space will also allow hundreds of unseen local objects to be put on park redevelopment includes an extension to the cafe, improved parking facilities and new public toilets."Our plans will ensure that other elements of the park, like the aviary, become a highlight once again for visitors," said Mr Cooke."The major exhibitions and events in the museum will bring thousands more visitors to Preston Park from the local area and further afield," he added. "I am looking forward to seeing so many people being able to enjoy this safe outdoor space once again." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Netflix in the mix for F1 TV rights in the United States
Netflix is interested in becoming the new media rights partner for Formula 1 in the United States from 2026 as discussions continue over the future broadcast platform for the sport. ESPN currently holds the rights to televise F1 in the U.S., having taken over from NBC Sports for the 2018 season. F1 has signed short-term deals throughout the ESPN era as it felt the region would be a key growth market and it wanted to be able to take advantage of future opportunities, with the latest ESPN deal running until the end of 2025. While ESPN remains in the running to retain the rights, RACER understands its period of exclusivity in negotiations has now expired and F1 is able to discuss potential plans with other interested parties. Executives from F1 are believed to be in active discussions in the U.S. at present. One of the suitors is understood to be Netflix, with the streaming giant having hired ESPN's vice president of production Kate Jackson to become its new director of sports late last year. Netflix and F1 have a strong relationship courtesy of the huge success of the docuseries Drive to Survive that first aired in 2019. It also broadcast the Netflix Cup golf and F1 crossover event in Las Vegas in 2023. Netflix has been branching out into live sports coverage in recent months, with 2024's Christmas NFL games going out to a global audience, an exhibition boxing fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, and WWE's weekly 'Raw' event all part of its portfolio. Netflix also holds the U.S. rights to the FIFA Women's World Cup in both 2027 and 2031. While there are set to be more NFL games on Netflix again in Christmas 2025, it is not alone in adding live sports events to its selection. Both Amazon and Apple also operate in the space — the former through NFL and the latter the MLB and MLS — and are expected to be among those who hold an interest in F1. Both of those companies similarly have links to the sport, with Amazon Web Services a global partner of F1, and Apple producing the upcoming self-titled movie starring Brad Pitt. The motorsport scene in the U.S. has also recently seen IndyCar's primary broadcast partner transition from NBC Sports to FOX, starting this coming season. Approached about the situation surrounding the F1 rights, an ESPN spokesperson declined to comment 'due to a corporate policy of not commenting on ongoing negotiations.' Story originally appeared on Racer
The Independent
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Netflix eye live F1 broadcast rights after Drive to Survive success
Netflix is eyeing the live broadcast rights for Formula 1 in the United States with the bidding process for the 2026 season onwards set to begin in the next few months. The streaming service has played a vital role in growing F1 stateside, with the hugely popular Drive to Survive documentary series expanding the sport's fanbase to include a younger, female demographic. ESPN currently holds the live rights for F1 in the US but ESPN's exclusivity period to discuss terms with F1 chiefs has now expired. As a result, Netflix is considering a bid for live streaming rights, as reported by Autosport. Another interesting angle, to what could be a competitive bidding war, is that Netflix hired ESPN's vice president of production Kate Jackson in November to run their live sports content. The seventh season of Drive to Survive, which has made icons out of the likes of ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner and F1 race winner Daniel Ricciardo, is set to air prior to the 2025 season starting on 16 March. Currently, Netflix does not have a contract for any further seasons of Drive to Survive but, given the success of the show for both the streaming service and F1, it would be a huge surprise if it wasn't renewed for another series. Netflix recently entered the live sports content space with their airing of Mike Tyson's fight against Jake Paul in November, which broke records for the most-streamed sports event of all time. The service also streamed two NFL fixtures on Christmas Day and, starting last month, has a $5billion 10-year deal to stream WWE. Netflix also recently won the broadcast rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup in the United States. F1 now has three races in the United States – Miami, Austin and Las Vegas – and has an American-owned team in Cadillac joining in 2026 as the sport's 11th outfit. Current team Haas is also American-owned. In the UK, Sky Sports holds the exclusive live rights for F1 until 2029 while free-to-air broadcaster Channel 4 airs highlights. The 2025 season-opening race, which will be Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut, is on 16 March in Australia.
