The staff of One More Robot magazine takedown two rubbish new pop singles from the always dramatic Scissor Sisters and bulky hip-hop fiend Flo Rida.

Scissor Sisters – ‘Only the Horses’
[Polydor]
★☆☆☆☆
Gay royalty band Scissor Sisters are back with an insipid new single that fails to capture the humour, ecstasy and musical freedom of their earlier work. Inspired (as so much recent pop music is) by eighties new wave and nineties European house, ‘Only The Horses’ is a mess of washed out synths, overused cliches and weak instrumental hooks. Worse than any lack of originality is the lack of lead singer Jake Shears’ trademark falsetto. What is a gimmicky band without a gimmick? Just a band. – Alex De Petro

 
Flo Rida – ‘Whistle’
[Poe Boy/Atlantic]
★★☆☆☆
The latest single from Flo Rida is more influenced by guitar-based pop than hip-hop, with ‘Whistle’ being a slightly more laidback joint than the party ready club bangers we have become accustomed to. The melody of the up-tempo guitar synth is uncomplicated while the annoyingly catchy chorus distracts from the less the subtle innuendo of the lyrics. But it is the tune whistled throughout the track that the real hook here. It’s frivolous hip-pop at its best (or worst) depending on how you look at it. If Jedward reinvented themselves into dirty mouthed rappers this is probably what it out sound like. Scary thought. – Karen Lawler

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As if excitement levels for Forbidden Fruit 2012 weren’t rising quickly enough they’ve released the daily stage times for your planning pleasure. Start your countdown.

Haven’t got your ticket yet? Buy them from ticketmaster.ie now – Day Tickets: E49.50 / Two Day Tickets: EU89.50 / Weekend Tickets: EU115

Joanna for stylesiren.ie

It’s getting real close now, we can only hope that the June bank holiday weekend marks the sudden arrival of summer, either way Forbidden Fruit Festival in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, will be the perfect start of our festival season.

So here’s some new acts added to the already bursting line up. For Saturday, New York Disco club scene inspired DJ collective Horse Meat Disco, Ireland’s very own The Shit Robot Show, Mancunian electro producers STAY+, Dublin’s much loved and lauded (Sunday) Little Green Cars, the ultimate mixmaster Com Truise and Trinity Orchestra playing Pink Floyd’s classic album ‘The Dark Side of The Moon’!

Still need a ticket? Better move fast, tickets are available from http://bit.ly/JEITyo priced €49.50 for one day and €115 for all 3 days. Only 15 days left!

Forbidden Fruit 2012 Full lineup

Saturday 2nd
Leftfield
Friendly Fires
Bloody Beetroots DJ SetFactory Floor
Booka Shade
The Field
Republic of Loose
Holy F***
Shit Robot
Stay+
Bear In Heaven
Le Galaxie
Toby Kaar
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Horsemeat Disco
MMoths
Actress
Reid
White Collar Boy

Sunday 3rd
New Order
Death Cab For Cutie
The Rapture
Death in Vegas
Modeselektor
Atlas Sound
Austra
Grimes
Rarely Seen Above Ground
Kool Thing
Com Truise
Peaking Lights
The Cast of Cheers
The Trinity Orchestra perfoming Dark Side of the Moon
Lower Dens
The Magician
Daithí
Purity Ring
Little Green Cars
Cloud Nothings
To Kill a King
We Cut Corners

Monday 4th
Wilco
James V Mc Morrow
Beirut
Mazzy Star
Andrew Bird
Chromatics
Real Estate
Liars
Field Music
Julia Holter
Windings
Chairlift
Autumn Owls

Joanna for stylesiren.ie

The ‘Thank you Crumlin, Love Mia’ fashion show, in association with Fastway Couriers, takes place next Friday 25th May in the Dublin Convention Centre, featuring some of Ireland’s top fashion designers. And we’ve got free tickets to give away…

Guests will get to enjoy an evening of fashion and entertainment at a fashion show organised by 11-year-old Mia Keaveney with some of Ireland’s top fashion designers including John Rocha, Louise Kennedy, Matt Doody, Deborah Veale, Tyrrell & Brennan and Peter O’Brien. 



Entertainment on the night will include Ryan Sheridan, Brian Kennedy and The Nualas and there will be plenty of well known faces modeling Mia’s designs that were brought to life by some of Ireland’s most recognised designers.



Tickets cost €35 each. All money raised will go to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin a place which, over the past 10 years, has been a home away from home for Mia who has undergone numerous operations and treatments there.



For more information and to purchase tickets go to www.thankyoucrumlin.ie.

WIN!
We have 3 pairs of tickets (each pair worth €70) to giveaway to this great event. All you have to do is answer this question:
Where is the Thank You Crumlin, Love Mia fashion show being held?
a) The RDS
b) Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
c) The Dublin Convention Centre

To be in with a chance, email your answer, name and contact details to competitions@stylesiren.ie before 12pm Monday 21st May. We’ll announce the winner here and on our Facebook page lunchtime Monday. Good Luck!

Competitions are open to Irish residents only, terms & conditions apply.

Matthew Gray Gubler, a.k.a. Criminal Minds‘ Dr. Spencer Reid, gets our Hot Tea attention this week…

The Gube has quite the online following, made up of those amongst us who have a bit of a soft spot for the skinny, nerdy types. He’s not just a one trick pony either – aside from the acting, Matthew’s also film director, painter, photographer, editor and former fashion model.

Apart from Criminal Minds, Gubler has appeared in (500) Days of Summer as Paul and is the voice of one of the chipmunks, Simon (the smart one naturally), in Alvin and the Chipmunks.

For those of you who can’t see the attraction, it’s not just us – Matthew’s had quite the modeling career. He was scouted for DNA Model Management while at film school and went on to model for Burberry, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger and American Eagle to name but a few.

Gubler has also starred in a number of mockumentaries, in a kind of Ricky Gervais’ Extras stylie, that parody his life behind the scenes of Criminal Minds called Matthew Gray Gubler: The Unauthorized Documentary.

There is even a channel devoted to Matthew on Youtube called Gube Tube. Seriously.

And here he is with a puppy…

He’s signed up to return to our tellyboxes for the eighth season of the CBS show so the adorably geeky Spencer Reid should be on our screens for a while yet.

Hot Tea hollers to editor@stylesiren.ie.

Michelle for stylesiren.ie
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Fancy owning a pair of Louboutins, a Mary Katrantzou dress or a Chanel bag but don’t have the funds? You can now pick up pre-loved designer pieces on a new Irish website at a fraction of their original cost…

iLoveLoveLove.com is the destination for expensive designer items whose owners no longer want them but understandably feel they are too ‘new’ and too expensive to just discard or give away. Think clothes, shoes and accessories by the likes of Balmain, D&G, Alexander McQueen, Fendi, Hermes, Marc Jacobs, Gucci and Michael Kors amongst others.

Clockwise from top right: Christian Louboutin sandals, original guideline price: €550; iLoveLoveLove.com price: €223; Mary Katrantzou dress, original guideline price: €1100, iLoveLoveLove price: €558; Miu Miu shoes, original guideline price: €650; iLoveLoveLove.com price: €256; Celine clutch, original guideline price: €375; iLoveLoveLove.com price: €134; Cartier bag, original guideline price: €1300; iLoveLoveLove price: €502.

All items are photographed beautifully with detailed descriptions, a guideline of the original price and the new much reduced price. All items listed are graded – Never been worn, Worn once or Worn with love and purchases are packaged and delivered to your door within 48 hours. For those of you who would love to own a Victoria Beckham dress or a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes but can’t justify the cost then this is the place to shop.

And if you have a designer item that you’d like to have on the site, all you need to do is fill in the Sell form on the website outlining what you would like to sell and iLoveLoveLove.com will do the rest. Collecting your items, photographing each item, presenting the item on the site, to final packaging and posting of your sold items to the buyers.

iLoveLoveLove.com is perfect for finding a hidden gem or you can fling open your wardrobe and earn some extra cash by selling those designer clothes you love but hardly ever wear.

Michelle for stylesiren.ie
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For the week that’s in it, as well as our usual 10 best dressed celebs, we’ve also chosen our top 10 style winners from last week’s Met Ball…

Eva Mendes looking polished as ever in Jonathan Saunders.
Not an outfit you’d expect to work but Jessica Alba manages it.
Loving Zoe Saldana’s embellished Elie Saab dress.

Diane Kruger in Diane von Furstenberg at ‘The Conversation Launch’ Series Celebration in New York.
Model genes – Poppy and Cara Delevingne working denim at a Levi’s store opening in Paris.
The Duchess of Cambridge goes for quite a daring look in floor length Roland Mouret.

A typically dramatic gown for Eva Green at the Dark Shadows premiere.
A modern take on grunge – Amber Heard out and about last week.
Florence Welch in a vintage jacket at the set of ‘David Letterman’.
Love the colour – Chloe Moretz in a blue Stella McCartney number.

The Met Ball Best Dressed
Camilla Belle in backless Ralph Lauren – loving the berry lips.
Something a bit different – MIA in a skirt suit by Stella McCartney.
We’re big fans of anything Balmain – model Joan Smalls in embellished Balmain.

Such a fun and girly look for Emma Stone – love.
Ok, so it’s pretty out there but it’s a vintage Elizabeth Taylor outfit – a piece of fashion history. Big props to Coco Rocha.
Wonderfully witchy and gothic – Lana del Rey in a custom black-and-silver hand-embroidered gown by Joseph Altuzarra.

Working a key trend from the Met Ball, feathers, Kate Bosworth in Prada.
Isn’t Betty looking well? January Jones in a yellow gown from Atelier Versace’s spring 2012 couture collection.
Style winner of the evening, Carey Mulligan in a futuristic Prada ensemble.
Sorry Bey but lil sis won this round – Solange Knowles in a strapless Rachel Roy gown.

Michelle for stylesiren.ie
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The cast of One More Robot magazine examine two of the latest single releases pumping on your stereo.

The Walkmen – ‘Heaven’
[Fat Possum/Bella Union]
★★★★☆

‘Heaven’, the title track from The Walkmen’s newest album, already deserves consideration for entry into the canon of what I call ‘August anthems’: sun-dappled slices of guitar pop that soundtrack the closing weeks of sticky summers and the final, fleeting moments of summer friendships and flings. Hamilton Leithauser captures the fear of those pre-autumn weeks with his strained croon, singing, “Don’t leave me, you’re my best friend/All of my life, you’ve always been”. But there’s hope to be found in ‘Heaven’, in the form of chugging bass and propulsive, tight percussion tucked beneath those wistful guitar lines. It’s an August anthem that knows September can offer a new start. – Jamieson Cox

2 Chainz feat Drake – ‘No Lie’
[The Real University/Two Gun Gang/Street Executives/Def Jam]
★★☆☆☆

‘No Lie’ by 2 Chainz is basic hip-hop fare. In 2012 this kind of fat bass beat with a spacey synth combo is rather standard, while 2 Chainz’ self-confident rap bluster is fairly uninspiring. The song’s loaded with the sort of punch lines that are all the rage but none of them are particularly memorable. Luckily Drake shows up and instantly enhances the song. While 2 Chainz voice is garbled and indistinct, Drakes is smooth and resonant. As he’s shown time and time again, Drake can deliver a memorable hook with ease and ‘No Lie’ is no exception. – Jesse Melia

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Banter returns in May with a timely Football Special featuring RTE’s Bill O’Herlihy, Former ROI Manager Brian Kerr and from The Independent and ESPN, Miguel Delaney.

If you’re a sports fan and more importantly a follower of Irish football then this is a Banter session not to be missed. Hosted by Jim Carroll (On The Record/The Irish Times) The Football Special will look back at 2011/12 club football season, focus on various highlights, poke a finger at various lowlights, review the action at home and away and, given what’s going to be dominating the agenda in June, preview the Euro 2012 championships.

The panel: Bill O’Herlihy (RTE’s peerless sports broadcaster), Brian Kerr (former manager Republic Of Ireland and the Faroe Islands) and Miguel Delaney (The Independent, The Irish Examiner, ESPN). The man with the whistle: Jim Carroll.

The date is Thursday May 31st, the venue is the usual haunt at the Twisted Pepper (Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1) and admission is free (you need to be signed up to the mailing list which you will find here). Banter is expecting a full house for this one so consider yourself warned.

Doors 7.30pm | Kick-off 8pm sharp

Sign up to the invite list here (first come first served).

Joanna for stylesiren.ie

Have you ever wondered if you were given the chance to work with a professional team of hairdressers, make-up artists, stylists and photographers that you might have what it takes to be a model? Hession Hairdressing are giving you a chance to be the face of their brand in a nationwide model search competition.

A second generation business, the Hession Hairdressing family secret has been passed down from generation to generation. Hession pride themselves in” fabulous hair for everyday” and in keeping with this motto Hession Hairdressing are searching the country for five people to represent their brand.

Hession Hairdressing are on the lookout for a mix of girls and guys (three girls aged between 18 and 35) to become the face of this award winning salon and model in their 2012/2013 campaign. You get to become an integral part of the Hession award winning salon team and experience behind the scenes of a top photo shoot first hand with professional photographer, Barry McCall. Barry has photographed some of the world’s most famous people including, Sophie Dahl, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Helena Christensen, Claudia Schiffer, Yasmin Le Bon, Michael Fassbender and Richard Branson to name but a few.

For your chance to be the face of Hession, simply send two digital photographs via email to competitions@publicityloft.com before 5pm, May 18th 2012. One close up shot with hair left down and little or no make-up and a second full length shot both with a plain background. Please title the email HESSION CAMPAIGN COMPETITION and include your name, address and age, along with a contact phone number. Digital entries only will be accepted. Entries will be short listed and requested to attend a casting at the end of May with the finalists shooting the campaign early June. Each person involved will win €250 plus a gift card for a complete hair makeover including colour, cut, treatment, blow dry and home maintenance goodie bags…

For your chance to be part of the Hession Wall of fame simply send in your photos and prepare to be part of this iconic brand! For more details, follow Hession Hairdressing on Facebook www.facebook.com/hessionhairdressing or visit www.hessionhairdressing.ie.

Joanna for stylesiren.ie