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The 5th Annual Ink 'N' Iron Tattoo Festival
Oh my God! They did it again. Tattoos, music, custom hot-rods, carnival rides, pin-up girls, booze, art, burlesque and beautiful people... everywhere! Eye candy in all directions, a constant stream of over-stimulation to my brain, and all onboard a historic 1930s ship that...
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With such wonderful attraction as the “Seine”, the “Louvre” and the “Eiffel Tower”, the “Moulin rouge” and the “Arc de Triomphe”, Paris attracts over thirty million visitors every year, all coming to sample the ‘Parisian’ lifestyle.
Included in this impressive number was a huge volume of tattoo tourists, all coming to...
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The lion emblem of Belfort city roared for the thirteenth time this year as it accommodated International Tattoo Convention over the weekend of 12th and 13th April 2008, undoubtedly the most original event accommodated by the town of Belfort.
Belfort is revered for its festivals, especially “The Eurockéennes”, an...
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For the fourth year in a row, London played host to one of the biggest tattoo events in Europe. This convention is really carving a name for itself on the international tattoo convention scene and this year, as with all well organised shows – proved to be an improvement on the previous years. Onwards and upwards!
NEIL...
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Sunday the 31st of August saw the first Coventry Ink show at the AT7 centre in Coventry, which was easy enough to find just outside the centre of Coventry. The venue is a sports centre and served the purpose well, although I’ve been told that next year the organisers are planning for a different venue.
There were...
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In the well organised, clean and tranquil city of Yokohama you could hear roars of Harleys and hot rods waking up the neighbourhood.
This year’s “Annual Yokohama Hot Rod & Custom Show” event took place as usual in one of the spacious halls at the Pasifico Yokohama international convention centre. The city of...
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Bikers and car drivers normally aren’t the type of people you see drinking a beer together at one party. An exception is the old-skool culture - the bobber has a similar history to the four-wheeled version; the hot rod. Both types of vehicle originally were meant to be street racers and were stripped down to the bare...
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Known as Europe’s Northern Venice with its 90 islands, 160 canals and 1,281 bridges and practically the entire city is below sea level (including the canals); the buildings there are constructed upon specialised stilts. Renowned for its tolerance and diversity, Amsterdam was founded in the 13th century AD and was...
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“Llandudno? That’s a random choice for a convention isn’t it?” It’s a question that I’ve heard more times than memory will permit me to divulge, but many of those making such inquiries had never been to Llandudno - it’s a glorious setting!
Alex
A gently curved bay framed by steep hills and a body of shimmering blue...
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Was it really five years ago that I stuck my head in the Assembly Rooms door to announce my first State of the Art Tattoo Convention? It only seems like yesterday and things have moved on quite extensively in that half-decade.
NEIL
At all the conventions I get to go to, each show has a few prominent artists that seem...
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With its long and much-celebrated nautical history, Liverpool always seemed destined to someday host a tattoo gathering, and this year its time has finally come.
Alex
Tony and Hazel Nicholls from Design 4 Life set about the task of organising the show, and it’s rather befitting that 2008 should see Liverpool’s first...
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I don’t know what’s happening on the convention scene at the moment but whatever it is, it’s not good. Swansea was down on attendance in Feb, Portsmouth was down and just didn’t have the same atmosphere as usual, Ink ‘n Iron got cancelled, and then this weekend saw the Newport show.
Although numbers were up on last...
-
Toyohashi Tattoo Summit is a widely anticipated event, and considered by tattoo enthusiasts in Japan as the pinnacle of what Japan has to offer in terms of high-level tattoo artists displaying their work. This year, saw its 8th instalment in two venues, featuring 50 plus tattoo artists, with a focus on local talent of...
-
I was really looking forward to this year’s Manchester show, what with the new venue and the impressive artists list. So with an empty flash card in my camera and fully charged batteries (for both me and my camera), I set off to Manchester Central full of anticipation for a weekend of tattooing fun.
After a bit...
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Peterlee, surprisingly, is named after a man, Peter Lee, whose vision it was to see a better way of life for the residents in the villages of County Durham. It has been written that since the designation of Peterlee on 10th March 1948, the town has developed into one of the North East’s success stories...
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As we got to Portsmouth this year I looked round the Pyramid Centre thinking about how it was going to be the last show at this venue. There have been some good shows at the Pyramid Centre over the years and I was pretty sure this last one was going to be just as good.
Once there, I had a quick chat to Pete Lake and...
-
Milan is considered to be the main city of the north of Italy and as the economic capital of the country. But it’s also a city of art with many museums; Léonardo da Vinci painted in Milan, in particular his famous fresco “la Cène”. Other famous painters created their art here too, with the likes of Caravaggio, and...
-
Traversing the streets of Manchester on a blustery Saturday morning with luggage in tow, I staggered around haphazardly in search of the Manchester Tattoo Show’s new home at Manchester Central.
After wandering in what I hoped was the general direction of the venue (as I’m renowned for getting lost in my own home),...
-
The Dragon Inkfest was a little smaller than usual this year, but that didn’t hinder the ensuing artistic deluge that we encountered over the course of the weekend. In fact, the cosy setting made it all the more special...
Alex
Ah, beautiful Swansea (or Abertawe, as it’s known in the locale). Home to a rich cultural...
-
On the 7th 8th & 9th of December 2007, Berlin opened its doors for the 17th International Tattoo Convention, an event impossible to miss on the European tattoo convention circuit.
Once the capital of Prussia and leading cultural centre of the 1920s, today the new capital of Germany is characterised by its dazzling...
The 5th Annual Ink 'N' Iron Tattoo Festival Oh my God! They did it again. Tattoos, music, custom hot-rods, carnival rides, pin-up girls, booze, art, burlesque and beautiful people... everywhere! Eye candy in all directions, a constant stream of over-stimulation to my brain, and all onboard a historic 1930s ship that...
With such wonderful attraction as the “Seine”, the “Louvre” and the “Eiffel Tower”, the “Moulin rouge” and the “Arc de Triomphe”, Paris attracts over thirty million visitors every year, all coming to sample the ‘Parisian’ lifestyle. Included in this impressive number was a huge volume of tattoo tourists, all coming to...
The lion emblem of Belfort city roared for the thirteenth time this year as it accommodated International Tattoo Convention over the weekend of 12th and 13th April 2008, undoubtedly the most original event accommodated by the town of Belfort. Belfort is revered for its festivals, especially “The Eurockéennes”, an...
For the fourth year in a row, London played host to one of the biggest tattoo events in Europe. This convention is really carving a name for itself on the international tattoo convention scene and this year, as with all well organised shows – proved to be an improvement on the previous years. Onwards and upwards! NEIL...
Sunday the 31st of August saw the first Coventry Ink show at the AT7 centre in Coventry, which was easy enough to find just outside the centre of Coventry. The venue is a sports centre and served the purpose well, although I’ve been told that next year the organisers are planning for a different venue. There were...
In the well organised, clean and tranquil city of Yokohama you could hear roars of Harleys and hot rods waking up the neighbourhood. This year’s “Annual Yokohama Hot Rod & Custom Show” event took place as usual in one of the spacious halls at the Pasifico Yokohama international convention centre. The city of...
Bikers and car drivers normally aren’t the type of people you see drinking a beer together at one party. An exception is the old-skool culture - the bobber has a similar history to the four-wheeled version; the hot rod. Both types of vehicle originally were meant to be street racers and were stripped down to the bare...
Known as Europe’s Northern Venice with its 90 islands, 160 canals and 1,281 bridges and practically the entire city is below sea level (including the canals); the buildings there are constructed upon specialised stilts. Renowned for its tolerance and diversity, Amsterdam was founded in the 13th century AD and was...
“Llandudno? That’s a random choice for a convention isn’t it?” It’s a question that I’ve heard more times than memory will permit me to divulge, but many of those making such inquiries had never been to Llandudno - it’s a glorious setting! Alex A gently curved bay framed by steep hills and a body of shimmering blue...
Was it really five years ago that I stuck my head in the Assembly Rooms door to announce my first State of the Art Tattoo Convention? It only seems like yesterday and things have moved on quite extensively in that half-decade. NEIL At all the conventions I get to go to, each show has a few prominent artists that seem...
With its long and much-celebrated nautical history, Liverpool always seemed destined to someday host a tattoo gathering, and this year its time has finally come. Alex Tony and Hazel Nicholls from Design 4 Life set about the task of organising the show, and it’s rather befitting that 2008 should see Liverpool’s first...
I don’t know what’s happening on the convention scene at the moment but whatever it is, it’s not good. Swansea was down on attendance in Feb, Portsmouth was down and just didn’t have the same atmosphere as usual, Ink ‘n Iron got cancelled, and then this weekend saw the Newport show. Although numbers were up on last...
Toyohashi Tattoo Summit is a widely anticipated event, and considered by tattoo enthusiasts in Japan as the pinnacle of what Japan has to offer in terms of high-level tattoo artists displaying their work. This year, saw its 8th instalment in two venues, featuring 50 plus tattoo artists, with a focus on local talent of...
I was really looking forward to this year’s Manchester show, what with the new venue and the impressive artists list. So with an empty flash card in my camera and fully charged batteries (for both me and my camera), I set off to Manchester Central full of anticipation for a weekend of tattooing fun. After a bit...
Peterlee, surprisingly, is named after a man, Peter Lee, whose vision it was to see a better way of life for the residents in the villages of County Durham. It has been written that since the designation of Peterlee on 10th March 1948, the town has developed into one of the North East’s success stories...
As we got to Portsmouth this year I looked round the Pyramid Centre thinking about how it was going to be the last show at this venue. There have been some good shows at the Pyramid Centre over the years and I was pretty sure this last one was going to be just as good. Once there, I had a quick chat to Pete Lake and...
Milan is considered to be the main city of the north of Italy and as the economic capital of the country. But it’s also a city of art with many museums; Léonardo da Vinci painted in Milan, in particular his famous fresco “la Cène”. Other famous painters created their art here too, with the likes of Caravaggio, and...
Traversing the streets of Manchester on a blustery Saturday morning with luggage in tow, I staggered around haphazardly in search of the Manchester Tattoo Show’s new home at Manchester Central. After wandering in what I hoped was the general direction of the venue (as I’m renowned for getting lost in my own home),...
The Dragon Inkfest was a little smaller than usual this year, but that didn’t hinder the ensuing artistic deluge that we encountered over the course of the weekend. In fact, the cosy setting made it all the more special... Alex Ah, beautiful Swansea (or Abertawe, as it’s known in the locale). Home to a rich cultural...
On the 7th 8th & 9th of December 2007, Berlin opened its doors for the 17th International Tattoo Convention, an event impossible to miss on the European tattoo convention circuit. Once the capital of Prussia and leading cultural centre of the 1920s, today the new capital of Germany is characterised by its dazzling...
