Q - Final Battle Saturday 25th September

The Secret Wars Euro League is coming to an end - The live art battle which boasted 17 European cities has only a few left and guess what....Southampton are still in it!!

Come on Southampton!!!!
Being the only team in the whole competition to lose only one battle, means team Southampton is a real threat and a serious contender to go all the way!! I think it was Samuel Jackson that said in the movie Coach Carter, "Just because we deserve to win, doesn't mean they're going to let us"! Great film and wise words.

So we need all the support we can get!! Remember as well as the judges votes, there's a crowd vote, which is where you guys come in!

There's some serious artistic talent on show, Amsterdam I bringing the big guns. You only have to google these names to get a load of stats and images - Mr K, Wayne Horse, Sjoco Sjon, Via Via, Zender and Chaz from the infamous London Police!!

But Southampton are more than capable of taking them out. Led by team Captain Hicks 54 (www.flickr.com/hicks54), Zadok, Gustav, Mr Dead, Sobac and Smurph are ready and waiting.

We're moving the event from our usual Thursday night slot to a Saturday night - SATURDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER!!

We're also changing the venue - The Monument Gallery -

The historic Bargate Monument, in central Southampton is run by arts organization 'a space'. The organisation strives to provide opportunities for emerging artists and audiences in
Southampton and the surrounding regions to make and engage with
high quality artistic experiences.

So just to clarify, that big castle in the middle of town, is a Gallery and YES you can go inside it. Due to the size, space is very limited, so make sure you arrive nice and early to avoid any kind of heartbreak.

Date: Saturday 25th September 2010
Where: The Monument Gallery (Opposite The Addict Store)
Time: doors open at 7pm - space is limited, so arrive early!
Price: £5 entry!

For more info email jay@monorex.com

How we do...

Southampton and Barcelona artists let loose with paint

Southampton beat Barcelona 3-0!

There was a lot of pressure on Southampton to perform against one of the tournaments favourite – Barcelona. Added to Group 3 at the last minute, there were high expectations for the visitors to walk away with a victory.
The judges were carefully chosen to make sure nobody could accuse the home team of cheating. Three creative designers from ‘Sifer Design’ who are based in Portsmouth (If anyone is going to vote against Southampton, it’ll be someone from Pompey, local rivals!)

The second judge was Stephen Stafford, a reporter from the BBC, who’s completely neutral and has no ties to Southampton. Right, fair judges, selected, lets get the show on the road.
Southampton’s team on the night was made up of team captain Hicks 54, Zadok and Mr Dead. The guys had only met the night before and did really well to pull it together.
Polar Bear was the host for the night and I’m sure everyone that was there will agree, absolutely smashed it. He had the crowd hooked!

Both teams worked really hard and I think the Barcelona piece was great. But, everyone needs to remember that it’s not just about whether a team can draw. In Barcelona’s defence this was their first battle and maybe they didn’t grasp the concept. The Southampton team had two veterans and Mr Dead knew all about SW, so it was no surprise, to me at least that, Southampton seemed to edge ahead of Barca.

Sifer Design were first up to judge and they had a difficult time choosing a team. They loved Barcelona’s tattoo style, but it was Southampton’s bold lines and character designs that won them over. First point goes to SOUTHAMPTON!!
Next up, the crowd, Southampton were up first and hit a 1.17 on the decibel reader. Traditionally the last team to go always gets the highest scream…Barcelona scored, 1.16!! Southampton gain a second point.
Last judge on the night was Stephen Stafford, who was reporting on the event. He was amazed at both pieces and surprised they managed to produce the work in 90 minutes!! Again, he found it tough to choose a winner, but similar to Sifer, he preferred the bold lines and the sense of humour that came across in the Southampton piece…SOUTHAMPTON 3-0

A Big thanks to everyone who came down to support the artists. It was a great night!! Southampton are now the first team to win two battles in a row! Bring on the away matches, I say! We’re ready!

Hicks 54 doing his bit for Charity

Whilst other teams prepared sketches and got ready to travel, Hicks spent his time whipping up a banging pair of custom Reeboks to be auctioned off in aid of Charity. The event was Style Society, held at the Orange Rooms, Southampton. A night celebrating all things creative. Run by Sarah Wade and Sophie Penn, the night was a huge success. The proceeds from the auction went to Oxfam and if that wasn't enough, Hicks found time to paint a piece ready to greet the Barcelona team this Sunday!!





Check out the finished piece outside Orange Rooms, Southampton

Southampton Vs Barcelona @ Orange Rooms Southampton Sunday 21st March!! Be There

Secret Wars is proud to announce that Barcelona have joined Southampton’s group in the Secret Wars Euro League www.secretwarseuroleague.com
and we’ll be hosting the glamorous city on Sunday 21st March at The Orange Rooms, Southampton!!

Secret Wars began back in 2006, it was small, and intimate yet had the potential to be so much more. Years of hard work, dedication and a strong following has meant Secret Wars has pushed the boundaries and raised the bar for artists and promoters alike.

It’s all culminated to this, present day, present time, 17 European locations…The Secret Wars Euro League has finally arrived!

I’ll be honest; the thought of battling Barcelona worries me a little. These guys are packing some heavy artillery Check out the talent that will be showing at the Orange Rooms

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Javi aka "Inocuo" old school graffiti artist and David aka "Dave" Barca’s local "Maestro". Both are formers of ‘Inocuo’ The Sign Studio, one of the leading design studios in Barcelona with Clients such as Nike, Volkswagen etc..

"Aryz", one of the youngest members, he’s Barcelona's rising stars in Street Art. Aged 21 he paints huge murals on abandoned factories with his giant characters and monsters. He uses both acrylics and spray cans with special care for details. – For more info: http://www.aryz.es

Juan Carlos Noria, aka "Royal", a very talented painter and street artist. His works always carry an anti-establishment message - more info: http://www.royal.them.ca

"Aleix" is an illustrator, he’s published a Comic for Montana Colors on the history of Graffiti and produced work for Vans. His characters –
Check out more of his work on: http://www.aleixgoho.com/

And Last but not Least, Tvboy, graffiti artist since 1996, Italian born, exhibited his artworks and painted in the streets of Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Cuba, Germany, Denmark.
Did some collabs with Fiat, Nescafé, Smart & bla bla bla bla, you get the point - more info: http://www.thetvboy.com

So there we have Barcelona’s strike force! The talent is good, but Southampton has got a line up just as good. Hicks54, Gustav, Zadok, Mr Dead, S0bac and Smurph are more than capable of matching Barcelona. So make sure you come down for a special Sunday Secret Wars battle.

**We’ve got special guest host Steve Camden, a.k.a Polar Bear who’s made a name for himself as one of the top spoken word poets in his field. An approachable, straight forward, yet insanely thought provoking, break down of real life and real people**
(www.myspace.com/polarbearspoken)
Check out the video!!

There's a load of drink promos on the night too

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2-4-1 Bottles of Fosters
2-4-1 Thai Bombs
2-4-1 Brewacca Bombs
2-4-1 Sailor Jerry's
2-4-1 Vodka Redbull
2-4-1 Shooters
2-4-1 Original Bacardi Mojitos
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It’s free before 7pm and £3 after

Orange Rooms Southampton
1-2 Vernon Walk
Southampton
SO15 2EJ
Tel: 023 8023 2333

For more info email southampton@secretwarseuroleague.com // jay@monorex.com

Southampton beat Paris 3 - 0!!

I wasn't on hand for this battle. It was the opening of the Secret Wars Euro League tournament and the promotion was hit hard from every angle, which is probably why there was such a good turn out.

This report might come across one sided, but I'm sure the Paris guys will fill in the blanks. The Southampton team have named themselves 'The Titanics' making sure they stayed afloat for the next voyage against Barcelona on Sunday 21st March @ Orange Rooms Southampton (shameless plug)

The judges were Pascal (Lecturer at Solent Uni) and Christian (Soul Cellar manager and art graduate) both opting for the home side along with the crowd. A well deserved 3 points!

Bring on Barca!!

Photography by Russ Watts - www.flickr.com/photos/recrudesce















Winning Piece by The Titanics!!


Paris

Southampton Trials

Images from the last trials at Southampton. There was a lot of talent and it proves that Southampton is a city with plenty of creativity!!

Thanks to Russ Watts for the snaps...pictured are three of the artists in the Southampton team, Mr Dead, Gustav and s0bac. If you want to see the rest of the team including smurph, Hicks 54 and Zadok then I suggest you get down to the Soul Cellar on Thursday 28th January

Euro League night!! Meet the Southampton Artists

Southampton have been drawn in Group 3 with Dublin, Copenhagen and Paris! So come down and show your support as we reveal our artists on the night!!

SECRET WARS EURO LEAGUE DRAW RESULTS

Ok, the draw has taken place, dates are being booked, sponsors are ready, tickets are being booked and artists are hungry for blood. The Secret Wars Euro league is going to go off!!

Here are the 4 groups. Each team battles Home and Away, so make sure you support your home team and of course welcome the visitors and show them what your city is all about.

Group 1
Glasgow
Bristol
Malmo
Warsaw

Group 2
Bournemouth
Birmingham
Berlin
Lisbon

Group 3
Southampton
Dublin
Copenhagen
Paris

Group 4
Cardiff
London
Hamburg
Amsterdam

We’ll update everyone with dates and venue locations….in the meantime, spread the word and keep checking back to www.secretwars.co.uk for full updates