Ambivalent Peaks

Photo by Kirstin McEwan Photography

As we enter Tier 4 in Glasgow, it's going to be considerably harder to shop for Christmas with non-essential shops closing. Finding gifts for our loved ones might be more difficult but there are always smaller online shops to support. Today I'm talking to Jenn Tapner, the owner, and curator of Rhubarb and Custard jewellery.

Why is it so important to shop local in today's climate?

I think people are beginning to recognise how important their custom is to small businesses during this difficult year, they are helping them survive. It's important for the wealth within the community but also I do think it's just nicer and more personal to shop small! I've bought all my Christmas pressies this year from Etsy. Especially as a small business owner, I know that exciting feeling you get when you receive an Etsy notification, larger retailers just don't understand that feeling. By shopping locally, you're not only helping them to survive during a difficult time but you're supporting their passion and buying into their dream, which is priceless in itself.

Tell me about your style - you seem to have a minimalist approach to your designs, is it that intentional? 

To be honest I try to experiment as much as I can with styles, shapes and colours. It depends from day-to-day. It depends on my mood, the weather, even down to the music I'm listening to - this is mainly what influenced the music album cover idea, I'm always listening to music.

Are you making jewellery that you would wear yourself or what you think other people would like? 

Mostly from my own taste, to be honest, or ideas that friends have recommended.

Where does inspiration for your jewellery come from? I saw that you draw inspiration from album covers - but what else inspires you?

I loved drawing inspiration from the album covers - it felt personal to me because I would be listening to the particular album while creating the pieces. Music is a huge, huge part of my life and to have this reflected in some way through my work felt special. Aside from that, I look at photographs, flowers, or my general surrounding to find inspiration for the colour combinations I use. However, sometimes I just grab some colours I think would work and experiment.

You offer custom earrings - how important do you think it is to offer that service and what experiences have you had with making the custom earrings? 

I think this is a hugely important service; there's nothing more annoying that when you, as a consumer, have a very specific idea in mind and cannot find what you're looking for - no matter how much scrolling on Pinterest you do. I've had the most weird and wonderful requests from customers about their custom orders - from detailed whale earrings to intricate marbled style earrings. I had a custom order for earrings for someone's hen party, which is pretty incredible.

What's the general feedback from your customers? 

I'm actually so fortunate, I'm yet to receive any negative feedback (touch wood). Everyone has been so supportive and positive, which is very encouraging. I've had people order earrings from the smallest little towns in the very south of England which is so incredible to me.

Are you looking to expand? I know you've had your work at Dumfries Market. 

I'm quite happy with how things are currently, but I'm always thinking of new paths to go down and new opportunities. I know everything is a little more difficult this year. I would have loved to have taken part in some Christmas markets in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but hopefully next Christmas. And the amazing thing about social media is that there are an abundance of virtual markets this year! I've loved taking part in the Dumfries Market twice this year and I'm fortunate to be involved in the Guild's Pop Up Shop this year - my work will be exhibited from 28th Nov - 12th Dec alongside some other incredibly talented markers from Dumfries and Galloway, and further. The Dumfries Guild do wonderful work in the town and have created a little community of crafters and creators from all walks of life, which is so important right now.

Talk to me more about life outside R&C - you've said that you do marketing and were working in the music industry. Are you itching to get back to post-COVID life?

Outside Rhubarb 'n' Custard, I am a freelance marketer - I work with a few different small companies doing their social media management, website design/upkeep, visual communication and design, and much more. Like many others, I was devastated to lose my job due to the virus this year - inevitable as I was the marketing exec. at a music events company. I loved my job so much but in the grand scheme of things, I'm one of the fortunate ones. I'm very happy with how my life is at the moment. I recently read back my diary from January and my two goals were to spend more time with my family and begin making jewellery again... little did I know how much time I'd have for these things. But yeah, I'm very grateful. I've somehow still managed to gain more than I've lost this year. Although, I do miss live music like crazy. I hope post-COVID life will still include Rhubarb 'n' Custard for me because it's been a lifeline for me to keep busy and creative through a really strange time.

These are my favourites of the collection. HEARTS EYES.

The time has come. 

McFly are BACK BACK BACK again with a new album. Their first studio album in 10 years. Young Dumb Thrills. 

McFly, back on their bullshit.

According to the i, it got 2 stars and was said to "not be profound." Yikes. 

Now, this is coming from a fan. This is coming from someone who when I was around 12 or 13 said to myself I would get this tattooed on my wrist to show how much I loved and adored this band: 

I never got the tattoo but my love for the band remained fierce throughout my teenage years. I had my fair share of taunts about how McFly were 'gay,' or 'gayboys,' (Meant to mean bad, in early noughties insult language). I brushed it off, because I loved them and that was that. Their music spoke to my soul. 

Songs about falling in love with Uranus really got me, you know? 

Joking aside, the band is what really got me into music and through them, I managed to explore greener pastures and other genres. But it always came back to them. 

When they released their singles prior to the album, I was crestfallen. Happiness sounded like a George Ezra reject song. 

Growing Up was another one of those fucking songs where the singers in their thirties sing about a jaded adolescence. Stop doing that. Mark Hoppus jumped on the song, someone pushing fifty -- also singing about "not giving a f....". Don't get me wrong, Mark Hoppus is one of my favourite humans on the planet but it just puts a bad taste in my mouth when millionaires are singing about being unemployed because "they slept in." 

"So lets get in, get in the van" - what van? They'll tour right enough but they'll be on luxury buses. C'mon now, you're fooling no one here.  The song just really rubs me the wrong way and songs like it do it too. 

Then there's Tonight Is The Night -- now I can't take this one seriously because of a John Mulaney bit. 

"Cause all the new songs are about how 'tonight is the night' and 'we only have tonight.' That's the message in 90 percent of songs. That's such 19 year old garbage."

You heard it here! 19-year-old garbage. Written by real adult men. 

The rest of the album doesn't get any better. 

It sucks, it really sucks, because I didn't have high hopes perse, but I had hopes. They were my favourite band that I grew up on when I was younger, and I was hoping they had matured so that at 24 year old me would enjoy it too. 

It's... just.... bad. 

It feels like they're trying to play catch up to pop music now. I had seen some people saying that they hear 1975 vibes. That I get -- but it doesn't make sense for McFly. 

Happiness, despite what I said, is a solid opener. 

Another Song About Love is self-aware -- it's another song about love because what else are they going to write about? They're all either married or in relationships (Dougie isn't married but he's 32 and in a relationship with a 24-year-old model, also a 24-year-old that isn't me, I'm not mad. Nope.)  It's pretty stale. We get it. 

You're Not Special flips positivity on its head. We're not special because everybody dies like you. Dark stuff, boys. It's irrevocably upbeat and poppy that it's kind of annoying. 

But the most annoying of all comes in the form of Head Up. It's no secret that the McFly boys have written for One Direction which, you know, worked because it was pop stars writing for mega pop stars. This sounds like a run off - or an attempt at writing a One Direction track. Immediately as the song starts I get cringe shivers. "I get one love to keep my head up," repeats in the chorus and it's nauseating. It sounds like they should be doing a choreographed dance to it.  Please, just make it stop. Jesus God. 

Tonight is the Night we've been through. It's promising at the start - it's ironically probably the best song on the album. No doubt a Tom song. But when the chorus bursts in -  I just laugh. EVERY SONG IS ABOUT TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT AND HOW WE ONLY HAVE TONIGHT. Oh John Mulaney, how you can ruin a song for me like this? It's uptempo and rhythmically good. Very Beatles-esque. I'll take it. 

Then comes the dreaded song with RAT BOY. This is their attempt at being young by working with a 24-year-old. What's with this band and 24-year-olds in particular? Anyway. It's a throwaway track. Only Danny jumps on to say the buzzwords of Young Dumb Thrills and that's about the gist of the song around RAT BOY's verses. 

Mad About You is another love song, I think? It's getting to the point where I just want this journey of an album to be over. It's another filler about love. We get it. You guys are mad about someone. Cool. 

Now Sink or Sing is interesting. It starts off with a guitar and Danny Jones' vocals - promising. It sounds like something that could come from his solo stuff, not amiss from his EP charmingly entitled EP. It doesn't sound like a McFly song at all. I could stretch and say it harkens back to songs like She Falls Asleep, Bubblewrap, or That's the Truth. 

After that is Like I Can. It's another song about love. It's a carbon copy of the other songs about love, but with different words. It's saccharine dribble at this point. 

Now here's the kicker. Wild and Young. WILD AND YOUNG. Another song about being young but TWIST it's also about love. It's extremely repetitive. 

The last song you'd think would be one of the best. Save the best for last, please god. With Not The End, instead, I am accosted with high octave singing styles that follow a lengthy introduction. It's sparkly. Heavy on the drums and twinkles. I only make it to halfway through the song when I have to turn it off. It's too much.

What happened to my favourite band?

They've not matured, they've not tried to reinvent themselves the way Busted did, they've just... floundered. They're the product of a pop machine and it's like they got back inside it and got stuck. There's no bangers, there's no heart, it's just pretty... bleak. It's background music, if that.

It's safe to say |'m very disappointed. What happened to you, McFly? Who hurt you?

Meanwhile I'm going to go cry over Wonderland, which is the undisputed best work by these four men.