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Name: Trine Grimm

Profession and place of work: Tattoo artist at Lucky 7 in Oslo, and artist 

How old were you when you started tattooing?
I had just turned 19 when I moved to Oslo to start tattooing, but the interest for the art came way earlier than that.

Being a successful female in a very male dominated industry, have you ever faced any challenges, experienced harassment or had any other issues based on gender?
This is a hard topic to get into, but as every other male dominant occupation, there will be a struggle being a woman. I was very young when I came in to the scene, and you often had to prove yourself just because of that. I was called names all the time by coworkers, my bosses and even customers. I think the hardest part was trusting people you looked up to. I was always afraid of speaking up, because it was a very small scene back then. It has  definitely changed for the past 15 years, and it is nice to see all the talented women coming into the scene and absolutely killing it in the game now. That being said, even to this day there are customers asking me if the boss is around or how long I have been tattooing. I am pretty sure they would never ask a 33 year old man the same question. I was never really a girly girl either, don’t take me wrong, I love dressing up and all that, but my main interests were metal music, snowboarding and skateboarding. I hung out with the guys and were a part of the scene, but I guess they had a hard time treating me as an equal. I don’t know how many times I’ve been called a groupie, something that still happens today just because I am around the music scene.  

Besides tattooing you’ve also done gig posters, artwork, DJing etc – what kind of music are you into?
Tattooing takes up most of my time, simply because I love it. Except for snowboarding, it has been the only constant thing in my life for so long, and even if I have tried to tattoo less to do other projects, I keep coming back to it full time. I also take on small projects for bands, mostly gig posters, shirt designs and festival posters, it is time consuming, but absolutely something I wanna do more of because music is so close to my heart. Nothing beats seeing your artwork on a band you really love listening to. I grew up with classical music from my grandmother who was a pianist. My mother got me into rock like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, but as a kid from the west coast of Norway, it didn’t take long before me and my best friend got into the black metal scene. My music taste is all over the place now, ranging from jazz to extreme metal, but heavy riffs are a main topic in my play list. DJing is fun, but it has to be for a special event. Playing music in a bar is just to get people to buy a beer is really not my thing anymore. Would rather listen to my vinyls at home. Haha…  But it’s fun, and I will probably change my mind one day and do it all over again. 

Would you say your taste in music inspires your art?
Music is my main inspiration to my art, I think art and music goes hand in hand. I love listening to music and just draw for hours. I also listen to music all day while tattooing. My head is way too busy without it. It is some form of meditation I guess. Most of my astronaut paintings was made when Sleep came out with The Sciences in 2018, I guess the theme fits. Haha…

When we asked Trine about this interview, she asked if she could create some fan art to go with it and sent us the incredible design below – which completely blew our minds:

What’s the inspiration behind the incredible Orange drawing you did?
If you have been into heavy music for a while, nothing beats the classic sight of an orange amp. I had this joke with my friends that if we were seeing new bands, we knew they would be good if there was an Orange on stage. I took some inspiration from the classic logo because I really liked the story behind it. The orange tree as a branch, the Pan inspired horns. The rig of doom in the back is kinda how it looks to me when I think about it. Sometimes I just draw whatever comes to mind, it usually never makes sense, but most of the music and the art I like is inspired by the psychedelic area of the 60s and 70s. I guess that is what inspired this one. 

What’s been a career highlight so far?
That is a hard question. I meet so many amazing people because of my job. Meeting Lemmy and hanging out with him and talking tattoos is definitely one of the most fun memories, but if I have to mention one thing directly affecting me I guess selling one of my astronaut paintings to an engineer in NASA was a big highlight. I’ve always been a nerd when it comes to science, and wanted to become an astrophysicist when I was a kid. I guess at least I have some kind of connection to NASA now. 

What would 2023 Trine say to 2013 Trine?
I had my first solo art show in 2013, I was so scared and had no idea what I was doing. I guess I would have told her that it will be easier, and in 10 years you will still love what you are doing. Because some days are hard and you wake up and have no idea why you chose a job you can never take a break from.

Which artist / song are you currently playing on repeat?
I’ve been really nostalgic lately so Pentagram (U.S.) is on repeat. But my playlist of only 60s and 70s are on loop at the studio everyday. Can never go wrong with the classics.

To celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s Month, we’ve spoken to a couple of female industry professionals to get their story on building a career in a predominantly male-dominated industry. First one up is music journalist and writer Liz Scarlett.

Name: Liz Scarlett.
Profession and place of work: Staff writer (music journalist) at Future Publishing with Louder, home of Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog Magazine.
How long have you been in your current role? Just over two years.

What can you tell us about the journey that got you where you are today?
So I studied music journalism at university, the degree of which wasn’t actually my first choice. I didn’t know such courses existed – I was going to do English, simply because I found I was good at it and wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, but then during my university interview, I ended up speaking to the professor about my favourite bands the whole time and my love of journalism. They then told me there was such a course and hey presto, a couple years of education, and I graduated into a marketing assistant role at a music college, where I got to review student work, help out with a bunch of creative projects, all whilst running my own music blog.
Then, during the pandemic, Future Publishing were looking for trainee roles. I completely forgot that the company was home to Louder and the magazines I grew up on, so I applied to it on a whim, as I was made redundant from my previous job. After going through the interview process I realised that I accidentally applied for my dream role, working for Metal Hammer and Classic Rock, which is kinda spooky…and seriously crazy. Manifestation and all that! After studying for an NCTJ diploma with Future to help out with my role as Trainee News Writer, (and slogging through many hours of media law study), I got to stay on working for Louder as a full time staff writer. Although I’m still mostly on news duties, I also do features and interviews, for online and print.

Being a female in a very male dominated industry, have you ever faced any challenges / experienced harassment / felt the need to work harder to prove yourself / etc, basically any issues based on being female? How did you experience the industry when you first started?
At my current job, not at all. My team is really mindful of these issues and are mega supportive. At previous places of work however (naming no names), very
much so. I found that male colleagues really were intimidated by you if you shared similar skills. I was patronised and insulted ALOT, and felt like I was in a
competition I simply did not want to be in, all for being a woman. Things got pretty bad at times, and I found myself not wanting to come into work. It was all
the more irritating seeing how overwhelmingly respectful they were to other colleagues, only if they were male. This has happened on multiple occasions.
As for where I am now, I feel incredibly supported, although I find that I’m perhaps not as confident in my work as males in the industry. Plus, imposter
syndrome is always looming. I’m also not always confident in my ideas, which is something I need to change. I think it’s part of growing up as a woman though,
when other ideas (proposed by men) have usually always been taken more seriously than yours. Did your love for music and writing always go hand in hand?
It didn’t, actually. I grew up playing the bass guitar, so for me, music was always about the instrumental side. Even when listening to songs my brain would
naturally focus on the riff, rather than the lyrics or any other component. I think the writing side came when I realised how much I loved talking about music and
analysing it, and then discovering how much I loved reading autobiographies, and learning about the lives of the musicians who have inspired me. In recent
years, my love of music has encompassed more parts than just writing too, such as my obsession with art and design. Music finds its way in about every part of my
life.

When it comes to music journalism, was there anyone in particular that inspired
your writing? (Feel free to recommend books, authors, journalists etc)

When it comes to things like this my mind always goes blank, however music documentaries were always a big inspiration. Some of my favourites are Super
Duper Alice Cooper (the whole visual design of it is also to die for), as well as Such Hawks, Such Hounds, which explores the underground American hard rock scene
from the 70s until the late 2000s. It also looks at psychedelic artwork and album covers. Recently, Brett Morgen’s Moonage Daydream blew my mind. It was very much
like the ultimate union of art and visual music journalism, with a soundtrack that felt almost overwhelming. There’s probably plenty more, but those are definitely a
few of my favourites. As for books, Zoë Howe, the author of Stevie Nicks: Visions, Dreams and Rumours, was a great inspiration. On top of being a totally cool lady,
and self-professed rock’n’roll witch, Howe has a wonderful writing style that’s really descriptive, powerful, and just a pleasure to read. In any of her books, you
can instantly hear that it’s her voice, and that’s the sort of writer I admire. The type where you can recognise it’s their work straight away.

What’s been a career highlight so far?
Really, just getting to spend each day doing what I love and being creative. Although…meeting Tony Iommi was pretty cool too haahaha.


What would 2023 Liz say to 2013 Liz?

Keep going, things do get better, don’t be afraid to aim high and if boys seem weird, it’s because we live in a patriarchy and everything is fucked – they’re not
better than you. Also see Fleetwood Mac in concert because one day some of the members won’t be here and it’ll be too late. (It is now too late).


Which artist / song are you currently playing on repeat?
I currently can’t get enough of Sleep Token. If you’re not totally sure of the frontman’s vocals (they do sound a bit James Arthur-ey), see them in concert, it’ll
convert you. They’re totally ripping up the rule-book of modern metalcore, and the riffs will knock you to the floor. Plus, they look creepy, which is always good.

Follow Lizzie on Instagram, or visit her website here.

BB King in 1969

In honour of Black History Month, let’s take a moment to remember where guitar music as we know it today came from, the origins of rock, and the early days of blues. Although the industry is changing and becoming more inclusive, mainstream guitar music is very much dominated by white males. But where would rock ‘n’ roll be in 2023 if it weren’t for the Black artists that paved the way? It’s vital to acknowledge not just the important but crucial role their heritage and legacy played in influencing such a wide variety of genres and sounds. 

Lemmy cited Little Richard as the king, which means the road from “Tutti Frutti” to “Motörhead” is surprisingly short. The 1960s were the heyday of British blues, celebrating artists such as Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Free with Paul Kossoff and The Rolling Stones. All were incredible artists worthy of recognition for their work and contributions to music, even decades later, and also artists who owe everything to Black musicians and the early days of the Delta blues. Let’s face it: people singing the blues were feeling pretty blue, sometimes because their baby left them, but also because the artist and their community were oppressed and had to face prejudice, discrimination and racism on a daily basis.

Jimi Hendrix by Michael Ochs

White people embracing Black music was a step in the right direction, as it allowed people to enjoy something simply for what it was, not based on who was doing it. That was a special moment, and a nod to the power and beauty of music in creating a community and building bridges. However, that doesn’t change the fact that ultimately, the blues, which led to rock ‘n’ roll, were created by oppressed people, who, despite everything, managed to find inspiration in the little things of everyday life, and the courage to share their art with the world.

So let’s take a moment to remember where it all came from. If you’re not familiar with the early days of American blues, take a deep dive into the archives and let yourself be amazed. This one’s for Elmore James, Son House and Robert Johnson. For Ma Rainey, Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith. For everyone that came later, Little Richard, B.B. King, The Supremes and Jimi Hendrix. Stevie Wonder, Betty Davis, 2Pac and Tom Morello.

Rock, and music as we know it today, would be nothing without the Black artists who paved the way.

Orange Amplification joins the nation in mourning  the sad loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth Il and we offer our sincere condolences to the Royal Family at this time.

Receiving the Queen’s Award in 2006, 2009 & 2012 was and will always be a great honour for us.

We celebrate her unprecedented devotion to duty and her dedication to a life of public service and a unifying presence for us all.

Sincerely.

Cliff Cooper and all at Orange.

BY DARAGH MARKHAM

Fresh conscripts from our sister pubs clock in. Actually, most of them are volunteers — naïve sadists with an expectant gleam in their eye. Sorry dude, there’s only one wristband on bar. Take a number and get in line, because you’re not catching Truckfighters. You’re standing here for the next nine hours, getting intimately familiar with how to pour a Hells. An urgent care package of Modelos is brought in from a nearby corner shop, as staff, some Desertfest team members, and a few customers have drunk through the entire weekend’s supply already. A customer grabs my arm. “Man, I saw your set at the Underworld yesterday — that was fucking nuts, your guitar must be totalled!” Yesterday feels like a hundred days ago. We played mid-afternoon, before the drummer and I, both ranking warriors of Camden bars, hightailed it back to start/resume our Desertfest shifts. One eye on the customer, the other toward the taps. “Yeah that was actually pretty much inadvertent, the guitar smashing…” I reply. It wasn’t my guitar either so, I won’t be hearing the end of that. Wonder what I can break next year.

Another customer is complaining about the toilets, reminding me of a recent review. We never really read reviews of the bar (as Larry David says, “the customer is usually a moron and an asshole”), but this one was great. Besides whining about the smell of our (a rock bar) toilets, the author referred to one of the staff as “Satan’s idiot”, which left one obvious thing to do: get cut-offs with Hells Angels-style back patches made up saying SATAN’S IDIOTS, for every member of staff. That this wasn’t achieved in time for Desertfest will forever be my shame. Eighteen hours in one place, doing one thing, listening to (essentially) one riff will either send you mad or grant you a sense of Zen you never thought possible. (For days after, I will lie in bed waiting to fall asleep, calves screaming, my mind endlessly flashing, locked into the mechanism of pouring pint after pint after pint like an automaton, the main riff of Sleep’s Dragonaut haunting my head in an infinite loop). The shifts follow similar patterns, and when the day’s headliners take the stages of the bigger venues, the bar clears out for awhile. This reprieve is spent with frantic smoking/drinking, before more prepping, stocking, reloading.

The final offensive will hit us soon — the bestial midnight raids of the afterparty. Actually, “siege” would be the more appropriate term. One bartender likens it to the relentless blitz of Call of Duty’s Nazi zombies, with the platoon pinned down, cornered behind the bar, weaving and dodging and sidestepping around each other, pouring pints with one hand, making spirit ’n’ mixers with the other, taking change with our mouths (pre-covid). The faces of customers become interchangeable bearded blurs. Your ears ring like after a bomb blast, fingers whittle into numb stumps from hammering orders into the till screen. Legs beg you to stop. Have another shot, keep going. This is the final push. If you can’t find a rhythm, you lock into crushkilldestroy mode: no logic, no order, just serve the first person you see after every completed order. My personal record is making over three grand’s worth in one day, and that was when we flirted with 10-hour “easy” shifts one year, so God knows what I rack up on a day like today. The bar is packed, the party heaving, the whole room one single, multi-limbed, multi-bearded organism. DJs are deafening — orders for cider result in soda and confusion. Regular Mat buys the whole 10-strong staff a round of top-shelf tequila, a much-needed and appreciated bolstering of our defences.

With the unexpected May heat and so many people in, our weathered cooler gives up and dies. The fan units out the back of the building pump out piping Saharan air. The beer starts pouring as pure foam in a bar full of pint-hungry maniacs. What can they be appeased with? The Modelos are long gone. Bongripper soundtracks our endless descent into ruin. Finally, at 3 am, we clean down the bar to Darude’s Sandstorm, because surely this should be the anthem of a festival with “Desert” in its moniker, and after a full, uninterrupted day of doom and stoner blasting through the PA and roaring from the venue, you need pop music. Hip hop. Fucking Dido (ok, not Dido). Exhausted, you stand at the toilet, jeans and boxers peeled midway down your thighs, pissing free and airing out your region. You look down to discover you are pissing directly into your yanked-down boxers, which have become a sort of piss-cradle. You are too tired to do anything about it, and just keep pissing. After all, you have survived a full Thursday–Sunday Desertfest. You are kept buoyant by the achievement. Tomorrow you will awake broken. Tonight, you will slumber victorious, knowing you will do it all again next year.

But right now, it’s time for the best-tasting beer you have ever earned. Dixie Dave is roaming the bar in a determined daze, clutching a large inflatable giraffe/camel. I’m drunk enough to get over myself and grab him and apologise for being one of those annoying, demanding fans, but something has been bugging me for years and I need to know: the burning American flag on …And Justice For Y’all’s cover art, the lyrics in Jason… The Dragon (“Abandon ship, and burn that goddamn flag… burn that fucking flag”), among other anti-American sentiment sprinkled throughout their recorded output — that’s pretty ballsy stuff, coming from shitkicking North Carolina… Dixie explains he’s always been a punk, and those things are just an extension of his skateboarding, anti-authoritarian origins, and some other rapid, rasping, guttural mutterings I can’t decipher. Then, straight-faced, he says to me, without a hint of irony, “Y’know, Weedeater… I don’t get why people think we’re a stoner band”.

Daragh Markham has worked, attended and performed at Desertfest many times over the years, sometimes all at once. He’ll play with D-beat speed metal hellions Dungeon at this year’s edition.

BY DARAGH MARKHAM

Let’s get one thing clear: if you can survive a weekend working the bar at Desertfest, you can work a bar anywhere, in any situation. Forget other festivals. You can sling pints on deck as the Titanic sinks. You can line up shots while a mushroom cloud courtesy of Putin/Biden/Kim Jong-fucking-un towers in the distance (customers irradiated before your very eyes, what a sight that must be…). But I’m drifting.

So it starts like this: you wake up, legs still aching. You’ve only shut your eyes a minute and now you’re on your feet again, slouching back to the front. At least you didn’t follow your colleagues to their spontaneous Slimelight afterparty (they’ll roll in soon, sicker than Mike IX Williams in withdrawal during Hurricane Katrina).

At the bar, every morning of Desertfest begins with the keg hustle. How much beer does the focal point of a festival need each day? About as much as Matt Pike loves aliens — lots. You’re rolling, stacking, lifting, packing an inordinate number of kegs, the tiny cold room filled to the rafters as your frazzled brain plays keg Tetris trying to organise it all while you sweat out yesterday’s regret.

It’s like war prepping, strategising every bit of space before another full-day assault. They rinsed us of that peach sour beer yesterday — gonna need to push something fruity to the front today… Fortify yourself with a couple Bloody Mary shots and a Modelo for breakfast. You’ll need it. For today be Saturday. Or is it Sunday? Forget it. Eighteen-hour shifts don’t require day names — they all spell insanity anyway.

It’s May in England and this year, miraculously, it’s not raining. Throngs accumulate in the alley out front, allowing air into the bar. By midday, the venue upstairs reeks of beer, bud, BO and beard. The volume is unreal. It’s way past capacity up there, a line of people snaking out and down the stairs, all looking to the venue door, where all you can see is the backs of heads. The body heat and smoke-machine dry ice hang in the stagnant air like mist from a Hammer Horror film. Oh, for a big-titted vampiress to take me now.

Those too late to get upstairs congregate around the bar. Acid casualties. Serial defecators. Curious out-of-towners demanding round after round of Bloody Mary shots. Space cadets reeling from obscene amounts of weed/shrooms/beer/acid demand they be looked after by your staff (this is the second consecutive year this happens).

Time gamblers cling to the bar, gripped by the unmistakable murk of several accumulated all-nighters, well-earned sleep circling, beckoning like a vulture. Any minute now, the eyes of one of them will roll back, their head will fall forward, and their face will slam on the bartop with a meaty smack. And somewhere in the bar, a skinny white boy is a bit too eager to clarify the name of the Eyehategod song playing, yelling the racial epithet in its title loud enough to startle the dazed, glazed and blazed attendees out of their afternoon reveries. Someone comes to the bar to inform us that one poor soul/hole didn’t quite make it to the toilets, opting instead to shit in the corner of the corridor leading to the johns. A recruit drafted in from one of the sister pubs is sent on a search and destroy mission. He returns disgusted but triumphant.

Ten minutes go by and someone else informs us of the faecal matter. Turns out the wet-behind-the-ears grunt had simply doused the mound of human waste with disinfectant powder (blue-coloured, meant for drains) and cordoned it off with blue roll, so the offending corridor corner appears infested by a pile of luminous blue-spotted mutant excrement like something out of The Thing. A dishonourable discharge beckons for this soldier for his failure to properly deal with the offending dishonourable human discharge.

Naturally, a weak stomach has no place in bar work. But this weekend, my diet will consist of three Quorn scotch eggs, a Quorn cocktail sausage, 63 Modelos, and anxiety. All of which means we have to talk about the snack station — the infamous, annually expanding staff snack station behind the bar.

I’m talking four one-litre bottles of vodka, four cartons of tomato juice, and multiple packs of celery sticks. I’m talking three large bags of tortilla chips, various salsa/guacamole/sour cream and chive/nacho chilli cheese dips, along with apples, oranges and bananas. I’m talking bread rolls, slices of cheese, ham, and cherry tomatoes. I’m talking sausage rolls, scotch eggs, pasta, chicken bites and steak bakes. And I am most certainly talking four to five ASSORTED TUBS OF HUMMUS and endless Modelos.

This is how we win. An army marches on its stomach, and my unit is no different. Around late afternoon, a senior member of the Desertfest team locks eyes with me over the bar and nods to the office. I nod in confirmation and lead the way, followed by the team member and an unknown third party dragging a suitcase on wheels behind them. The door closes, and I look at the two of them, waiting for some sort of introduction, status update, or indication as to why the three of us are cramped into the hobbithole confines of this office.

The two of them ignore me and a sordid transaction unfolds before my eyes.

“You got it?” the team member asks.

“Oh yeah,” comes the reply, in an American accent.

The American unzips the suitcase and produces two extra-large ziplock bags, containing six airtight Tupperware boxes, three in each bag. The boxes are brimming with a beige–brown substance.

My eyes widen, pulse quickens. “Is that h-“

The team member turns and narrows their eyes at me, smiling. “That’s right. Pure, uncut, homemade hummus.”

I gulp. Hard. The team member pulls an artist pass out of his pocket and places it in the American’s waiting hand.

He nods and smiles at me. “I’m an artist, bro.”

I’m hip to this scene. “Oh yeah, me too,” I wink and nod back.

A clandestine hummus handoff! In my own office! I am completely aroused. And, naturally, for his silence, your boy gets a slice of this action. I nip back to the bar to grab a bag of crisps and then scurry into the office and the chilly keg room to luxuriate, alone, in my share of the contraband. Fuck yeah, I whisper to myself, dipping crisps into a hunk of hummus clutched in my hand. This’ll take the edge off nicely.

Daragh Markham has worked, attended and performed at Desertfest many times over the years, sometimes all at once. He’ll play with D-beat speed metal hellions Dungeon at this year’s edition.

This year, Orange granted 100 wishes to fans around the world over the course of 12 days. We asked ‘What gear/merch do you want from Orange this Christmas?’ and you guys answered – we received well over 100,000 entries! It didn’t matter where that person was, we made it our mission to make sure everyone aroud the world had a good chance of having their wish granted. Here’s the list of countries we sent gear and merch to this year:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ukraine, United States

This year, we granted over £16,000 [$21,000 USD] worth of gear and merch. As we work hard to get the wishes to the winners, we’ll be covering delivery and custom fee’s so there’s no cost to the winner.

Some of the winners we reached out to, shared messages about their wish/win so with their permission we’ve included them here below for you to read:

Jeremy BakerTremLord 30I’ve always wanted an Orange amplifier after seeing a pretty legendary photo of the late-great BB King. The tones coming out of these amps in addition to the looks are something of dreams. The TremLord 30 has features that should make anyone drool.
Louise LawlorCadet HatDelighted to win something for my fabulous husband from Orange Amps. Wish granted 😊🎸🤘
HarryA belt?I wanted something to complement my guitar merchandise collection from orange :)
Glen BaileyT ShirtI don’t own any Orange products so any product I will receive is appreciated I will be wearing this t shirt to support Orange until I purchase gear planning to get gear next year
Serban ClaudiuT-ShirtI am a big fan of Orange and getting free merch from them is a dream come true. This is actually the first time i actually win something in a giveaway.
PredragBandanaNice to have in these Covid times :)
Luis BlancoPedal Baby 100I’m trying to combine analog and digital and I thought this could be the perfect platform for that :)
BraianCR120 ComboI’m a begginner musician and I don’t have so much money. I already have a Crush 12 Combo, and then saw this oportunity on Orange instagram, so a take the ride and here I am, being one of the winners :D
PS: Sorry for the bad english, my mother language is the Spanish (Español).
Stefano GiuliOrange Terror StampI’m already warming up the engine to start touring Italian clubs with the Orange Terror Stamp, I can’t wait to plug it to pull down all the walls!!!
Veronica JakobssonCREST EDITION HEADPHONESBecause me and my daughter have been intressed of your products now when she started to play guitar . She watches to a lot of youtube videos and now she can listen to them and practise whithout disturbing others . The headphones are really good looking . A great Christmas gift 🎁
Alina HackettCrest Edition Wireless HeadphonesI wanted these headphones as it’s a perfect way for me to tune out the noise of my neighbours and just focus on music.
Billy HubbardOrange Brown BeltThanks! My pants will be held up in style while I rock out on my Oranges!
Robert FreudenbergCrest HeadphoneI‘m very happy to use the Crest headphone for daily listening of Rock Music in bus and train, when I am traveling to work or anywhere else.
Tyler HaulenbeekCrest HeadphonesThank you Orange! Looking forward to a serious upgrade to my studio headphones.
Robert ParfittDual TerrorI’ve used small orange amps at home and loved the tone I can now use the dial terror for small gigs
Kelly SironenOrange Crest Edition HeadphonesReally love the look of these earphones, can’t wait to try them out
luca miranda y bauerCrest Edition HeadphonesFinally some good headphones, thank you so much!!
Yianni GrivasAn Orange mugI made many entries hoping to win anything , a mug will come in handy since I drink a lot of coffee on a daily basis, and I’m sure it’ll be better with an orange mug. It will also fit my PPC412 nicely
Tim PatoutA orange Guitar StrapI’m so glad to be able to represent Orange with their guitar strap and it’s going to be the perfect fit with my orange colored guitar.
Jeff YeeOB1-300Love Orange amps
Nate FilewoodRocker 32This is amazing! I’ll be using this to make some sweet new tunes. Playing guitar always helps my mental health and I can’t wait to get into it.
Chrisremy Berrefjordbrown beltcool belt:)
Marco FanizzaT shirt (kindly note my size is Large)Thank you so much! I will probably wear this t-shirt to every gig with my band!
Tom Brown,Terror StampThank you so much #wishgranted. You people are the best. Look forward to my new Terror Stamp.
Nino BogaardOrange Crest Edition wireless headphonesI’ve been in need for a new pair of headphones for some time and the Orange Crest edition was my first choice, but financially it was not meant to be yet. So this granted wish of a pair of crest edition headphones is amazing. Loving my Orange cr120h and overall brand, it’s an amazing Christmas already, thank you everyone at Orange!
Billy HubbardBrown beltMy pants will be held up in style while I jam on my Oranges !
Manuel FischerOrange MugCoffe with a slice of orange:)
Nathan FilewoodRocker 32 AmplifierI can’t believe it! I’ll be using my Rocker 32 to make some new (loud) tunes! Playing guitar and making new sounds is therapy for me so I can’t wait to sink into my first ever amp!
Danny PlunketteOBC112This cab will go great with the Orange products I already have!!!
Danny PlunketteOBC112This will go great with my terror 500 combo!
Mike BrobeckOrange TremLord 30 combo amplifierI love that Orange tone and I love vintage amp tremelo. I will be using the TremLord 30 with my original rockabilly/western swing/60s garage band for rehearsals and live shows.
Anthony BlancasOrange crest edition headphones 🎧I wish a crest edition orange Headphones cuz i love the music , and I want to enjoy it with the quality and technology that always orange amps offers, I’m going to hear and enjoy my music with this ones ! Thanks cliff , and thanks orange amps!
André GoulartT-shirtI love Orange, the products and brand, and i’m glad i’ll be able to show my support with this gift!
Daulton WurstTerror StampI’ve wanted an orange amp for a while now. I play guitar in a sludge metal band and I knew orange would give me the sound I’m looking for . With my gift I’ll be using my terror stamp plugged into a mixer and my bedroom amp.
David LancasterGuitar strapThanks, Orange!
Erick MontalvoTote bagI love the brand and i want to represent it in all possible ways, love you guys!
Samuel WilkOrange Crush Bass 100I recently started playing bass this year, and after some research, decided to purchase an Orange Crush Bass 25. I decided to enter the competition to try and win an Orange Crush Bass 100, as my friends and I want to try and start a band.
Tatiane Araujo GamaA pair of Crest Headphonesthese headphones definitely match my ginger hair and my musics!
Andre MatosGuitar StrapI saw the Instragram posts regarding the #WishGranted and also watched Orange’s youtube video with Cliff annoucing it so I thought I would enter just for fun. So I went for “any merch item” as it would be nice to win a t-shirt or something. I ended up winning a guitar strap which, obviously, is quite useful for any guitar/bass player. Thank you Cliff and Orange team!
Jeremy Maxence Carona pair of Crest HeadphonesI will use them for mixing and listen to all the bands I love and cherish and listen to podcasts well painting and drawing.
Charlotte AbrahamCrest Edition HeadphonesCant’t wait to get my Crest Edition Headphones! Can listen to my music in high def whilst I travel and work 🤘🏼🎧
Randy RedingTerror StampI love It Orange Amps and it’s awesome to have one that fits on a pedalvoard!
Tom NeeskensT-ShirtI wanted to win the shirt so I can wear it with proud on live shows!
Jeffrey SmithRockverb 50 ComboWoW!!! I really won!!! Can’t wait to join the Orange Family!
Fedor Kravchenkopair of Crest HeadphonesBeing a bass player with Fender amp, to start a guitar I’ve always wanted to have an Orange amp for its distinctive and unmistakable rich sound. With brand new Crest Headphones I’ll have the best sound for favourite tracks everywhere also with awesome style and battery life.
Jakub KamińskiTote bagIm gonna carry it with me everywhere! Im so happy :D
Benjamin MetralTremlord 30I dreamt about the Tremlord for those warm clean tones, vintage breakups and beautiful reverb and trem. I played this amp in a Copenhagen shop with a Tele and I was amazed. Can’t wait to play it with my band ! I’m so grateful. Big thanks to the Orange family, thank you Mr Cooper 🤟🏻🍊 🍊🤟🏻🙏🙏🙏
Robert VisserT-ShirtI want anything and everything to do with Orange. I think I submitted for almost everything on the list. I will wear this shirt proudly.
Dajun KanGuitar StrapI’m really happy about I won the prize. Actually, I prefer not to share my comment for privacy reasons. But trust me I’m really greatful for your generous gift.
Ian GrimshawGuitar StrapThanks Uncle Cliff! Happy Christmas to all!
Zvi Vaxmana mugwould love a mug to drink while listening to great music
Andy McGrathCrest headphonesCan’t wait to rock my new headphones!
Dhanika Nimpuna SetyawanOB1-300I’ve always wanted Orange Amps products, because so far the quality has satisfied me.
If there’s a chance to get it from the Orange Amps event, I’m always excited.
This gift will be my exploration of new music tonal with my beautiful Orange Amps
Raul LucioBandanaI’ll put it in my bedroom!
Mateo Julián Argote SalinasOrange Crush 35RTI wanted a good guitar amp, and now I’m waiting for one of the best in the world, it’s a very special moment and I’m going to use it to become a great musician
Matt RobinsonBandanaA bandana for my dog to match my amp!
Kelly BennettTerror stampI have always wanted an Orange Amp. They are the preferred amp of most all of my Guitar heroes and their tones! Truly the sound of Rock N Roll! Can’t wait to serenade my wife with it and then turn it up and wake up the neighborhood! Looking forward to recording and everything I will be able to do with it!
Christos Galatasbrown belti needed a belt for my new jackson guitar so great timing ahah
Matthew DicksonCrest HeadphonesThis is why Orange are truly the best. No other company does anything like this for its fans and users
Andres MauricioA T shirt :)I wanted an amp but hey an Orange T Shirt its cool fot me :)
Josh CottingtonGuitar StrapI love Orange amps, the brand history everything about it. I’ll be using it on stage accompanied by an Orange 1×12 cabinet, just need a 2×10 and AD30 and I’ll be set for life!
Beth ScheimannMerchandiseSporting Orange Amp merch to make people aware how awesome Orange Amp is.
Kyle BroadhurstCrest HeadphonesLooking forward to using my new headphones for some silent practice!
Bill Edwards-BodmerFur Coat Fuzz PedalI just recently joined the Orange family with a CR120 combo and I’ve been looking for a fuzz pedal to pair with it. What better one than an Orange Fur Coat! I can’t wait to rock with it! Thank you so much Orange! You rock!
Dan RomanchukBandannaAn easy and fun content to enter for an absolutely amazing product(s)
Duncan SmithCrest HeadphonesI’ll be using my new headphones to listen to some awesome Orange artists as loud as possible!
Ken NakataniLittle Bass ThingI didnt have a bass amp. my birthday is in december , I finally got a good bass amp for my mustang bass, Sweet!
Michael GonsalvesTerror StampI always loved the tone of an Orange Amp. The color alone is known Worldwide. I wished for the Terror Stamp because i was intrigued by it’s size and portability. I know that the tone i love, is jammed into this Terror Stamp.
I love Blues music and i look forward to playing the Terror Stamp up!

In September 2014 Orange added the LEARN button to its website. It provided guided lessons to anyone who wanted to play guitar AND get an official government qualification. We wanted to increase the chances of customers keeping up their love of playing guitar by helping them get measured results and get paid in a job environment from their new quals.

The course was split into 3 levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. After a year we had a few thousand guitarists logging into the website Learn area a month. Since Cliff founded Orange in the 60s, he’s always wanted to try different things but he was mainly spurred by the love of music and knowing he’s making a positive impact and so was very happy with what we had created.

In the following years, the amount of students subscribing to the course kept increasing. The course was updated and split into smaller and more manageable segments of lessons and we made it easy to run on any mobile device and not just desktop computers. All this was done with resources, we had it linked to our main website here at orangeamps.com.

Recently, the UK has changed how tax works with European online learning services such as Orange Learn. This means we no longer can maintain Orange Learn on orangeamps.com while running a merchandise store at the same time. So to resolve this, we have cloned our website over to orangelearn.com. Students can continue their studies while giving Orange Learn the ability to expand beyond what our website infrastructure at orangeamps.com was limited to.

On paper, orangelearn.com is a different company but the same team who managed orangeamps.com/learn are behind it and they’re excited to continue Orange Learn. We cloned our website over to orangelearn.com where you’ll find your progress, user, purchased lessons and courses as you left it – although if you progressed in the past week, you might find our copy a bit behind so you will have to cheat and skip a few lessons to get back to where you were.

We are also launching a more bite sized course with the same qualifications as the last one was pretty massive!

When you’re ready to resume your lessons, head over to orangelearn.com. Email us at [email protected] for any issues you find.

Here’s how the website looked back in 2014 when we first launched Orange Learn.

Our thoughts are with Bruce’s friends, family and everyone at Blackstar Amplification. Another great mind has been taken from the music industry and at a far too young age. We will always have the greatest respect for the innovative and creative work Bruce brought to the UK amplification industry. He will be greatly missed.

– from Cliff Cooper and the rest of the Orange Family.

Below was copied from Blackstar’s Statement posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday 21st September 2021:

https://www.facebook.com/blackstaramps/

On Tuesday the 14th September, Blackstar received the sad news that our co-Founder, technical mentor and friend Bruce Keir passed away. He died peacefully with his family at his side.


Bruce had been ill for some time, suffering from a form of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Bruce was born in Singapore on 12 January 1961 to parents Jill and Jock. He is survived by his brother and sister Bill and Jane and his twin children Elly and Archie.

Bruce’s father was a leading BBC radio engineer and growing up on the BBC World News relay station in Malaya afforded Bruce the opportunity (and discarded components) to pursue his passion for electronics from an early age.


Bruce’s early interest in audio and guitar electronics was inspired by his love of rock music and his older brother Bill’s successful rock band, Wolf. He gained his early valve experience working on Bill’s old Marshalls.
Bruce’s formal electronics education took place at Salford University where he would supplement his grant income back home in Cumbria, fixing local bands equipment and designing electronics for handmade bass legends Overwater. He also set up his own company, Excel Electronics Ltd from the loft of his parents’ home in Cumbria.
After graduation, Bruce moved to Milton Keynes commencing work with Marshall Amplification. He started his career as a Design Engineer before progressing to Chief Engineer and then Design Director, working directly with Jim Marshall for several years. During the 80s and 90s he was responsible for many of Marshall’s technological breakthroughs and leading products.


It was at Marshall during the late 90s, that Bruce met Ian Robinson, Paul Hayhoe and Richard Frost (the Four Bald Men) with whom he would eventually form Blackstar Amplification in 2007.


Bruce had an encyclopaedic knowledge of all aspects of electronics that cut across the traditional boundaries of solid state, valve and digital technology. He advocated a “proper engineering approach” that contrasted with the “guruism” that is often prevalent in guitar amp design – Blackstar adhere to these values today.


Bruce was extremely generous with sharing his knowledge and has mentored many up-and-coming electronics engineers including Blackstar M.D, Ian Robinson and Technical Director, Laurent Veignal.


Bruce designed all the original Blackstar products including Artisan, Series One and HT Pedals with me in Ian’s garden shed in Northampton. Bruce was the technical driving force behind all these designs which led to three patents. He also designed the original digital algorithms that became ID:Series and is the foundation of our digital strength today.


Under Bruce’s guidance Blackstar has established a world leading guitar technology R&D facility which invests constantly in researching guitar technology and driving forward innovation.


As well as business partner and mentor, Bruce was also a very close friend and played bass in a band with the founding Blackstar team (including Marketing Director Joel Richardson) for years.

Over the years, Bruce has been an inspiration to many, many people and those who met him will remember the warmth, humour and gravitas of a truly unique individual. Blackstar will make sure his legacy is remembered, protected and strengthened.

Bruce’s family and Blackstar have requested no flowers, but have set up a Just Giving page for donations to the Alzheimer’s society.

Please donate through this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/brucekeir

You can leave your tributes, stories and experiences of your time spent with Bruce here: https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/BruceKeir/

Ever since he founded Orange back in 1968, Cliff Cooper has always believed that no other company could have cared more than us about innovation in guitar valve amplifier design and sound technology. However, it’s not just about design, it’s about how the sound is perceived – something that Cliff has always thought of as ‘the sound of the sound‘… it’s about the physical pleasure that the sound of an amp gives a guitarist as he plays. That is what really matters.

I’ll share some of my favourite ‘Orange Sound‘ devices that I use in my studio, live shows, demos, etc.

For example, let’s talk about the Kongpressor pedal, an analogue Class A compression pedal with an organic three dimensional quality.

Credit: Musicradar

Kongpressor’s effect is transparent at lower compression levels, but somehow fattening, adding mojo and a glossy sheen to your core tone that you’ll truly miss when it’s bypassed. Even at extreme settings, the tone always remains musical with great feel under the fingers. Outstanding for crystal clean country pickin’, but maintaining the bottom end that seems to get lost in many compression pedals, behaving impeccably with overdrive pedals or the lead channel of your amplifier, adding fullness and sustain.

Oooooooor, what about the PPC212, a closed-back 2×12″ featuring two Celestion Vintage 30 speakers, the PPC212 is in essence our classic 4×12 slashed in half, ideal for players looking for the the fattest possible tone when a 4×12″ would be too large.

Finished in our legendary 1968 livery, basket weave vinyl, woven speaker grille cloth, signature ‘picture frame’ edging and 18mm Birch ply construction… what a cab !! As Devon Allman described it “This ain’t your Daddy’s blues. It’s the next generation. It gets airborne. It’s fueled by Orange.”

I’ll keep picking favourites and bringing them to you, to maybe give you a new idea for your rig, an obscure gadget you should discover or the next classic to be Orange product.

“… we can always learn new skills and improve, we will also continue with our search for perfection.” – Cliff Cooper