When Dazed interviewed cult LA-based curator Aaron Rose in May (Flash Dance issue 61) there were two things bubbling away under his trademark fedora that he was itching to bring to London. Both stemming from the creative DIY mantra - make something from nothing. There’s his new band The Sads (“These motherfuckers are getting up there and being as weird as they wanna be. So I started a band at 38. It’s total freedom!”) and his highly anticipated documentary Beautiful Losers, an inspirational film featuring a grip of the most influential North American artists of the last 15 years. The roll call includes Barry McGee, Margaret Killgallen, Mike Mills, Harmony Korine, Shepard Fairey and Ed Templeton. Skateboarding, graffiti, punk… outsider contemporary art, it all came through his debauched 90’s Alleged gallery in New York.  

After trying to cross the pond for six years he’s finally made it and last night hosted The Sads debut UK performance at the Dazed Gallery. It was a super intimate, candle lit affair. Aaron, with bandmates Aska Matsumiya from Moonrats, Joe Plummer from Modest Mouse and musical savant David Scott Stone of The Melvins played one of their legendary Silent Shows, where all the electronic instruments are played through boards with the entire audience listening on headphones. Their sublime and magical performance was a warm up for this weekend’s shows at the ICA, in conjunction with DC Shoes and Frieze. It was quite a sight with the Dazed driveway transformed into cosy love-in with mattresses, blankets and err… multicoloured, plastic Royal Mail bags.

Aaron’s also in town to premiere Beautiful Losers, this Saturday at London Film Festival. A celebration of DIY creative culture, it’s a funny, moving and down right inspirational film unlike anything else showing at LFF. It’s the underground anti hero hustling up against screen stars James Bond and Benicio del Toro’s Che Guevara. The premiere is already a sell out but you can catch an extra hush hush screening at the afterparty, from 9pm on Saturday 18th October, at the Cordy House warehouse space on Curtain Road, Old Street. LA’s Squeak E Clean and Nosaj Thing will be DJing alongside a Beautiful Losers installation featuring James Jarvis, French, Will Barras, INSA and Cheryl Dunn’s awe-inspiring photography.

Aaron Rose's collaboration with DC,  which has resulted in a series of suede shoes in brown and camel colourways with a custom designed gum sole featuring a teardrop pattern, is available at Dover Street Market.