Plastic Flowers

Georgios Samaras, better known as Plastic Flowers, is a Greek songwriter and academic at King's College London,[1] who has released three full-length studio albums: Evergreen in 2014,[2][3] Heavenly in 2016[4][5] and Absent Forever in 2017.[6]

Plastic Flowers
Plastic Flowers live in Berlin, 2014
Born
Georgios Samaras

Thessaloniki, Greece
EducationAristotle University of Thessaloniki (BA)
King's College London (MA, PhD)
Notable work
  • Evergreen (2014)
  • Heavenly (2016)
  • Absent Forever (2017)
StyleDream pop, electronic, experimental
Websitegsamaras.io

Career

Georgios started recording music on a TASCAM Multi-track and released a series of bedroom pop influenced EPs that have received praise for their lo-fi touch.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

In 2014 his debut album Evergreen was released through Inner Ear Records,[16] and Crash Symbols[17] in Europe and the United States respectively. He later moved to London[18] and recorded his second full-length album Heavenly[19] in November 2015,[20][21] and Absent Forever in 2017, both released via The Native Sound and distributed by Warner.

He became the first Greek act ever to perform at South by Southwest.[22][23] He has also toured USA and Europe and performed live at the Royal Academy of Arts,[24] Fun Fun Fun Fest, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center,[25] Athens Concert Hall and Thessaloniki Concert Hall,[26] and shared the stage with Bonobo, A.R.Kane, Emancipator, Still Corners and others.

On his debut album Evergreen he collaborated with Keep Shelly in Athens[27] and NY-based artist and painter Ed Askew, who also painted the album cover for Heavenly.[28]

Theodoros Pangalos Sample

In 2012, Plastic Flowers sampled Theodoros Pangalos' controversial ministerial statement "We [government and citizens] fooled away the money together" in Sinking Ship/Vanished Crew.[29]

Academia

He is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at King's College London.[30][31] As an undergraduate studying German at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki between 2009 and 2014, Samaras read modern and contemporary literature. He later obtained a Master's degree in Education Policy, and a PhD both from King's College London,[32] where he investigated the rise of far-right extremism in Greece during the fiscal crisis.[33] He often contributes to Greek newspapers Kathimerini[34] and Efimerida ton Syntakton,[35] and Euronews.[36]

In June 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests in London, he started a campaign against a local school in West Hampstead,[37][38] named after slaver William Beckford. The campaign received coverage from national and local media, and support from British actress Emma Thompson[39] resulting in a name change.[40] He is Zissis Samaras' son and Georgios Samaras' cousin.

Discography

LPs

EPs and singles
  • Meltdown EP (2011, Cakes and Tapes)
  • White Walls Painted Black – Single (2011, Cakes and Tapes)
  • Natural Conspiracy EP (2012, Cakes and Tapes)
  • Empty Eyes – Single (2012, Bad Panda Records)
  • In You I'm Lost – Single (2012, self-released)
  • Aftermath EP (2013, Manic Pop Records)
  • Fog Song/Silence – Double 7" (2013, Manic Pop Records)
  • Now She's Gone – Single (2014, self-released)
  • Summer of 1992 EP (2015, self-released)
  • Falling Off – Single 7"[42] (2016, The Native Sound)
  • Plastic Flowers - Live at Megaron Mousikis (2023, self-released)

References
  1. "Dr Georgios Samaras". www.kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  2. Neves, Sergio. "Plastic Flowers Evergreen review". Vice. Portugal. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  3. "CHASSEUR INTERVIEWS MUSIC DUO PLASTIC FLOWERS – Chasseur Magazine". October 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  4. Murray, Robin. "Plastic Flowers – Diver". Clash Magazine. UK. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  5. Phillips, Nicola. "Plastic Flowers Album Premiere". Kaltblut. Germany. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  6. Murray, Robin (13 September 2017). "Premiere: Plastic Flowers – How Can I". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  7. Robinson, Tom. "Introducing Mixtape". BBC. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  8. Neves, Sergio. "OS PLASTIC FLOWERS PREPARAM-SE PARA O SXSW EM PORTUGAL". VICE Mag. (in Portuguese). Portugal. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  9. "August's best new music from across the MAP". The Guardian. UK. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  10. Evans, Dayna (17 May 2013). "Plastic Flowers – Populists". Impose. USA. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  11. Carson, Dan. "Plastic Flowers – Dead Promises". The Line of Best Fit. UK. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  12. Milton, Jamie. "The Neu Bulletin 20th June 2013". DIY Magazine. UK. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  13. Listen to "Strange Neighbors" by Plastic Flowers, retrieved 7 December 2018
  14. Subscribe. "Tracks: White Denim, Swearin' & More". DIY. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  15. "Plastic Flowers "Lucy" (video)". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  16. "Evergreen". Inner Ear Records. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  17. "Evergreen". Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  18. "Interview: Plastic Flowers – Greece – beehype – Best Music from Around the World". beehy.pe. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  19. "10 best songs of the week". For The Win. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  20. Darley, Andrew (25 May 2016). "Heavenly: An Interview with Plastic Flowers". The 405. The 405 Ltd. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  21. Bushell, Glen. "Plastic Flowers: "I like to remind myself that there is a past"". Punktastic. UK. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  22. "SXSW: Plastic Flowers". SXSW. USA. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  23. "SXSW 2017 Adds Nearly 500 Bands to Bill: Sad13, Merchandise, Pill, More". Spin. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  24. "The Academicians' Room Members: RA Schools Curate | Event | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  25. Wedia. "Plastic Flowers". www.snfcc.org (in Greek). Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  26. "PLASTIC FLOWERS". www.tch.gr. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  27. writer, About Dayna Evans Dayna Evans is a; www, editor based in New York full profile/ twitter/ (7 October 2013). "Plastic Flowers, 'Ghosts (feat. Keep Shelly in Athens)' – New Music". Impose Magazine. Retrieved 7 December 2018. {{cite web}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  28. "Heavenly, by Plastic Flowers". Plastic Flowers. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  29. Palast, Greg. "I upset my least favorite greek minister". VICE Mag. UK. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  30. "Far-right victories in Greece highlight trend across Europe". NBC News. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  31. Hume, Tim (27 June 2023). "The Far-Right Just Made a Shock Comeback in Greece". Vice. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  32. "Georgios Samaras". www.kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  33. Tsaliki, Eleftheria (September 2022). "Χρυσή Αυγή: Aπό την τηλεόραση στο YouTube". Inside Story.
  34. "Ανάλυση: Το Black Lives Matter ως πυλώνας αλλαγής, ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΣΑΜΑΡΑΣ* | Kathimerini". www.kathimerini.gr. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  35. "Η τέχνη τού να έχεις πάντα δίκιο (εν μέσω ενεργειακής κρίσης)". Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών (in Greek). Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  36. "In the most recent election, Greek far right made a sinister comeback". euronews. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  37. Berry, Franki (11 June 2020). "Petition urges West Hampstead primary school to reconsider slave trader name". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  38. "Now primary school could have name changed over slavery link". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  39. "Primary school to drop name of slave owner in wake of BLM protests". Evening Standard. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  40. "Primary school changes name due to links to plantation owner". The Independent. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  41. "Heavenly". Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  42. "Feel Everything at Once with Plastic Flowers and "Falling Off" – Noisey". noisey. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
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