Plastic Flowers
Greek songwriter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
King's College London (MA, PhD)
- Evergreen (2014)
- Heavenly (2016)
- Absent Forever (2017)
Plastic Flowers | |
|---|---|
Plastic Flowers live in Berlin, 2014 | |
| Born | Georgios Samaras Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Education | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (BA) King's College London (MA, PhD) |
| Notable work |
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| Style | Dream pop, electronic, experimental |
| Website | gsamaras |
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]
Discography
LPs
- Evergreen[17] (2014, Inner Ear Records – Crash Symbols)
- Heavenly[41] (2016, The Native Sound – Track & Field Records)
- Absent Forever (2017, The Native Sound – Distributed by Warner-ADA)
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)