August 2011
www.brumnotes.com music and lifestyle for the west midlands
free
GOLDIE The master returns
PLUS: The Bees Brontide Chapel Club Easy Star All-Stars The Carpels Free School August 2011
ALSO INSIDE: Moseley Folk Festival preview Off the Cuff Festival — the verdict, the sweat, the pictures AND your full guide to what’s on in August 1
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Brum Notes Magazine
Brum Notes Magazine 120 The Greenhouse The Custard Factory Digbeth Birmingham B9 4AA Contact: info@brumnotes.com 0121 224 7363 Advertising: Contact: 0121 224 7363 or advertising@brumnotes. com Distribution: StickupMedia! 0121 224 7364 Editor: Chris Moriarty Contributors Words: Tom Pell, Jon Pritchard, Daron Billings, Amy Sumner, Lauren Partridge, CassiePhilomena Smyth, Gareth John, Lyle Bignon, Andy Enderby Pictures: Wayne Fox, Gobinder Jhitta, Katja Ogrin, Jade Sukiya, Andy Watson, Drw Images, Lee Allen, Emma Tullett, Roger Sargent Style editor: Jade Sukiya jade@brumnotes.com Design: Sleepy.me.uk, Andy Aitken All content © Brum Notes Magazine. Views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Brum Notes Magazine. While all care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of content, Brum Notes Magazine will not be held liable for any errors or losses claimed to have been incurred by any errors. Advertising terms and conditions available on request.
CONTENTS
P4-5 P16-17 P18-21 P22 P23 P27-30
P6 P7 P8 P9 P10-11 P12 P14 P15
REGULARS: NEWS STYLE LIVE REVIEWS CLUB WATCH FOOD & DRINK WHAT’S ON - your comprehensive guide to music, clubs and comedy across the West Midlands this month FEATURES: FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Moseley Folk Festival FESTIVAL PREVIEW: The Bees MUSIC: Brontide MUSIC: Free School MUSIC: Goldie MUSIC: Chapel Club MUSIC: The Carpels MUSIC: Easy Star All-Stars
Twitter: @BrumNotesMag Facebook: www.facebook.com/ BrumNotesMagazine www.brumnotes.com
August 2011
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budding comedians get chance to hit the comedy circuit Aspiring comics will get the chance to show off their talents at a unique showcase event in West Bromwich. The Public arts centre will host the open mic event with a £100 cash prize up for grabs for the winner who will also get a stepping stone onto the comedy circuit with the chance to earn support slots for touring comedy artists at the venue. The Starter for Ten event takes place in front of a panel of judges and a live audience on September 23 and will launch The Public’s autumn programme of comedy nights. Comics wishing to enter the competition should email a promo video or links to online content to comedy@thepublic.com, together with an application form available from www.thepublic.com. Deadline for entries is Friday, August 26. For terms and conditions and more information visit www.thepublic.com.
hip hop gospel sounds to be showcased in birmingham
home of metal
Mobo Award winner Jahaziel and New York rapper R-Swift lead an eclectic line-up of hip hop and gospel for two shows in Birmingham this month. Recognize: Presenting Future Gospel takes place at The Drum in Aston on August 4 followed by a special gospel showcase performance as part of Birmingham Carnival, a bi-annual celebration which returns to Handsworth Park on August 7.
A region-wide campaign celebrating the roots of heavy metal music continues this month, with new exhibitions launching in the Black Country. Home of Metal launched in June with exhibitions in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, while a new display has now been unveiled in Walsall. The New Art Gallery in Walsall hosts Be True To Your Oblivion by multi-discipline artist Mark Titchner until September 10. It includes a brand new film entitled N (I) B, based around a portrait video of musician and sound artist Nicholas Bullen, a founding member of grindcore heroes Napalm Death who became renowned for his ‘Death Grunt’ vocal style. You Should Be Living: The Visual Language of Heavy Metal (pictured below) also continues at Wolverhampton Art Gallery until September 17, a contemporary collection of work inspired by heavy metal including typography, vintage t-shirts and sculptures. It also includes a collaboration work by Bullen and French artist and grindcore fan Damien Deroubaix featuring sculptures, paintings and cinefilm footage. The Black Country Weekender, featuring events, films, live music and talks, takes place at various venues from September 1 to 4. Visit www.homeofmetal.com.
Recognize has been programmed by Punch Records and MUZIC4LIFE with a trans-Atlantic bill which includes US artists R-Swift (pictured right) and Eshon Burgundy, alongside UK talents such as vocalist Melody from Nu Soul, emerging talent Ms Coco Dupree and Jahaziel, renowned for his combination of gospel music and hard-hitting rhymes. The events will blend rap, soul and RnB with a contemporary take on cuttting edge and traditional gospel music. Tickets for the first concert at The Drum in Potters Lane on August 4 are priced at £10. The artists return to Birmingham for a special showcase performance on the main stage in front of a 50,000-strong carnival crowd. The Caribbean-themed Birmingham Carnival, including Mardi Gras-style parade, runs from 1pm to 8.30pm on August 7, taking place in its original home of Handsworth Park for the first time in 17 years.
GUERILLA Table tennis project SEARCHes FOR BRUM’S KING OF PING
More than 50 table tennis tables have been in place at various locations ranging from Victoria Square to Cadbury World and will remain in place until August 8. Challengers will take part in a huge public tournament to bring the Ping Brum project to a close with a bang between 2pm and 6pm on Sunday, August 7. 4
Photo by Lee Allen
Table tennis hopefuls will compete to become Brum’s ‘King of Ping’ before the city’s outdoor tables disappear.
An abandoned shop in Corporation Street has also been turned into The Ping Pong Parlour with arts festival Fierce taking over the parlour on Fridays to add its own unique style. The final Fierce Friday takes place on August 5, with Fierce joining forces with arts collaboration Search Party to host a marathon game of ping pong between 5pm and 8pm. For more details including locations of tables and how to enter the King of Ping tournament visit www.pingbrum.co.uk. Brum Notes Magazine
LEGENDARY FORMER MUSIC VENUE TO REOPEN An iconic live music venue in Birmingham city centre will reopen this autumn after plans to demolish it were shelved. The Dale End venue, most recently known as the Carling Academy, will be relaunched in late September as the Birmingham Ballroom. It was also previously the site of legendary city nightspot the Hummingbird and was also known as the Top Rank Ballroom. The venue closed in 2009 when the Academy moved to the former Dome nightclub site in Horsefair off Bristol Street, being rebranded as the O2 Academy. The Dale End complex, which includes three different sized music rooms, was expected to be flattened as part of a £550 redevelopment scheme known as the Martineau Galleries, but those plans have been put back until at least 2014 for economic reasons. The venue is owned by live music specialists VMS Live, headed up by Steve Forster who was also behind its redevelopment a decade ago by the Academy Music Group. The Birmingham Ballroom will offer a 3,100 capacity main concert hall, as well as The Other Room catering up to 600 people and The End with a 200-person capacity. The End, previously Bar Academy, will also operate as a late night music bar with a 6am licence.
O2 ACADEMY3 BIRMINGHAM
THE CHARLATANS HEADLINE NEW MIDLANDS MUSIC FEST A brand new two-day music festival will take place in Shropshire next month. The Shrewsbury Fields Forever festival runs from September 17 to 18 just five minutes from Shrewsbury town centre. Baggy indie icons The Charlatans will headline the main stage on the opening day, alongside performances from the likes of Shropshire ex-pats The Sunshine Underground and Masters in France. Electro-popsters Fenech-Soler take to the stage on the Sunday, with more acts to be announced. Two dance arenas give the festival a clubber-friendly feel, August 2011
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SLADE ROOMS
06 AUG
O2 ACADEMY3
featuring Radio 1’s Kissy Sell Out, 90s dance heroes Utah 11 AUG HARE & HOUNDS Saints and breakbeat turntablist Krafty Kuts, as well as a DJ 12 AUG O2 ACADEMY3 set from current chart darlings Chase and Status. 13 AUG SLADE ROOMS The festival will also feature two days of arts, crafts and mer18 AUG HARE & HOUNDS chandise stalls, a food and drink court and a fun fair, with camping - complete with main19 AUG SLADE ROOMS tained showers and ‘proper’ toilets - available on or adjacent to 27 AUG o2 academy3 the main 54-acre festival site at Shrewsbury Showground. 02 sep o2 academy3 Weekend, day, family and group tickets are available from £28. Weekend adult tickets with camping are £65. Visit www. FLOODGATE STREET MUSIC COMPANY shrewsburyfieldsforever.com.
NON PROFIT MUSIC REHEARSAL ROOM
£5
REHEARSALS
ALSO FREE TO REFUGEES & ASYLUM
£45 PER WEEK LOCKUP
HARE & HOUNDS KING’S HEATH
THE SLADE ROOMS WOLVERHAMPTON
everybody looks famous, calling, atlantis, bury the ladybird, crossfire dethonator, cytotoxic, hurtseason, koss KHALIQ, DAKOTA BEATS, LITTLE HOLLYWOOD BLOOM, ZERO AMIGO, LUNA KISS MARTYR DE MONA, SYNOPSIS, TWISTED SPECIES, SWORN TO OATH THE KEV BAYLISS PROJECT, JESTER, THE WILD MERCURY SOUND, KANADA FLATLINE STEREO, FALSE PRETENCE, ILLICIT DISCO, NEVER THE LAST BREATH KING HERMIT, JUST MORALE, BUTTERFLY STONE, WEATHERBIRD death by disco, sunset on suburbia, stereo espionage, as worlds collide
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MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL returns next month for its sixth year, bringing summer to a close in the serene surroundings of Moseley Park, bringing together the finest in folk and folkinfluenced musicians from around the world. Saturday headliners, Malian desert blues troupe Tinariwen give 2011’s festival a truly global feel, while a host of other star names add to what is Moseley Folk Festival’s strongest line-up to date. Here are some of our highlights:
Festivals
Willy mason
villagers
New York-born Willy Mason was one of the men responsible for revitalising popular acoustic music in recent years with hit 2005 single Oxygen crossing the divide from cult hit to mass market radio play. Having sloped back into the shadows after two excellent albums, his love for songwriting has not waned and you can expect previews of his long-awaited third album.
Velvet-voiced Irishman Conor J O’Brien, aka Villagers (pictured right), earned plaudits aplenty following last year’s debut album Becoming a Jackal culminating in a Mercury nomination. The record drips with a brooding intensity which belies his tender years, coupled with an accessible penchant for strong melodies, while his live performances, backed by a full band, are equally captivating.
Willy Mason is fourth on the bill on the main stage on Saturday
Villagers is third on the bill on Friday, before Gruff Rhys and Badly Drawn Boy
JUNIP
STORNOWAY
José González melted the heart of many a Folk Festival-goer with his solo set in 2008 and returns to the scene this year with his long-standing band Junip. The Swedish three-piece deliver a fascinating and hauntingly serene concoction of psychedelia, jazz-folk, afro-beat and soul - all of course underpinned by those trademark hypnotic vocals.
Oxford charmers Stornoway (pictured left) quietly delivered one of the albums of 2010 with their whimsical blend of indie-folk on debut LP Beachcomber’s Windowsill. Their awkwardly polite stage manner is endearing, their dreamy songwriting entrancing, while a penchant for experimenting with their live sets makes them well worth a watch while supping your final ciders.
Junip follow Willy Mason on the main stage on Saturday
Stornoway are second on the bill on the main stage on Sunday
other highlights The opening night kicks off in style with two indie big-hitters bringing Friday night to a close. Super Furry Animals frontman and musical oddball Gruff Rhys brings his third solo album Shamploo to the live stage followed by alt-acoustic icon Badly Drawn Boy (pictured left) who headlines the opening night. Both will also be preceded by the Hectic Basque folkdance fusionists Crystal Fighters keeping the after-work energy levels up. A strong contingent of local talent pervades the festival air throughout the weekend, largely congregating around the smaller Lunar Stage or inside the Bohemian Jukebox tent. 6
Electronica-fused multi-instrumentalists Malpas take to the Lunar Stage on Friday evening, followed by romantic folk collective Boat to Row. Handsworth’s Vijay Kishore boasts one of the most captivating vocal styles anywhere, let alone in Birmingham, and opens the main stage on Friday. Birmingham bluegrass trio The Toy Hearts will inject some sunshine spirit into Saturday on the Lunar Stage, while soundtrack experimentalists Pram present a somewhat darker but no less intriguing appearance later on the same stage. Ivor Novellowinning Wulfrunian and festival regular Scott Matthews returns to the main stage on the Sunday before socialist folk mainstay Billy Bragg closes proceedings on the Sunday night. Moseley Folk Festival runs from September 2 to 4 at Moseley Park. Single day, two day and three day tickets are available from £28.50-£79. For details visit www.moseleyfolk.co.uk Brum Notes Magazine
when we started out. We’ve not become massive or anything but we’re really lucky to keep this comfortable existence. “Performing is all quite natural now, that’s developed and as for writing, we’re always searching to make that song or make that record.”
STILL BUZZING The Isle of Wight’s finest THE BEES are old hands when it comes to festivals these days and are sure to prove one of the highlights of next month’s Moseley Folk Festival once again. Founder member Aaron Fletcher tells Chris Moriarty why they can’t wait to return to Moseley. It is nearly a decade since they first graced us with much-loved debut album Sunshine Hit Me and in the meantime The Bees have quietly become elder statesmen of the UK’s alt-indie scene. Festival stalwarts as well, their sunny blend of reggae-tinged beats, rootsy folk-pop melodies and quirky songwriting is made for dancing in fields. Or in this case a park.
Currently in the throes of making album number five, Aaron says some of their more diverse influences may come to the forefront but not at the expense of the trademark Bees sound. “We’re always trying to keep people guessing. We’ve got a definite sound and a thread but we love our electronic music which hasn’t really come out yet in The Bees before. “I love lots of new music as well at the moment and I’m really into hip hop and beats. There’s no real ego with the group so no one’s afraid to throw an idea in - or to have an idea thrown out either. “We’ve been on two majors which is quite a rare thing to do. We don’t sell as many records as we used to but then I don’t think anybody does. But we’ve got a really good fanbase and there’s a lot of love in the industry for us as well which is nice. We don’t necessarily get on playlists because we’re not Lady Gaga or The Wanted, but we do still get played. “It’s hard work but we’re all aware that this is one of the greatest things to do in the world, to make music for a living. And to play at festivals to people in the sunshine. Although it’s rained at every one so far, so hopefully that will change.” The Bees are second on the bill on the Saturday night at Moseley Folk Festival, on September 3. www.moseleyfolk.co.uk
The Isle of Wight collective - swelled from a duo to a group of up to eight over the years - are making a very welcome return for their second appearance at the Moseley Folk Festival. And if their first in 2008 is anything to go by then 2011 will be something special. They are returning to the sundown slot on the Saturday night, shortly before headliners Tinariwen. And if the festival is happy to have them back, then The Bees are equally happy to return. “We loved it last time, it’s a great spot,” says founding member and bassist Aaron Fletcher. “We’re a bit musically all over the place but Moseley Folk Festival seems to have the right audience that likes The Bees. We do quite a bit of folk style music and you can’t really play that stuff when you’re playing certain venues. “I’ve got lots of friends in Brum and have spent a bit of time there so when Moseley Folk asked us to play we definitely wanted to do it. We couldn’t play last year as I was getting married so I’ll be playing on my wedding anniversary this time, but that can’t be helped - I love Moseley that much it’s worth it.” “Birmingham always comes up when we’re touring and we seem to have a good reaction. But I gather now it’s the home of metal. I always thought Birmingham was the home of British reggae, but now apparently it’s the home of metal. We were playing there last month and there were posters everywhere.” The Bees may be wizened these days when it comes to entertaining the crowds but Aaron insists they are still hungry to continue making new and exciting music. Not that they are old of course. “We played Latitude recently and we certainly felt like an old band, everyone else just looked so young and we just looked like a bunch of roadies. It’s part of our charm I guess,” he continues. “It’s 10 years now and we’re still managing to do what we were doing August 2011
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TURNING THE TIDE If there’s one thing music scribes love to do, it’s to write pithy descriptions of bands and their musical style. And then plucky upstarts like Brontide come along and make it as difficult as possible. “At times we’re quite heavy but then we can be poppy too. We try and get a mix of progressive stuff as well as quite catchy riffs that can get stuck in your head,” says drummer Will Bowerman - formerly of synth-pop indie duo I Was a Cub Scout - as he attempts to sum up Brontide’s undisputed yet somewhat different appeal. “Obviously when we try to describe our sound we have to say instrumental, as that is our main aspect. But at times we can be quite heavy and other times we try to keep it light and innocent and poppy.” After a successful showing at last month’s Off the Cuff festival at The Flapper, the band return to the same venue on August 24 to put on a free show. “I think we sound a lot better live than on record,” insists bassist Nathan Fairweather, “although I am very happy with our recordings. I’m just more inclined to refer people to see us live.” “We like to do free shows as much as possible,” adds Will. “If we had enough money we would put them on all the time.” Their shows are visual as well as moody and ethereal, and Brontide are confident their headline appearance this month will give them the chance to put on a real show on their return to the Second City. “We’ll be able to bring down all the lights and have a bit more time to play more songs and have a bit more fun [this time] as well. Hopefully we’ll play some more new songs too,” says Will. “Our guitarist Tim is an absolute wizard on the pedals, so it’s always good to be able to see him. His feet are amazing. “Also, everything we do on record we do live too. Although it sounds quite epic, Tim uses a lot of loops and stuff to make sure it all sounds as great as possible.” 8
Brighton’s instrumental three-piece BRONTIDE’S dark atmospherics are something of a shift from some of the trio’s previous musical incarnations. Jon Pritchard finds out more.
Think Foals’ bigger brother, with the intricate riffs and funky bass plumped up by the powerful drumming, giving their sound a harder edge. The band have been mellowing a little recently however, and admit they are listening to a lot more electronic music at the moment. Will explains: “We get labelled post-rock because we have atmospheric parts, but we don’t think we’re post-rock. We’ve been listening to a lot of Surfer Blood. I’m really enjoying Stuart Warwick’s album at the moment. It’s the whole Jamie Woon/James Blake sort of music but it’s hands down the best album I’ve listened to for a while.” “His voice is just nuts. It’s incredible,” adds guitarist Nathan. Back to Brontide themselves, despite their ‘new band’ status, it is now four years since they first got together, originally as a side project from their respective other bands. Now though, it is very much a priority, giving Brontide the chance to hone their own sound. “When we originally got together we were all really busy,” says Will. “I think we only played about four gigs throughout the whole of 2008.” “Some of our earlier demos were really poppy,” continues Nathan, “but then we’d do a heavy song to make up for that. I think over the years we’ve managed to get a mix of the two so there is a more all round feel to it.” As for the name, Brontide actually means the low rumble of distant thunder, which is a match made in heaven for the band. However, the way they discovered it wasn’t exactly rock and roll. Will explains: “I wish we had a cool story to explain this but we don’t. Me and Tim were saying we needed a gnarly word, so we literally just Googled ‘gnarly words.’” And you wonder why they don’t have lyrics. Brontide perform a free entry show at The Flapper, Birmingham, on August 24 Brum Notes Magazine
Photo by Emma Tullett
FREE SCHOOL
Brummie dance duo Free School claim to fuse “the sunny Balearic sounds of summer and the icy, kosmische sounds of winter.” With their debut EP out now and a headline hometown live show to follow, we thought it was time for a lesson on Free School... So, first things first, what are Free School all about? We’re about making beautiful, timeless electronic dance music. We work on something until it turns into a piece we can listen to forever, it’s really important to us and we are our fiercest critics. We get so enthusiastic about our music because we love listening to it, rather than because we think it deserves praise. We’re not concerned with fashion or trends; you can stifle and sacrifice the things that you do best just to be on the cutting edge.
How would you describe yourselves and who would you name as your influences? We’ve been variously described as ‘Cosmic Disco’, ‘Synth-wave’, ‘Balearic’ and our current favourite ‘Synth Molesters’! Our music is lush, melodic and bewitching, epic in scale with a strong nod to the dancefloor. Among our influences are Lindstrom, Orbital, Fuck Buttons, Kelley Polar, Warp, the Orb, LCD Soundsystem and early Autechre, when they made tunes. There, I’ve said it. You’ve had some nice support slots , what’s been the highlight? We’ve been really lucky, our debut was with Fujiya & Miyagi, of whom we’re big fans, really, really lovely guys too, a real privilege. Mark E as well, such a talent - there may well be something further to report on that soon, watch this space! We DJ’d at the launch of the Out Of Bounds house label run by The Discomendments guys, they’re pedigree Birmingham house producers. The real highlight has been meeting the people who run the shows in Birmingham, there’s a lot of heart and integrity in what they’re doing, a real credit to the city. Why should we come and see you this month? We’ve handpicked the acts for the show so it’ll be a fantastic night, Arc Vel creates beautiful, soulful electronica, like Flying Lotus being covered by Boards Of Canada. Greg Bird is Prince meets Ultravox and the wonderful Archmix DJs will be in support to glue it all together in their inimitable style. Free School genuinely are a sight to behold, live, and you don’t get a reputation as ‘synth-molestors’ for nothing! Free School are live at The Rainbow on August 19 to mark the launch of their debut EP Ranting & Raving, out now on Tirk Records. Support on the night comes from Arc Vel, Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame and Archmix DJs
THE ADAM & EVE AUGUST LISTINGS:
Every Monday is ‘Broken Amp’. Breaking acoustic talent every Monday Happy hour: Mon- Fri 4pm-7.30pm. Carling, Strongbow, Carlsberg only £2 Accommodation available, 7 en-suite rooms. Friday 5th: Smoke Like a Fish + Big Stone Culture + Generic Eric Saturday 6th: Big Balloon and The Afterparty present: Forloco + Ruberlaris + Charlotte Carpenter + Tom Roberts + Eamon Lavey Sunday 7th: SOCIAL CLUB SOUNDSYSTEM SUNDAY + KARAOKE!! Free entry, £1.50 drinks, live music plus Tom + Jimi will be Mixing acoustic guitar and beatboxing. 4pm start! Wednesday 3rd: Silent Filter presents: Pulse + Of Kings and Captains + Platypus Duck + Boxed Room Rebels Thursday 11th: Oxjam presents: Skies + Ask Alfie + Afro Kings + Black Russian + Daniel Hamer + Exodus Calling Friday 12th: The Jam DRC Saturday 13th: Birmingham Promoters present: Stray Soul Remedy + Tara + Joanna Briggs + Bethany Jean Conroy Sunday 14th: The Sunday Scene (4pm-8pm) presents: The Lemontops & David (DRC) live. Free entry, free nibbles! August 2011
Bradford St, Digbeth, Birmingham B12 0JD 0121 693 1500 www.theadam.co.uk
Thursday 18th: Silent Filter presents: Bombers + Heathen Zoo + Scar the Crow + Farisle Friday 19th: Pub Tropicana!!! Moombathon, dancehall + funky 2step ft New City Jack + Skankboy. Saturday 20th: Birmingham Promoters present: Copious + JIA + Little Liam Sunday 21st: Silent Filter Wednesday 24th: Jimmi Friction + Lost Gypsy Dolls Thursday 25th: Punks Alive presents..a night of raucous Punk- acts tbc. Friday 26th: ‘Come Together’ - A night of Britpop, indie and 60s. 2.30am onwards: Shadow City Afterparty Saturday 27th: Mojo Hooker + more tbc. Sunday 28th: Sunday Xpress (4pm-7pm). Open poetry afternoon hosted by the infamous ‘Big Bren’ / Silent Filter presents: Mrs England + The Fakulty + Valhalla Sept 2nd, 3rd, 4th: The Adam and Eve presents:
Punx Picnic 2011
3 days of punk over 2 stages. Outside main stage, BBQ, outside bar + more
PARANOID VISIONS/TRASHCAT/POUNDAFLESH/ DEATH JOB/EASTFIELD/TERROR GROOVE THE RESTARTS/DREAD MESSIAH/LEFT FOR DEAD/DEFCON ZERO/THE BANDITOS/WASTED LIFE/SKIMMER/BALSALL HEATHENS//SEPTIC PSYCHOS/MEATHOOK/and many more... 9
PURE GOLD
Words: Tom Pell Design: Sleepy.me.uk
From graffiti to gold teeth, basslines to Big Brother, there are plenty of things with which Black Country musical visionary GOLDIE has become synonymous. But the drum & bass pioneer will be focused purely on his prime love of music when he returns to his native Midlands for an exclusive DJ set at Kings Heath’s Hare & Hounds this month. Tom Pell caught up with the Metalheadz mogul. “Art is the avocation of a medium to a surface. Now, which one are we talking about? Am I melting gold, putting it into a mould? Am I putting it into a ring? Am I getting sound, putting it onto a disk? Am I taking paint and putting it onto a canvas? Doesn’t matter. It’s all the same thing to me.”
super-brand Fabric, Fabriclive 58, and all things musical. His scattergun answers on any topic come with unnerving conviction — this is a man who knows his crafts, and isn’t afraid to let you know either, with a penchant for a winding rant seemingly always locked and loaded.
Clifford Joseph Price is a man of many talents. Graffiti artist, jeweller, DJ, actor, reality TV star. Oh, and he’s the Vito Corleone of drum & bass. Forgot about that. While he’s not hobnobbing with Prince Harry at Silverstone, he’s talking to Brum Notes about his new release mixtape for London
He’s very local. Growing up in care in, “… Willenhall, Chasewater, Wolverhampton and back” amongst other local spots, he built up a reputation as a graffiti artist in his teens, terrorising the streets of Wolverhampton and giving community service workers some cleaning to do.
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“The council have tried to eradicate a lot of the pieces; I went back last month and there’s very few left to be fair. I think the piece at the bottom of Hawthorne House is still there, because people can’t use it, and it’s in the basement. You used to be able to walk through but I think it’s a store room or something now. But I saw it.” It is there, and it’s massive. Later, Miami beckoned and took, but couldn’t keep him from our shores after tragedy hit home. “I was in America to see my father, as I didn’t meet him till I was 21. And my stepfather Brum Notes Magazine
dying bought me back. I was working in flea markets and I’d go between there and the beach. I guess it’s like living in London but going to Brighton every day. I spent time in ‘the hood’, if you like, in Miami, working. Then I’d go to a place called Bayside on the weekend, and that sort of gave me a taste for the high life.” He would work painting trucks and low riders, air brushing t-shirts, and shared a booth with a guy called Orlando Clean. “Orlando was the guy who taught me about gold, and the art of casting gold teeth. Miami’s around two hours from New York, so I was going there too, and then I got a call one day from my mother who said her husband was dying, and I needed to come back. That was it really. I had to help her out.” Once home, the music started. Within six years he had taken over the drum & bass scene and set up his own record label, Metalheadz. His first album, Timeless, was released in 1995 to much critical acclaim, with his follow-up, 1998’s Saturnz Return, managing to attract the likes of Noal Gallagher and David Bowie to play on it. For more Bowie and Goldie, see Everybody Loves Sunshine a no doubt misleading-as-hell title for the 1999 film in which they played the two lead roles. Mental. After acting stints in Eastenders, The World Is Not Enough and Guy Ritchie’s Snatch and turns on various celebrity reality shows (He can now Strictly Dance, Come Dine with us, and, erm, navigate his way round a small house with Les Dennis and Mark Owen) his attentions are fully back on the music. “Fabriclive 58 is real cutting-edge music. I think there’s a lot of music out there that’s too commercial. I think too many people are working towards a formula, and how much money they can make by following this formula and how many units they’re going to sell. Whereas with me, if I didn’t think it was good I wouldn’t be here. There’s a difference between making music that has integrity and making music to sell units. I think it’s the youth of a generation and the way that music and the internet has been compromised. It’s very difficult when you’ve got the internet which is useful for networking, but so easy to get hold of music. You’ve got the iPod generation where people’s attention spans are like a fish, really short, and people don’t listen to albums in their proper arrangement. I think that’s slowly dying. But I’d like to think that the music on the Fabriclive CD has more of a shelf life than the ‘festival’
August 2011
music that’s just around for a minute. That’s my own personal views. It’s my view; it’s not everyone’s view.” Today’s dubstep is yesterday’s drum & bass, yes? It’s a constant debate, one which Goldie is in a strong position to comment on. “I think dubstep came out of drum & bass, regardless of what anyone says. I think it has our blessing. It’s going through exactly the same growing pains as drum & bass did, you have the exposure of being the new trend, but also the saturation of over exploitation. I think it’s a lot more user friendly than when you talk about the complexities of drum & bass. Sometimes you need that bit of watering down. Drum & bass is a very complicated thing and that’s why it’s quite difficult for anyone to get into it. It goes out to a wider audience now, but is that wider audience as educated in music as we were? We grew up on music differently, and there were a lot of producers growing up in that generation. Whereas now, you’re just into
“A lot of the house scene dismissed us very quickly, saying drum & bass would only be around for two minutes. I think they take heed from what we’ve done, as we’re still here 20 years later.” it because you like it. You don’t necessarily understand it. But I think that’s the same with every generation. I think it happened with rock music, reggae, a lot of things. It’s different, though, when you’ve grown up with that music for 18 years.” “Whatever I do today, will make tomorrow,” is Goldie’s somewhat mantra. The undeniable passion for what he is doing transcends just his music, and echoes into the way he seemingly thinks. He is for the now, and he’ll be damned if he feels someone is coming along for the ride, but taking a detour down easy street. “If I’m doing art, and I’m doing something on a canvas it doesn’t make it any less cutting edge than me finding a wall to do it on. I’ve done that, I’ve got the t-shirt. If something’s shown in galleries around the world, does that person deserve to be there? Has that
person got a history? Someone coming out with some commercial shit that goes straight to number one, if they’ve come from the underground, or haven’t been in the underground long enough, does it justify it? I think you can justify DJ Fresh being at number one, because he made a tune that’s catchy and commercial. But if you look at his music, at something like Signal, or some of the stuff he’s done with Metalheadz, he’s got distillation. And he’s gone through all those different connotations of making music, so I think you can’t take that away from someone. Whereas someone who just pops up on the block and does that, I think their agenda is different. That’s my own opinion; it makes a lot of sense to me. “They’ll remix everything that’s out there at the minute — that’s how the scene works. People get signed, the A & R man decides he wants to make you flavour of the month, and then decides there’ll be a dubstep mix. It happens all the time. I think that the producers respect a lot of the old drum & bass from the ground up. There won’t be a bad word said about it. Whereas a lot of the house scene dismissed us very quickly, saying drum & bass would only be around for two minutes. I think they take heed from what we’ve done, as we’re still here 20 years later.” Twenty years later he will return all the way home, to play at the intimate Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath on August 6. There will be nowhere to hide in the small surroundings, just how a man who talks the talk, and walks the walk, likes it. “That’s what I love. I think music can only really be enjoyed when you can really pull all the stops out in a small club. If you play at festivals, the sounds not usually right, and the people who come to festivals aren’t necessarily into that one particular type of music. Nowadays, here’s a few beats, here’s a hook — formula. That can get exposed in a second, especially in a small environment.” Exposure will not be attending, but you should be. A master of his art, a legend of his world, up close and personal. Who is Goldie? The man behind the music, behind the showbiz, behind those teeth. He laughs for the first time when we tell him how many people know him for so many different things. “I’m an alchemist. That’s me mate, that’s the bottom line.” PROSpec presents Goldie takes place at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, on August 6, from 9pm to 3am. Tickets are £10 adv. Fabriclive 58: Goldie is out now.
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Brooding intelli-rockers CHAPEL CLUB have barely
NEW LIFE CHAPEL
let their dust settle on their debut album but they’re already hungry for more. Frontman Lewis Bowman tells Tom Pell why they’re ready to learn from their mistakes.
Back in 2007, guitarist Michael Hibbert was recently bandless. Enter bassist Liam Arklie, and integrally, frontman Lewis Bowman. Hibbert and Arklie’s instrumentals were given to Bowman through a mutual friend for him to ‘have a go at writing lyrics’, and after also adding Alex Parry on guitar and Rich Mitchell on drums, Chapel Club were born.
then record the album straight away. Record 12 songs, put 10 on the album. We’d only played about four gigs. It’s not the most ideal way to do things, but I didn’t know that then. We know it now.”
Unfortunately, it’s not the only likeness that has been shot at the group. They have quickly been lumped in with the Editors genre, and accusations abound have been thrown at Lewis himself for being, as they say, a bit up himself. Which is not the case. After speaking to him, he’s clearly a bright, talented, nice guy, just trying to find his feet.
This early inexperience led to numerous forced situations, none more so than the video for O Maybe I, the instantly catchy, “The demos were Machine Music,” says 80s influenced first single from the album. “I think in England we got pegged very quickly Bowman, “which I think was the first b-side Bowman almost leers towards the camera, as wanting to be a massive band. A ‘rock’ we put out, and the other was After The turtle neck attired, microphone whimsically band. The kind of guys who play huge staFlood. It was in a slightly different form, but in hand, singing, “Oh, Maybe I, should take diums, with me as this frontman being really pretty much the same as the one on the arrogant and mouthy. Once you get pegged album. They both survived. The other one like that, it’s very hard to shake off. In Ameri“One of the best gigs we’ve ca, we don’t have that. People see us more didn’t make it. But those were the first things that I’d ever done, so I’m surprised it went ok.” we see ourselves. As, well, just an inever played was in Birming- as die band, trying to do something vaguely ham. It was at the Hare & Four years on and a bumpy ride has been worthwhile!” had, with an early record deal, controversial Hounds and we loved it.” press and then a rushed first album shipped “I don’t mind what people think of us, I’d out in January of this year. Palace, the aljust like people to think it’s something maybum in question, has got the boys around be fresh, and surprising. But I do think we the block a bit, but more served its purpose need to work harder if that’s something we rather than being the work it could have a bite while the fruit’s still ripe...” want to happen.” been. “I’m not sure I know how well it’s done To say it was Morrissey-esque would put Working hard they are, writing songs at their to be honest. It did well enough for our la- stars in Matthew Kelly’s eyes. own pace and trying to “push the formula”, bel to say ‘well done, let’s do another’, so “I do love Morrissey, but it was never intend- as no-one in the band wanted to do the that’s pretty good.” ed. O Maybe I was the first video we ever did. same things again. They are looking to exAnd because we’d only played a few gigs, periment, to expand. With the impending second record, Bowman I didn’t know what to do when someone and the rest of the group have already be- pointed a camera at me. I think I’ve maybe “My view was that we could change the ingun to spot their previous mistakes. “We’re a couple of snippets here and then of him struments, change everything – but we’re not really on a deadline, so we’re not going live, but I’ve not been rifling through the ar- still us, so it’ll still sound like us.” to do anything final until we’re really happy chives on YouTube or anything! Maybe we To see exactly how far said formula is bewith it. It will be different to last time [on both have a similar, flouncy way of acting ing pushed, Chapel Club are warming up Palace], where it was to get signed, and or something.” for Reading and Leeds with a show at The Rainbow on August 25, so you can all go have a listen. And by the sounds of things, both parties are looking forward to it... “One of the best gigs we’ve ever played was in Birmingham. It was at the Hare & Hounds, and we were just thinking, ‘Oh, it’s a little pub gig’ and then we got there and we loved it. It was just one of those gigs where everything goes right. I was really drunk. But I think that made it better.” Chapel Club perform at The Rainbow in Digbeth on August 25
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Brum Notes Magazine
August 2011
13
Kings Heaths’s teenage punk-pop outfit THE CARPELS have never let their age stand in the way of their
TEE
S K C I K E G NA
Success is an attitude. It’s a confidence; it’s a drive; it’s a frame of mind. And it’s not letting anything stand in the way of what you want - especially the innocence of youth. And so it’s a testament to The Carpels that what they may lack in years, they more than make up for in having (a) some bloody good tunes and (b) the bollocks to do something with them. “The age thing has its good moments and its bad moments, I guess” explains frontman Dylan. “We don’t ever take our age into account because at the end of the day it’s all about the music. But people who have never heard our stuff before do look at us and think ‘they can’t be good, [they’re] just another teenage rock band’. This is the bad side, but when the same people then hear our music we seem to get more attention because of it. People say our music exceeds our years.” And people would be right. Incorporating influences from LCD Soundsystem, to Talking Heads, to The Fall, The Carpels are defying genres and deftly sidestepping that annoying little habit reviewers have of trying to shoehorn bands into boxes. And given their record collections, it is unsurprising. “We all have the same love for Indie music and its roots. However we have our own interests in other kinds of music too. For example, Ewan [bass] loves his old man music! Tom [guitar] has interests in grime and dubstep and I love proper old school hip-hop. So we all listen to our own things really.” And thus it’s unsurprising that they’re creating such ripples. You see, The Carpels are like the band that every boy with a guitar and a synth in his bedroom (or in his head) fantasises about being. But they’re actually doing it, and they’re doing it now. And the sound that’s coming out of them is exciting. It’s new and it’s fresh and it’s inextricably a product of its environment, the electronic-dubstep blood of Birmingham coursing through its veins. “The city is definitely an important part of our music,” explains Dylan. “As kids we were brought up on the obvious kinds of rock music; bands like Blur, Oasis, and The Verve, but it wasn’t until we were about 14 that we went to the old Mob Monday nights at The Rainbow pub in Digbeth. It was different to the live music we had experienced before as it had a grungy more underground feel to it with bands like Scarlet Harlots, Tantrums and Yelps playing. But it wasn’t just this intense modern twist on indie music that we loved so much, it was the madness and the unity of all the bands on show. It made it feel like there was a real Birmingham movement happening, and from then on we wanted to be a part of this movement.”
music. And after a storming London debut, radio airplay and with a new single and hometown headline show to come, Amy Sumner finds out why it’s time to take notice. time, brooding and waiting for the opportune moment before it explodes. And you can’t help but wonder whether this might be what it’s been waiting for. They’ve had a whirlwind of a year but Dylan has no doubts about the highlight so far. “It has to be recording our first three singles at Big Mushroom studios [The Charlatans’ secret studio] up in Cheshire. That was a mad week, especially working with the magician that is James Spencer who produced our tracks, and a guy called Tom who did our Handshakes remix which is the second track on our single that is out very soon. “Another highlight has to be from a couple of Saturdays back when we did a gig at the Queen Of Hoxton in East London [see review P21]. It was a club night called This Feeling and it was just packed out and crazy. We all really enjoyed it...probably our best ever gig.“ All of which begs the question that, with one single under their belt and the next ready to launch, could there be an EP in the pipeline? “We are due back in the studio at some point and we already have a third single recorded and ready to go out as well. We have about eight and a half songs that we are really happy with so I don’t see why not. If things are going well, I’m pretty sure we will get an EP out.” And so the term ‘watch this space’ springs to mind. Except it isn’t a space. It’s fun and it’s frolics and it’s gigs. So watch those instead. Because if success is an attitude, if it is a confidence and a drive and a frame of mind, then The Carpels are set to be very successful indeed. Words by Amy Sumner Photos by Roger Sargent New single Handshakes is out August 22. The Carpels headline a free launch party at The Rainbow, Digbeth on August 24
And part of this movement they are unquestionably becoming. In fact the whole thing rather feels like being stood at the cusp of a storm. A storm that has energy and has had a build up and is biding its 14
Brum Notes Magazine
EASY RIDERS
They have become known for putting a reggae stamp on everything from Radiohead to Pink Floyd. But as they prepare for a headline appearance in Birmingham, Lyle Bignon finds out why there is more to US collective EASY STAR ALL-STARS than just novelty cover versions.
Friendly Fire Soundsystem covering Bob Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde? Serocee recording a dancehall version of Hall and Oates’ Private Eyes? Or how about Jam Jah artists taking on Black Sabbath’s self-titled album from 1970? After listening to the back catalogue of one particular US reggae collective, you might not discount such ideas so quickly – it is apparent that in the right hands, the merging of two very distinct music genres on record or live can produce the most incredible sonic experiences in the vein of Imagined Village, Electric Proms, Paul Simon’s Graceland, Basement Jaxx vs Metropole Orkest and so on. Part of the reason for the success of Easy Star All-Stars lies in the release of recordings which covered albums by musical heavyweights Pink Floyd, Radiohead and The Beatles. One-off tribute albums with style, charisma and an independent stamp of their own are a rare commodity, let alone three by one band, namely Dub Side Of The Moon, Radiodread and Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band. Originally born as a studio ensemble, the NY-based group quickly grew in size and status to become a creative entity with a purpose. Now featuring a rotating cast drawn from a talented pool of players, the band went on to break into the US Billboard Top 200 twice in over two years, gain praise from Radiohead and receive critical acclaim from critics worldwide. It all begs the question, how on earth do they decide on such ambitious choices? Lem Oppenheimer, co-founder of Easy Star Records, co-manager of the band and the man behind the idea of Dub Side of the Moon, explains: “We’ve been through so many discussions of potential targets – from Marvin Gaye to Nirvana, David Bowie to Oasis, The Smiths to the Allman Brothers Band to Metallica. We also always talk about The Clash, because we are such big fans, but it doesn’t make much sense because so much of it is already reggae, so it feels like it wouldn’t be as interesting.” So whilst we can’t expect a dub-heavy version of Combat Rock or Sandinista! any time soon from the band, another big project is on the horizon. “We’ve begun working secretly in the lab on the arrangements for the next tribute album, due in 2012,” confides Lem. “Because we cover entire albums and not just songs, it limits us more as to who we can tackle, since it needs to be someone who has produced a timeless, classic album that can stand up to an entire reggae makeover.” Music from the Caribbean, particularly Jamaica, such as ska, reggae, rocksteady, bluebeat, lovers rock, raga, dancehall, dub, jungle, calypso or soca, will be eternally linked with Birmingham thanks to August 2011
the work of artists like Steel Pulse, Beshara, UB40, Musical Youth and The Beat. And the influence of such bands on Lem and the Easy Star All-Stars is immeasurable. “For many of us, the reggae and ska that came out of the UK, especially in Birmingham, is part of the canon that forms our understanding of the genre,” Lem explains. “Honestly, when I was much younger, I don’t think I fully understood the difference between UK reggae and Jamaican – to me, Steel Pulse and The Beat were as important as Bob Marley and Toots & The Maytals. I would put Handsworth Revolution [Steel Pulse] and I Just Can’t Stop It [The Beat] among my 20 or 40 favourite albums of all time.” The last time the Easy Star All-Stars visited the city, The Beat frontman Ranking Roger met the band, even joining them on stage. “Birmingham is a very special place for us to come. I have to admit I don’t know the next generation bands as well, ensconced here in the States, but I now feel like I have to chase these bands’ music down and start listening.” More recently, artists like Serocee and LionArt, sound systems like Friendly Fire, Silver Dollar and Overproof continue to fly the flag for reggae music with support from clubs like PST, while festivals such as Reggae City, Simmer Down and Jamaica Live! further affirm the Birmingham’s love for Caribbean music and culture. With the Easy Star All-Stars now, Lem insists they have to get it right and promises a mixture of original songs and the crowd-pleasing covers. “You know we have to bring it correct for Birmingham!” Easy Star All-Stars are live at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, on August 10 15
STYLE “I have always been excited by clothes..” Damian Marquez is the designer who just doesn’t stop giving. After providing us with cutting edge, forward thinking fashion previously in the form of men’s jump suits, interesting fabric patterns and tailored gentlemen’s trousers he has just launched an Autumn Winter menswear collection which has left us in awe. Born in Mexico he studied tailoring and pattern making and went on to work for fashion designer Miguel Garcia. Upon moving to the UK he went on to set up his own business making bespoke items and in 2009 was invited to Costa Rica fashion week to launch his own menswear fashion label and the rest is history. Since then he has released four different seasonal collections each bringing an innovative and interesting look at menswear. With an abundance of different colours, patterns and textures amongst his collections this designer is definitely one to watch...and to buy from. Visit Damian’s website at www.damianmarquez.com,
CREATURE COMFORTS
On Trend
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Fish necklace Mango £17.90
Long owl chain Mango £17.90
Black fly ring River Island £10 Peacock ring Miss Selfridge £13 Elephant necklace Topshop £12.50 Horse ring H&M £1.99
6-pack rings H&M
Owl necklace River Island £10
£1.99
Stone set owl ring Miss Selfridge £10 Bug necklace H&M £2.99
Wing ring H&M
Ram ring Topshop £12.50
£3.99
Fox wrap ring Topshop £7.50 Brum Notes Magazine
VERSACE FOR H&M
In November H&M will release its autumn designer collaboration with one of the world’s most legendary fashion brands, Versace. Creative director Donatella Versace has designed a collection that reflects the heritage of the iconic brand that revolutionised fashion when founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. She has taken her inspiration from the “I am thrilled to be collaborating with H&M vast archives of Ver- and to have the opportunity of reachsace to reinterpret ing their wide audience. The collection some of their classic will be quintessential Versace, perfect designs so there will for H&M and Versace fans everywhere” be an abundance of Donatella Versace flamboyant leather, print and colour in exclusive materials at affordable prices. The womenswear “Versace is one of the most important will be dominated brands of recent times and their collection by on trend dressfor H&M will be glamorous and flamboyant, es, high heels and which is everything Versace stands for” costume jewellery, Margareta van den Bosch, H&M while the men’s collection will focus on sharp tailoring, belts and jewellery. For the first time in a designer collaboration with H&M the collection will also include homeware pieces such as cushions and bedspreads. The collection launches on November 12 in around 300 stores worldwide and online. Donatella Versace has also designed a prespring collection for H&M, launching next January.
Images provided by H&M
Style profile
TRIWA Beirut Bazaar For the new spring 2011 collection TRIWA harks back to another period to illustrate its lineage of influence. The new collection Beirut Bazaar is inspired by a city which earned its legendary status in the 1960s as a meeting point for intellectuals of varying backgrounds to discuss culture and politics in its coffee shops and bars late into the night. Ras Beirut was the area that enjoyed an atmosphere of social permissiveness not seen in most Arab cities, most particular evident in part by the mixing of the sexes.
www.triwa.com August 2011
TRIWA’s designs have been inspired by a social movement and freedom displayed in Beirut during the 60s and have completed a unique and eye-catching collection in conjunction with Nada Debs of water resistant watches that are made in hand cut acetate, stainless steel, mineral glass with a Citizen Miyota movement. 17
live OFF THE CUFF FESTIVAL The Flapper, Birmingham July 22-24 Friday In the basement of legendary Birmingham boozer The Flapper Off The Cuff 2011 burst into life with Pandas and People’s set full of alt-pop hits in waiting. Not even a bust laptop could dampen the appeal of Jokes That Aren’t Jokes with its impossible to re-
sist sing-along chorus and simple but infectious stop start guitar riffs. Former Meet Me In St Louis frontman Toby Hayes, now trading as Shoes and Socks Off, is the lovechild of Kurt Cobain and Arab Strap’s Aiden Moffat. Fact. The deeply personal lyrics and pain soaked performance 18
might make for uncomfortable viewing at times but since when has great music been all about the laughs, eh? Kingston Upon Thames’s finest, Tubelord, won over the room with their At Their Drive In-meets-Los Campesinos! mix of meaty riffs and disarmingly sweet vocals. As the sweat dripped from the ceiling the band dedicated their last song to “the guys who’ve come all the way from California”. If you’re in any doubt of the growing importance of this festival, there’s your proof. Last up, the triumphant return of local heroes Johnny Foreigner. Tonight’s gig was a wild celebration of songs that still mean so much to their fans who responded with the kind of fervour you rarely see these days. They played the ‘hits’ and classics like Feels Like Summer, Tru Punx and Sometimes In The
Bullring together with new single Electricity vs The Dead, which wisely keeps to their template of shouty post-punk pop. As the faithful whipped themselves into a frenzy the encore saw band and audience become one gloriously sweaty mess with the stage disappearing beneath a heaving mass of delirious humanity. Some hours later lead singer Alexei posted a message saying it was the gig of their lives. There can’t have been many there who’d disagree. Daron Billings Pictures: (this page clockwise from top) Johnny Foreigner frontman Alexei joins the crowd; two thirds of JoFo back on stage; Shoes and Socks Off; Tubelord (all by Andy Watson, Drw-Images) Brum Notes Magazine
Pictures: (this page from top) The James Cleaver Quintet; Shapes (all by Andy Watson, Drw-Images); The Computers; Dananananaykroyd (both by Katja Ogrin)
Saturday Off The Cuff continued to live up to all expectations as Romans kicked off the middle day in the Birmingham summer sun. The canalside venue lends itself perfectly to a festival; Romans and then Blacklisters shook the foundations of The Flapper to the core, giving the daytime drinkers upstairs something to listen to as the sound exploded from the basement. OK Pilot kept the hard-riffing theme going and The James Cleaver Quintet bounced around the stage as they unveiled their energetic punk-influenced thrash metal. Shapes and &U&I filled the room up as the venue got busier throughout the day and the temperature soared as the barbeque was fired up outside. Turbowolf were excellent as they warmed the crowd up for the main acts as the night wore on, before Hawkeyes took to the stage to exhibit their more melodic and moody tunes which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Donnie Darko soundtrack. With the times running slightly late, Brontide went toe-to-toe with the heavier bands by incorporating slightly more poppy riffs into their instrumental set, which was truly atmospheric. Headliners, the curiously titled DD/MM/ YYYY, inspired as they closed the night off with the room packed to the rafters, their mix of punk and rock with shouting vocals made sure it was worth the wait and everyone went home sweating and satisfied knowing they had seen a great day of music. Jon Pritchard Sunday Anyone expecting to be gently rocked into Sunday afternoon following the previous night’s carnage should have gone home as self-proclaimed festival virgins Death Ohh Eff launched the proceedings for day three. Continuing the onslaught, Pharaohs had enough pelt to stir the ancients with their explosively charged indie whilst Peace with their buy one get two free haircuts, gave a haunting performance rippled with melancholy. Birmingham’s own Victories at Sea were the harbingers of doom as their atmospheric synths echoed through the venue. Outside on the sun-drenched patio, those August 2011
whose heads weren’t quite ready for the turbo-attack of Venice Ahoy were treated to ‘The James Day’, otherwise known as the sublime acoustic talents of several musicians named James. Bringing a spot of sunshine into the dark room, Tall Ships’ euphoric cerebral rock created Sunday’s first magical moment as they wandered into the audience, switching instruments for musical good measure. Hereford’s instrumental rock group Talons explained why Beethoven became hard of hearing as the six-piece make it acceptable to rock out with air-violin. Proceeding with more lyrically based bands, the most outstanding vocals of the day went to Sam Johnston of Flashguns whose raw energy paved the way for the evening’s headliners. An addition to the line-up, Youves ensured their swan song made a lasting impression, as tops came off and things got a little sweaty. Renegades in white, The Computers, assaulted ears with their riotous punk sound and bodies flew as The Flapper became a mosh pit. Already stirred into a frenzy, the audience were chanting for Dananananaykroyd long before our fight-pop heroes
bounded onto the stage. With aggressive guitars, pounding drums and powerhouse vocals, the Scottish outfit dared anyone not to get involved in their chaotic fun. As the final chords sounded the end for OTC 2011, the crowd left the building blearyeyed but fully satisfied. Lauren Partridge
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Images courtesy of Wayne Fox Clockwise from left: Booker T; The Cinematic Orchestra; Craig Charles; Pigbag; Matthew Herbert
MOSTLY JAZZ FESTIVAL Moseley Park, Moseley July 1-3 Friday For the second annual Mostly Jazz, organisers well and truly pulled out all the stops... quite literally in the case of festival closer Booker T. But before that, three days of eclectic jazz, soul and funk that made the first one such a groovy treat. Day one saw The Mouse Outfit play funk, hip hop and soul’s greatest hits before Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra got asses shaking with the Schifrin style funk of Dirty Birdy. Local collective Alternative Dub Orchestra popped dub, brass, dhol drumming, tabla, ska and reggae into a magical musical melting pot leaving the path clear for German trio Brandt Brauer Frick’s mix of electronic beats and jazz rhythms. Jazzwerk anyone? Alice Russell staked her claim as one of the best voices in soul right now with a belting set of self penned classics, setting up The Cinematic Orchestra to blend jazz, soul and lush orchestration into a beautiful soundtrack that closed an equally beautiful day.
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Saturday Day two kicked off in fine style with one of the oldest names in jazz, sax legend Andy Hamilton, before the baton passed to some of the newest players around, from Birmingham Jazz Youth Ensemble to Chris Young (featuring some fine improv melodies from vocalist Lottie Hodgson). Milestones served up a faithful reproduction of the Miles Davies classic Kind Of Blue leaving afrobeat legend Dele Sosemi and gypsy jazzers Manouche to raise the crowd from something of a sun and cider fuelled chilled out reverie. Finally twitchy scientist of sound Matthew Herbert and his big band tore up the rule book (and a dozen or so copies of The Sun) in a deliciously deranged set that mixed in samples of everything from deflating balloons (yes...really) to the sounds of his son’s life support machine (for set highlight, the anti-war anthem One Life). Sunday Day three and openers The Paris 1940s’ re-imagining of pop tunes as jazz standards was huge fun. Their Lady Gaga medley was worth the ticket price on its own. Local poetry star Jodi Ann Bickley shone a light on the splendid spoken word revival, before a
samba takeover of the entire site (seriously... there’s about a million of ‘em) by Oya Batacuda. Next up, “from the toon” Smoove and Turrell. A funky take on Yazoo’s Don’t Go was one of the more original covers of the weekend and recession anthem Money saw the band cleverly tapping into funk’s heritage as music of the masses. The spirit of James Brown is alive and well and living in Newcastle, eh? Brassroots may be one of a dozen or so funked up brass bands around but they’re also one of the best. During their version of Luther’s Never Too Much one guy danced so hard he screwed himself into the ground. How do you top that? After Craig Charles blew a funk shaped hole in the sky with his awesome DJ set there was only one man for the job: Booker T Jones. In between choice picks from new album The Road To Memphis he lay down one classic after another with mod anthem Green Onions, Soul Limbo, the Staple Singers’ I’ll Take You There and Sam and Dave’s Hold On I’m Coming. Hammond ecstasy. Words by Daron Billings
Brum Notes Magazine
ONE BEAT RECORDS LAUNCH NIGHT This Feeling @ Queen of Hoxton, London July 9 What do you get when you cross one of London’s most prominent indie club nights with those responsible for creating arguably Birmingham’s past equivalent? A blooming marvellous affair, apparently. One Beat Records (an up-and-coming Birmingham record label kick-started by The Charlatans’ drummer Jon Brookes and ex-Virgin Records man Ian Light, and responsible for eponymous local club night Syndicate) is currently nurturing home grown talents The Arcadian Kicks and The Carpels (pictured right). And tonight is about showcasing this talent. Encouraging the night off to a toe tapping start, the sets of Deadbeat Echoes and Missing Andy are greeted favourably. However it’s the second that One Beat’s latest signings The Carpels step on stage, that the night remodels itself into a far more interesting instalment. Incorporating an irresistible mixture of influences from Foals to recently reconfigured Brummie punk-steppers Scarlet Harlots, with backup vocals akin to the brooding tones of Editors, The Carpels are The Enemy on speed...and not rubbish. Tearing their way through a crescendo of a set which pinnacles with recent single Sand, the youngsters are a life lesson in having a bloody good time. Fellow Brummies Tantrums follow suit, looping and thrashing and collecting the under garments flung on stage by their adoring fans along the way. Well, one pair of Topman boxers anyway. But it’s this energy and these bands bouncing - quite literally - off the walls of the stage that provokes a tingling of excitement through the room. When Stuart Boyd-Crosby of Tantrums asks, “is anyone
here to see us from London?” he’s met with one single man shouting “yeah!” from the back of the room. But the same question directed at Birmingham, and the response is rapturous. Strange that it should be in a basement club in East London that (for the first time since the erm, unfortunate waning of the likes of The Twang) the Birmingham music scene seems to be finding a sound for itself that sounds like, well, Birmingham. And yet it’s incredibly exciting. And as the Charlatans’ DJs take to the decks to drop The Smiths and Happy Mondays and all the bands who once created a thriving Manchester scene, it’s beginning to feel as though perhaps One Beat Records could be on the cusp of initiating something unprecedented – something that may finally allow Birmingham to punch at a musical weight relative to its geographical one and ensure that for the first time in a very long time it has something to shout about worth listening to. Words by Amy Sumner Photo by Roger Sargent
JUDAS PRIEST The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton July 21 It would be easy to dismiss Judas Priest, to write them off as cheesy, clichéd, outmoded and irrelevant in an age of supposedly more fashionable acts. Thankfully Priest and their audience take a different view. The Civic Hall is packed as the headliners take the stage. The curtain falls, their stage set is revealed and Priest thunder into life with Rapid Fire. Any doubts of Priest’s capability to entertain are immediately blown away. A tight guitar twosome, Tipton and Faulkner, thrill with athletic solos and monster riffage, Ian Hill on bass seems set to shake the building to destruction, and drummer Scott Travis delivers a display of precision drumming that astounds in its speed and intensity. Rob Halford may once have had even wider vocal range, but if he’s missing anything you’d be hard pressed to spot it. Musically alone Judas Priest still deliver, but this is only a part of the attraction. We have the theatricality. Halford changing outfits seemingly for every song, the stage set, enough pyros to chill the heart of any self respecting Health and Safety inspector, the motor cycle, the lasers....This is raw, old August 2011
GOODNIGHT LENIN MAC, Birmingham July 23
school heavy metal. Not modern or sanitised; this is the real deal. Most importantly, these entertainers, do their job, they entertain, something that many younger bands would do well to learn from. Long may it continue. Words by Andy Enderby Photo by Gobinder Jhitta
The inexorable but thoroughly justified rise of Goodnight Lenin continues with this, their biggest hometown show to date, slap bang in the middle of a summer that’ll see them play over a dozen of the UK’s best festivals. Like a fine wine they just seem to be getting better, tighter and more polished but without losing the playful sense of fun that lifts them high above so many other folk-tinged bands. After coming on stage to Three Lions (see, there’s that playfulness) they whipped through a dozen or so self-penned tracks covering all bases from the joys of youth (Wenceslas Square) to “fictional tales about real people we know nothing about” (Edward Colby). Whether debut single Crook In The Creek actually reached number 37 in the Bolivian charts as the band claimed this evening is up for debate. What’s beyond dispute is that there are few acts around right now who’ll break your heart one minute then have you chuckling the next. Strong contender for gig of the year. Words by Daron Billings
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CLUBS
ELIXIR SOCIAL Bull’s Head, Moseley July 13 Leaving your house to go to a club night? Pssh, forget about it. In this age of technology, you can find a date, find a curry and now you can find one of the most forward thinking clubs on the internet too. Of course if you’re a bit old school and you like dancing and drinking in the company of others you could always get yourselves down to the Bull’s Head every Wednesday for Elixir Social. Broadcasting live from their website www.elixirsocial.tv, this is the place to hear music from Jamie XX, Girl Unit, Dark Sky and other purveyors of the new wave of forward-thinking, electronic beats. As well as their stable of up-and-coming regular DJs such as Assaults Suits, Pascal Wray and New Jack City, they also welcomed their MHVH brethren Troumaca (pictured right) for a live set as well as pioneers of the internet live stream, Boiler Room, keeping the quality especially high for a weekly midweek club night. Check www.elixirsocial.tv or www.mhvh.co.uk for details of upcoming events. Who: People who enjoy the best in new music, socialising or both. When: Every Wednesday Where: Bull’s Head, Moseley/www.elixirsocial.tv Price: The future for free!! Words by Cassie-Philomena Smyth Photos by Jade Sukiya
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Brum Notes Magazine
FOOD + DRINK
Let’s play Liquid Jenga... Instead of your next cheeky tequila, sambuca or Jagerbomb, or if you’re feeling a little bit flush try a layered shooter, says Carl Hawkins, cocktail chemist and general manager of The Jekyll & Hyde. Layered cocktails come from a style of drink from New Orleans in the 19th Century called a Pousse Café, which is French for “push down the coffee”. It’s made by layering differing liquids with different tastes and densities perfectly on top of each other (think oil on top of water) to be consumed after a meal; the tastes of each sipped one after the other would offer a perfectly satisfactory end to the evening. Now for the physics bit: as a rule, ingredients with a higher alcohol percentage (abv) are lighter and will float - and, if really high strength, will set on fire. If your liqueur has a lower strength it will contain sugars and will sink; think grenadine in your Tequila Sunrise - drop it in last and, voilà, instant sunset. The best tip is follow a density guide for the specific gravities of spirits according to weight and colour (you can find a guide at www. goodcocktails.com). Here are a few tips: • Use a small diameter glass, it’s easier. • Slowly pour alcohol along a long stemmed spoon making sure it touches the side of the glass. • Pousse Cafes can be prepared in advance and kept for up to one hour when refrigerated. • Remember density guides are not perfect because density will vary from brand to brand. Use the same brand of alcohol to ensure consistent results. Here are two layered cocktails to end the summer in style:
Recipe: Pousse Cafe
Recipe: B52
Ingredients: Quarter shot grenadine Quarter shot Kahlua coffee liqueur Quarter shot Green crème de menthe Quarter shot Cointreau Quarter shot Makers Mark Bourbon Quarter shot Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum
Ingredients: One third shot Kahlua or Tia Maria One third shot Baileys One third shot Grand Marnier By Carl Hawkins, general manager of The Jekyll & Hyde in Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham city centre Carl hosts Cocktail Chemistry sessions at the venue. Call 0121 2360345 or visit www.thejekyllandhyde.co.uk for more details
August 2011
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August 2011
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Brum Notes Magazine
WHAT’S ON
GIGS
It’s all about quality not quantity this month with the gig circuits quiet as festival season rolls on and bands ready themselves for the autumnal touring onslaught. Uber-cool New York indie duo Cults (pictured below) are one of the undoubted highlights. Having already soundtracked the summer with their acclaimed eponymous debut album, they will be injecting some of that sunshine spirit into the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath on August 24. Kiwi rockers The Datsuns will be showing they can still deliver an electric live set when they headline The Rainbow on August 3, while Chapel Club return to the city following a recent sell-out with nothing to prove but plenty to enjoy when they headline the same venue on August 25. They say you can’t get something for nothing, but there are plenty of free gigs across the city this month to prove that little saying wrong. Brummie folk cult hero Ben Calvert and his band The Swifts will headline an evening of acoustic tuneage for free at The Yardbird Jazz Cafe on August 17, while turning the volume up a notch, hotly-tipped teenage upstarts The Carpels unleash their latest single with a free launch party - including free food and cheap drinks - at The Rainbow on August 24. Competing for the free gig-going crowd are experimental Brighton instrumental threepiece Brontide, who make a welcome return to The Flapper for a free gig also on August 24. Speaking of free nights out, you can continue to catch the finest emerging artists playing stripped back and acoustic, or even take to the stage yourself, at the Brum Notes Magazine Fresh Talent open mic night, weekly Tuesdays at the Bull’s Head in Moseley.
August 2011
CLUBBING
If clubbing in August should be all about summer sounds and Balearic spirit, then the weather is certain to let us down on that front. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pretend. Weekly club night FACE will be doing a good job to keep the spirit of the White Isle alive throughout August, not least when they join up with Cream Ibiza Classics for a takeover party across the whole Rainbow complex for The Rainbow Street Carnival on August 6, with road closures in place to keep the party going inside and out from 7pm until 6am the next morning. As if that won’t be enough then you’ll be able to carry on the party when Below stage one of their legendary daytime Sunday parties in The Rainbow Garden from 3pm on August 7. Secret party specialists Below then sign off for the summer in style with a secret daytime party at an underground car park in Birmingham on August 28. Plus it has an even-more-secret after party. But that’s a secret too. Dubstep fans will be well served for summer debauchery too when Hype take over The Rainbow Warehouse and Garden to showcase more than 20 of their favourite dubstep talents on August 12. Expect beatboxers, scratch artists, three and four deck sets and more. If bass is your thing then you won’t want to miss Goldie performing an exclusive DJ set of classic and future sounds at the Hare & Hounds on August 6, courtesy of promoters PROSpec. When it comes to summer raves on a big scale, few do it better than Hardcore Til I Die who present their Summer Gathering at The Custard Factory on August 27, with an outdoor stage and two indoor arenas boasting the most exciting names in hardcore and old skool. For more intimate affairs try the eclectic, soulful funk sounds of local favourite Quantic & his Combo Barbaro (below) with a unique live dance show at the Hare & Hounds on August 5.
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KEY TO LISTINGS: M = LIVE MUSIC CN = CLUB NIGHT C = COMEDY
VENUE DIRECTORY BIRMINGHAM: O2 Academy, Horsefair, Bristol St B1, 0844 4772000; HMV Institute, High St, Digbeth B5, 0844 2485037; NIA, King Edwards Rd B1, 0121 7804141; LG Arena, NEC, Solihull B40, 0121 7804141; The Flapper, Kingston Row B1, 0121 2362421; The Victoria, John Bright St B1, 0121 6339439; Hare & Hounds, High St, Kings Heath B14, 0121 4442081; The Actress & Bishop, Ludgate Hill B3, 0121 2367426; The Sunflower Lounge, Smallbrook Queensway B5, 0121 6327656; Symphony Hall, Broad St B1, 0121 7803333; Town Hall, Victoria Sq B3, 0121 7803333; Kitchen Garden Cafe, York Road, Kings Heath B14, 0121 4434725; Alexandra Theatre, Station St B1, 0844 8472302; Bulls Head, St Marys Row, Moseley B13, 0121 2567777; Island Bar, Suffolk St B1, 0121 6325296; The Jam House, St Pauls Sq B3, 0121 2003030; The Asylum, Hampton St, Hockley B19, 0121 2331109; The Rainbow, High St, Digbeth B12, 0121 7728174; Adam & Eve, Bradford St, Digbeth B12, 0121 6931500; The Rose Villa Tavern, Warstone Lane, B18, 0121 2367910; The Yardbird, Paradise Place B3, 0121 2122524; The Glee Club, The Arcadian, Hurst St B5, 0871 4720400; MAC, Cannon Hill Park B12, 0121 4463232; Vudu, Corporation St B5, 0121 643 0859 ; The Crown, Station St B5, 0121 643 4265; Scruffy Murphys, The Priory Queensway B4, 0121 2362035; The Wagon & Horses, Adderley St, Digbeth B9, 0121 7721403; Highlight, Broad St B1, 08700 111 960; The Bristol Pear, Bristol Rd, Selly Oak B29, 0121 414 9980; WOLVERHAMPTON: Civic Hall/Wulfrun Hall, North St WV1, 0870 320 7000; The Slade Rooms, Broad St WV1, 0870 320 7000; Robin 2, Mount Pleasant, Bilston WV14, 01902 401211; WEST BROMWICH: The Public, New St B70, 0121 5337161; COVENTRY: Kasbah, Primrose Hill St, CV1, 024 76554473; Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, CV4, 024 7652 4524 M M M M M M M M M CN M M M M M M M C M M M 28
Monday, Aug 1 Broken Amp Tuesday, Aug 2 Eli Paperboy Reed
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Treetop Flyers M CN Tiki Friday CN Discographic with Kaminski Quantic & his Combo Barbaro Freestyle
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham Birmingham
CN
Fresh Talent
The Library @ HMV Institute Bull’s Head
Moseley
Wednesday, Aug 3 Pulse
CN John Fothergill C
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Raghu Dixit
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Silent Filter
Island Bar
Birmingham
The Datsuns
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Lucy Rose
The Slade Rooms
Wolverhampton
MHVH
The Victoria
Birmingham
Thursday, Aug 4 Sienna
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Imogen’s Kiss
Scruffy Murphys
Birmingham
Action Replay
The Crown
Birmingham
Elysium
The Flapper
Birmingham
Simply Open Mic
The Station
Kings Heath
Stinky Wizzleteat
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Everybody Looks Famous John Fothergill
The Slade Rooms
Wolverhampton
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Jayhawks
Friday, Aug 5 Jello Biafra
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Meatfeast
Scruffy Murphys
Birmingham
The Middle Ones
The Victoria
Birmingham
M M
Saturday, Aug 6 Jameson Raid The Emissaries
Want your gig or club night listed in our monthly guide? Send details to: info@brumnotes. com All details correct at time of going to press. Check with venues before setting out. While every effort will be made to ensure the accuracy of listings, Brum Notes Magazine will not be held liable for any errors or losses incurred from errors which may materialise.
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Island Bar
Birmingham
The Rose Villa Tavern Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
Birmingham
Kings Heath
M M
Marc Malone
M CN CN CN CN CN
The Rimes
The Temple @ HMV Institute The Slade Rooms
Panic!
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Dr Jekyll’s Potion
Jekyll & Hyde
Birmingham
Ink
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Street Carnival
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Juqebox with Maria Rodriguez Funk Fusion
The Rose Villa Tavern The Victoria
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Caduga
CN CN Goldie CN Reverb John Fothergill C M
Sunday, Aug 7 Social Club Soundsystem
Birmingham
Wolverhampton
Birmingham
Brum Notes Magazine
M
Karma To Burn
The Free Love Club M Simply Open Mic M CN Below Daytime
M M CN M M M M M M M M M M M M CN C M M M M
Party Monday, Aug 8 Broken Amp
Tuesday, Aug 9 Fresh Talent open mic 8Bit Lounge
Cherry Reds
Kings Heath
The Rainbow Garden
Birmingham
Birmingham
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Island Bar
Birmingham
Eddie Spaghetti
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Birmingham Skeptics Easy Star All-Stars
The Victoria
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Thursday, Aug 11 Skies + Ask Alfie
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Conduit
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Simple Situation
The Crown
Birmingham
Gay for Johnny Depp Fishbone
The Flapper
Birmingham Birmingham
Khaliq
The Library @ HMV Institute Hare & Hounds
Simply Open Mic
The Station
Kings Heath
Heavy Metal Kids
Robin 2
Bilston
Fantastic Damage
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Gary Delaney
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Friday, Aug 12 Eradikator
Asylum 2
Birmingham
Mantis Defeats
The Flapper
Birmingham
The White Room
The Sunflower Lounge The Temple @ HMV Institute Club PST
Birmingham
Island Bar
Birmingham
Jekyll & Hyde
Birmingham
Sugarloaf @ Bodega The Rainbow
Birmingham
Hot Wax M4TP
The Rose Villa Tavern The Victoria
Birmingham
Balkanic Eruption
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Pilgrim
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Freestyle
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Klub Kerrang!
The Slade Rooms
Wolverhampton
Gary Delaney
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Aug 13 Stray Soul Remedy
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Random Hand
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Bolshie
The Flapper
Birmingham
Martyr De Mona
The Slade Rooms
Wolverhampton
Takin Care of Business
Island Bar
Birmingham
Shatter Effect
by Law Gin’ll Fix It
CN CN Lucha Libre with DJ Disgrace
CN Hype CN Discographic with
M M M M CN
Birmingham
Wednesday, Aug 10 Silent Filter
CN Liquid Sessions CN Tiki Friday: Down
CN CN CN CN CN C
The Temple @ HMV Institute The Yardbird
August 2011
Kings Heath
Birmingham
CN CN CN CN
Dr Jekyll’s Potion
Jekyll & Hyde
Birmingham
Ink
O2 Academy
Birmingham
FACE feat Mr C
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Juqebox with Steve Jones Lovejoy
The Rose Villa Tavern The Victoria
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
CN CN High Fidelity CN Together Gary Delaney C M M M M M M M M M M M M
Birmingham
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Sunday, Aug 14 The Sunday Scene
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
The Free Love Club
The Yardbird
Birmingham
Simply Open Mic
Cherry Reds
Kings Heath
The Rezillos
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bohemian Jukebox
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Monday, Aug 15 Broken Amp
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
The Temple @ HMV Institute
Birmingham
Tuesday, Aug 16 Kids In Glass Houses Fresh Talent
The Temple @ HMV Institute Bull’s Head
Birmingham
Wednesday, Aug 17 The Low Anthem
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
The Slade Rooms
Wolverhampton
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Bury Your Dead
Sparrow And The Workshop Thursday, Aug 18 Bombers
Moseley
HIGHBURY STUDIO
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham
Vintage 16 track analogue recording and rehearsal studio in the heart of Kings Heath. Check us out at highburystudio.com or call John Mostyn on 07772 293325 for more info.
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Bruno Mars
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Loungetree
Scruffy Murphys
Birmingham
The Unknown
The Crown
Birmingham
The Kev Bayliss Project Simply Open Mic
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
The Station
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
C
Speak Up Sessions (spoken word) Sean Collins
The Glee Club
Birmingham
M
Friday, Aug 19 Captain Wilberforce
M
Give Chase
M
Drunk in Hell
M M M M M M
M M CN CN CN
M M CN CN CN CN
Birmingham
Horror Show
Kings Heath
M M
Flatline Stereo
The Slade Rooms
Wolverhampton
Pub Tropicana
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
M
Atta Girl
Island Bar
Birmingham
Discographic with Steve Jones Beats By Numbers
The Rose Villa Tavern The Victoria
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Saturday, Aug 20 Copious
The Glee Club Adam & Eve
Birmingham Birmingham
Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham
The Great Western
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
This Elegant Chaos
Birmingham
Second State
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Mona’s Got a Gun
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Panic!
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Dr Jekyll’s Potion
Jekyll & Hyde
Birmingham
Birmingham
Ink
O2 Academy
Birmingham
FACE presents Mulletover Juqebox with Maxwell 45 Sweat
The Rainbow
Birmingham
The Rose Villa Tavern The Victoria
Birmingham
Birmingham
CN Habit Summer
The Wagon & Horses Bull’s Head
C
The Glee Club
Birmingham
CN
CN CN Wreck n Roll Circus
M M M M M M M M M M M 30
M M M M M M
The Sunflower Lounge The Temple @ HMV Institute The Wagon & Horses Hare & Hounds
CN CN Freestyle Sean Collins C M M M
M C
Sessions Sean Collins
Birmingham
Moseley
M C
CN CN CN CN C
Birmingham
Tyburn Drop
Scruffy Murphys
Birmingham
Chapel Club
The Rainbow
Birmingham
The Brute Chorus
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Average White Band Steve Cropper
The Civic Hall
Wolverhampton
Robin 2
Bilston
John Fothergill
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Friday, Aug 26 SLAB
The Flapper
Birmingham
The Sunflower Lounge The Temple @ HMV Institute Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Island Bar
Birmingham
The Paraffin Brothers Martyr de Mona
Primative Gin’ll Fix It
Birmingham Birmingham
Birmingham
Mr Scruff
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Freestyle
Bull’s Head
Moseley
John Fothergill
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Aug 27 Mojo Hooker
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Grooverider
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Disciples of Tone
Birmingham
Brothers Juneau
The Actress & Bishop Hare & Hounds
Dr Jekyll’s Potion
Jekyll & Hyde
Birmingham
Ink
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Hardcore Til I Die Summer Gathering Jocko Homo
The Custard Factory The Victoria
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
M The Free Love Club M CN Below Summer
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
The Yardbird
Birmingham
Secret location
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
M CN Discographic Bank
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
The Rose Villa Tavern
Birmingham
The Temple @ HMV Institute Bull’s Head
Birmingham
The Rose Villa Tavern
Birmingham
Kasbah
Coventry
M M M M CN CN CN
CN CN Thought Forms CN This is Tmrw John Fothergill C
Sunday, Aug 28 Mrs England
Birmingham
CN
The Free Love Club
The Yardbird
Birmingham
CN
Birmingham
Birmingham
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Adam & Eve
Black Russian
The Victoria
New Found Glory
Hare & Hounds
Wolverhampton
Thursday, Aug 25 Punks Alive
Jekyll & Hyde
Birmingham
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
The Slade Rooms
Out of Bounds
Adam & Eve
Otway And Barrett
The Flapper
Mark Thomas
CN Come Together CN Tiki Friday: Club
Sunday, Aug 21 Silent Filter
Monday, Aug 22 Broken Amp
Brontide
Closing Party THC Techno Free Party Mashup Soulful Monday, Aug 29 Broken Amp
Holiday Special Tuesday, Aug 30 Gordon Gano & The Ryans Fresh Talent
Tuesday, Aug 23 Sharon Corr
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Fresh Talent
Bull’s Head
Moseley
M
Wednesday, Aug 24 Jimmi Friction
Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Cults
Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
M CN Juqebox Bank
Silent Filter
Island Bar
Birmingham
Css
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
M
Holiday Special Wednesday, Aug 31 Cage The Elephant
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Moseley
Brum Notes Magazine
August 2011
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Upcoming Events RESULTS ADVICE DAYS >Our A/AS Level Advice Day is on Thursday 16 August between 10.00-16.00. >Our GCSE Advice Day is on Thursday 25 August between 13.00-16.00.
OPEN DAYs
aaccc
m tousm ic.cu o
s.uick
sstso s e ce
>Access to Music Birmingham has Open Days every Wednesday during August 10.00-16.00. >We have a special Welcome Open Day on Friday 26 August between 10.00-14.00 for newcomers and all applicants. >We also have a final Open Evening on Wednesday 31 August between 17.00-19.00.
Music Technology & Music Performance courses: Enrolling now!
Sign up now for Access to Music’s great range of music courses which are now run from Heath Mill Studios in Digbeth. Choose from Digital Musician or Performing Musician. Courses are ideal for 16-18s looking to get into the music industry. Apply now:
www.accesstomusic.co.uk
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Heath Mill Studios 68 Heath Mill Lane Digbeth Birmingham, B9 4AR T: 0330 123 3155 Brum Notes Magazine