Brum Notes Magazine - February 2015

February 2015

www.brumnotes.com music and lifestyle for the west midlands

free

Reflective Glory THE DECEMBERISTS ARE BACK AND FEELING FRESHER THAN EVER

ALSO INSIDE: PEACE SLAVES GAZ COOMBES ÓLAFUR ARNALDS

AND: WIN WEEKEND TICKETS TO READING & LEEDS FESTIVALS INTRODUCING BIRMINGHAM’S NEWEST MUSIC FESTIVAL YOUR GUIDE TO NEW ART WEST MIDLANDS 2015

ALSO: VALENTINE’S DAY BOOZE / THIS MONTH’S BEST NEW ALBUMS / PLAN YOUR MONTH WITH OUR WHAT’S ON GUIDE February 2015

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Thurs 12th Mar • £10 adv / £25 VIP

Room 94

Fri 13th Mar • £13 adv 6pm - 10pm

Modestep 10.30pm-3.30am • £4 / £5 adv Over 18s only - Proof of age required £3 early bird tix available Sun 1st Feb • £30.50/£35.50 adv

Joe

+ Tank + Ginuwine + 112 Sat 14th Feb • £17.50-£22.50 adv VIP tickets £25 adv 9pm - 5am • over 18s only

The Valentines Ball

ft. MC Trigga, Pretty P, Cappo AKA Shaydee, DJ Sly, MC Bassman, Logan D, Sub Zero, Evil B, Majistrate, Pleasure Eksman, Brockie, Shabba, Nutcracka, DJ Guv, Stormin, Nicky Blackmarket, IC3, Annix, Unknown, Pacso, Turno (Higher Stakes), Kombo, Alpha with Swifta

Sat 14th Mar • £23 adv

The Stranglers Tues 17th Mar • £20 adv

Papa Roach

+ Coldrain + The One Hundred Weds 18th Mar • £29.50 adv

Placebo

Sun 22nd Mar • £19.50 adv

Dropkick Murphys

Celtic Punk Invasion Tour + The Mahones + Blood or Whiskey + Resistance 77 Mon 23rd Mar • £12.50 adv

Tues 21st Apr • £15 adv

Prong

+ Steak Number Eight + Hark Fri 24th Apr • £12 adv 6.30pm - 10pm

The Smyths

Celebrating 30 years of Meat is Murder plus the Hits Weds 29th Apr • £15 adv / £40 VIP

Damage + Rough Copy Fri 1st May • £26.50 adv

6pm - 10.30pm • rescheduled • original tickets valid

Mobb Deep

“The Infamous...”

20th Anniversary Tour Sat 2nd May • £18.50 adv

Tues 12th May • £31 adv

Boyz II Men

Sat 27th June • £25 adv 6pm - 11pm

NOFX & Alkaline Trio Mon 29th June • £20 adv

Tony Visconti & Woody Woodmansey with Glenn Gregory perform David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ + Morgan Visconti & Jessica Lee Morgan Weds 30th Sept • £16 adv

Annihilator

Pentatonix

Sat 21st Nov • £22.50 adv

Thurs 7th May • £37.50 adv

Sound Affects 35th Anniversary Tour

The Prodigy

From The Jam

6pm - 10pm

Twin Atlantic

FOR FULL AND LATEST LISTINGS CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE

Sat 28th Mar • £10-£25 adv VIP tickets £30 adv

Sat 7th Feb • £10 adv

Sat 21st Mar • £15 adv

The World Of Pandora

Strength - 30th Anniversary Tour

Sun 29th Mar • £20 adv

A tribute to the Man in Black with Full Live Band + The Purple Shades + Mark Barrett

Bars and Melody

Mon 16th Feb • £11 adv

Logic

Fri 8th May • £16.50 adv

Fri 27th Mar • £14 adv 6pm - 10pm

Sun 15th Feb • £18 adv

The Used

+ Landscapes + Decades

Four Year Strong + Light You Up + Forever Came Calling + Hit The Lights

Tues 17th Feb • £30.50 / £35.50 adv

D’Angelo Weds 18th Feb

George Ezra Thurs 19th Feb • £16.50 adv

The Kerrang!

Tour 2015

ft. Don Broco + We Are The In Crowd plus special guests Sat 21st Feb • £15 adv

Before You Exit & Christina Grimmie + Hannah Trigwell

Thurs 26th Feb • £20 adv

August Alsina

Thurs 5th Mar • £18.50 adv

Yellowcard & Less Than Jake

+ Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!

Sat 7th Mar • £7 adv 6.30pm - 10.30pm

Modern Minds

+ Shooze + Deco + Chase The Deer + SLTP Mon 9th Mar • £19.50 adv

Clean Bandit + Jess Glynne + Whilk and Misky

9pm - 5am • over 18s only

+ Light You Up

Cash

6pm - 10pm

Fri 3rd Apr • £16.50 adv 6pm - 10pm

Of Mice & Men Sat 4th Apr • £10 adv 6pm - 10pm

In Hindsight

Chelsea Grin & Veil Of Maya Sat 21st Feb • £8 adv

George The Poet Thurs 26th Feb • £10 adv

+ Tides + White Clouds & Gunfire

Lindsay Ell

Weds 8th Apr

Sat 28th Feb • £6 adv

Sleeping With Sirens & Pierce The Veil

Left For Red

6pm - 10pm

Fri 10th Apr • £17 adv 6pm - 10pm

The Wombats Sat 11th Apr • £39.50 adv

Simple Minds Sat 18th Apr • £15 adv

ICW: Insane Entertainment System Tour ft. Paperboy

Mike Peters presents The Alarm Weds 25th Mar • £9 adv

The Coronas

Thurs 26th Mar • £8 adv

Walking On Cars & Port Isla Sat 18th Apr

PVRIS

Weds 22nd Apr • £8 adv

Echosmith

6.45pm - 10pm

(Album Launch Show) + One For Sorrow + IHYM + Beneath The Reamins

Sat 25th Apr • £6 adv 6.45pm - 11pm

Lovebite Sat 2nd May • £7.50 adv 6.45pm - 11pm

Sat 7th Mar

Collie Buddz Fri 13th Mar • £10 adv 6pm - 10pm

The Qemists Sat 14th Mar • £6 adv 6.45pm - 11pm

Martyr De Mona + Eyes of the Raven + Aceldama

Beholder

+ Morgue Orgy + Haerken + Destroyed Beyond Belieft Sat 9th May • £13 adv 6.30pm - 10.30pm

Ultimate Genesis Fri 15th May • £12 adv 6.30pm - 10pm

Cloudbusting (Kate Bush Tribute)

16-18 Horsefair, Bristol St, Birmingham, B1 1DB 2

Doors 7.00pm unless stated • Venue box office opening hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-4pm, Sat 11am-4pm • No booking fee o n cash transactions

Brum Notes Magazine

ticketweb.co.uk • seetickets.com • gigantic.com • ticketmaster.co.uk

SOUND DIPLOMACY

February 2015

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CONTENTS

First Aid Kit, Symphony Hall Photo by Rob Hadley Brum Notes Magazine Unit 12 The Bond 180-182 Fazeley Street Birmingham B5 5SE info@brumnotes.com 0121 224 7363 Advertising 0121 224 7363 advertising@brumnotes.com Distribution StickupMedia!

0121 224 7364 Editor: Chris Moriarty Contributors Words: Josh Allen, Lyle Bignon, Matthew Burdon, Ben Calvert, Lauren Cox, Guy Hirst, Ed Ling, Dan Owens, Daniel Page, Becky Rogers, Ben Russell, David Vincent Arts Editor: Dan Cooper-Gavin Pictures: Jack Spicer Adams, Courtney Louise Blount, Wayne Fox, Rob Hadley, Andy Hughes, Sam Wood Design: Adam Williams, Andy Aitken Connect Twitter: @BrumNotesMag Facebook: www.facebook.com/ BrumNotesMagazine Online: www.brumnotes.com

Regulars News 6-7 Competition: Win tickets to Reading & Leeds 8 Fresh Talent 10-11 Food & Drink 32 Live Reviews 34-35 Album Reviews 38-39 What’s On Guide 40-46 Music and Features Levitate: Birmingham Music Week 12-13 GBH 14 New Art West Midlands 2015 16-17 Clubbing: Leftfoot 15th Anniversary 18-19 Ólafur Arnalds 20-21 Gaz Coombes 22-23 Peace 26-27 Slaves 28-29 The Decemberists 30-31

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.

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Brum Notes Magazine

February 2015

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The Sunflower Lounge spices things up with £100,000 makeover and new food menu

Tatu Rönkkö + Efterklang

First acts and dates confirmed for Supersonic Festival 2015 Live music and art promoters Capsule have announced plans for this year’s Supersonic Festival, taking place in Birmingham from June 11-14.

The team behind the experimental music festival confirmed Will Gregory’s Moog Ensemble featuring Adrian Utley of Portishead, innovative London-Bahraini eclectic five-piece Flamingods, and Efterklang in collaboration with Finnish drummer Tatu Rönkkö are all booked to appear as part of the 13th edition this year.

Last year’s Supersonic Festival, a slimmed-down, limited capacity affair, saw Swans, Jenny Hval and Sleaford Mods among others play to around 400 at Digbeth’s Custard Factory – the event’s original home.

Previous installments of the popular and well-respected annual event have presented a wildly diverse set of artists to sell-out audiences, including LCD Soundsystem, Luke Vibert, Martin Creed, Tunng, The Bug, Mogwai, Sunn O))), Battles, Caribou and Goat.

Capsule’s programming mix of local leading-edge artists working in music, art, film, multimedia and food alongside international acts has led to national recognition, an AIM Indie Champion Award nomination and a reputation for the avant-garde amongst music fans across the globe.

Full details of this year’s line-up are still to be announced. Tickets for Supersonic Festival 2015 go on sale from Monday, February 9 and are available through www.supersonicfestival.com.

Cult radio doc gets UK premiere at Flatpack Flatpack Festival has announced plans to present the UK premiere of US film Sex and Broadcasting as part of its ninth annual celebration of cinema next month.

The feature length documentary on cult anticommercial US radio station WMFU received its first screening at DOC NYC in late 2014; its semi-legendary manager Ken Freedman will join audiences at the Digbeth event, and the New Jersey station will broadcast live from Birmingham during the festival, which runs from March 19-29.

Full details at: www.flatpackfestival.org.uk.

Popular city centre watering hole and intimate gig venue The Sunflower Lounge has unveiled a brand new look – and a brand new food menu too.

The bar in Smallbrook Queensway reopened at the end of January following its £100,000 revamp, including new furniture, an eye-catching interior and a swanky new sign.

Gig-goers will now also be able to fuel up for the packed lineup of shows downstairs, thanks to a brand new food offering being served up by street food specialists Big Papa’s Beautiful South. The menu promises “slow cooked food for the soul,” with the new resident chefs cooking up culinary delights inspired by America’s Deep South, including Coca Cola beef brisket and mac’n’cheese, seven days a week from 12pm to 9pm. So, in case top notch drinks, great DJs and exciting new gigs weren’t enough, now you can enjoy all of that with added buttermilk hot chicken wings too.

See next month’s Brum Notes for a review of the new menu. Keep up with special offers and events through Twitter @SunflowerLounge.

Photo by Andy Hughes

BBC Radio 1 mini-series to focus on region’s music A series of special features exploring some of the best new music being made in Birmingham and the West Midlands is to be broadcast on BBC Radio 1, between 10pm and 1am nightly from February 2-4.

Produced by BBC Introducing West Midlands presenters Louise Brierley and Jack Parker, the mini-series will include tracks by acts including Tom Aspaul, God Damn and Kioko, along with other artists from the region and contributions from Anisa Haghdadi (Beatfreeks), Gavin Monaghan (Magic Garden Studios) and Adam Regan (Leftfoot).

From the team behind hit Birmingham miscellany, Paradise Circus, comes the definitive guide to the 101 things that made the world what it is today – and all of them were made in Birmingham.

Tennis, nuclear war, The Beatles – all thanks to Birmingham Read how Birmingham gave the world the wonders of tennis, nuclear war, the Beatles, ‘that smell of eggs’ and many more…

97 more.

“101 Things birmingham gave The world, is not a Birmingham of the memory. it is a living breathing thing, wrestling with the city’s contradictions, press-ganging the typically arch and understated humour of the Brummie, and an army of little-known facts, both trivial and monumental, into reshaping its confusing reputation.” sTewarT lee

Cover illustration/design - Mark Murphy | surely.uk.com

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Things birmingham gave The world FoRewoRd By sTewarT lee

PARADISE CIRCUS

PARADISE CIRCUS

www.paradisecircus.com

CRaig Hamilton Jon Bounds Jon HiCkman et al

A new book that claims ‘Birmingham is not just the crucible of the Industrial Revolution, but the cradle of civilisation’ has been published by a group of writers following a successful Kickstarter campaign.

101 Things Birmingham Gave The World, described by editors Jon Bounds, Craig Hamilton and Jon Hickman as ‘the definitive guide to the 101 things that made the world what it is today’, carries a foreword by Stewart Lee and is now available as paperback and ebook. Visit www.paradisecircus.com.

101 Things birmingham gave The world

This is The book ThaT proves ThaT birmingham is noT jusT The crucible of The indusTrial revoluTion, buT The cradle of civilisaTion.

CRaig Hamilton Jon Bounds Jon HiCkman et al

Cover by Mark Murphy

news

Brum Notes Magazine

TINARIWEN AND PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING SET FOR LUNAR FESTIVAL THIS SUMMER A family-friendly festival from the team behind Moseley Folk and Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul will return to Warwickshire this summer.

Tinariwen

Luxury Cinema to open in The Mailbox this month Everyman Cinema, Leeds

Band Age Live call for fundraisers

Organisers have announced the first raft of acts planned for Lunar Festival 2014, which will take place in Tanworth-in-Arden – the spiritual home of Nick Drake – from June 5-7. Among the acts set to take to the stage during the weekend are Tinariwen, Wilko Johnson, Public Service Broadcasting, Andrew Weatherall, Allah Las, The Bootleg Beatles, Sun Ra Arkestra, Andrew Weatherall, Julian Cope, Sylvan Esso, Radiophonic Workshop, Claudio Simonetti's Goblin and many more.

Stay tuned to www.brumnotes.com for more lineup announcements and full ticket details, or visit www.lunarfestival.co.uk.

Artists, venues and fans in the West Midlands are being invited to take part in a special weekend of live music next month to raise funds for Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s Band Age Live campaign.

Confirmed events as part of the weekend, which runs from March 6-8, so far include a Nocturne Records night on Friday, March 6, featuring Midnight Bonfires (acoustic set), Hot Feet and Tom Peel, while collections will take place during the Jaws, Little Comets and The Handsome Family gigs at The Institute on Saturday, March 7.

Last year more than 3,500 people took part in the fundraising initiative, generating £5,000 towards the hospital’s Let Us Play Appeal.

Visit www.bandagelive.org.uk to find out how to get involved.

Major guitar expo set for city New Bingley Hall will reverberate to the sound of thousands of power chords, pitch bends and versions of the Stairway To Heaven riff, as The Guitar Show gets underway in Birmingham.

Star names set to dazzle axe-fans will include Bumblefoot of Guns N’ Roses fame, plus Judas Priest founding member KK Downing.

The event, which takes place on Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1, promises to showcase new and refurbished instruments and equipment from international brands and independent makers, as well as seminars, workshops and guest appearances from leading guitarists and industry professionals. Retail partners Fairdeal Music and PMT will also be offering exclusive deals to visitors throughout the weekend.

Tickets are £12.50 adv (£15 on the door) and are available from www.theguitarshow.co.uk.

February 2015

A ‘luxury’ independent cinema will open in Birmingham this month, as part of the £50m revamp of The Mailbox.

Everyman Cinema is set to launch its first venture in the Midlands at the end of February, with a brand new three-screen venue inside the premium city centre shopping and leisure mall.

Already a firm favourite among discerning filmgoers thanks to its existing branches in London, the south east and Leeds, Everyman promises a “truly unique and memorable cinema experience,” with plush sofas and high quality food and drinks complementing a carefully selected programme of mainstream, art house and classic films.

Advance booking for films and special events will launch soon, with the opening schedule set to be revealed over the coming weeks ahead of the planned opening at the end of the month.

The cinema is just one of a variety of new venues opening as part of the ongoing big money refurbishment for The Mailbox, set in the former Royal Mail sorting office. New shops, bars and eateries will open their doors, while the flagship Harvey Nichols department store will double in size.

Visit www.everymancinema.com or www.mailboxlife.com for details of the opening schedule.

North Birmingham artists unite for charity release An album featuring songs by singer-songwriters from Handsworth, Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Great Barr and Walsall is to be released to coincide with the start of Birmingham’s Levitate Music Week.

The North Birmingham Acoustic Compilation, which includes music by James Summerfield, Call Me Unique and Rick Wellings, was recorded and mixed at the city’s Northsidestudio and will be launched at The Church Inn on Monday, February 23.

Album proceeds will be donated to The Norman Laud Association, Sutton Coldfield. www.northsidestudio.co.uk 7

win!

COMPETITION: WIN WEEKEND CAMPING TICKETS FOR READING & LEEDS 2015

Reading & Leeds Festivals have made their first artist announcements for 2015 and they’re already shaping up to be the places to be for rock, indie and electronic music fans this August Bank Holiday.

Global superstars Metallica are the first headliners to be revealed, 18 years after first topping the bill at Reading. With a career spanning three decades and more than 110 million records sold across the world, Metallica are undoubtedly one of the biggest and best live acts on the planet.

The band’s drummer Lars Ulrich said: “We are obviously beyond thrilled to be returning to

headline the magnificent and mighty double shot at Reading & Leeds for the fourth time. We are practically the house band. Bring it!”

Run The Jewel, plus indie-rockers Manchester Orchestra, who return to the twin festival for the third time.

Also announced for the August Bank Holiday extravaganza are lyric-spitting singersongwriter Jamie T, Californian post-hardcore favourites Pierce The Veil who make their R&L debut, drum‘n’bass maestro Wilkinson, Swedish punks Refused, hip hop hot stuff

And to get you dreaming of festival season and brighten up a dreary February, we have a pair of weekend camping tickets for each festival site to give away, so you and a friend can enjoy all the music excitement in the location of your choice.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply tell us: What was the name of Metallica’s debut album, released in 1983?

Send your answer, name, age, address and contact details to competitions@brumnotes. com by March 6, 2015.

Reading & Leeds Festivals take place on Bank Holiday Weekend, August 28-30, 2015. To keep up with lineup details and to buy tickets go to www.readingandleedsfestival.com.

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Brum Notes by Magazine Terms and conditions apply. Under-16s must be accompanied an adult.

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An evening of the best musical talent in birmingham, spanning a breadth of genres. Every sunday AT THE SUN ON THE HILL from 4pm!

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JOIN US EVERY SUNDAY AT THE SUN AT THE STATION FOR A SELECTION OF THE BEST NEW MUSICAL TALENT IN BIRMINGHAM HERE IN OUR BACK ROOM from 6pm!

February 2015

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fresh talent

GUERRILLA MONSOON

They played their first gig last February, weeks later released a split single in the US and back home, an EP followed and then not long after that were boarding a plane to play a punk festival in Florida.

It’s fair to say that 2014 was a pretty good year for Birmingham upstarts Guerrilla Monsoon.

“It was an absolutely ridiculous year for us,” says guitarist and vocalist Lewis Bloor. “We got together at the end of 2013, wrote a bunch of songs, played our first gig in February 2014 and sent off a load of demos old school style.

“We were picked up almost straight away by Paper + Plastick in the US. We wanted to put a split out with a great band from Brooklyn called Gameday Regulars and All In Vinyl (Birminghambased vinyl-only record label) wanted to put it out over here. Our first release was coming out over two continents!

“After that Beach Community – home of Gnarwolves, Bangers and Apologies, I Have None – got involved and helped put out our first EP. From there we were on tours with great bands like Signals Midwest, The Slow Death and Leagues Apart and played gigs right up til the end of the year. Somehow in September we got an email asking, ‘would you like to play Fest?’ Fest is the 10

guerrillamonsoon.bandcamp.com

ultimate DIY punk rock festival in Gainesville, Florida and we all said ‘Heck, yes!’ Brilliant.”

Simple, right? But what brought them together in the first place?

“Guerrilla Monsoon is essentially a DIY punk band with influences from all the music we collectively grew up with,” Lewis explains. “I grew up with Britpop/Britrock before getting into punk/hardcore around 16 and later gruff punk and post-hardcore.

Mark (Vincent Bussey, lead guitar/vocals) brings his twinkly guitar and lead guitar lines from his love of the mid-90s-2000s emo, John (Maycroft, drums) loves his fast, fat wreck bands and Rob (Frampton, bass) loves his pop-punk. I think all of us got into bands just so we could play with all the bands we love, that still applies today.

“Our sound is very much a collective of all our influences. We’re not particularly creating anything new, we’re just doing it our own way. We like quick changes in different directions, fast bits, slow bits, stop-starty bits and straight up punk rock bits – but still maintaining a classic songwriting structure. We love big riffs, big choruses, big singalongs and big outros. In fact, I think we’re quite naive in our approach as we want it to be as organic as possible.

“There’s no ‘this band is doing well, we need to sound like that’ conversations, it’s all jammed in our bedrooms and the practice room to see what we can come up with. We’re possibly a little rough around the edges live as we’re more concerned with putting 100 per cent into everyone having fun than playing technically perfect.”

Well, it’s certainly proved a winning formula so far.

But after their stellar 2014, what have they got in the pipeline for 2015?

“This year we have a few gigs booked, a little tour in a couple of months but really we’re concentrating on writing. We want to get an album done but we’re taking our time, thinking about our sound and getting it just right. Every release a band does may be their last so we want to make everything perfect and something we’re proud enough to show our grandkids.”

Guerrilla Monsoon are live at Death or Glory Records, Redditch, on February 6 and Scruffy Murphy’s, Birmingham, on March 9. Eighttrack EP Big City Plans is out now, via Beach Community/Paper + Plastick.

Brum Notes Magazine

Words by Ed Ling and Guy Hirst’

ARKKS

PLAYLIST

facebook.com/arkksmusic

soundcloud.com/brumnotes

Birmingham’s Arkks write, produce and selfrelease some of the richest and most immersive noise out there. They also have a new self-titled EP out this month, which pushes the edge of ambient, electronica and mathcore deep into dark and glorious territory. Though now played live with a full band, Arkks started as the solo project of the progressive multi-instrumentalist Andy Spillane – ex of Last Chance at Rampton, and a man with a pedigree.

“I started playing piano at the age of seven, which led me on to guitar when I was nine,” Andy explains. “I got into my first band when I was 14 and just continued ever since. I also play live guitar in Sulpher [with Rob Holliday, of Marilyn Manson, The Prodigy and Gary Numan fame] but I don’t write any of the music. To help keep my creative head I started recording a few ideas on my laptop, and these ideas turned into full songs. I decided to share my songs on Soundcloud under an anonymous name (Arkks).

“I love all types of music, especially music with great dynamics. I write music that I love playing, if anyone else likes it, it’s a bonus. Musically, Arkks is very dark, but the ambient parts are

very uplifting, it depends on how you perceive the music.

“I try to listen to as much music as possible but I find anything can influence me. Not just music – films, feelings past and present. Some tracks are named after films, Holy Mountain is one. Watch that film and listen to Arkks.

“The new EP is the best representation of our music today. I’m hoping listeners will pass the EP on to other music lovers and just enjoy it.”

And beyond the new EP – available as a physical release from Death or Glory records in Redditch or from them direct at www.facebook.com/arkksmusic – what does the year hold for Arrks?

“More live shows, more…everything!” says Andy, “We plan to keep writing and release music every six months.” So watch this space.

Arkks are live at Scruffy Murphy’s, Birmingham, on February 21. Their new self-titled EP is out now on CD and available on iTunes from February 5.

Victories at Sea Up A brutalist techno-pulse broods at the heart of this single, superimposed with cool, clean vocal and restrained indie guitar that climaxes in a terrific three-note howl. It’s an inventive first release from their highly anticipated debut album out this spring.

Up is available now via Caravan Records. soundcloud.com/victoriesatsea

Drakelow Sleeping In The photograph Indie-pop doing what indie-pop does best – invading your headspace and drilling memorable melodies into you. Catch yourself whistling the chorus on this great easy listening tune far away from the gagging sweetness of any smooth radio station. soundcloud.com/drakelow

Capital Sun Fit Together Fit Together is an all-out ballsy, riff-centric and power vocal showcase that draws on the British rock blueprint of the 1970s, which will be right at home in the ears of any rocker who pines for the glory days to be revived in a new generation of fresh talent. soundcloud.com/capital-sun

Follow us at soundcloud.com/ BrumNotes for more Photo by Rob Hadley

ONES TO WATCH Dutch Cousin

Lobster

Fawn Spots

The Sundowners

Transcending all pop conventions, Brum

Reggae-punks from Brum, Lobster play

Playing alongside Seattle’s Naomi Punk

Embarking on their first headline tour,

alt-electro outfit Dutch Cousin team up

alongside East London ska-dubbers

and Birmingham’s own Sunshine Frisbee

psychedelic-folk quintet The Sundown-

with beat scientists Ruane Maurice for a

Rags Rudi in an all-nighter spearheaded

Laser Beam, this young and erratic post-

ers play Birmingham in support of their

night of far-out sound manipulation on the

by dancehall don Solo Banton. Big vibes,

punk band from York arrive just after the

eponymous debut album, out last month

heels of their Repeating Patterns of Habit

positive vibrations and skanking 101 per

January release of their new single New

via Skeleton Key Records. Check out the

EP, released last December. Be part of

cent guaranteed.

Sense – a thuggish bombardment of reck-

summer-of-love vibes and hallucinatory

this melodic playground.

Club PST, February 7

less abandon.

visuals of the Into The Light music video.

Hare & Hounds, February 8

The Sunflower Lounge, Feb 15

The Adam & Eve, February 20

February 2015

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Mr Switch

LEVITATE: birmingham music week

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Brum Notes Magazine

Birmingham has a new week-long celebration of its bustling music scene, Levitate. David Vincent explains what it’s all about.

Birmingham has consistently produced great musical talent, but the explosion of the last two or three years has marked a significant highpoint.

The national and international success of Laura Mvula, Peace, Swim Deep and others continues to ripple across the city, inspiring new bands and singers and revitalising older ones, while the continued popularity of live music is reflected in the vast number of quality venues. And it’s this broad wave of creativity and enthusiasm that’s the fuel behind Levitate: Birmingham Music Week (Monday, February 23 to Sunday, March 1).

Unlike other metropolitan music festivals, such as the three-day Liverpool Sound City or mighty SXSW in Austin Texas, Levitate’s aim is simply to showcase and raise the profile of the bands, organisations and venues that make up Brum’s music scene, and encourage creativity.

Across the week we’re promised a rich variety of gigs and other activities at various venues including the O2 Academy, The Jam House, The Glee Club, The Rainbow, The Sunflower Lounge, Town Hall, Symphony Hall, and the Hare & Hounds among others, plus discounts from key musicrelated retailers. At the time of going to press, it’s all hush-hush, but full details will be revealed during February via the Levitate website – and it’s all looking very exciting indeed. There’s also the publication of the Birmingham Music Map to look out for – a venue-centric crowdfunded musical sister to the Birmingham Art Map (a quarterly map highlighting the city’s galleries and exhibitions), which will be available at key venues, with a dynamic version online.

At the core of the week is a two-part all-dayer at The Custard Factory (Thursday, February 26), which begins with a music conference (Levitate Summit), and concludes with a gig (Levitate Live).

Levitate Summit (10am-5pm, The Old Library, Custard Factory) finds industry experts and musicians debating and examining the challenges

facing the city’s music industry, with the lofty aims of encouraging collaboration, building relationships, and developing new models for a stronger, better future. Panels include Destination Birmingham, which compares our live music economy to that of other international cities, and Collaborate To Levitate, where Shambala Festival’s Jon Walsh explores partnership working. Acts and organisations who’ve found success outside of the West Midlands’ boundaries share their stories for Brum and Beyond, while The Future Of Live Music has Beverley Whitrick (Music Venue Trust), Zoe Hinks (Roadhouse Birmingham) and Adam Regan (Hare & Hounds) discuss the value of independent venues.

Tessa Burwood, Levitate: Birmingham Music Week’s project manager, said the summit was based on the conviction that, “by working together and sharing expertise, the sector can help itself become even more resilient.

“Promoters, musicians, producers, labels and venues alike will start with nothing except passion, and those who stay the course to make a career out of this art form often do so despite the odds – as if by magic.”

The day’s discussions conclude with Levitate Live (7pm–12am, The Oobleck), a five-hour free concert hosted by Listening Sessions, in partnership with Kambe Events and Creative Hertz, with a lineup that spans 50s rock’n’roll, 70s hardcore punk, East/West fusion and contemporary beats.

Joining headlining punk legends GBH (turn the page for our interview with them) are songwriter Jo Hamilton, tabla player Mendi Singh, The Frenzies and Mr Switch.

Since making a name for herself in the city, the last decade has seen singer-songwriter and composer Jo Hamilton’s career spread out across Europe, Asia and North America. The smoothness of her voice coupled with her desire for experimentation has resulted in comparisons with both KD Lang and Bjork. Though an advocate of the AirPiano

“Promoters, musicians, producers, labels and venues alike will start with nothing except passion, and those who stay the course to make a career out of this art form often do so despite the odds – as if by magic.”

February 2015

(essentially an electronic instrument played by hand motion), last year saw Jo write and perform with a traditional brass band, material from which forms the basis of her forthcoming second album, Fractals Sparks.

Tabla player Mendi Singh’s CV includes “the world’s first Tabla Concerto”, and performances alongside Peter Gabriel, Pandit Shalil Shankar, Birmingham Conservatoire’s Percussion Ensemble, a samurai and Irish folkie and flutist Ríoghnach Connolly. He’s also shared a stage with Paul McCartney and toured across South America.

‘Retro-reverb rockabilly surf riders’ The Frenzies offer an eclectric take on 50s musical genres with such flat-top friendly twang-tastic sounds as The Trashmen’s Surfin’ Bird, Dale Hawkin’s Suzie Q and Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues, by way of Link Wray and Dick Dale.

Mr Switch (aka Anthony John Culverwell, and previously known as DJ Switch) has been bringing a bit of showmanship to the turntables since the early 2000s. The first DJ to take part in BBC Proms, as part of Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra back in 2011, Switch is a three times World Supremacy Champion and the reigning DMC World DJ Champion – bringing the title back to Blighty for the first time in 14 years.

Based in Brum, and regularly bestowed ‘legend’ status by his peers. “I love taking a track and creating an entirely new one just from re-arranging the beats live – and advancing that in terms of technicality and making the performance engaging,” says the man himself. Don’t miss your chance to catch that performance in all its glory.

Levitate: Birmingham Music Week runs from February 23 to March 1, 2015, at venues across the city. Levitate Live is at The Oobleck in The Custard Factory on February 26. For full listings and more information on special events, see www.youcanlevitate.com, facebook.com/ youcanlevitate or Twitter @youcanlevitate.

Photo by Andy Hughes

13

Homegrown hardcore legends GBH are a fitting choice to headline Birmingham’s newest musical festival, Levitate, showcasing their own brand of raw, edgy punk that has fed on their city’s energy for more than 30 years. Josh Allen finds a band still bristling with passion.

“I suppose you get more realistic with time, find your limits. But we still hold the same basic views as when we started.” Colin Abrahall is still enjoying life as lead singer of Birmingham hardcore legends GBH, a job he describes as being the third best in the music industry “after Bono’s accountant and Susan Boyle’s guitar tech guy.”

The band will be playing their home city as part of Levitate, the new week-long exploration of Birmingham’s music scene in all its creative diversity, taking place from February 23 to March 1.

Ahead of this chance to showcase punk’s contribution to the music scene in the city, Colin is keen to share his memories of what it’s been like spending the best part of 40 years at the bleeding edge of the global Oi! scene.

“We never thought of anything in the long term, just next gig, next rehearsal,” he says. He’s reminiscing about the band’s early days, shortly after their formation in 1979 as Charged GBH, when alongside fellow British street punks The Exploited, Discharge and Broken Bones, they were plucked off the streets of a de-industrialising and economically depressed Britain and into a life of, “touring all over the world, seeing so many sights, meeting so many different types of people…

“Did we ever imagine that we’d still be doing it after more than 30 years? No! But,” he laughs, “if you don’t die, you get old don’t you?”

14

Given Levitate’s particular focus on the Birmingham music scene, especially how its past and present can inform its future development, it seems fitting to reflect on how Birmingham shaped GBH’s sound.

elder statesman of the Birmingham scene, he is concerned that the easy availability of music today is fundamentally re-engineering people’s relationship with popular music. The worry is that people no longer value music like they used to.

Jungle 5th March, Leamington “When I was younger I would listen to John Peel, “I guess–[Birmingham is] noisey.

BirminghamSpa is Assembly heard a song I likedInstitute I would get on a bus, travoften compared with Detroit in the US, ” he says, Jesus and Mary Chain – 25th February,if IBirmingham with both cities once being great motor manufac- el into town, go to a record shop, buy the record, Charli XCX – 2nd April, Birmingham Institute turing centres with strong working class musical then I’d read every inch of the sleeve on the jourBelle & Sebastian Birmingham Symphony Hall ney home, then once home I could play the record. traditions.

“You had to – be10th loud toMay, make yourself heard above the sound of industry…Not that too much ‘industry’ is going on in either place now.”

Today a kid could just press a button and get the same just like that, without all the care and effort.”

It’s clear to even the most casual of listeners how the rawness of Birmingham’s industrial past has fed into GBH’s trademark hard, fast sound, something the band shares with the, otherwise very different, earlier generation of heavy metal musicians, such as Black Sabbath, who emerged in the early 1970s. That said, Colin reckons that the most quintessentially Brummie aspect of GBH is that the band shows through their lyrics and stage presence that they “have a sense of humour.”

All that said he retains a healthy punk animosity towards nostalgia and the tendency to mythologise musicians and scenes (“there seems to be some sort of anniversary all the time now doesn’t there?”). For GBH’s part they are “still learning, still discovering new bands” and constantly working to refine and develop their sound.

But there have undoubtedly been changes to the music business during GBH’s 30-plus years on the scene, with the rise of the internet not just affecting the ability for musicians to make a living, but also the determination for people to seek out music they love. “Everything seems a bit too easy and throwaway nowadays,” says Colin. As an

For all their sound’s brutishness and attitude, with their awareness both of themselves and their place within Birmingham’s musical canon, GBH are a fitting choice to inspire the next wave of musicians in the city. And apart from that, they’re still one hell of a live act to watch.

GBH headline Levitate Live at The Oobleck, The Custard Factory, on February 26.

See www.youcanlevitate.com for more details.

Brum Notes Magazine

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February 2015

FIND US ON

15

arts & culture

New Art West Midlands 2015 Michael Carr, A Message to You Rudy (2014)

It’s time for New Art West Midlands 2015, the third annual round-up of the creative talent bursting forth from the region’s art schools. Dan Cooper-Gavin surveys this year’s cohort, including the Coventry artist rooted in ska and troubled by the iPhone.

Much has been made recently of the strength of the West Midlands’ arts scene, one of the factors that’s apparently prompting disenchanted Londoners to pack up and head for the M40. For proof positive of the embarrassment of riches to be found here, look no further than New Art West Midlands 2015. Spread across four of the region’s finest venues – the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, the Barber Institute in Edgbaston, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Coventry’s Herbert Art Gallery & Museum – a total of 30 emerging artists will be on display, all having graduated from a fine art degree course in the West Midlands over the past three years.

streets in order to accommodate his image. But Golding and his band also had a fundamental effect on daily life in the city. “In terms of racial tensions within Coventry, they were quite prominent,” says Carr, who has dual black/Irish heritage. “There were certain areas of the city where we couldn’t walk past, we would walk all the way round the other side of the city. When the rude boy styling came in, you saw groups of people who weren’t affiliated merging together, which broke racial tensions in a lot of respects.

It brought people together, which is what it does all over the place, but for me growing up, it was more evident.”

One of those who has made the cut for NAWM 2015 is Michael Carr. His signature piece, A Message To You Rudy, takes the form of a street map of Coventry, with an inked silhouette of The Specials’ Lynval Golding appearing amidst the city streets. “Music’s embedded in the environment, I think,” says Carr, “and it’s something that’s taken for granted. There’s a term called psychogeography, which town planners use to denote how an environment would make you feel, and I think music is such a key component in that dynamic.

It’s often taken for granted that we look at architecture or stuff like that.”

On display at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for NAWM 2015, Carr’s work not only demonstrates music’s supreme importance, but it also confronts aspects of music that are in decline.

His piece Lyrical Genocide, inspired in part by the Gregory Porter track Musical Genocide, references what Carr sees as the deterioration of the quality of lyrics, while also rueing the downside of download culture. “When you play a record, even if you’re not a musician yourself, there’s a physical interaction with the music, whereas now everything’s on our iPod or Spotify, and it’s a more instantaneous push-button exchange. I think it’s great that everybody has more access to music, I think that’s a phenomenal thing, but if you bought a record, it was like you had an object, a piece of art, almost.”

It’s fitting that Golding should be the musician who features in the map – literally so, since Carr didn’t have to adjust the contours of any of the 16

And then there’s the inferior audio quality of the MP3 format, something that Carr feels is symptomatic of the modern age. “In the compression of music, there has to be a loss in the exchange. Even in terms of language, the abbreviations that we use within text messages, they’ve been squashed down, they’ve been forever compressed. I’m interested in what’s lost in that transaction.”

Carr appreciates the importance of the New Art West Midlands initiative, and his inclusion this year. “I really think it’s essential, because there’s so much talent in the Midlands which is not being represented on the larger scale, so I think it’s essential for launching people’s careers. It’s so important for me to be part of this, to create a platform to engage in dialogues with different artists or curators. And exposure, as well – I think it’s a platform for exposure that has been lacking somewhat in the Midlands. By being exposed to other people’s work, it helps you grow as an artist. Like music, if art creates dialogues between people, it’s done its job, I think, much in the same fact that ska in the 70s brought together people of different mindsets.

Music, like life, is temporal, and both have impact beyond the moment.”

Michael Carr’s work will be on display at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from 13 February to 17 May 2015.

Brum Notes Magazine

Barber Institute Dan Auluk draws influence from German spy film The Lives of Others – in his performance piece of the same name, he sits at a typewriter, recording overheard snatches of conversation.

Jodie Wingham is concerned with surveillance of a different kind, with her manipulated photographs turning the viewer into a voyeur. Glenys Shirley’s work is a fascinating exploration of the faddishness of good taste and the volatility of the distinction between high art and low art. There are also stark dichotomies at play in the striking aesthetics of Kathleen Fabre’s sculptures – while speaking of striking aesthetics, Alexandra Darby’s photographic series Chrysophobia is a highly visual exploration of the fear of the colour orange.

Alexandra Darby, Chrysophobia #1 (2014)

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Concerns of materiality abound, with Yasmin Rennie creating tangible objects out of scientific and mathematical data, while Jennifer Shufflebotham’s repurposing of old photographic slides calls into question the disposability of digital culture. James Turner is also in the business of repurposing, taking reproductions of 19th-century paintings from BMAG’s collection and turning them into sci-fi themed light boxes.

Meanwhile, there are performance pieces from Emma Starkey, who explores endurance and the limits of the human body, and Sarah Thorley, who concerns herself with low-status jobs and the role of the artist.

Kathleen Fabre, What the Water Gave Me (2013)

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

Glenys Shirley, Conspiracy to undermine II (2013)

Jakub Ceglarz’s installation H/S Conversations combines concepts of writing and filmmaking to investigate the limitations of the written and spoken word, while Josh Hazell’s film Man. Machine. explores our increasing dependency on technology. Megan Sheridan’s street photography makes for a light-hearted portrayal of British communities, while Amanda Pearce’s Probability 75 was originally a site-specific piece for Brum’s Pen Museum, referencing the fact that, at one time, 75 per cent of words written worldwide were etched with a pen made in Birmingham.

Jennifer Shufflebotham, Foremark Reservoir II (2014)

Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Jade Blackstock, In, in, in (2014)

Shijie Hai, Catsmountain (2014)

Ephemerality is the order of the day in Wolverhampton. Sevven Kucuk’s intimate, highly symbolic photography seeks to capture fleeting moments, while Camilla Searle’s constructions combine video and found materials to explore concepts of entropy and precariousness. Jessica Holt’s sculptures are so minimal they’re barely there, while Shijie Hai’s books and comics directly oppose e-reader culture, with the main draw being the texture of the paper itself.

New Art West Midlands 2015 is open now at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. The exhibitions at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery open on February 13, and at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum on February 14. For more details, visit www.newartwestmidlands.org.

February 2015

17

clubbing

LEFTFOOT: 15 and counting

(LtoR) Adam Regan and Matt Beck of Leftfoot. Photo by Jack Spicer Adams

Leftfoot have been bringing left-of-centre club nights, groundbreaking DJs and live acts to Birmingham for 15 years. We caught up with head honcho and Hare & Hounds owner Adam Regan to find out more about one of the Second City’s most respected clubbing brands.

What can you tell us about the first ever Leftfoot show?

It was at the end of January in 2000 and was the first event in the newly opened club space at the Medicine Bar. I think the paint was still wet when we were setting up. We booked Keb Darge who had released some amazing rare funk albums that we were really into. He’s a real character and a brilliant DJ so the night went pretty well, as far as I can remember.

And how did Leftfoot first come about?

I was running a record label called Different Drummer with Richard Whittingham (DJ Dick/Rockers Hi-Fi) and we used to get booked to play all over Europe at various events. The ethos seemed totally different to what we were used to in Birmingham, so we thought we’d have a go at recreating that vibe. Nights like Electric Chair in Manchester and Fungle Junk in Birmingham were also a big influence. We wanted to be able to play house and disco alongside soul, funk, latin, reggae and all the new hybrids like broken beat, early dubstep, 18

2-step etcetera. Basically anything we were into at the time.

moment with lots of creative, passionate people with crowds who love the music.

Did you ever think it would still be going 15 years later?

There were plenty of times when it seemed like it wasn’t going to be worth doing anymore, but something always convinced me to carry on. Hearing new music that excites me has always been one of the main reasons. Being able to share music with a room full of like-minded people will never lose it’s appeal. It’s still as much of a buzz as when I first started, to be honest.

And has the ethos of Leftfoot changed or is it still the same as it was back then?

It’s exactly the same. We put on nights that we want to go to. Being able to get a busy room is obviously part of the thinking as there’s no point booking some super-obscure DJ who nobody wants to come and listen to, but at the same time you have to take some chances along the way.

Gaslamp Killer was a perfect example. He played to 80 people on a Thursday night in Venue 2 (at the Hare & Hounds) and blew people’s minds.

And the same could be said about artists like Fatima, Ghostpoet and Mr Scruff. They all played to relatively small crowds when they first came to Birmingham but now do really well.

How much has the Birmingham clubbing and music scene changed in that time?

It’s got a hell of a lot better. The Birmingham club scene was full of glam house and trance nights back then, and big beat. There seem to be more venues and promoters who put music first and follow their passion. The late 90s/early 00s was all about making a quick buck and the vibe was completely lost. But we’re in a good place at the

How have the shows or artists you work with evolved over the years?

We started off as a DJ-based club night in the early days, but since taking over the Hare & Hounds, Brum Notes Magazine

we’ve booked a lot more live bands. Since Matt Beck joined the company we’ve probably gone back more towards the DJ-based nights as he likes to be able to stand behind them dropping peace-bombs in a jumper.

And what ambitions do you have moving forwards? Still planning on promoting shows in another 15 years?

I’ll be nearly 60 in 15 years so it might all become a bit too Peter Stringfellow? If I’m still running the Hare & Hounds, someone will no doubt be running Leftfoot nights too. Matt and Tom (Hopkins, fellow Leftfoot team members) will actually be my age now (44) in 15 years so that’s a good omen surely? Or maybe one of my kids will take it on?

What have been your proudest moments or highlights in that time?

The Bonobo show at The Institute last year was pretty special. He’s become a huge star now but he’s no different to the day I met him. Mr Scruff and Floating Points played two nights back to back last year and compared the vibes to Plastic People, which was a massive compliment. And the Leftfoot team winning last year’s Red Bull Culture Clash was fantastic.

Amp Fiddler performing at a previous Leftfoot night. Photo by Wayne Fox

“Losing money on expensive shows is always a wounder but meeting artists you admire who turn out to be proper bell-ends is pretty upsetting too. One particular hip hop legend springs to mind. ”

And any lows you care to share?

Losing money on expensive shows is always a wounder but meeting artists you admire who turn out to be proper bell-ends is pretty upsetting too.

One particular hip hop legend springs to mind.

And what about new DJs and promoters in Birmingham, who excites you the most for 2015?

I think 2015 is going to be a big year for Sam Redmore. He’s been getting a lot of love from BBC 6 Music and even played a set on Craig Charles’ NYE show. Mark E is another of our residents who has a big year ahead of him. Promoter-wise there seems to be some good things

happening at NextDoor and Shadow City have got the right attitude.

Leftfoot favourite Gilles Peterson. Photo by Wayne Fox

Photo by Jack Spicer Adders

February 2015

What can you tell us about the 15th anniversary celebrations and shows lined up for February?

On February 6 we’re collaborating with This Is Tmrw to bring Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard to the Hare & Hounds for a five-hour set. Pete Rock will be taking things in a more hip hop, funk and jazz direction on Feb 21 and then onto March with Mercury-nominated jazz trio, GoGo Penguin and Wolf Music’s Medlar (in collaboration with Shadow City) playing on March 13. We’ve just confirmed a massive show at the Rainbow Warehouse for March 20 but don’t think we’re allowed to release that just yet. Joey Negro, Young Fathers, Ghostpoet and loads more to be announced in the coming weeks, including a Leftfoot Boat Party at the Garden Festival in Croatia with Bonobo.

For more information on the Leftfoot 15th Anniversary shows visit www.leftfootevents.co.uk.

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WE CAN WORK IT OUT Pushing the boundaries of ambient, classical and electronica, music’s a ‘broad church’ for composer, performer and serial collaborator Ólafur Arnalds. David Vincent listens in.

One of the most acclaimed TV dramas in recent years, Broadchurch, returned to our screens in January, continuing to explore the lives of those touched by a community-breaking murder. Picking up the story straight after the incidents of season one, the second series reunites David Tennant and Oliver Coleman, with another atmospheric soundtrack courtesy of composer Ólafur Arnalds.

As the mystery unfolds, Ólafur confesses he – like everyone connected with the production – is sworn to complete secrecy when it comes to characters and plotlines. But having picked up a BAFTA for season one’s soundtrack, he does admit, musically at least, things are a little different second time around.

“I think what I can say without getting into trouble is that I’m approaching this one differently than the first season, where I related themes to key characters and hid little plot clues in the process,” he says, when nudged. “Now I’m working more broadly with different storylines, reinforcing the sense of Broadchurch – pulling things together that may seem disconnected.”

It’s far from the first soundtrack outing for Ólafur, whose music has featured in such flicks as Hunger Games, 300: Rise of an Empire, Gimme Shelter and Another Happy Day. 20

“Film is easier, for sure,” he says of the TV vs film comparison, “at least when the TV show has 30–40 minutes of music every week. Because of the sheer amount of musical cues in a TV show like Broadchurch (around 100 in each season) and the crazy deadlines it becomes a big logistical nightmare. I need the help of assistants, co-arrangers and editors in order to deliver everything on time. So I guess the process becomes a bit more mechanical. While usually, while working on a film, I can spend more time on my own, just letting my mind wander for days on each cue.”

Hailing from the town of Mosfellsbær, a few kilometres outside of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, Ólafur’s work straddles electronica, classical and ambient. Since releasing his debut album Eulogy for Evolution in 2007, he’s toured with fellow Icelanders Sigur Ros, composed and released a track daily for a week (twice) and scored a ballet.

His most recent release is the techno-flavoured Kiasmos’s self-titled album, part of an on-going side project collaboration with Janus Rasmussen.

“I’m working more broadly with different storylines, reinforcing the sense of Broadchurch – pulling things together that may seem disconnected.”

Ólafur says that the process of collaboration has a huge influence on the direction of the music, with Kiasmos’ eponymous release a very different collection to their 2012 EP, Thrown.

“It became more organised,” Ólafur explains on how the project has changed between activity.

Brum Notes Magazine

“We do music now with a bigger purpose than only passing time on Saturday nights. We work with the aim of it being released now, and have to keep in mind our live shows, which are growing very fast and changing the way we work.”

Despite Ólafur’s career trajectory, there are still plans for future Kiasmos releases.

“We are already in the studio playing around with new ideas. But it might be a while until they will be heard by anyone else than us.”

The immediate challenge for Ólafur is his 13-date solo European tour, which includes a date in the small coastal town of Bridport (aka Broadchurch) alongside Dublin, London, Stuttgart, Istanbul and Birmingham.

“I’m planning to focus on my soundtrack material and mostly Broadchurch,” he says of what he’ll be performing. “I still haven’t put together the setlist, but I’ll be rearranging most of the songs for the live setup, which is rather different from my recording setup. We will have a string quartet, a brass trio, electronics and piano.”

Immediately after the tour, in March, comes The Chopin Project, Ólafur’s collaboration with Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott. “It’s based on this rather grand idea I had about trying to reinvent the way classical music is recorded and presented. It has some similarities with the Deutsche Grammophon ‘Recomposed’ series [which saw Max Richter tackle Vivaldi’s Four Seasons] but a different approach. We are saving more details until the announcement, which will be soon,” he teases, adding his classical label hooked him up with Alice. “I asked my people at Mercury Classics who would be the perfect classical pianist for this project and they suggested Alice. And they were right, she was perfect for this. We [have become] great friends and worked very well together.

“It was quite easy for us,” he continues, referring to how they worked together. “We are both rather chilled and we have many common interests – such as Japanese whisky. So this all came quite naturally. Our roles were quite clear with Alice being the performer on the record and me the producer/composer. But we both encouraged mixing the roles sometimes. I play piano on one song and she suggested a lot of production elements to the album. The way a real collaboration should be.” Ólafur Arnalds is live at The Glee Club, Birmingham, on February 24. Kiasmos’s Kiasmos is out now via Erased Tapes, while the Broadchurch soundtrack is out now via Mercury Classics.

February 2015

21

StilL pumping on YOUR stereo

Critics have been calling new album Matador a masterpiece, but Gaz Coombes says he just set out to make a record he was into. David Vincent finds out more from the former Supergrass frontman.

“This is the sort of shit I listen to. It’s me exposing myself emotionally I guess” 22

Brum Notes Magazine

If early reviews for Gaz Coombe’s second solo album, Matador, are any indication, then 2015 looks like being a good year for the fella. Fanatical and gushing praise, and four or fivestars abound, all of which has taken the Oxfordshire songwriter by complete surprise.

“I skim the reviews but I don’t read them all, but they’ve been great. They were unexpected,” he says. “It’s always hard when you spend so much time on something, it’s such a solitary experience, making a record, then you have to hand it over: ‘Hey! It’s done! What do you think?’ It’s an odd concept – handing something over for people to judge.”

For those expecting ‘Supergrass Lite’, Matador may come as a substantial surprise, musically diverse and filled with personal references (Seven Walls, for example, recalls young romance).

“It’s very hard to comment on personal things,” says Gaz. “There’re lots of approaches and various moods I wanted to get across. It’s very personal.

“I just wanted to make a record that I’m into – the song structures I like. This is the sort of shit I listen to. It’s me exposing myself emotionally I guess…I dunno…fuck it!” he laughs. “It’s best not to look at a thing too hard.”

Former frontman of 90s Britpop scamps Supergrass, the band are best remembered for such plucky, upbeat, joyful hits as Caught by the Fuzz, Alright, Mansize Rooster, the thrashing Richard III, and Muppet-tastic Pumping On Your Stereo (though later releases, such as Road to Rouen show a different side). The quartet split in 2010 with Gaz releasing Here Come the Bombs, as Gaz Coombes Presents, in 2012.

“That first album [is] very much me trying to feel my way, and this second one feels like a solo artist,” he says. “After being in a band for 20 years, you have to ask yourself, ‘what’s my voice? What lights my candle?’ There were lots of experiments on the first album.”

Of the Gaz Coombes Presents tag, he explains: “It was a good plan. I’m glad I did it as Presents. I had an idea to do three albums under that moniker. But as I put out Buffalo at the end of 2013 as Gaz Coombes, it felt like [something] new, like the beginning of a second album. I felt confident doing it as ‘Gaz Coombes’.

“In hindsight, I was probably dipping my toes in, ‘Presents’ was a transition from coming out of a band for 20 years and admitting that, maybe, it was not fully formed.”

Percussive, lilting, seemingly drifting yet anthemic, Buffalo rightly opens Matador.

“Buffalo, To The Wire and The Girl Who Fell to Earth, I wrote within a couple of weeks. I knew it was a different vibe to what I’d done before. That really fuelled me to get the record done. I produced and ended up mixing it, I was very uncertain with that side of making a record, but the response [to Buffalo] gave me the confidence to move forward. I can produce and mix the record! I had all the songs in my head…I just had to translate that to the listener, and I felt that I could do that myself.”

February 2015

With Beck, Neu!, Goat, Iggy Pop, Grizzly Bear, classical music and Disney scores all cited as references, Matador’s tunes eschew the traditional verse/chorus format for something less predictable, more elaborate, intricate, fabricated.

“There’s less going on than you’d think,” corrects Gaz. “In many ways, this record is a lot simpler than the first record. I wanted to have it more structured. Detroit is just guitar, bass and drums. Buffalo is just Mellotron, drums, piano. There are definitely parts with five or six instruments playing, but I wanted to keep it with a three-piece core. Of course, there’s ‘magic dusting’ on top in a few places, but live, I know a three-piece can do the songs. We’ve been rehearsing in my studio for the tour and the rehearsals sound great. The overdubs live I can get across differently. I’m excited about using loops from the record live…live, we have more flexibility.

“The arrangements seem quite obvious to me,” he continues. “Like 20/20, I wanted to go from section to section, where it leads from one to the other. When they hear it, people have said it has ‘an interesting structure’, it’s a ‘rich soundscape’…but to me it’s instinctive songwriting. It didn’t take weeks, months to mould it, it came out like that. That’s the ideal scenario – sounding quite complex, but it’s actually really simple.”

Matador’s cover shot depicts Gaz aghast, eyes and mouth wide open, hands seemingly fixed in a specific pose. It’s a black and white image which brings to mind David Bowie’s Heroes – though that wasn’t the aim.

“It was an accident,” Gaz says of the photograph, which was captured by celeb snapper Rankin. “I had a few references, but not particularly Bowie. I guess the composition is similar, but it was just a mad, spontaneous moment. I looked up.

Rankin captured it. He loved it. The minute he’d taken it, he knew it was what he wanted. I was just taking direction from him – I was his bitch for the afternoon.”

As Gaz prepares to head out on tour, rehearsal setlists focus solely on solo material – though he has been known to drop in the odd Supergrass classic when the mood takes him.

“As a rule of thumb, I’m not playing Supergrass songs as it does the boys a disservice, if I play those songs they deserve to be played as Supergrass,” he says. “But…occasionally…I might play a song I’m particularly proud of, but I’ll play it by ear.”

Given the response to Matador, and the fact that he wrote, played, and recorded pretty well everything, it’s understandable that Gaz is keen to push it hard rather than rest on past laurels.

“Everything has been moving towards this point for me,” he enthuses. “I’m really excited about the future. I can sense album number three on the horizon already.”

Gaz Coombes is live at The Glee Club, Birmingham, on February 9. Matador is out now via Hot Fruit Recordings/ Caroline.

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PRESENTS

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SAT 31ST JAN INDEPENDENT VENUE WEEK SHOW: SKABUCKS w/special guests LOBSTER (£6) SUN 1ST INDEPENDENT VENUE WEEK SHOW: Enlightened Promotions and Latem Music presents: ‘SECOND CITY SHOWDOWN’ (3pm Doors) Ft: ONE LIFE LEFT + ERADIKATOR + SILENCE THE WEAK + BESIDE ALL HOPE + STRANGER IN DEATH + PANSPERMIA + KILLING WITH VENGEANCE + ENRAPTURED + OFFSHORE + DEATH OF A FALLEN ANGEL w/support from MIDLANDS METALHEADS RADIO (£6) WED 4TH Live Lounge (5pm-6pm): ‘ALL-STAR VOCALS’: Group Singing Lessons ( 7-18 yrs) THU 5TH Main Room: SATSUMA PROMOTIONS Presents: WAKE UP CALL + GLASS BULLET + THE 3RD DEGREE + PURPLE STEREO (£4) | Live Lounge: ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC w/AIDAN BYRNE (free) FRI 6TH COLDPLACE: A tribute to COLDPLAY w/support from psych-pop 4 piece, PLEASURE HOUSE (£6 ADV / £7) SAT 7TH ‘JAKE & ELWOOD’: BLUES BROTHERS TRIBUTE (£10) TUE 10TH SCHOOL OF ROCK & POP SHOWCASE (£6 DOORS / £4 CONCESSION) WED 11TH Live Lounge (5pm-6pm): ‘ALL-STAR VOCALS’: Group Singing Lessons (7-18 yrs) TH THU 12 Main Room: EMBRACE THE CHAOS PROMOTIONS Ft: JOHN-JOE MURRAY + PHULLOPIUM DUDE + JOE COOK + ZARK + CHINSNIFFER (£4 ADV/£5 OTD) Live Lounge: ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC w/HELEN JONES (free) FRI 13TH THE TREMBLING WILBURYS w/support BANGFORD (£6 ADV / £7 OTD) SAT 14TH SOUL JUNCTION VALENTINES SPECIAL w/support SOULSHINE (£5 ADV / £6 OTD) SUN 15TH SOUND SHARE Presents: THE BEAST IS BACK (3pm Doors) Ft: LET VENGEANCE RISE + BEFORE THE STORY ENDS + DIVIDED SILENCE + ALMOST EASY + HEARTFIRE + MEMMORY IN THE MAKING + SAMSARA + MILITIA INC + METHODEMIC(£6 ADV / £7 OTD) WED 18TH Live Lounge (5pm-6pm): ‘ALL-STAR VOCALS’: Group Singing Lessons (7-18 yrs) THU 19TH Main Room: BLOODY SUNDAY PROMOTIONS Presents: ‘JEFF AID 2015’ Ft: TUSSK + SEXWOLF! + SWAMP DONKEY + S.E.X + ARAMANTUS + BEFORE THE STORY ENDS to raise money for the Community First Responders (£5) | Live Lounge: ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC w/TIM WALKERDINE (free) FRI 20TH ‘JON LORD TRIBUTE SPECIAL’: DOUBLE HEADER Ft: BOX’O’SNAKES + PURE PURPLE (£6 ADV / £7 OTD) SAT 21ST LIZZIE & THE BANSHEES w/special guests ROTUNDA + EASTFIELD + GENERATION N(£5 ADV / £7 OTD) SUN 22ND RN BOOKINGS and HOUSE OF PAIN PROMOTIONS Presents: ROCK & METAL ALL-DAYER (3pm Doors) Ft: VEXXEN + OF BLUE SKIES AND YOUTH + TORCH THE WITNESS + ENRAPTURED + PANSPERMIA + SCREAM BLUE MURDER + MAGDALEN BRIDGE + LIGHT THE SKIES + DEATH KINDLY WAITS FOR ME + BESIDE ALL HOPE (£5 ADV / £6 OTD) WED 25TH Live Lounge (5pm-6pm): ‘ALL-STAR VOCALS’: Group Singing Lessons ( 7-18 yrs) TH THU 26 Main Room: ROADLIVE SESSIONS Presents: CROWS & CROSSES + THE VECTORS + RUSTLUNG (£4 ADV/£5 OTD) | Live Lounge: ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC w/IAN BEVAN (FREE) FRI 27TH JILTED GENERATION: the World’s Only Full live PRODIGY Tribute Band: w/support from BROKEN CHAKRA (£6 ADV / £7 OTD) SAT 28TH THE HAIR ROCK EXPERIENCE w/support from WILDSIDE RIOT (£5) LIVE LOUNGE OPEN MIC COMEDY ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC EVERY MONDAY WITH EVERY THURSDAY HANNAH SILVESTER TheGuitarShow-Half-BrumNotes.pdf

February 2015

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27/01/2015

15:19

MAIN GIG ROOM OPEN MIC EVERY MONDAY WITH BEN DALBY

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Brum Notes Magazine

The recent darlings of Birmingham’s music scene, Peace are back with their second album and a string of sold-out shows. Matthew Burdon meets a band ready to show off their funky side.

Peace mean a lot of things to a lot people in a lot of places. Both an inspiration to armies of guitarwielding bands and a group successfully capturing the melancholia as well as the euphoria of modern life. However, to many from Birmingham they mean even more – they’re a reminder of how much we have to offer. While Peace may not take all the credit, you’d have a hard time denying that they played a huge part in the recent renaissance of guitar music in the Midlands.

Now two years on from their debut In Love, Peace are set to release their sophomore effort Happy People, a name which, in frontman Harrison Koisser’s words, is “a suited title to the happier songs, and juxtaposes the sadder ones.”

the Blockheads were really funky, that was more the stuff we were listening to.

“Then I thought it’d be cool to let our sound be affected in some places. World Pleasure could have been full-on Uptown Funk vibe but we let it get really gritty and then for some reason got a string section on it, which sort of developed into this thing, like let’s embrace a bit of funk in with this, let’s let us affect us a little bit…There’s loads of stuff that we’ve let seep in a bit.”

use it on his bass, stuff like that and we just play around kind of cooking this big thing. Then there’s the writing the lyrics which is kind of me alone sat around being melancholy.”

But while Harrison takes the lead with songwriting, there are still very much four people making their presence felt on the album.

“I just write lyrics and melodies,” he says, “that’s the serious bit for me, when I’m writing. Touring last year I didn’t go out at all and I just stayed in hotels writing lyrics and melodies and making little demos. Then we get to the studio and it’s like ‘right let’s get this together’.”

GET hAPpy

A second album is daunting for many reasons, it’s got to solidify itself as unique in its own right but not lose the magic of the first that got so many people to buy into the band in the first place.

Change is unavoidable, however, as Harrison points out. “I guess there’s a bit more conscious lyric writing from me. I think before it was just so absent minded. I was just literally vomiting lyrics.

But, yeah, I think that just comes from growing up a bit, I don’t know much. Just looking at what’s going on.”

While the new record certainly represents a development, to the frontman it doesn’t feel like alien territory.

“The first time Columbia saw us they were like, ‘you’re like funk-grunge’. Which, as cringey as it sounds, it wasn’t that far off what we were.

As unconscious as it was, what we were always trying to do is make the bass as funky as possible while making the guitars as heavy and screamy as possible.”

Nevertheless it seems that Happy People is more funk than grunge, unlike In Love. “Maybe we let ourselves be a bit more literal with it,” Harrison admits. “Literal’s the wrong word because I’m not talking about speaking or words, but you know, we were referencing a little bit of Blondie’s sound, loads of James Brown, The Clash at their funkiest like Magnificent Seven. Then in the same way how other genres were affected by the funk. Ian Dury &

“It’s hard not to I guess,” adds drummer Dom Boyce, prompting Harrison to look back over the time leading up to this album, reflecting on that conscious decision to embrace those other influences.

“I can almost pin-point it in my head,” continues the singer, pensively. “There was a DJ set I did at the Birmingham Academy, where I played Breathe by The Prodigy, which I had randomly on CD somewhere, and I think if I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have written Happy People in the same way. Cos I was listening to that drum beat when I was DJing, and when we went in to do Happy People we were kind of like ‘let’s bring a little bit of that sort of vibe’. Not necessarily that song, but you know the original version of that song which was quite quiet. There’s a lot of that on the record.

“We could probably go backwards through the record and find what dressing room we were in when somebody put on something which made a song sound a certain way, but it’d be incredibly boring to read and a really long process to go through.”

To Harrison the music and the lyrics are separate things, however.

“I always write the lyrics in a different place. The lyrics, that’s a separate thing to the music, which is really the fun bit. The music is the fun and the lyrics, that’s the therapy of it.

“I kind of let the fun side of it make all the music together. That’s the bit where we let stuff in and try stuff out and read about what other people have done. For example, we find out that Alex James had a certain guitar pedal and make Sam

“I think it’s probably fair to say that a song doesn’t become a Peace song until the four of us play it,” explains Dom. “Yeah, if I went in with three session musicians and got to boss them about from the same demos, they’d be completely different songs than if we went in all together,” admits Harrison.

“There’d be far less ego if you did it like that, it’d be probably be better,” laughs Dom. This ego may be the key to the boundless personality that emanates from Peace’s music, but it can make the studio feel a bit stressful, according to Harrison. “Recording the album was good. It was a bit more strained than last time. We’d all grown up a bit and got opinionated, and we all had shit going on, and we were recording in proper studios for like a day and then you go home and then you do another day. When you’re in a studio residentially you’re just in the zone the whole time. You’re going home to shit and come back. The next day you don’t want to do fuck all until 5pm sat around being in a mood in the middle of Soho. It had some moments that were a bit strained but the record actually came out really well. We put a lot into it, sacrificed a lot to make this record.

“Weird how much you learn making an album, about life and stuff…love and stuff.”

Happy People by Peace is out on February 9 via Columbia Records.

“There was a DJ set I did at the Birmingham Academy, where I played Breathe by The Prodigy, which I had randomly on CD somewhere, and I think if I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have written Happy People in the same way” February 2015

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Hitting It Hard You may have already heard of the spiky garage punk duo Slaves, made up of Isaac Holman on drums and vocals with Laurie Vincent on guitar. Having spent 2014 touring hard with some big names, signing to Virgin EMI and clocking up heavy national airplay, they are tipped by many in the know – not least the BBC – to be among the big breakthrough acts of 2015. Ed Ling investigates.

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Brum Notes Magazine

Slaves’ magic formula of drums, a guitar and vocals is simple and effective. And catchy as hell.

Having blown U2 clear off the screen on Later with Jools Holland recently, and with a growing reputation for sweaty carnage live, they also offer something completely different in an age of ever safer indie bands.

They will also be on the road this month with music press darlings Palma Violets, Fat White Family and Amazing Snakeheads on the prestigious NME Awards Tour, hitting The Institute in Birmingham on February 28.

The attention still amazes them though, arising as they have from the long-overlooked UK DIY punk underground.

“When we first started we never thought we were going to get signed by anyone,” explains frontman Isaac, “and when the first labels started sniffing around it was like ‘what do they want with us?’.

“Then Virgin EMI just slipped in and we thought, ‘what the fuck?’ And being played on daytime commercial radio. That’s still a bit bonkers.”

The mainstream buzz may mean that ‘scrappy guitar bands’ like Slaves are about to have their day. But, as Isaac suggests, their sound is more a fusion of all underground music from the past 30 years, including hip hop. This is perhaps evident in Slave’s killer trait – Isaac’s stand-up drumming, which gives them a tribal quality that moves a crowd.

“My dad’s a massive vinyl geek and I grew up with a lot of punk and reggae. Everything really. When we first started I was listening to a lot of Beastie Boys and Laurie was listening to a lot of [the 80s anarcho-punks] Crass. I’ve always been into flow and syncopation, and to be honest if you took the music out from our stuff and put a hip hop beat over it, the lyrics would work.”

As for that somewhat ‘unique’ approach to drumming, where did that originate?

“Yeah…I’d never played a drum kit until our first practice. I think my style of drumming is very primal, I just like to hit them to get the loudest, hardest sound I can. I usually just get the heaviest sticks I can and just turn ‘em around and use the fat end.”

Slaves’ sharp edge is possibly a result of how they channel the voice of a generation that sees no answers in the established political system.

But that still needs to be heard. Their new single The Hunter being a prime example.

“Me and Laurie are definitely not educated at all in the way of politics and we don’t know anything about any of the parties or what they stand for,” Isaac says. “Our lyrics are more personal politics. Everyone’s very suppressed and angry at the moment, but no-one is really sure what about.

And that song [The Hunter] is trying to capture that feeling.

“But then we’ve also done Girl Fight, which was literally about two girls having a fight.”

Slaves are not concerned that signing with a major label will dull their edge and still retain their proud DIY chops.

“To a lot of the bands on the DIY circuit it can sometimes be a bad thing to sign to a major label – they see it as selling out or whatever – but Virgin EMI are sort of running us like an indie anyway.

We’ve got complete creative control. There’s so many good DIY bands in every town. Alex from [London DIY punkers] Wonk Unit is pretty much my biggest inspiration as a frontman. He showed me that you can just go on stage...and literally just not give a fuck.”

As you would expect after signing to a label, a full length album is now on the cards, with Slaves busy recently in the studio recording the material for that debut LP, slated for release later this year.

But it may well contain some surprises.

“There’s a whole world of music to explore. On the album that we’ve got coming out, some of the tracks on that have got synths...and we’re also going to start experimenting with our live show. I absolutely love our set-up now, but you would be mad not to explore because you could find something else that you love. I don’t think people give a shit about genre anymore. People just want energy. They just want something that’s hard-hitting, and that’s going to say something. Something that’s going to make them want to move.”

Turn up to see them at The Institute on February 28 and find out for yourself just how hard they hit.

And how much the people move.

Slaves are live at The Institute, Birmingham, on February 28, as part of the NME Awards Tour, with Palma Violets, Fat White Family and The Amazing Snakeheads. New single The Hunter is out now.

“I don’t think people care about genre anymore. People just want energy.”

February 2015

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It’s fair to say The Decemberists have been keeping busy during their three-year ‘break’, with frontman Colin Meloy embarking on a literary career and his bandmates working on various other musical projects. But returning to their day jobs relaxed and refreshed, a new approach to recording their seventh studio album has seen the Oregon outfit come back more confident than ever. “It feels right,” Meloy tells David Vincent.

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Brum Notes Magazine

For a band that had supposedly been in hiatus since 2011’s US chart-topping The King Is Dead, The Decemberists have been far from idle.

They popped up on The Simpsons, appeared on The Hunger Games soundtrack, dropped a live album (We All Raise Our Voices to the Air), and embarked on a slew of side projects.

“I sold a series of books that me and my wife had wanted to do from before The Decemberists were a going concern,” states frontman and songwriter Colin Meloy, whose bestselling fantasy adventure series, The Wildwood Trilogy, was co-created with illustrator partner Caron Ellis. “There was a moment there when The Decemberists could take a break, it felt like the right time to take time off. It’d been 10 years in, going steady, so for our creativity we took that break.

“The others were doing other music. Jenn [Conlee] was teaching music; [Chris] Funk was a music supervisor and has Black Prairie, his own band [which also features Nate Query]; and John [Moen] has Eyelids, who have an album out.”

The impetus for the Wildwood books – Wildwood, Under Wildwood and Wildwood Imperium – can be traced back to 2000, when Colin and Carson “were living humble, impoverished lives in a warehouse in Portland, Oregon.” The stories were inspired by the beautiful pine-scented landscape around Portland, and the books Colin read as a child – notably CS Lewis, author of The Narnia series, and JRR Tolkien, whose Lord Of The Rings is littered with Brum’ references.

Colin won’t place himself in the same brackets as those literary giants, but does agree they share similar interests. “I feel like we’re drawing from the same folk tales,” he says, adding that he’d love to find time during his forthcoming Birmingham visit to make a pilgrimage to Sarehole Mill and see Edgbaston’s ‘Two Towers’ – sites which inspired a young Tolkien. “I would go and visit where he lived and played, for sure…to see where he was inspired!”

The books, aimed at at a nine to 12-year-old age group, have been met with great reviews, with The Guardian describing the first effort as ‘an American Narnia’.

“The success was a surprise for me,” he confesses. “They were a real labour of love – we put our all into whatever success we had, we worked for it, but it was gratifying. I felt humbled by it. It was sweet how people responded.”

There are no imminent plans to return to the Wildwood universe, but Colin (whose sister is novelist Maile Meloy) and Caron (who also provides all the artwork for The Decemberists) have plans for further literary outings.

February 2015

“We have a couple more books we’re working on – they’re in the works. It’s too soon to say any more at present, but…one is a picture book and one a standalone book,” says the musician-turned-author.

The Decemberists’ break officially concluded with the announcement (and January release) of their new album, the personal and hook-laden What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World.

“I imagine that it’s a sentiment a lot of people could share,” he says of the title. “It’d been kicking around for a while. It comes from the song 12/17/12, which was written a couple of years ago, and that phrase kept coming to the fore. It has a perplexing message for a perplexing time.

That duality we live in, straddled between extraordinary things and horrendous things. Has it always been that way? Or is it just now? I don’t know.

It made sense in 2012, when I wrote the song… and it still makes sense.”

The song, 12/17/12, was penned in the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre which saw 26 killed in Newtown, Connecticut.

“It’d been 10 years in, going steady, so for our creativity we took that break.”

“That was my reaction to Newtown. Everyone was in shock. I was paralysed. That press conference where Obama reads out all the names…that shook me out of my place, it made me want to take stock…that spurned the reflection of the song,” Colin says. “I was hit by a sense of helplessness, but also the message of ‘hold your family close’.”

With that song having been penned back in 2012, it gives an indication to the more sporadic writing and recording process that went into the latest album. Previous releases The Hazards of Love and The King is Dead saw the band head into the studio for intense four or five-week periods, with songs following an overall theme. This time, they tentatively reconvened for a single three-day stint, followed by further intermittent short periods over many months.

“There was no direction or focus, we wanted to just see what would come out,” Colin says. “We recorded Lake Song on the first day, live, and then two more songs in those three days. And the spirit of that session informed everything that came after.

“It felt like a natural thing, we were still working on the books but knew we were coming out of hibernation,” he continues. “It felt nice to book

sporadic studio time and do it that way, taking it piece by piece. Having the freedom to work on songs in the intervening time, between the recording sessions, we had time to look back at what we’d done. It was a new way of working for us. It was nice to work without the pressure of a tour or a definitive release date, when you have label people turning up, reminding you of deadlines, putting that pressure on. You get together because you want to work, you want to craft those songs, and have the time.

“But there’s still something to say for working the old way too,” he adds. “I don’t prefer one way over the other…I don’t know how we’ll do it next time.”

So, after the time away, how does it feel to be all back in the same room?

“Surprisingly it seems exactly like it did,” Colin laughs. “It’s almost like we just moved onto the next record, like we got into a time machine and moved forward four years – no-one was more cynical or burnt out than before.

“It still feels like a good collaboration though, and we still all feel the need to be apart now and again.

But it feels right. It’s good.”

The album was released as a double vinyl LP, CD, MP3, and also as a limited edition ‘Super Deluxe Box Set’ featuring patches, prints, all utilising Caron’s graphic skills, and a 14ins by 20ins satin Masonic Banner.

“It felt like it may be banner-worthy, that there was something about that slogan, that ‘terrible’ and ‘beautiful’,” Colin says, explaining that historic Masonic banners are collected by two band members. “Funk had started collecting Masonic banners and I share an appreciation of them. I have one that says ‘Courage’ with a hand on it.

It’s an Oddfellows [Society] one. I’m not sure why or what it was used for, it was just a nice affirmation to use.”

And flying their own banner aloft, with interest in the band presently at a career high, it’s fair to say that others in their position would be tempted to milk any success for all its worth, touring hard and rush-releasing new material. But not The Decemberists – what comes next will be on their terms.

“We’re in a position where we can slow down production a little bit,” Colin says. Now that takes courage.

The Decemberists are live at The Institute, Birmingham, on February 18. New album What A Terrible World, What a Beautiful World is out now on Rough Trade Records.

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Damascena 133 Alcester Road, Moseley B13 8JP

Photo by Courtney Louise Blount

damascena.co.uk

0121 449 9245

Sat on the crossroads in Moseley Village, Damascena is the newest coffee shop and eatery to open its doors in the area. Described as ‘your local, far-away coffee house’, with Middle Eastern stylings, food and drink, it offers a unique café experience.

As well as the familiar range of coffee drinks made using espresso as a base, smiling and welcoming staff will serve you to speciality hot drinks too, like Walnut and Cinnamon Tea and Moroccan Mint Tea, the latter made with a handful of fresh and zingy mint, which fills the air with sweet aromas.

SIX OF THE BEST...

Chocolate Beers This month we welcome the annual day of love and romance – and nothing says love and romance more than beer and chocolate, right? So, combine the two and you’re sure to be on to a winner. Krishan Rajput from specialist drinks shop Stirchley Wines & Spirits reveals the top chocolate beers to see you through Valentine’s Day in style.

Brooklyn – Black Chocolate Stout (New York, USA. ABV 10.0% 355ml, £3.79) We’ve loved this American imperial stout for such a long time now and we know you’ll love it too. Its dark chocolate aroma and flavour is achieved through a blend of six malts and months of ageing. You won’t forget it.

Odell – Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout (Colorado, USA. ABV 8.5% 355ml, £4.39) Named after the dairy farmer who Odell supply 32

There’s a naturally well-lit main seating area at the front and in the back is a more dimly-lit, cosy snug area with low level tables.

Damascena serves good, fresh wholesome food in the form of salads, mezes and sandwiches, all at pretty amazing prices.

If you want to send your calorie intake through the roof, (and why not, you need them, it’s cold outside), then treat yourself to Afternoon Tea. Choose between different freshly-baked meat, fish or cheese Fatayers, (Arabian pastries), served

with their spent grain. This stout is brewed with milk sugar and milk chocolate. Odell believe Lugene drinks like the best chocolate milk you’ve ever had and who are we to argue. Is this love?

Clown Shoes – Chocolate Sombrero (Massachusetts, USA. ABV 9.0% 355ml, £3.95) Add a little spice to the day with this imperial stout, brewed with roasted dark malts, extra chocolate malts, ancho chile, cinnamon and vanilla. A beautiful chocolate taste with a slight chilli kick is what you get.

Samuel Smith’s – Organic Chocolate Stout (Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, UK. ABV 5.0% 550ml, £2.90) A firm favourite of many of our customers, brewed with roasted organic chocolate malt and organic cocoa, it’s a delicious smooth and creamy stout with a delightfully luxurious chocolate finish.

You were made for each other.

Cuisine: Middle Eastern Price: £14 for afternoon tea (ltd offer) Service: Atmosphere: Food: Overall:

with pickled chilies, olives and houmous, plus a choice of baklava and drinks.

Sat sipping authentically-served Turkish coffee in the lantern-lit back area in a cloud of e-cig vapour, we feel a thousand miles away from the Midlands winter. Talking of lanterns, Big Tent & the Gypsy Lantern were in there on the same day that we visited. If it’s good enough for a world-class folk band, then it’s good enough for us. Take the road to Damascena yourself sometime soon.

Ben Calvert

Sadler’s – Mud City Stout (Lye, Stourbridge, UK. ABV 6.6% 500ml, £2.99) Brewed locally, Mud City is a beautifully chocolatey stout brewed with raw cocoa and vanilla pods, giving you a rich, sweet flavour. A perfect companion to chocolate cake, it was meant to be.

Weird Beard – Decadent Stout (Hanwell, London, UK. ABV 5.5% 500ml, £3.15) Decadent by name, decadent by nature, we think this stout is just that – decadent! Rich, chocolatey with roast coffee flavours and a slight creaminess. A sure fire Valentine’s treat.

You can find Stirchley WInes & Spirits at 1535/1537 Pershore Road, Stirchley, Birmingham. Visit www.stichleywines.co.uk or call 0121 459 9936 for opening hours and more information.

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Soul A CO U S T I C

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February 2015

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Photo by Rob Hadley

live

First aid kit Symphony Hall, Birmingham 16/01/15

Claims that Swedish pop reached its zenith with ABBA have remained largely unchallenged ever since Waterloo triumphed over its continental compatriots at Eurovision 1974. But to suggest that they’re Sweden’s only worthwhile musical export is a statement flimsier than IKEA’s frustratingto-assemble flat-pack furniture. Spitting out the likes of Avicii, The Cardigans and Taylor Swift-ally Max Martin in the succeeding 40 years, Sweden is a nation stuffed with an enviable range of sonic talent. And none more so than First Aid Kit, two siblings whose respectful appropriation of Americana has made them a magnet for cross-generational audiences the world over – a sentiment evidenced by those that push Symphony Hall to bulging point tonight, with sold-out seats distributed evenly between young and old.

Entering a stage enshrouded in purple haze, the sisters Söderberg are slowly revealed through intermittent spotlights as they take vocal turns on the wonderfully frost-bitten folk plod of opener The Lion’s Roar. The

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backdrop turned an opulent yellow in time for the poetic shimmer of Stay Gold’s titular track, not even the unfortunate technical hitch that prompts guitarist Klara to call a brief halt to proceedings and forces Johanna into a semi-awkward interchange of cheese jokes with an admirably patient crowd, seems to sour the girls’ sparkle.

Sound issues addressed, they turn their attention to a pitch-perfect rendition of Blue and breeze confidently through several consecutive Stay Gold cuts. Dusted with wintry harmonies, the yearning, smitten-by-adventure Waitress Song challenges My Silver Lining – a song which itself swaps dewflecked studio strings for shrieking pedal guitar – for the prestigious accolade of set highlight.

Forsaking their microphones, the duo then attack Ghost Town with feather-light voices alone, recalling the potency of the angelic, vocals-only YouTube-based Fleet Foxes cover that first caught them industry attention in 2008, following up with a hair-whipping interpretation of Jack White’s Love Interruption. Coming as a fuzz-coated shock to the senses after such calming quiet beauty, the addition of electric guitar doesn’t quite have the might of Dylan severing his folk ties at Newport, but nevertheless manages to supply a sleazy hint at a future pluggedin direction.

To close, Master Pretender is given a shuffling blues makeover that traces, nay, walks, a direct line back to peak Johnny Cash before a graceful take on Paul Simon’s America bleeds into a rousing, extended encore of the sugar-sweet Emmylou, which compels a standing ovation from an audience powerless to stop the track’s dreamy chorus dripping from their lips.

Over 90 heaven-sent minutes, the Söderbergs demonstrate the mettle of their native country’s musical artistry and, in doing so, prove that you don’t need to have been born under the wave of the stars and stripes to twist heartache, hardship and loss into resonant folk song. Breathtakingly good.

Dan Owens

Mark Lanegan Band The Library @ The Institute, Birmingham 26/01/15

The lights turn from lilac to an Amsterdamwhore-window-red. A man in black takes to the stage. ‘Did you call for the night porter?

Feel the blood running warm,’ he growls.

Hoarse, gritty, guttural – the voice of Mark Lanegan is an event in itself and is made all the more distinct by the accompanying solitary dirty blues guitar for the first third of the show.

Exploring the fundamental down-trodden Brum Notes Magazine

spirit of the blues, discarding the archaic 12bar frame and adding a rock‘n’roll attitude is Lanegan’s forte. But the set becomes more sedate as the synth-pop-disco-theme of the latest album Phantom Radio dominates his repertoire. Lanegan could sing over Toys R Us maracas and still be cool and enigmatic, but the leitmotif takes the edge off his upheld grittiness. It’s a far cry from Methamphetamine blues, which didn’t make the encore.

Instrumental squabbles aside poetic lyricism with smoky vocals will always be Lanegan’s appeal. Besides the occasional grunted “thank you…” and the gathering of saliva, the man in black doesn’t utter a word. As an avid fan explains post-show, “because ee’s the man, inee?” He certainly is.

Guy Hirst

Peace The Institute, Birmingham 24/01/15

Being front runners of everything ‘B-Town’, eyes have long been on Peace. And if 2013 and 2014 saw them go from being unGoogleable to indie-rock poster boys, with the release of second album Happy People looming, 2015 can only get better.

Keeping things local, Juice take to the stage letting infectious hooks and hazy vocals with an added grit take over. Before reaching their only released track Sugar, the fourpiece offer up the likes of Tommy Slow Down and Acid Kids, which leave the crowd in a frenzied rage, all ready for the disorder of Peace.

Sauntering on stage to Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain, the headliners are quick to get across they’re here to put on a show. There’s no hesitation or temptation to hold back as straight away the brash riffs and catchy lyrics of Higher Than The Sun and Follow Baby pack a punch.

Knowing how sought after tickets for tonight were, Peace are here to please. Bloodshake and 1998 flood the room with nostalgia over their Delicious EP days, haunting everyone with wilful melodies that can’t help but oblige you to sing along. It’s not all loud-mouthed guitars and heavy-handed basslines though as Float Forever and Sugarstone go down a treat, reminding people that even their softer side holds the same swagger.

Fitting in the new material goes without issue. Money and Lost On Me get treated like old favourites even with the move towards more funked up beats, and the yet-to-bereleased tracks like the easy-going Someday still earn anthemic status with the loyal crowd.

Capping tonight with I’m A Girl’s distorted rock, Lovesick’s rash serenades and one last February 2015

groove with World Pleasure, there’s no need to talk down the hype surrounding Peace.

There’s still the question of whether Happy People will continue their winning streak but with no signs of disappointment from the crowd, it looks like it just might happen.

Becky Rogers

Midnight Bonfires + Dong Fang The Sun at The Station, Kings Heath 23/01/15

No introduction, no showboating, no egos, no self-indulgence and no screwing about – Birmingham four-piece Dong Fang race through their set in a hurricane of abrasive feedback and distorted vocals. With rapidfire, three chord garage-punk leading into immense stoner-rock breakdowns, frontman Thomas Hughes guides this short and intense campaign by grappling his guitar and thrashing about in one square metre of space. It’s a tempestuous and swift performance on a tiny stage that ends just as it had begun, and in the only way it should have – on a hanging cadence of offensive noise and distortion.

But attention soon turns to the beards and balloons of Midnight Bonfires as they restore harmony to the ambient space. Fourteen colour-changing cubes at the back of the stage are aglow and enigmatic projections shine above them as they launch into their repertoire of indie folk and rock’n’roll.

In between their old singles Exhale, Misbehave, Somebody Else and Lights Out, the band play tunes off their upcoming EP, all of which play to what makes this band exceptional – David Langley’s distinguished and soulful falsetto, Rick Hughes’ hypnotic mandolin phrasing, Simon Gregory’s criminally catchy guitar licks and Marks Banks’ and Theo Hockly’s flawless rhythm section.

Langley invites comrade Anna Palmer of I am Anushka to play synth on their cover of an old swing lament St James Infirmary Blues, and like a fiery old preacher he performs the rendition eyes rolling backwards and arms flailing. “A lot of hard work has gone in to this show, but not by us, like,” Gregory says. But they hold up their end of the bargain by playing a 45 minute set worthy of an encore, proving once again that Midnight Bonfires are one of the best live bands in Brum right now.

Guy Hirst

up fast with people eager to see Birmingham’s female pop duo Ekkah in action.

First supporting act is indie-poppers Chartreuse, providing an exciting opening to the night’s proceedings. Drawing comparison to Bombay Bicycle Club and Lucy Rose, but with added soul, they show why they’re most definitely ones to watch this year.

Mysterious special guests,The Moon keep things exciting with their heavier rock-tinged performance. The band – who have absolutely nothing online yet keeping in tune with their mysteriousness – do a fine job of getting everyone ready for the night’s headliners, Ekkah.

If you combine 70s disco and 90s R’n’B then you get a glimpse into what Ekkah’s sound encompasses. Their live performance, kicking off with 7AM, is pitch perfect and fun.

Rebecca and Rebekah, former members of the once hotly-tipped outfit The Arcadian Kicks, fill the show will what they have to offer including swiftly-adopted crowd favourite Figure It Out. The brilliant Last Chance to Dance, which has recently gained Radio 1 airplay, closes the short but sweet set, leaving the crowd craving more. With breathy vocals, brilliant pop hooks, electro keys, subtle harmonies and understated dance moves, Ekkah show that they are emerging from the local scene with something new and refreshing – and they’re doing it well. Surely the start of great things to come.

Lauren Cox

Dead Sea Skulls JJM Studios, Walsall 10/01/15

Walsall band Dead Sea Skulls have somewhat of a reputation for their live shows and the latest headline offering at JJM Studios does nothing to tarnish that status. Let’s be clear, Dead Sea Skulls are a formidable, exciting live band, whose eruption of punchy riff-based garage rock tracks turn the packed crowd into a heaving mass within seconds of the opening song. Think underground Seattle rock club with a twist. Frontman Ash bestows energy, showmanship and percussive mastery that will fixate any crowd.

An essential live act.

Daniel Page

Ekkah The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham 17/01/15

The basement of The Sunflower Lounge fills 35

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37

album reviews

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING The Race For Space Out February 23 (Test Card Recordings)

Officially launching at two sold-out shows at the National Space Centre in Leicester later this month, following on from their tour with Kaiser Chiefs (go figure!), Public Service Broadcasting’s follow-up to 2013’s ace Inform Educate Entertain is an intriguing proposition. Much like their debut, The Race For Space takes old film as source material, lifting snippets of dialogue, to tell a tale or evoke a mood, and dropping them in various musical settings.

PEACE Happy People Out February 9 (Columbia)

For casual followers of Peace, it might come as a surprise that the Birmingham-bred band clock in at an average age of 24. Teenaged years firmly in the rear-view mirror even at the point of candycoated 2013 debut In Love, their follow-up further positions them as four sworn enemies to maturity 38

But whereas their previous collection approached a variety of subjects, The Race For Space looks at one story – the post-war battle between the US and USSR to send a man into the cosmos. There’s another change too. The music remains stylistically diverse, but this time multi-instrumentalists J Willgoose Esq and Wrigglesworth have expanded their canvas. The riffing Gagarin, for example, finds the twosome bolstered by a six-piece brass section and five-piece string section.

Listened to as a whole, The Race For Space is an exhilarating adventure, peppered with tension, drama and sense of discovery. For those who wondered where Public Service Broadcasting could go next, the answer is a bold step forward.

PSB are maturing nicely.

David Vincent

– a gang of starry-eyed Peter Pans appeasing the looming spectre of adulthood with a collection of hooks sharp enough to rival that of Neverland’s famously anatomically-challenged tyrant.

Pixie-dusted joie de vivre in check, Peace’s continued affront to growing old never once shows any sign of wearing thin on Happy People, not least due to a surreptitious change in sound.

Jettisoning, for the most part, their first album’s well-worn baggy blueprint – though pedants will be quick to point out that Money’s percolating funk owes a huge hat-tip to The Stone Roses – the band absorb new styles into their haywire

riffing on their second effort, pasting Shard-sized strings atop O You’s perilously-addictive chorus and trialling slushy balladry on Under The Moon before replicating Neil Tennant’s slouching pseudo-rap over the meticulous stop-start grooves of World Pleasure.

Boisterous and excitable throughout, there are instances where Happy People is daubed with sadness, sometimes in the most unexpected of places. The deceptively joyous Perfect Skin declares envy over physical appearance, fully aware that this concern will amplify with the passing of time. Someday, a ballad that hits Brum Notes Magazine

‘gooey-eyed’ on the tear-o-meter, more than ably matches it for melancholy. When the crunching guitars of Gen Strange begin to resemble a ticking clock, it’s all too poignant to ignore.

Though often brandished with the retroist iron, Happy People suggests that there’s enviable substance behind Peace’s bold throwback style.

Truth be told, we’re a little bit lovesick with this one.

Dan Owens

H HAWKLINE In The Pink of Condition Out February 2 (Heavenly Recordings)

Hot on the heels of August’s best of/introduction compilation Salt Gall Box Ghouls comes the third studio album from H Hawkline (aka Huw Gwynfryn Evans). Recorded in LA and produced by long-time mucker (and fellow Welsh maverick) Cate le Bon, its dozen songs are brimming with bilingual wordplay and wandering guitar lines – as epitomised by lead track Moons In My Mirror, a clipped, fuzzed yet deceptively punchy lo-fi treat.

Huw’s distinctive lead guitar lines certainly bring to mind Pavement and Tom Verlaine’s Television, while the songster himself has cited Paul and Linda McCartney’s underrated post-Beatle 1971 oddity Ram as a source of inspiration. However, a more obvious reference point is fellow mistral Gruff Rhys, with a dollop of Edywn Collins thrown in for good measure. Even when cracking out an angular basher like the two-minute Moddion, Huw never loses his pop sensibility. Distinctive and charming.

Incidentally, Salt Gall Box Ghouls is presently available as a free download, which is well worth grabbing.

DV

THE WAVE PICTURES Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon Out February 16 (Moshi Moshi)

Their label describe The Wave Pictures as ‘English national treasures,’ which might be overestimating their popularity somewhat, but there’s no doubt that the trio’s work rate and vision are to be applauded – around 15 albums (including a set of Springsteen covers), and team-ups with Liam Watson, Herman Dune’s Stanley Brinks, Darren Hayman and Daniel Johnston.

The strangely titled Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon is a collaboration with musician and artist Billy Childish. A man genuinely worthy of February 2015

national treasure status, Childish co-writes and produces, lending his guitar to several tracks, including harmonica-covered closing cracker Pea Green Coat.

Recorded live, with few overdubs, and devoid of such luxuries as keyboards and effects pedals, the album’s garage band credentials ring out. I Could Hear the Telephone (Three Floors Above Me) is The Modern Lovers with a different lead guitarist, Sinister Purpose and Green River reset Creedence Clearwater Revival, while elsewhere there are echoes of The Troggs, Suzie Q, The Who, Postcard Records and Canvey Island’s rockin’ Dr Feelgood.

Surprisingly, for something that’s so, well, basic, it just gets better with every play.

DV

POND Man It Feels Like Space Again Out now (Caroline)

As we start to swing back from the bottomless, grey-tinged pit that is mid-winter and clutch desperately to thoughts of spring and even summer, with Man It Feels Like Space Again Pond provide a 45-minute escape from this purgatory of a season. This album transports you through stardust and nebula in a universe born from God’s synthesiser band that nearly ‘made it’ before real life got in the way. Boldly getting away from their more dad-rock sound, the album sees a more prominent role placed on synthesisers and drum machines. This shift in dynamic doesn’t feel anything other than natural, singles Zond and Elvis’ Flaming Star retain that raw energy that makes Pond such a joy to listen to.

Away from the singles, however, it is a slightly mixed bag. While it’d be hard to justify calling any of these songs ‘bad’, it’s also hard to deny that Holding Out For You and Heroic Shart are easily forgotten. On the other hand, Outside is the Right Side is a comically good song that feels like a fever dream set to disco music, and there is nothing that can prepare you for the moment when the lead guitar soars in on Medicine Hat. Finally, Man It Feels Like Space Again’s title track audaciously twists and turns all over itself to finish off your incredible journey through the cosmos.

Matthew Burdon

THE WATERBOYS Modern Blues Out now (Harlequin and Clown)

Mike Scott’s folk rock wastrels have enjoyed

something of a slow-burning revival over the last few years. Their late-80s/early-90s raggle taggle folk excursions have resonated with the younger generation of folk-inclined acts. Scott’s recent shows and album resetting poet WB Yeat’s words to music earned justifiably rave reviews. And then there’s Ellie Goulding’s take on 1990’s How Long Will I Love You, the eightdisc Fisherman’s Blues marathon and covers by Prince and War On Drugs. The ‘Boys also headlined 2014’s Moseley Folk Festival, delivering a stirring set which saw them tease material from this, their 11th album.

“People should expect the unexpected from The Waterboys,” Scott has stated, and Modern Blues is indeed unexpected. Recorded in Nashville, mixed by US heavyweight Bob Clearmountain and featuring various soul musicians, opener Destinies Entwined bodes well, with November Tale oozing a slick Southern Soul and The Nearest Thing to Hip offering a wry smile. Yet the overall results are patchy, with the concluding 10-minute Long Strange Golden Road a weary journey.

Not particularly modern or bluesy.

DV

GAZ COOMBES Matador Out now (Hot Fruit/Caroline)

Former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes returns with his second solo offering. Matador, a diverse affair on which everything was played by Coombes (except some drums and synth), is the self-produced follow up to 2012’s Here Come The Bombs.

Recorded in his home studio in Oxfordshire, it shows off a wide range of emotion, as well as making it perfectly clear that he is an amazingly talented songwriter. It might be hard to picture the Britpop stalwart as anything other than the guy with the magnificent sideburns from that song Alright, but this proves he has the songwriting chops to match.

The record is dripping with intense lines alluding to loss and longing and an uncertain future, and just occasionally coming so close to the bone it makes for uncomfortable listening.

The gritty To The Wire shows this off perfectly with the opening line ‘I want to cut myself’.

Matador is a mature and passionate album full of excitement from a very serious songwriter.

Stand-out songs include album opener Buffalo, the stripped back The Girl Who Fell To earth, and the gospel-tinged 20/20, his heavily airplayed recent single. But this is an album very much to be enjoyed as a whole – a swirling, sonic adventure.

Ben Russell 39

gigs

Kate Tempest

PICK

The Rainbow, February 11 Bursting into contention for last year’s Mercury Prize upon the release of her stunning debut album Everybody Down, straight-talking performance poet Kate Tempest owes as much debt to the striking storytelling of James Joyce as she does to warped loops of the Wu-Tang Clan. Though eventually pipped to the Mercury post, the South Londoner’s fast-and-loose street stories made sure that, for the duration of 2014, hers was a name on everybody’s lips. Returning to Birmingham with the hype showing no sign of dying down, this modern chronicler of the mundane is on a rise to the top more rapid than her pummelling rhyme. Catch her while you can.

Macy Gray

Town Hall, February 13 Ohio-born R’n’B star Macy Gray might still be best known for her late 90s global smash hit I Try, but the notoriously husky-voiced singer is still going strong deep into this decade. Dropping eight albums and collecting several Grammy nominations over the course of a sparkling 15-year recording career, she takes to the Town Hall this month touting a booming voice that displays little indication of tiring and a divasized swagger only more appealing with age.

Don’t miss it.

Gruff Rhys

Hare & Hounds, February 14 Riding to fame during the Britpop boom as the ringleader of Welsh psych weirdos Super Furry Animals, Gruff Rhys has since placed his finger in many an off-kilter pie. Funnelling his hyperactive energy into several offshoot bands, film scores and mobile apps in the ensuing years, he’s also found the time to establish himself as a boundary-pushing solo artist with the release of four charmingly iconoclastic solo albums. Journeying to Birmingham in this similarly quirky guise, expect to be smitten by his bilingual, acoustic-led charm before the night is through.

Blossoms

The Oobleck, February 19 Made in Greater Manchester, blustering psychpop quintet Blossoms are the latest gang of 40

hopefuls to try their hand at adding to their native city’s iconic sonic tapestry. Vintage in dress and approach, their take on the psychedelic revival is a tad more intriguing than most, with recent single Blow sounding like a heated punch-up between Temples and Tame Impala over who gets dibs on a Woodstock-aged effects pedal. Could they be Manchester’s next big thing?

George The Poet

O2 Academy 3, February 21 It’s hard to nail motor-mouthed London rapper George the Poet down to a single definition.

A social activist, Cambridge graduate and Brit Award nominee rolled into one, his razor-sharp social observations have had institutions running scared ever since he began to pursue music as a serious career back in 2013. Best described as the lovechild of John Cooper Clarke and Public Enemy’s Chuck D, he arrives in Birmingham in the midst of a whirlwind north-to-south UK tour as an artist with a singular aim – to restore rap music to its political roots.

Six Time Champion

The Flapper, February 22 Coming together over a shared love of pop-punk and hardcore, Sussex-based Six Time Champion have, in the space of one exceedingly productive year, managed to stir up some considerable buzz.

Spreading their breathtaking cocktail of influences over two breakneck EPs as well as accruing a string of approving nods from many respected

music mags, this month, the south coast upstarts journey north to offer us a small taste of their multicoloured Brighton rock.

Years & Years

The Library @ The Institute, February 26 Hoping to reach the dizzy heights of former recipients like Adele and HAIM, BBC Sound of 2015 winners Years & Years have made sure that the Beeb’s occasionally albatross-like accolade doesn’t give their career the kiss of death. Quickly releasing electro-fried single King in the wake of the news, the synthpop trio – noted for the bleeping, Diplo-esque edge of their initial EPs – are now on an unbreakable trajectory towards mainstream success. But don’t be put off by their chart appeal, these boys have got the tunes to keep you dancing for days.

Slow Club

Sunflower Lounge, February 27 Once pegged as the English equivalent to the White Stripes, boy-girl jangle-pop duo Slow Club were doing the rounds long before being in a two-piece was considered fashionable. With last year seeing them trade in folky melancholy for the slickness of soul on shamefully unsung third album Complete Surrender, this month Sheffield’s perennial heartbreakers tour their latest material with the addition of two extra band members, cranking the pain up to haunting new levels in the process.

Brum Notes Magazine

clubbing

Joe Goddard (Hot Chip / The 2 Bears) DJ Set

PICK

Hare & Hounds, February 6

Since forming 15 years ago, boundary-pushing club night curators Leftfoot have left an indelible mark on the Birmingham music scene.

Their dedication to bringing innovative sounds and styles to our dancefloors is matched by promoting champions This Is Tmrw who, celebrating their eighth birthday this month, have gifted the likes of Foals, The Wytches and September Girls their first gigs in the city.

Now coming together to commemorate these respective anniversaries, both have recruited Hot Chip man Joe Goddard to chair the late-night festivities from behind the decks.

Rave Against Racism PRESENTS Proper Bull’s Head, February 6

Staunch anti-racism organisation Rave Against Racism have made it their mission to fight for racial equality and quash the rise of the far-right by organising blistering raves on dancefloors across the UK. Throwing a free-to-enter party at the Bull’s Head in anticipation of acid house legend DJ Pierre’s forthcoming March residence at sister pub the Hare & Hounds, this month’s exclusive event will see ‘providers of aural pleasure’ DJs Jock Lee and Jonnie Greaves sharing the task of keeping the beats coming for over five eclectic hours, filling this intimate space with a vast spectrum of sound that’s sure to include dance, disco and everything in between.

Heducation and Sip The Juice PRESENTS Slimkid3 & DJ Nu-Mark The Oobleck, February 7

Not content to live off their respective legacies as members of legendary hip hop collectives Pharcyde and Jurassic 5, Slimkid3 & DJ Nu-Mark have, since joining forces in 2011, gone on to release an arresting collection of soul, reggae and jazz-inspired tunes. Arriving at The Oobleck as Heducation turns 14, the supremely talented duo top a heavily stacked bill that also features label mates K-Natural and Cee Brown and the old-school spinning of DJ Cro. And if you’re still not ready for bed after all of that, DJ Mylz and Ben Dunn will be on hand to take the party well into the early hours.

February 2015

Moulin Groove featuring Steffan Taylor, Fergie, Ben Fisher & Nomad Hare & Hounds, February 13

Renowned for its impressive array of genre-blending DJs, Moulin Groove has fast become the club night of choice for those that consider variety to be the spice of life. This time around, its Hare & Hounds residence promises a funky intermingling of tech, disco and house, with four DJs battling it out to keep you tied to the dancefloor until the dawn breaks. Euphoria never felt so good.

Godskitchen PRESENTS Amour The Rainbow, February 14

Staging elaborate in-house raves since dance music’s mid-90s heyday, internationally-renowned club brand Godskitchen is heading back to its Birmingham home for a love-in more extreme than most on the menu. Labelled Amour in deference to Valentine’s Day, this glitzy electro-fuelled night will see an unparalleled crop of house, dance and techno specialists take over both of The Rainbow’s rooms and provide the soundtrack to a Saturday of love, lust and debauchery. Grab your tickets quickly before Godskitchen closes its door.

Hot Club De Swing Valentine’s Ball

Alfie Bird’s, February 14 After a brief layoff in the wake of a wildly-popular festive shindig, Alfie Bird’s hosts Hot Club De Swing’s first event of the year in the form of a sleek, retro-styled Valentine’s Day Ball. Forever dedicated to replicating the decadence and defiance that

defined the underground clubs of 1920s America, the lineup is lead by Electric Swing Circus, with support slots arriving in the form of C@ in the H@’s twisted 21st century update on jazz and the rootsy blues of the Mellow Peaches. A Phat Sam DJ slot puts a vintage cherry on top.

Tessellate

Bull’s Head, February 20 Pulsing electro, twisted visuals and cutting-edge technology collude in this free one-off spectacle of house, techno and electronica that takes place in the tightly-packed surrounds of the Bull’s Head.

Active for little more than 18 months, Tessellate’s range of blistering cool DJs and visual artists have already blazed a trail through some of London’s swankiest hotspots, as well as blessing other Birmingham joints with their kaleidoscopic presence. Be prepared to get your rave on.

Resonate PRESENTS Hessle Audio NextDoor, February 27

Complete with James Blake affiliation, Hessle Audio’s bold focus on putting out the work of the country’s brightest purveyors of dance music has made them a force to be reckoned with in the world of independent imprints. Label co-heads will assume the separate performing monikers of Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea to play a mix of the envelope-pushing and avant-garde material that calls Hessle home. Contaminated by traces of dubstep, grime and house, this one’ll make you feel like you’ve stepped inside a giant mix-tape.

41

arts & culture

Nástio Mosquito/AK Dolven

PICK

Ikon, from February 4

Ikon get their 2015 programme off to a flyer with two cracking new shows. DAILY LOVEMAKING is the first solo exhibition from the vibrant, provocative Angolan artist Nástio Mosquito. His satirical videos, performance pieces and installations typically feature him in the starring role, embodying a range of objectionable characters, such as his pompous Russian alter ego Nástia. Meanwhile, Please Return is a new show from the renowned Norwegian artist AK Dolven. Taking as a starting point the bleak majesty of her countryman Peder Balke’s landscapes, Dolven’s films, photographs and paintings draw similar inspiration from Norway’s harsh climate, yet bring to the fore the human cost to its inhabitants.

New Art West Midlands 2015 Various venues, open now

Fast becoming a cornerstone of our cultural calendar, it’s time for this year’s showcase of the Midlands’ most exciting new artistic talent, with pieces from no less than 30 recent fine art graduates on display across four venues. While Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s selection opened at the end of January, things kick off at the Barber Institute and the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on February 13, and at the Herbert in Coventry on February 14.

The Call Of Cthulhu

Featured image: Acts by Nástio Mosquito

The Old Joint Stock, February 6–7 HP Lovecraft’s chilling short story, adapted in suitably disturbing fashion by Michael Sabbaton. Over the course of 50 minutes, Sabbaton performs as five different characters, all at the mercy of a malevolent, vengeful god. An intense, atmospheric piece of theatre – not to be missed.

Strawberry Blonde Curls: INSIDE Mac, February 7

A powerful examination of Stockholm syndrome, based on real-life testimonies, in which a woman regresses back to childhood in an attempt to 42

endure her torturous incarceration. Also this month, the Mac begins its Material World season, examining the role of money in our society – RUN (February 4) draws on the tragic death of 21-yearold banking intern Moritz Erhardt to explore the lives of young professionals beginning a career in the City, while Broke (February 26) is the story of poverty and debt in austerity Britain.

The Paradise Project

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, February 10–11 The thought-provoking Sheffield company Third Angel present the only UK performances of this, their latest work. The history of mankind is seen as a tower, with the bottom being the dawn of humanity and top being paradise. The performers contemplate our position in the tower, what we’ve taken from the lower levels and what we should send upwards to our offspring.

The Honey Man

The Rep, February 16–21 An engrossing piece from Birmingham writer and performer Tyrone Huggins, which follows the unlikely relationship between an ageing Caribbean man and a teenage heiress. With her tech-savvy life a world away from his reclusive existence as a

beekeeper, the two discover unexpected common ground, with their story accompanied by immersive audio-visuals.

Drifters: Live Score From Jason Singh + Q&A Mac, February 8

Drifters is a 1920s silent documentary on the North Sea fishing industry, here given an entirely improbable live accompaniment by self-styled ‘vocal sculptor’ Jason Singh, whose repertoire includes beatboxing, voice effects and live sampling. Little White Lies magazine declared the collaboration “astonishing and mesmeric”. An unlikely collaboration for sure, but one which ultimately makes a strange kind of sense.

Simon Amstell: To Be Free Town Hall, February 20

Famous for his witheringly acerbic turns as presenter of Popworld and Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Simon Amstell’s sitcom Grandma’s House marked him out as a comedy talent of uncommon astuteness and sensitivity. This stand-up show calls into Brum following soldout stints in New York and London, and explores the complex and vulnerable side to the bitchy ex-TV host.

Brum Notes Magazine

WHAT’S ON

KEY TO LISTINGS: M = LIVE MUSIC CN = CLUB NIGHT C = COMEDY

BIRMINGHAM: O2 Academy, Horsefair, Bristol St B1, 0844 4772000; The 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; Bull’s Head, St Marys Row, Moseley B13, 0121 2567777; Island Bar, Suffolk St B1, 0121 6325296; The Jam House, St Pauls Sq B3, 0121 2003030; Ort, Moseley Rd, Balsall Heath, B12; 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; Nightingale, Kent St B5, 0121 6221718; Scruffy Murphys, The Priory Queensway B4, 0121 2362035; The Wagon & Horses, Adderley St, Digbeth B9, 0121 7721403; Lab11, Trent St B5, lab11.co.uk; The Moseley Arms, Ravenhurst St B12, 0121 7668467; Alfie Bird’s/The Oobleck, The Custard Factory B9, 0121 270 6665; Suki10c, Bordesley Street B5; Gatecrasher, Broad St B15, 0121 633 1520 Sunday, Feb 1

M M

The Oobleck

Birmingham

The Rainbow

Birmingham

The Temple @ The Institute The Victoria

Birmingham

Civic Hall

Wolverhampton

Bodega

Birmingham

Island Bar

Birmingham

Birmingham

M CN Lucha Libre CN DJ T Bird CN Remedy with Zebra

Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

Bull’s Head

Moseley

CN

Lab11

Birmingham

The Sunflower Lounge Gatecrasher

Birmingham

CN CN The Bounce Factory CN Joe Goddard (Hot Chip

Plug

Birmingham

Suki10c

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Heard - live acoustic

Island Bar

Birmingham

CN

Bull’s Head

Moseley

Dream on Dreamer

The Oobleck

Birmingham

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Comedy Carousel

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Russell Kane & Friends

The Glee Club

Birmingham

O2 Academy

Birmingham

The Free Love Club

Talk

Birmingham

Kosheen

Birmingham

M

M M

The Cheating Hearts

The Library @ The Institute Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

M

Second City Showdown ft One Life Left + Eradicator Monday, Feb 2

The Roadhouse

Stirchley

Amber Run + Pixel Fix + The Beach Jam Jah Reggae

The Rainbow

Tuesday, Feb 3

M CN

Songhoy Blues + Byron Hare Giggs (Live)

Birmingham

Wednesday, Feb 4

M M C C

Thursday, Feb 5

M M

What Was Once

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Rae Morris

Birmingham

M

Luke Jackson & Amy Wadge Wake Up Call

The Temple @ The Institute Hare & Hounds

M M C C

Kings Heath

M

C

Occoeur + No More Numbers Kaiser Chiefs

Soul Bob Marley’s 70th Earthday Gathering Get Together

/ 2 Bears) 5hr DJ set Rave Against Racism: Proper John Fothergill

Birmingham

Saturday, Feb 7

M M

Gorgon City

The Institute

Birmingham

One Night Only

Birmingham

CN CN CN CN

Tim Westwood

The Temple @ The Institute Gatecrasher

Shimmy Shimmy Ya

Island Bar

Birmingham

Potion with Steve Jones Jekyll & Hyde Moschino Hoe, Versace Hottie Heducation presents Slimkid3 + DJ Nu-Mark Face presents Apollonia Funk Fusion

Birmingham Birmingham

Spotlight

Birmingham

The Oobleck

Birmingham

The Rainbow

Birmingham

The Roadhouse

Stirchley

Saxon

Wulfrun Hall

Wolverhampton

Jimeoin

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Manila Road Comedy

The Victoria

Birmingham

CN

The Actress & Bishop The Library @ The Institute

Birmingham

CN CN An Evening with

The Victoria

Birmingham

Bull’s Head

Moseley

C

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Friday, Feb 6

M

All details correct at time of going to press.

Check with venues before setting out.

Dolomite Minor + Baby Strange Bears Den

Joe

CN

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Liberty Lies

M M M

M

Want your gig or club night listed in our monthly guide? Send details to:

The Underclass King Charles

February 2015

Birmingham

CN

Knicker Bocker Corey John Fothergill

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apply within We're recruiting for the following roles: Assistant Editor (part-time) Editorial Assistant (part-time) Media Sales Executive (freelance) We're also on the lookout for writers and photographers keen to contribute to the magazine and website.

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Brum Notes Magazine

Sunday, Feb 8

M M

The Free Love Club

Talk

Birmingham

Hudson Taylor

Birmingham

M

Bailey McConnell

M

Bohemian Jukebox Sunday Social Naomi Punk

The Library @ The Institute The Temple @ The Institute Hare & Hounds Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Gaz Coombes

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Saint Raymond

The Library @ The Institute The Oobleck

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Bull’s Head

Moseley

M

Birmingham Kings Heath

Monday, Feb 9

M M

Watter M Alexander M CN Jam Jah Reggae

Birmingham

Tuesday, Feb 10

M M

You Me At Six + All Time Low False Lights

LG Arena Hare & Hounds

Birmingham Kings Heath

Wednesday, Feb 11

M

Kate Tempest

M

Is I Cinema + My Autumn Empire Thursday, Feb 12

M M M M C

The Rainbow Warehouse Hare & Hounds

Birmingham Kings Heath

Black Label Society

The Institute

Birmingham

Hamell On Trial Choochtown Anniversary Tour Fruit Tones

The Temple @ The Institute

Birmingham Moseley

John-Joe Murray

One Trick Pony Club The Roadhouse

Comedy Carousel

The Glee Club

Birmingham

M M M M

Vieon Jack Savoretti Winston’s Big Brother + Paradise Circus Macy Gray An Evening with The Godfathers Lucha Libre

The Actress & Bishop The Library @ The Institute The Rainbow

Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham

Town Hall

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Bodega

Birmingham

Island Bar

Birmingham

Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

CN Occult CN Hype Birmingham ft

Lab11

Birmingham

NextDoor & Spotlight The Rainbow

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN CN CN C C

Bukez Finezt Seedy Sonics Valentine’s Special Moulin Groove with Steffan Taylor, Fergie, Ben Fisher & Nomaad An Evening with DJ Spinx Omid Djalili Suzi Ruffell

Birmingham

Bull’s Head

Moseley

Symphony Hall

Birmingham

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Saturday, Feb 14

M

Scott Bradlee & The Post Modern Jukebox

February 2015

The Institute

M

Levi Weaver + Gary Nock + Jamie Clayton Gruff Rhys

The Library @ The Institute The Sunflower Lounge Hare & Hounds

Birmingham

Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

O2 Academy

Birmingham Birmingham

CN Hot Club de Swing

The Rainbow Venues The Oobleck

CN

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Bull’s Head

Moseley

The Glee Club

Birmingham

M CN Potion - Sounds from CN CN

the South The Valentine’s Ball ft Trigga Godskitchen: Amour Valentine’s Ball Sugarfoot Stomp Presents Gruff Rhys Afterparty Killer Wave 2.0

CN Suzi Ruffell C

Birmingham Kings Heath

Birmingham

Sunday, Feb 15

M M M M M

The Used

O2 Academy 2

Birmingham

The Free Love Club

Talk

Birmingham

Echo & The Bunnymen

The Institute

Birmingham

Incite

The Rainbow

Birmingham

The Sundowners

Birmingham

M M

The Dublin Legends

The Sunflower Lounge Town Hall Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

The Roadhouse

Stirchley

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Bull’s Head

Moseley

D’Angelo

O2 Academy

Birmingham

The Cribs

The Oobleck

Birmingham

Sons of Bill

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

George Ezra

O2 Academy

Birmingham

The Decemberists

The Institute

Birmingham

Get Inuit & The Amazons Enter Shikari

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Civic Hall

Wolverhampton

Josie Long

Slade Rooms

Wolverhampton

Kerrang! Tour 2015 ft Don Broco Dapper Laughs

O2 Academy

Birmingham

The Institute

Birmingham

Blossoms

The Oobleck

Birmingham

The Remi Harris Project

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Tussk + Sexwolf

The Roadhouse

Stirchley

XOXO

The Vaults

Birmingham

Comedy Carousel

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Seann Walsh

The Glee Club

Birmingham

The Actress & Bishop The Institute

Birmingham

The Rainbow

Birmingham

The Victoria

Birmingham

M

Wave Pictures + Midnight Bonfires Let Vengeance Rise

Chelsea Grin M CN Jam Jah Reggae

Stirchley

CN CN Sam Redmore CN Remedy with DJ Richie Taylor

Ryan Leslie

Birmingham

Monday, Feb 16

Friday, Feb 13

M

M

Tuesday, Feb 17

M M M

Wednesday, Feb 18

M M M M C

Thursday, Feb 19

M M M M M CN C C

Friday, Feb 20

M

Reaside

M M

TV On The Radio

Birmingham

M

Man Without Country + Chartreuse + Field Harmonics Telsen + Xilla

Birmingham

45

M CN CN CN

Sleaford Mods

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Lucha Libre

Bodega

Birmingham

DJ T Bird

Island Bar

Birmingham

Remedy with DJ Steve Jones Tessellate

Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

CN Simon Amstell C

Bull’s Head

Moseley

Town Hall

Birmingham

Saturday, Feb 21

M M M M M M M

Before You Exit

O2 Academy 2

Birmingham

George the Poet

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Ocean Colour Scene

Symphony Hall

Birmingham

Loveless Luck

The Flapper

Birmingham

Earth

The Oobleck

Birmingham

Dry The River

The Rainbow

Birmingham

H Hawkline

Birmingham

M M CN CN CN CN

Lizzie & The Banshees

The Sunflower Lounge The Roadhouse

The Assist

Slade Rooms

Wolverhampton

Ouse: Arabian Nights

Boxxed

Birmingham

Lee Goodman

Island Bar

Birmingham

Potion with DJ Missy R

Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

Andy C: All Night

Birmingham

CN Leftfoot Presents Pete

The Rainbow Warehouse Hare & Hounds

CN

Bull’s Head

Moseley

The Glee Club

Birmingham

The Free Love Club

Talk

Birmingham

The Lonely People Tour with Orla Gartland The Dunwells

The Temple @ The Institute Hare & Hounds

Birmingham

Rock & Metal All-Dayer ft Vexxen Monday, Feb 23

The Roadhouse

Stirchley

Andrew McMahon

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Fightstar

The Institute

Birmingham

Fort Hope + Dead! + Sally Pepper Jam Jah Reggae

The Rainbow

Birmingham

C

Rock MODO with Miguel Verde James Acaster

Stirchley

Kings Heath

Sunday, Feb 22

M M M M M M M CN

Kings Heath

Bull’s Head

Moseley

Ocean Colour Scene

Symphony Hall

Birmingham

Ólafur Arnalds

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Pond

The Library @ The Institute

Birmingham

Heard - live acoustic

Island Bar

Birmingham

The Jesus and Mary Chain Leddra Chapman

The Institute

Birmingham

The Sunflower Lounge

Birmingham

Tuesday, Feb 24

M M M

Wednesday, Feb 25

M M M

Thursday, Feb 26

M M M M

August Alsina

O2 Academy 2

Birmingham

Lindsay Ell

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Death From Above 1979

The Institute

Birmingham

Sivu

Birmingham

M

Years & Years

The Sunflower Lounge The Temple @ The Institute

46

Birmingham

M M M C C

YAK + Grafham Water Sailing Club The Watchmakers + Dong Fang Crows & Crosses

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

One Trick Pony Club The Roadhouse

Moseley

Comedy Carousel

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Joke Thieves

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Stirchley

Friday, Feb 27

M M M M

Blue Nation

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Faith Evans

The Institute

Birmingham

Dels

The Rainbow

Birmingham

Slow Club + Happyness

Birmingham

M

People on Vacation

M CN CN CN

Fairport Convention

The Sunflower Lounge The Temple @ The Institute Town Hall

Lucha Libre

Bodega

Birmingham

Steve Jones

Island Bar

Birmingham

Remedy - Sounds from the South House of God 22nd Birthday Freestyle Presents Keziasoul, Phe Phe & Lumi HD Soulvation Presents Out On The Floor Tonight Jam Hott

Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

The Tunnel Club

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Bull’s Head

Moseley

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Slade Rooms

Wolverhampton

Left for Red

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Out of Sanity

The Flapper

Birmingham

NME Awards Tour 2015 ft Palma Violets, Fat White Family, The Amazing Snakeheads + Slaves Marmozets

The Institute

Birmingham

The Library @ The Institute The Oobleck

Birmingham

Birmingham

CN CN CN

CN Robin Morgan C Richard Herring C

Birmingham Birmingham

Saturday, Feb 28

M M M

M M M

Scott Revelle + Urchin

M M CN CN CN

Ryan Adams

The Temple @ The Institute Civic Hall

The Black Hounds

Slade Rooms

Wolverhampton

Break Thru

Alfie Bird’s

Birmingham

DJ T Bird

Island Bar

Birmingham

Potion with Cold Rice DJs Broken Minds Reunion

Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

NextDoor & Spotlight The Library @ The Institute The Rainbow Arena The Victoria

Birmingham

The Victoria

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Bull’s Head

Moseley

The Glee Club

Birmingham

CN

Gavin James

CN Hot Wax ft Palma VioCN

lets DJ set Dimitri from Paris

CN Mardybum Clubfoot CN Shuffle CN Bigger Than Barry vs CN C

Love The Life Residents Party Enter the Dragon House Classics Robin Morgan

Birmingham

Wolverhampton

Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham

Brum Notes Magazine

February 2015

47

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Brum Notes Magazine