November 2012
www.brumnotes.com music and lifestyle for the west midlands
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Boat to Row
MOORING UP WITH
ALSO INSIDE: WIDE EYED RODRIGO Y GABRIELA UGLY DUCKLING DIRTY THREE And more… PLUS: Face 3rd Birthday in pictures / Supersonic and OxjamBrum Takeover festivals reviewed / Style for the new season / Your comprehensive guide to what’s on in November November 2012
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Fri 23rd Nov • £15 adv 6pm - 10pm
Therapy?
A Brief Crack of Live Tour
Sat 24th Nov
Ben Howard 10.30pm doors, £4 adv special guests include:
FRI 9TH NOV
+ Willy Mason
Sat 24th Nov • £10 adv
Sun 16th Dec • £22.50 adv
Weds 30th Jan 2013 • £10 adv
Sat 22nd Dec • £20 adv
Fri 1st Feb 2013
Ellie Goulding
Sleigh The UK 2012: The Wonder Stuff Pop Will Eat Itself Jesus Jones
Anberlin 6.30pm - 10pm
Sat 2nd Feb 2013
Two Door Cinema Club Mon 4th Feb 2013 • £12.50 adv
We Are The Ocean
The Complete Stone Roses
Mon 31st Dec • £10 adv
Weds 6th Feb 2013 • £21 adv
+ Pete Macleod
Propaganda New Years Eve Party Animal
KING CHARLES (Live Set)
Sun 25th Nov • £10 adv
Fri 25th Jan 2013 • £10 adv
+ Lower Than Atlantis
Mon 26th Nov • £13 adv
Sylosis
Sat 9th Feb 2013 • £22.50 adv
Fri 2nd Nov • £6 adv
Next Big Thing Competition
Sat 26th Jan 2013 • £22.50 adv
+ New Killer Shoes
+ Touche Amore + A Storm of Light + The Secret
SAM AND THE WOMP (Live Set) FRI 16TH NOV
6pm - 10pm
- Heat 1 ft. The Mighty Young + Grace The Skies + Lucid Uprising + Severed Ties + I Can Talk + Free Or Nearest Offer
Sat 3rd Nov • £13.50 adv
The Milk
Converge
Fri 30th Nov • £7 adv
+ Lucious Brave + La Fontaines
Brum Notes presents... Boat To Row
3oh!3
6pm - 10pm
Sun 4th Nov • £5 adv
+ Misty’s Big Adventure + Young Runaways + Charlotte Carpenter
Nightwish + Pain
Weds 7th Nov
Jack White Weds 7th Nov • £15 adv 6.30pm - 10pm
Punch Brothers Sat 10th Nov • £12.50 adv
Hopsin
+ Dizzy Wright + DJ Hoppa
Sun 11th Nov • £18.50 adv
Sun 2nd Dec • £10 adv
Miss May I
+ Bleed From Within + Texas In July + Heart In Hand + Cytota
Mon 3rd Dec • £27.50 adv
Ben Folds Five
Tues 4th Dec • £12.50 adv / £25 VIP
Electric Six
10th Anniversary Tour - performing ‘Fire’ in its entirety
Weds 5th Dec • £14 adv
Sat 17th Nov Sun 18th Nov
Rizzle Kicks Weds 21st Nov • £18.50 adv
Europe
+ Stonerider
Fri 23rd Nov • £22.50 adv 6pm - 10pm
Levellers
Mon 5th Nov • £8 adv
Oh, Sleeper & Social Suicide + The Conduit
Weds 7th Nov • £12 adv 6pm - 10pm
Mike Peters of The Alarm Red Poppy Tour
Fri 9th Nov • £8 adv
The Doors Alive 9pm - 6am • over 18s only
Hardcore Heaven presents
Sun 9th Dec • £24 adv
Akala
Weds 28th Nov • £10 adv 6.30pm - 10pm
Needtobreathe Sun 2nd Dec • £7 adv
All The Young
Mon 3rd Dec • £6 adv
That Sunday Feeling Emerging Icons Live
Revoker
Tues 11th Dec • £5 adv
Fri 16th Nov • £8.50 adv
+ One Sixth of Tommy + Kezia Soul + Unique
[spunge]
Weds 12th Dec • £10 adv
6.30pm - 10pm
Sun 18th Nov • £6 adv
LA Shark
+ Benjamin Owen & Joe Karchud
Thurs 13th Dec • £18 adv
Mon 26th Nov • £8.50 adv
ft. Auction for the Promise Club, Tankus the Henge, Annaca
Tues 11th Dec • £17.50 adv
The Rasmus + The Dirty Youth
+ The Re-Entrants
+ Gallops
Mon 19th Nov • £8 adv
Tues 11th Dec • £12 adv
The Lancashire Hotpots
Sun 9th Dec • £8 adv
Maybeshewill
Orbital + Nathan Fake The Hives + The Minutes
6.30pm - 10pm
6.30pm - 10pm
+ Sacred Mother Tongue + Cytota
The Hardcore Awards 2012
performing ‘Seamonsters’ in full
ft. Devil Sold His Soul + Heights + Heart Of A Coward + Steak Number Eight
Tues 13th Nov • £8 adv
Weds 14th Nov
The Wedding Present
Fri 23rd Nov • £10 adv
Metal Hammer Razor Tour
Sat 8th Dec • £10 adv
Sat 8th Dec • £21 adv / £25 VIP
Thurs 15th Nov • £13 adv
Sun 4th Nov • £8 adv
The View
Coheed and Cambria Chris Moyles Live
Asking Alexandria
6.30pm - 11pm
Sat 3rd Nov • £13.50 adv
Tues 6th Nov • £18.50 adv
Sun 10th Feb 2013 • £14 adv
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
Thurs 29th Nov • £17 adv
Soil & Fozzy (Co-Headline) + Breed 77 + Never Means Maybe
ft. Noisettes + Rudimental
The Legendary Voice of UB40
Brad
The Vaccines
+ Charlie Simpson + Dead Sara
O2 presents The Think Big Tour
Ali Campbell
All Time Low
Thurs 29th Nov
Twin Atlantic
6.30pm - 11pm
6pm - 10pm
6pm - 10pm
Juan Zelada
Tues 20th Nov • £10 adv
The Feelers
Weds 21st Nov • £8 adv 6.30pm - 10pm
Luke Concannon
Charlie Lankester and The Mojo Killers Sun 15th Dec • £5 adv
Alttia + Sister Shotgun + Plastic Glasses + Empire Exile + Addiction
Tues 18th Dec • £5 adv
Natives
Sat 19th Jan 2013 • £6 adv
Young Kato
The Damned + The Dickies
Sam And The Womp
Sat 15th Dec • £15 adv
Thurs 22nd Nov • £8 adv
Ovation Music Management presents
Dappy
+ Imperial Leisure + Mixtape Saints + Nightlife
+ Martyr De Mona + Aceldama + Captain Horizon + In Alchemy
6pm - 10pm
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
Sonic Boom Six
Sat 26th Jan 2013 • £5 adv
Signify
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 on cash transactions Notes Magazine ticketweb.co.uk • seetickets.com • gigantic.com •Brum ticketmaster.co.uk
CONTENTS
Supersonic Festival 2012. Read the review on P18. Photo by Katja Ogrin. Brum Notes Magazine Unit 12 The Bond 180-182 Fazeley Street Digbeth 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: David Vincent, Amelia Burr, Amy Sumner, Jon Pritchard, Guy Hirst, Daron Billings, Joe Whitehouse, Sarah Holmes, Lauren Cox, Matthew Osbourne, Tom Roden, Cassie Philomena Pictures: Andy Hughes, Katja Ogrin, Jermaine Lloyd, Andy Pilkington, Zoe Posnette, Vicky Hargreaves, Ilvars Veinbergs Style editor: Jade Sukiya jade@brumnotes.com Design: Adam Williams, Andy Aitken Connect Twitter: @BrumNotesMag Facebook: www.facebook.com/ BrumNotesMagazine Online: www.brumnotes.com
November 2012
Regulars News 4-5 Live Reviews 18-21 Clubs 22 Style 24-25 Food & Drink 26 What’s On Guide 27-30 Music and Features Comedy: Steve Hughes 6 Fresh Talent: Eat Y’Self Pretty/The Problems 8 Rodrigo y Gabriela 10 Dirty Three 11 Ugly Duckling 12-13 Wide Eyed 14-15 Boat to Row 16-17 On www.brumnotes.com this month, interviews with Jake Bugg, Twin Atlantic, dubstep at PST and more... 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. 3
burlesque festival heads to birmingham’s ballroom A festival celebrating all things burlesque heads to Birmingham this month. The Ballroom in Dale End will host the 12-hour event showcasing the best in alternative culture, decadent dance and burlesque shopping. Visitors can browse 80 stalls during the Alternative & Burlesque Fair while an exclusive Heresy n Heelz Burlesque club night will keep the festivities going late into the night. The event is hosted by Rosie Lugosi and Fingers Toole, starring Slinky Sparkles, with aerial performances from Alexandra Hofgartner, poledancers from Blush Dance Studios, 2012 Battle of Burlesque Finals in association with Ministry of Burlesque, fashion shows from Zhyon and much more. Advance tickets are £5 daytime only or £10 day and night, or pay on door £5 day and £15 day and night. Visit www.thealternativeandburlesquefair.com for details.
ort cafe in balsall heath to celebrate 1st birthday this month
IN BRIEF
Innovative cafe and arts venue Ort celebrates its first birthday this month. Ort, which literally translates as ‘place’ in German, was opened by co-founders Josie, Ridhi and Noemi on 11/11/11 after raising £1,000 to renovate the old ink mixing room of the Balsall Heath Print Works. Picture by Ilvars Veinbergs Influenced by dual-function venues typical in Berlin, Ort is a café by day and a music venue and bar by night. Having studied together at Birmingham University, the three co-founding friends wanted to set up an independent café bar which would offer something different to the chain coffee shops on the high street and the highly-priced alternatives. A bright and intimate space with mismatched furniture and friendly staff, you can get a cup of tea for 50p and home-made cake for £1, while the venue also offers vegetarian breakfasts, language classes and more. “People say it’s like their living room,” said Josie, “they spend a lot of time here. It’s very personal.” Saturday are always live music nights with a programme largely made up of folk, indie and alternative acoustic acts. “We take care in booking good quality music acts,” Josie added. Ort is celebrating its 1st birthday on November 10 with a gig from local band, The Bonfire Radicals, supported by Katy Rose and The Cavalry Parade, with tickets £5. To read more on Ort’s first 12 months, visit www.brumnotes.com.
Budding songwriters who have been honing their craft with on a course at Mac Birmingham will show off their skills with a special performance next month. The Songwriting Circle, founded by musician Dan Whitehouse in 2010, is a group of local songwriters sharing ideas, skills and experiences. Members will perform an End of Autumn Term Show on December 3 at the Mac’s Hexagon Theatre, with tickets just £2. A band formed at Birmingham University celebrated the release of their latest single in unique style, with a one-day tour of launderettes around the country. Fallingham Fair unveiled two-track single Luck/Bring It Back Home on October 19 and the following day set off to perform in The Selly Soak in Birmingham, followed by performances later that day at launderettes in Northampton and London, earning attention from BBC Radio 1 and more. To see videos from the sessions visit www.facebook.com/ fredclaridgeandfriends.
midlands photographer andy hughes wins national nme award Brum Notes Magazine photographer Andy Hughes has picked up a prestigious award from new music weekly NME. The Midlands-based freelance music photographer was chosen as the overall winner of the NME Music Photography Awards and also took top prize in the Live Music category for his picture of indie band Spector performing live at the HMV Institute in Birmingham. His winning image (pictured right) adorned the centre pages of the magazine last month and will be on display along with other winners and runners up at a special exhibition until December 1 at the Getty Images Gallery in London. Andy said: “I’m still in shock. A friend told me and I didn’t believe him so I had to go and buy four copies to make sure. It was one of my favourite gigs this year, Swim Deep supported and the venue was heaving. I had to get right in the crowd to get the shot.” His success follows on from fellow photographer and Brum Notes Magazine style editor Jade Sukiya who earlier this year won the chance to photograph David Beckham in an Adidas competition. NME-winner Andy also carried out this month’s photoshoot with cover stars Boat to Row. Visit www.andyhughesphotography.co.uk. 4
Brum Notes Magazine
troumaca to headline brum notes/this is tmrw christmas party
city pub turned into pop-up diner
Tropical adventurers TROUMACA will headline this year’s Brum Notes Magazine and This Is Tmrw Christmas party. It is the second year in a row we have teamed up with forward-thinking promoters This Is Tmrw for the festive treat, which this year will take place at Birmingham’s hotbed of new music, the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath, on December 20. Joining Troumaca on the bill will be rabble-rousing ska and hip hop party animals Tempting Rosie, while more special guests are due to be announced very soon. DJ sets from Perfect Sound Forever, W Wolfe and This Is Tmrw will also keep the festive party vibe going throughout the night. Troumaca packed out the Hare & Hounds on their last appearance at the venue, so advance ticket purchases are highly recommended. The Brum Notes Magazine and This Is Tmrw Christmas Party takes place at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, on December 20. Tickets are £5 in advance from www.theticketsellers.co.uk. Stay tuned to www.brumnotes.com for more line-up announcements.
A new pop-up dining and drinking experience launches at a pub in the Hockley area of the city this month. Playground at The Church is a brand new pop-up cocktail, wine and beer bar from the people that brought you Secret Dining Society and Soul Food Project. For two months only, the Playground will bring you a weekly round of cocktails, events and unique food, all dripping with theatre. Head chef Carl Finn has promised no two nights will be the same at the Playground, whether it’s your cocktail waiter playing the part of French resistance fighter, an evening celebrating the joys of rum, or an intimate candle-lit night of fine wines. Playground at The Church is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm until late, numbers are strictly limited and booking is essential. Events this month include Rum Time from November 7 to 12, La Resistance from November 14 to 18 and an Orange party on November 24 celebrating all things Dutch, with orange dress essential. Visit www.facebook.com/churchjq for the lowdown on upcoming events and for details on how to book a table.
NON PROFIT MUSIC REHEARSAL ROOM FLOODGATE STREET MUSIC COMPANY November 2012
£5
REHEARSALS
ALSO FREE TO REFUGEES & ASYLUM
£45 PER WEEK LOCKUP
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Steve Hughes
Comedy
Heavy metal drummer-turned-stand-up comic Steve Hughes admits he’d love to take year off and get down to some serious music-making. But he still has his debut headline UK tour Big Issues to keep him busy. He talks to David Vincent.
“I made a solo album, as Eternum, it’s six tracks and I played everything myself,” explains Steve Hughes, “although my friends played the guitar solos because they’re better at that kind of thing than me. I can see boxes of them here. One day it’ll be released,” he sighs, looking at the piles of CDs in his Manchester home. It’s seems the problem is time – with his stand-up career keeping him busy, there’s just no time left for music. “I need a 36 hour day. That’s be good. Thirty-six hour days, but without working hours extended, only then will it be feasible for me to do everything I want,” he cackles. But surely, can’t he take advantage of his status as a must-see comic and flog the CDs at comedy gigs? “Um. I haven’t been doing merchandise at stand-up shows, I can’t turn from performer to salesman in a second. Can’t do it. Until someone else can do it for me, it’s not going to happen. Yeah, I know, some business person’ll be telling me it’s a missed opportunity. Another missed opportunity.” Okay, how about selling them online, via your website? “Sure, I could sell them via my website ... but I can’t be doing with websites. Doing websites, I’d have to be like Captain Kirk on the deck of the USS Enterprise ... a Captain Kirk of retail!” 6
Born in Australia to an opera-loving Mancunian father and with an English step-mum, the young, comedy-loving Hughes was part of Australia’s burgeoning trash metal scene. But with no established circuits for either music or comedic passion, he quit Australia for the UK a decade ago. Relocating to Manchester, he’s since established himself as a formidable stand-up, a club regular who’s supported acts such as Reginald D Hunter on tour, and appeared on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, only breaking out as a headline act this year.
“I’ve gone back to a Gandalf beard. I got rid of the moustache in Australia on the word of a woman.” Always insightful, headline show Big Issues finds Hughes tackling global warming, economic collapse, the war on terror, surveillance culture, rules and regulations, health and safety, political correctness, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, group sex, asylum seekers, words and their meaning, and other topics. “Being offended, I often talk about that, especially with people being fined, charged, for swearing. I swear a lot and in a few countries, you can really be in trouble. I’ve been reprimanded for a few things but I’ve never been fined for swearing though,” he says,
adding that in troubled times like these, society should be listening to comedians, not scalding them for criticising and observing the world around them. “Comedians are getting attacked but comedy is an important thing. You have to be able to laugh at yourself. People have access to so much information, but it’s such a shallow idea that you have to protect them. If you don’t want to see it, don’t look.” Several months on from the first run of dates, Big Issues has undergone a few changes. “The show’s changed quite a lot. I always do too long so I try and tighten it up as much in there as possible, so I sleek it down. Some bits are extra, some bits have been dropped,” he says. “All shows mature as they go along.” Another thing that’s changed is Steve’s facial hair. Back in the spring, he was proudly sporting “a gay 80s porn Mexican ‘tasche” inspired by his love of Motorhead’s Lemmy and Metallica, but not any more. “I’ve gone back to a Gandalf beard. I got rid of the moustache in Australia on the word of a woman. I shaved the moustache off as I went on tour,” he says, though it could return. “It’s easy to grow back again if I want it – you just don’t buy a razor ... it’s that easy.” Steve Hughes is live at Artrix, Bromsgrove, on November 1, The Public, West Bromwich, on November 3, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton, on November 4, and The Glee Club, Birmingham, on November 25. . Brum Notes Magazine
November 2012
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Eat y’self pretty Eat Y’Self Pretty are a Birmingham band that like to pack a punch. With a tight live show and an impressive new EP, Joe Whitehouse finds out what makes them tick. What’s your name and where do you come from, so to speak? Well, I [Steve (vocals/guitar)], Rog (keys/ laptop/guitar) and Chris (drums) all went to school together in Birmingham. I met guitarist Curt at Uni, and Curt met Pete (bass) through work. The line-up as it is, has been together for about 18 months. And its working very nicely we think. Nice band name, where did it originate?
The problems Stourbridge sleazy rock duo The Problems have been picked to support The Twang on tour this month. Singer Twig and drummer Amy tell us where it all began.
A couple of years back whilst trying to pick a band name, I [Steve] was completely obsessed with the band The Fall. They have a song called Eat Y’Self Fitter so it came from that. Our then bass player added the ‘pretty’ bit. Where would you say the band’s main influences lie? It would be too hard to name all the music we love – and we all have varying taste. Everything from 60s stuff, punk, 80s indie, electronica, hip hop, etc etc. There aren’t many artists or genres that we could all agree we like. Heard a rumour of an EP, why should people spend money on it? Not many people spend money on recorded music nowadays. We don’t often. But hopefully people care enough about supporting new bands that they will buy their records. Pete and Chris are vinyl junkies and still buy a lot of new music. We like to think our EP is pretty good, so it’s definitely worth the £3.50 or whatever to download it. What’s the deal with the live show? Our live shows are usually eventful – we often seem to have technical problems or equipment malfunctions. But we always play what she was into, didn’t really know much about her at all. Definitely had no idea she could sing and play drums. I didn’t really expect anything from it or even really expect to form a band. We always joked about being called The Problems. Then it just all started coming together and we knew we were onto something good. Amy: We started to be good friends back at the end of 2010. We really clicked and found out we both loved music. I hadn’t played the drums for over 10 years and joked about it with Twig saying we should start a band. We would drunkenly write songs and tap beats out on the table! We realised we had something good and should give a band a go, just for a laugh really, then things kind of just kicked off.
How did The Twang support come about? We’ve known them for a bit through a friend. Quite a refreshing line-up compared to They came to see us play at The Adam and Eve and they liked what they saw. I think they were more impressed with Amy’s bowler hat than anything. They will definitely be the biggest shows yet for us, which is obviously nerve wracking, but we are ready. How long have you been together and how did you meet? Twig: We knew each other for a while but I had no idea Amy could play, I didn’t know 8
with passion and energy, and try to mix our set up so that it doesn’t get dull for us or the audience. Before you go, three interesting facts... We played a show in London during the riots and got asked to leave the stage after two songs. Pete once drove from London to Berlin in one go (17 hours!) and me and Chris woke up at Glastonbury floating on our air-beds, possessions lost downstream... Eat Y’Self Pretty headline The End @ The Ballroom, Birmingham, on November 10. a lot of the buzz Birmingham bands at the moment? The B-Town scene is great and we’ve seen most of the bands play. We thought Swim Deep were cool, that drummer is smart. We’ve seen Jaws and played with Heavy Waves before. We respect what they are all doing and it’s nice to see Birmingham getting some good press for a change. We ain’t sure where we fit into anything really, we just do what we do. People seem to like it. Was it always the intention to be a twopiece or is that just how things came about? It has always just felt right playing as a duo so we have never felt like we need anybody else. If the time comes when we do feel we need to expand the line up we might consider it but at the moment it’s working just fine. What can we expect from your live set? We always struggle to describe our sound, come see us and check it out for yourselves. We promise to deliver catchy pop songs with lashings of noise. The Problems support The Twang on tour this month, including a date a Wolverhampton’s Wulfrun Hall on November 5. Read more at www.brumnotes.com. Brum Notes Magazine
November 2012
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Precious Metal Mexican maestros Rodrigo y Gabriela take their unique blend of frenetic instrumental jazz, metal and world music back on the road this month. David Vincent hears why they’re going back to basics — and rediscovering their heavy metal roots.
Fresh from touring their Area 52 album with a full-on 13-piece Cuban orchestra, guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela’s latest jaunt sees them reduce their on-stage presence to three thanks to the retention of Area 52 arranger, British jazz pianist Alex Wilson. “We always knew we’d go back to a duo so wanted to scale things down gradually and try out some new songs. So it’s like a tribute to Area 52,” explains Rodrigo. “So we are performing as a trio, but that is only part of the show, we do most of the show as a duo and guest Alex for four songs, to continue the flavour that came out of the C.U.B.A. orchestra.” Released at the beginning of the year Area 52 was a remarkable project that saw the Mexican couple revisit their back catalogue, fleshing out the duelling fretwork with Havana orchestra C.U.B.A (Collective Universal Band Association). Also featuring a host of guest appearances, it presented GyR’s material against a swathe of Latin rhythms. 10
“When we landed in Cuba, it felt like a dream,” says Rod who co-produced the album with Pete Asher, formerly one half of another duo, 60s act Peter And Gordon. “Peter is great, we’re such good friends. We met him when we were working with [soundtrack composer] Hans Zimmer on the Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack. Peter, Gab and myself would take lunch together every day while we were in LA. We didn’t feel any pressure of Peter overshadowing what we wanted, he’s so humble, and has such a good sense of humour.” As for RyG, they have come a long way in just over a decade. From playing in Mexican trash metal acts, Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero took time out to travel, and upon hearing that Dublin was busker-friendly, headed to Ireland to perform on street corners. Thanks to some dazzling acoustic guitar work and a clear bond, they quickly graduated to major venues, and released their debut album re-Foc, in 2002. No throwaway ‘World Music’
act, early cover versions of Metallica’s One and Orion, along with Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, clearly signposted that this was flamenco with (metal) balls. Those guitars might have nylon strings, but RyG still know how to rock. “We were pretty close minded, ignorant of music as we were so fucking metal, which is why we mixed the rock side with Latin,” Rod recalls of their early busking days. “We didn’t think we’d end up doing… this… we didn’t even want a record label!” A mix of live and studio albums has followed, along with an appearance at The White House, and more recently soundtrack work — something they’re keen to continue to explore. “There’s nothing coming up, not at the moment, but it will happen,” says Rod. “We have talked to a couple of directors who’ve said they’d be delighted to work with us, and we’ve enjoyed working in films a lot.” But their more immediate concern is the next, as yet untitled, fifth studio album, which will see them going back to basics. “The whole vibe of the Cuban thing was great, but sharing the stage with them, we missed the communication that we had between ourselves. We’re happy with what we did but look forward to being back to a duo, and that energy we have as a duo. “The new songs are showing more confidence in a way, they’re sounding very different. They’re closer to our roots in a way — we came from heavy metal. That’s how these [new songs] sound, we’ve grown back on ourselves. We’ve been experimenting with sounds, working with orchestras and films, and that has taken us to a different place, so we’re doing something we would never have done three years ago. Those experiences have given us a different approach.” “From what we have written [so far], we play at least three or four new songs on this tour, so we’ll be looking at how people react. We’re experimenting a lot. There’s not a lot of reference to the Latin part ... we feel we’ve over Latin-ised ourselves if you like,” he says, adding the new tunes have a more metal vibe. “We sound now like we wanted to sound before we came out to Europe,” Rod adds, with a laugh. My mum will hate it ... but that’s no bad thing.”
Rodrigo y Gabriela are live at the HMV Institute on November 25. Brum Notes Magazine
THE POWER OF THREE Aussie instrumental trio Dirty Three are still going strong after two decades, having returned this year with a critically acclaimed new album and a scintillating live show. Globe-trotting violinist Warren Ellis tells David Vincent why his place in Dirty Three makes him feel so at home. Warren Ellis is troubled. He’s more than happy to speak to Brum Notes from his Parisian home, but there is something urgent that needs attending to. “Sewerage,” he states. “I’m being generous, it’s actually leaves. We have cherries, and there’s been a bumper crop this year and the birds haven’t been eating them all, so they’re all in the gutters. They’re blocked and need clearing out.” But with the interview lined-up, the process of keeping a home running will have to wait for a few minutes as there’s the pressing matter of a Dirty Three tour and album to discuss. The Australian violinist/multi-instrumentalist cut his teeth as part of the Melbourne music and theatre scene before forming Dirty Three, with fellow journeymen Jim White and Mick Turner, in the early 90s. A run of challenging, powerful, largely instrumental, albums followed. Seven years on from 2005’s Cinders (which featured appearances from Chan ‘Cat Power’ Marshall and Sally Timms of The Mekons), the trio — now scattered across three continents (Warren in France, with Mick in Melbourne and Jim in Brooklyn) — are back together for Toward The Low Sun and a run of burning live appearances. It is a noticeable gap between releases, as Warren explains. “I’ve always been creating, and did lots of stuff in that period. If I’d not done anything, I’d have eaten my arm off. But I’ve been putting out one or two records a year, touring regularly with various bands and doing soundtracks. I’m still creating. But there was a sense of frustration, that we’d not come up with anything further for Dirty Three.” November 2012
The turning point was a live show in Japan. “We’d made several attempts at this record,” he continues. “We felt the live show was inspiring, but the recordings fell flat. We realised that live, we take risks, but when we got to structure with machines [in the studio], it didn’t do anything for us. So we decided to take things back to a more primal, primitive, vulgar state.” Though very much a studio record, it’s one that gets close to capturing the spiralling magic of a Dirty Three performance, something which Warren had struggled to satisfactorily document. “We’ve tried to record a live album, but things always went wrong. We listen to it back and it doesn’t sound right, something messed up, there are mistakes,” he says. “It’s a tricky one. What’s a good live record? Frampton Comes Alive sounds great when you hear it in the supermarket, but how live is it? Velvet Underground 1969 was recorded on a reel-to-reel and sounds great, but was never recorded as a live thing, it’s a bootleg, and it’s often the bootlegs that sound great. When you do record live, it sounds wilfully live. “If someone could capture a live performance without us knowing, that would take the pressure off, capture us off guard,” he laughs. Alongside Dirty Three, Warren also has a long professional relationship with Nick Cave, as member of both The Bad Seeds and Grinderman. The two are also in-demand soundtrack composers, thanks to such successful collaborations as The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, The Proposition, The Road, and this year’s Lawless.
“It’s the director first of all, the script and whether or not we can bring something to it,” Warren says, explaining what attracts the duo to a particular movie project. “Generally the films we reject, we might not feel like we can bring anything, that anyone could do it — we have to feel like we can bring something to it. The directors and people we work with are [also] generally someone we know.” So what’s next for Warren and Nick? The Bad Seeds? Grinderman? Movies? “That remains to be seen. There’s always something on the go, there’s always some pots bubbling. We’re never further than a phone call from each other,” he says diplomatically. “Actually, the great thing about mine and Nick’s relationship is that it’s a constant dialogue about creating. As long as that’s there, we’ll keep going. The hunt can be thrilling. “At the moment it’s all about Dirty Three through. All this year we’ve been off on tour, off to Australia, off to the UK, and it’s been great. It’s always great to play with Dirty Three, there’s always something, it feels like coming home when I’m playing with Jim and Mick. This is the band I’ve been in longest, we live and die by our own sword. It’s very close to my heart. Fantastic.” More fun than cleaning your gutters and drainpipes? “Yes.”
Dirty Three are live at The Glee Club, Birmingham, on November 20, with support from Zun Zun Egui. Latest album Toward The Low Sun is out now on Bella Union. 11
TAKING TAKING THE RAP THE RAP They may have begun life as the ‘outcasts’ of Californian hip hop, but after nearly two decades of making music, Long Beach rap trio Ugly Duckling are now veterans of the scene. Their unique blend of witty lyrics and fun-filled beats often pours scorn on the hackneyed obsessions of gangsta rap, but MC Andy Cooper tells Chris Moriarty why they’re happy to continue making hip hop on their own terms.
It’s nearly 20 years since you first started out, does it feel like that long? It often depends on the show we play. If we’re having a stagnant night and the audience is responding with tepid enthusiasm, it feels like the act has run its course and, as older guys, the whole thing seems silly. But, if it’s a hot crowd, the sound system is cranking and we’re on our game, it’s as fun and exciting as the first year. Luckily, we usually experience the second scenario. Another thing that helps us is that when we come off the road, we have our own individual lives so when we get back together it’s special and unique. Lastly, as an artist and performer, one tends to be constantly concerned with the next upcoming thing and doesn’t spend so much time considering the past which, in my opinion, keeps you feeling young and naive. And, for me, youthful ignorance is the key to staying fresh; “assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” You must be used to each other’s bad habits on the road by now as well? We definitely know each other backwards and forwards. In all honesty, we’re a bit like an old married couple when we’re together because we’ve become experts 12
at tolerating, ignoring and gently mocking the other’s behaviour. But, on the positive side, we know how to treat one another fairly and we’re all on the same page when it comes to doing a good show. We also understand that artistic chemistry is often achieved with ill-suited friendships so, from my viewpoint, all the dysfunctions in our band relationships serve the purpose of making us a good group. And how do you feel perceptions of you as a group have changed over the years? I’m not really sure. Being that we’ve been around as long as we have, I find that there are old fans who only like the first two albums, there are young fans who only know the last two albums, there are loyal fans who like everything, there are people who never thought we were any good in the first place and there are all sorts of people in between. Often, all of these folks are all at the same show (or website or YouTube comment page) so it’s really hard to gauge who you are as a band if you base it on the perspective of others. In the end, it’s very important to take on the attitude of a group that is still forming its identity and has something to prove. That way, one doesn’t feel stuck in anybody else’s perception.
What about the way you approach your music, and particularly songwriting, how has that developed? Hopefully, after so many years and multiple albums, you learn all the tricks of the craft. We feel that we have a special vocal sound and a unique approach to hip hop production which has created a formula that, generally, works. That said, we try to come up with new topics and musical challenges every time out. Rodney [Pleasant Jr, Ugly Duckling DJ, aka Young Einstein] and I in particular really love the idea of doing something we’ve never done before but making it sound like Ugly Duckling. For instance, on our most recent recording, Moving at Breakneck Speed, we did a twopart song about a young man moving from a small, rural town to a major metropolis, an instrumental with a monkey theme, a jailbreak tune and, to end the album, a tropicallythemed homage to our favorite surf documentary. We also wrote our fastest song to date and weaved a theme through the album like we’ve never done. These are the kind of things that, for me, keep it interesting and supply the inspiration needed. You’ve always rebelled against the excesses of modern hip hop and the Brum Notes Magazine
obsession with sex and money, but those themes have shown no signs of waning in modern hip hop. Does it make you laugh or cry? We give up. We’ve realised that, today, those things ARE hip hop culture. When we were growing up the culture was, in our opinion, much more artistically interesting and varied and not nearly as obsessed with the themes you mentioned. We for years rallied to preserve the former spirit of rap but to no avail. In my opinion, until a new generation steps in and makes a change we are stuck with the repetitive and unimaginative imagery that most rappers project. That said, I really do admire the talents, lyrical ability and flow of so many of the popular MCs (Kanye, Lil Wayne, Drake, Jay-Z, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dizzee Rascal...) but when i think about the atmosphere of the music and culture in the past (especially the late 80s and early 90s), what we have today is, for the most part, a joke. And, to be honest, when people ask me what kind of music I do, I’m a bit ashamed to be associated with modern hip hop because I don’t want them to think that I’m rapping about building a crack empire like Scarface and celebrating with a slack-jawed, recently paroled entourage and slutty women at a flashy club every night. November 2012
If you had to choose between making someone laugh or making someone dance, which would it be? That’s a tough question but I’d have to go with the dance option because if the listener isn’t physically responding to the music, it’s probably because it’s ineffective. Plus, I love humour but we’re not trying to be stand-up comedians or a novelty act; we love music. Ideally, a song or performance touches multiple senses in the listener/observer. I love it when my head is nodding, my mouth is smiling, my toe is tapping, my brain is stimulated, my emotions are impacted and my funny bone is tickled. It’s great to come away from a show — or for that matter a movie, a play or a date — with all aspects covered. So, you’re from balmy California, looking forward to swapping the sunshine for the rain-filled British autumn? School is in session and people are looking for a show. Plus, it’s always rainy and miserable so what’s the difference, right? UK audiences have treated us spectacularly well and we feel a special kinship with the British. I’m sure it’s because there’s a tradition of soul music appreciation along with the wry, satirical humour of your country. It seems that, in the UK, everybody’s a smart-ass and being
that we are a serious group that doesn’t take itself too seriously, we fit in. Any particular memories of Birmingham? Many. Rodney is a massive UB40 fan and when he found out we were doing a show once at the club where they premiered their special brand of well-dressed reggae, he was very excited; it was like his pilgrimage to mecca (he circled the stage seven times). Also, I once locked the car keys of our rental underneath the seat, don’t ask me how, and because it was so bitterly cold and late at night, I had to break the driver-side window with a wrench (I might have told the rental company something different). I felt like a man for the first time. On another trip to Birmingham, we performed with the Jungle Brothers and there was an S&M party in the basement of the club so we had to share dressing rooms with Nazi dominatrixes (dominatrixi?) and biker gimps. Lastly, we’ve been stuck in traffic many times on motorways in the general area.
Ugly Duckling are live at The End @ The Ballroom, Birmingham, on November 15. 13
EYES WIDE OPEN Brummie outfit Wide Eyed may only have a handful of gigs under their collective belt, but that hasn’t stopped the interest from far and wide coming thick and fast. Amy Sumner caught up with the band ahead of a hometown headline show to find out how they are reacting to the expectation. The rise of ‘B-Town’ seems unstoppable. In the last few months you’ll have been hard pressed to pick up a single music publication without that label ringing out at some point or other within its pages. All eyes are on the Birmingham music scene for the first time in what feels like years — and that’s good. B-Town is a scene, a collection of friends and the sound of Malibu — somewhere as far away from the Second City as it’s possible to imagine. What it does mean though is that, within its walls, Birmingham has a platform, and for the first time in what feels like years, Birmingham bands are standing on it and shouting ‘look at us, we can play!’ And people are actually looking and listening. Wide Eyed are one of those bands. Formed from the cinders of credible hopefuls Corelli amongst others, Midlands boys Wide Eyed grew up together and now head straight out into that open space of opportunity within Birmingham at the moment. With just one song up online, their progress isn’t dissimilar to that of Peace in the Bblood days. Wide Eyed have the look and they have the curiosity factor which has people turning up to watch them play — and have a bloody good time while they’re about it. Yeah, this band is exciting, but best of all? They’re good. 14
“Our music sounds like it’s got a cheese grater running through it,” says bassist Max Fisher, by way of explanation. “We all like noisy bands and we wanted to bring that influence into our own music.” Which doesn’t clear things up massively, but there’s some sense behind it. Debut track Bleak has a feel of The Horrors, but the vocals are altogether more pronounced — they’re more melodic and the overall sound has a rockier edge. You can tell that Sonic Youth and newcomers Toy have also played a part. And if you listen really hard, you can just about hear that cheese grater… don’t try it though. “We like experimental bands like Radiohead, but we also like pop music, so I guess our music is a mixture of the two,” Max continues. “In terms of what we listen to, everyone has their own thing,” lead singer Jake Bellwood explains. “Collectively, we like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth but we’re also big into electronic music and more experimental stuff,” guitarist Tommy Greaves concludes. “There isn’t a songwriting process as such though,” offers Max, “it kind of comes out of nowhere. Ideas start with different members of the band and then come together, but there is always a starting point from where the song gets going. For instance, we’ll have
a guitar hook or a vocal or a drum section and we’ll really just build off that and see where it takes us.” “We’ve got seven songs at the moment which we’re happy about playing,” says Tommy, “and they’ve all happened like that. “I think in recent years there’s been a bit of pretentiousness surrounding bands from Birmingham and they’ve possessed an identity which has been hard to find. After the 60s and bands from that era, there hasn’t really been anything to define bands from around here. “But now there seems to be something in the air — and we definitely draw from that…” “Yeah, that and the fact that we’re poor as fuck,” Max concludes pointedly. Wide Eyed are a very new band. They’ve only a handful of live dates to their name and things are happening fast. “That’s because we’re interesting,” justifies Tommy. “We do owe a lot to our friends and bands like Peace and Swim Deep because the attention which they’re getting means that people are more willing to look towards Birmingham for new music.” Brum Notes Magazine
“But we’re actually pretty good,” rationalises Max. “People can tell when things are bullshit.” Throughout the interview, what really becomes apparent about Wide Eyed is…well, their Wide Eyedness. They are definitely a band to watch but they’re well aware that now is their time, and they’re excited. “We’ve only played five gigs to date, and we always get the best reception in Birmingham,” Tommy enthuses, “but right now people are really making the effort to come out and see us, and that’s great. It’s always nice to go to other places though because we all know now that people in Birmingham and our friends think we’re good — playing somewhere like London gives us an unbiased opinion and a different crowd.” A Midlands band through and through, Wide Eyed have just been snapped up by The Twang and head out on a UK tour with the Brummie/Black Country band this month. “Being asked to go on tour with those boys is great because at one point they were the band in Birmingham. We’re all really into each other’s music because we’re all yam-yams” Tommy says of the tour. “Basically I think that at those gigs, people are gonna get covered in piss,” Max concludes.
November 2012
“We do owe a lot to our friends and bands like Peace and Swim Deep because the attention which they’re getting means that people are more willing to look towards Birmingham for new music.”
Until now, drummer Aaron Singh has been taciturnly quiet. When asked how Wide Eyed have fun though… “he’s always heading off on adventures,” describes Tommy, “we ended up late night shopping in George the other day.” “And Max really likes chicken wraps,” says Jake. “I don’t know that I know how to have fun actually…though I do like Lapland.” They’re joking obviously. “A real answer would be that we like to go out — to The Rainbow and The Adam & Eve in Digbeth…but by Christmas we’ll have a 24 track album recorded covering topics from Pimms to the present day, and there’ll be jingle bells on every song.” Things tend to transcend into the abstract around these guys. They will have a new single out in the new year though.
Basically, what you need to know about Wide Eyed is that they’re exciting. Their gig at The Sunflower Lounge this November is almost at capacity and with gigs which you can count off on one hand, the national music press are already falling in love with them. Well, listen to them yourselves and look at them — isn’t hard to see why.
Wide Eyed are live at The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, on November 10, with support from Heavy Waves. They are also on tour with The Twang throughout the month. Debut track Bleak is on the band’s SoundCloud at soundcloud.com/ydyed.
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Beyond the Sea Boat to Row set sail for their biggest headline show to date when they moor up at the O2 Academy 2 for this month’s Brum Notes Presents show. Amy Sumner finds out what’s in store. Boat to Row really are pretty. They’re the kind of band who are perfect to spend a lazy festival day listening to while sitting on the grass and taking in the sun/rain. Which is lucky, because they’ve just spent the whole summer playing to people doing just that. “We played about 16 festivals this summer,” explains lead singer, guitarist, mandolinist and banjo…ist (?) Michael King. “It was pretty amazing. We played at lots of events where there was only one stage or a couple of stages staggered, so every person was watching every band.”
Marling and Johnny Flynn.” In an effort to explain a sound to a newcomer to the genre, those types of acts are always going to be the go-to because they fulfil that folk-pop quota, and I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but proper folk doesn’t really make it big in the charts these days. Suffice to say that Boat to Row don’t really sound like Mumford & Sons. They’re a bit more eclectic than that.
“And we played the Frederick barge for Oxjam Brum last month,” adds newcomer to the outfit, Oh Stockholm!’s Anna Bennett. “It was small but it was really fun and nice to play in a different kind of venue. I think we’re a band who can be quite portable when we need to be — we can go into spaces and just play. I really enjoyed that gig but I had to sit down because my bow was hitting the top of the ceiling.”
“I like to think that we have our own little take on it,” says Mike. “We do use a lot of acoustic instruments but not in such a way as those kinds of acts. We draw influences from everywhere — from all backgrounds but we do all meet at certain points in the middle. Lloyd [Miller, drums] is more into rock music — Led Zeppelin, The Who and Elbow and I’ve been through so many phases of music that it’s all gone into one big mixing pot. When I was 16 I was really into heavy metal and it was only when I went to uni that I started to broaden my horizons into songwriting and folk music.”
Boat to Row are a folk outfit, it’s fair to say, but when someone says ‘folk’, you tend to get a particular image in your head. And Boat to Row are a little bit different. When asked what they sound like, Mike concedes: “I guess that people would refer to (and I don’t want to say it), but the Mumford boys and Laura
“I think the influences you will hear in Boat to Row are things like Neutral Milk Hotel, Bon Iver, Modest Mouse and old soul records,” explains keyboardist Billy Moss. “We pass things around between us and there are sounds that will always be at the core of the band,” agrees bassist Ben Gilchrist.
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“But being in Birmingham really influences us,” says Mike. “I mean, we’d be the same band wherever we were but we’re definitely warm to Birmingham because of how relaxed it is and how there’s no pretence around clubs or scenes. It’s pretty open to most styles, unlike other cities. That’s good because we don’t feel like outsiders — we feel like we belong here, like we’re on neutral ground and we can grow musically. It also makes us feel comfortable enough to try things out because everyone gets all sorts of music. No one expects us to sound a certain way and we like that openness.” Which seems to be an integral part of the band. Boat to Row are one of those groups from whom you can always expect a different performance, and who will always put the effort into their live shows. “With our current line-up, there is a confidence in the performances which I believe has left us prepared to play our best live show yet,” enthuses drummer Lloyd Miller. Which is a handy coincidence because their largest headline show to date is booked into the O2 Academy 2 for the end of November. A Brum Notes Presents show, no less. “It’ll be one of the biggest shows we’ve played. There’s one last date after Birmingham but it’s this show which we’ve been building up Brum Notes Magazine
into, so we’ve played a couple from there — all of us just sat in the back of my car.”
to. It’s a cracking line-up so we’ll be raising the stakes and trying to outdo each other really…we’ll definitely have to be on our game,” says Mike. “But on the whole tour it’ll be nice for the people who have followed us for the last couple of years because we’ll be playing a variety of songs from all of our releases. We’re really excited to get some new songs out there, we have three or four which we can play, but there’ll also be some old classics…or some so-called ‘classics’,” he laughs. “I think we realise that the music scene is constantly evolving so we have adapted to the way the scene works now. The emphasis on live shows has never been greater so we’re playing as much as we can,” says Billy.
“What I really like about being in this band is that we’re not bound by electricity,” Mike explains. “So we can go into more organic spaces and do off the cuff sets in weird and wonderful locations. We played in a tent in the summer — just a normal sized tent and it was pretty much just us who could fit inside it. We once had three powercuts in the middle of one set so we just got off the stage and took all our instruments to play in the crowd. We found a little space in the middle of everyone so we just went and stood in it and played…and then we realised why it was a space because it was just a big puddle. We’ve played shows at the back of my Nissan as well because I’ve got this tape player which you can plug a keyboard
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What is obvious about Boat to Row is that they’re passionate about playing live music. Music as a whole but live music especially, which means that anyone who takes the opportunity to see them is in for a treat. And in the new year? “We’ve got pretty big plans for next year,” enthuses Mike. ”We’ll potentially have four singles and will be able to tour one for each season before bringing them together for one release at the end of it. There’ll be lots of touring and writing and we’ll be spending time making sure it’s the right time for us to release an album. We’ve been building up to that for a while now so we just need to make sure it feels right.”
Boat to Row will headline the Brum Notes Presents show at the O2 Academy 2, Birmingham, on November 30, with Misty’s Big Adventure, Young Runaways and Charlotte Carpenter. Boat to Row’s new EP Loyal Light is out on November 19. Latest single Freedom is available for free download at boattorow. bandcamp.com.
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Merzbow
live Supersonic festival The Custard Factory, Birmingham 19-21/10/12
Goat
A decade of Supersonic. Already? For celebrations of this magnitude, there was no way that it was going to fall short at the 10th hurdle. And as always, the team had scouted out some of the most eclectic, weird and wonderful acts, with firm favourites returning alongside exciting new talents, unbeknown to many attendees Among the highlights, it will be difficult to forget the sensory assault of Thomas Ankersmit. Using a Serge modular synth, The Dutch composer experimented with his audience’s perceptions through the repositioning of audio. Ankersmit explored reactive frequencies, sending listeners off kilter with the mysterious whereabouts of those sounds, as the eerie yet therapeutic juxtapositions of tones changed each time you turned your head. In the film theatre, Birmingham’s own Nicolas Bullen’s auditory journey led listeners down a dreamy yet familiar landscape of recurring mysteries, as sound clashed with Super 8 visuals to create a nostalgic, engulfing
Thomas Ankersmit
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experience, playing with elements of paganism to immerse the complex crowd. Paganism, it seemed, was an underlying theme to this year’s festival, with The Outcrowd artists at the heart of this ethos, as they resurrected the long forgotten Festival of Rea by creating a wooden house shrine for Supersonic-goers to explore. Birmingham laptop troupe SOUNDkitchen developed a cult expansion to the theme, as they clashed their electro-acoustic findings against ancient symbolic backdrops and eerie silence. Bird noises, creatures and the natural sounds of Digbeth were thrown into the technological cauldron and mixed up to produce some of the most alien, audio obscurities, as the historical depths of Birmingham were awoken and re-imagined for a modernistic crowd. Swedish ensemble Goat also conformed to the spiritualist subject, as their ethnical, otherworldly sound firmly rooted the group into the visionary past of paganism. Dressed in tribal voodoo attire, the Swedes were visually bewitching on stage, entertaining their audience with carnival-attuned dances and animated movements. Throwing all of the paganism out the window – in fact, throwing pretty much everything out the window – Merzbow dented a humongous whole in sound itself, and rebelled against pretty much every music genre you can think of. The Japanese artist is
well known for being one of the greatest noise musicians in the world, and he certainly didn’t disappoint as he blasted ear drums with a raucous assault, developed from an array of odd mechanical trinkets, wires, springs and electronic devices. KK Null followed suit, as he churned up the once-silent Old Library into a hellish bellow of mechanical, roaring diarrhoea. Teamed up with Brummie doom tuba duo Ore, the building began to rumble beneath feet and upwards, shaking bodies into automatically moving to the deafening demolition. But perhaps the most demonic performance came from Birmingham nut-case Lash Frenzy. Filling the warehouse with an ever thickening fog, the audience became blocked completely from sight, and everybody began to wonder exactly what they’d just let themselves in for. Suddenly, an ensemble of classical string instruments emerged amongst the mist. The insanity suddenly took effect without warning. Flashing strobe lights appeared from every angle, while drumming could be heard within the crowd itself, as the band played among the audience as well as on stage. As the strobe lights intensified, the noise ripped the warehouse to pieces, hindering both the audience’s hearing and sight in order to maintain control of their fears. There was no escape from the fog nor the noise. Ross Cotton. Photos by Katja Ogrin. Brum Notes Magazine
Dan Whitehouse
The Scribers
OxjamBrum Takeover Festival Various venues, Birmingham 13/10/12
With more than 40 artists performing across seven venues during a 12 hour eargasm of music, a good time was pretty much guaranteed wherever you headed for during this year’s OxjamBrum Takeover. Keziasoul’s seemingly effortless delivery marked her out as a truly impressive talent, enthralling an Oxjam-packed Symphony Hall Cafe Bar and setting things up nicely for Cannon Street whose sibling harmonies and sweet folk proved equally bewitching. Ditching dry land (and reality for that matter) Paul Murphy spun tales of everlasting mice, magical budgerigars and Oscar Wilde aboard the good ship...well...barge...Frederick. Even if you did live forever (mouse or man), you’d never tire of listening to this dude. Over at Island Bar, Anna Palmer continued her glorious transformation into Anushka, a jazz-tinged combo that retains her trademark hurricane-voiced, keyboard-battering whirlwind of emotion but adds a level of sophistication that she’s perhaps missed in the past. If Universal are sniffing around for more Brum talent to sign, she’s one for their list. Meanwhile, deep in the bowels of Tom Peel
November 2012
The Sunflower Lounge, Tom Peel once again redefined the word ‘unique’ in a set that blended everything from simple, folk-influenced love songs through to bleep-tronica and Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band surrealism (loved the melon vs conker fight). A national treasure. How do you follow that? Smethwick’s sage of the spoken word Polarbear fitted the bill perfectly, opening up his heart and soul with extraordinary rhymes about ordinary life, love and everything in between. Funny, poignant and touching, often all at the same time. That Jessica’s a lucky girl... Cafe Blend provided the ultimate chill-out Cannon Street
destination throughout the day. The cafe has soft green walls, comfy seats, friendly staff and a chilled, relaxing atmosphere that boded well for the combination of spoken word and live music hosted by poet and writer Leeanne Stoddart. She rose to the stage at 4.30pm prompt to deliver an introduction and two beautiful poems, the first, Justification, a beautiful tale of why she writes about love, concluding that ‘love is the ultimate poem’. Next up were Moselele, a group of nine ukelele players from Moseley who charmed the crowd with their renditions of popular classics beginning with London Calling, followed by renditions of tunes by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Kids and Dandy Warhols. Amanda Hemmings, a powerful woman with an obvious lyrical talent made a short but valuable contribution; punchy lines echoed out
through the audience and she departed the stage, denim jacket and satchel in tow, leaving the audience with their jaws on the floor. The cafe’s second band of the day, Midnight Bonfires, are a local troupe of four handsome young things who provided sweet tunes to sip drinks to. Beautiful lead vocals soothed the audience along with accompaniment from guitar, bass, mandolin and a drum box. Across the Queensway at another cafe bar, nestled within the Symphony Hall, a crowd ranging from toddlers to pensioners probably isn’t the audience that young indie rock growlers The Scribers are used to, but they showed their promise and cheeky personalities to match. The venue’s headliner Dan Whitehouse was something of a different proposition, performing his luscious heart warming songs with passion while the sophisticated crowd listened intently as the sipped on their wine. A great ending to a music-filled day, chilling out listening to Dan’s soft voice, accompanied by his acoustic guitar and the sounds of a beautiful piano and harmonies. Amazingly, the day’s array of musicians, DJs and poets helped raise a breathtaking £10,000, a significant step in helping Oxfam turn their ambition ‘to build a future where everyone always has enough to eat’ into a reality. Words by Daron Billings, Sarah Holmes and Lauren Cox. Photos above by Jermaine Lloyd, Tom Peel photo by Andy Pilkington.
Hot Chip O2 Academy, Birmingham 11/10/12
Forget every other band parading around under the charade at the moment, Hot Chip really are the very definition of geek chic. Knob-twiddling with the best of them and not giving one single solitary fuck what anyone else thinks, they have successfully pinpointed the pinnacle of cool on five records 19
to date and tonight treat their audience to the best bits of all. Why they haven’t been nominated for this year’s Mercury prize in fact, is anyone’s guess. Though it takes them a couple of songs to get into that groove tonight, when they find it, it’s electric. They play a good number of songs from each record and treat us to some choice moves while they’re at it leaving the entirety of the venue wanting more. It isn’t hard to see why Hot Chip have influenced a number of bands coming through at the moment and from performances like this promoting records like In Our Heads, we can only hope that they’ve got another five records in them to carry on in a similar vein for years to come. Hot Chip really are impressive tonight. Hot Chip are in our heads. Amy Sumner
Bloc Party O2 Academy, Birmingham 15/10/12
Earlier this year, it looked as though it was curtains for Bloc Party. A few months on and they’ve released an album which rivals many this year, played a handful of festival dates and set off on tour around the UK. Not bad. The tour, as the album, has a distinct theme about it – as they walk on stage tonight, lasers flash red blue green yellow and the four squares behind the four boys light up repeatedly. Bloc Party are back and, more so than ever, they are a unit. Their fans love it. The energy they put into the performance tonight really is testament to their talent – they roar through a mix of songs from all four of their albums, and (amongst two circle pits) cheers aren’t just reserved for the older classics alone. This crowd is one that has stuck by Bloc Party through thick and thin and one that is god damn delighted to see them touring again. Even when a dodgy drum kit divides the set into two halves, it’s clear to see that this band cannot put a foot wrong. Yes, tonight Bloc Party really do prove that they’re a band with sticking power and a band with the ability to churn out record after record which strike chords with people of all ages. Tonight Bloc Party prove that they’re one of the last bands of that set still standing. Amy Sumner
Liars The Rainbow Warehouse, Birmingham 18/10/12
Few bands make music that terrifies quite so much as the unpredictable din that Liars have been peddling across six albums, so it is with a little trepidation that this reviewer 20
Dog Is Dead Photo by Andy Hughes
enters the snug at the back of The Rainbow Warehouse to hear the sinister bass of support act The Haxan Cloak literally shaking the room apart. However, when Liars amble onto the stage, dressed in ill-fitting black suits, there is nothing confrontational about them. Singer and frontman Angus Andrew looks like Andrew WK without the bloodied nose, but seems a little shy. His hand gestures occasionally reach the dramatic proportions of his doppelgänger’s, but the Liars of 2012 are less energetic than their younger selves, and they preside over their various machines with Kraftwerk-like stoicism, appearing like naughty schoolboys forced to be on their best behaviour. Their latest album, WIXIW, may be responsible for their lack of interaction with the audience – Andrew admitted that his band’s experiments with studio technology presented the trio with difficulties in reproducing the songs on stage. But they have succeeded with their translation; the sound coming from the speakers is intense and bass-heavy, and for the most part the audience nod along with the band in spellbound unison. However, when Liars kick in with their more raucous numbers, they remain relatively motionless and let the audience rock out for them. Perhaps they had a bad day and didn’t feel up to performing. If so, we can at least thank them for great renditions of a good cross section of their songs, even if we weren’t as challenged or terrified as we hoped we might be. Matthew Osbourne
Toy The Temple @ HMV Institute 20/10/12
if some kind of psychotropic prison break, a brooding turquoise fog mists the stage and the venue stands still, yet attractively embellished. With this ethereality hanging high in the atmosphere Toy make their much anticipated entrance. It’s not immediately evident by their first, tightly-driven, guitar-commanded and coolly spoken song that Toy are distinguishable from one mainstream practitioner to the next. However, their intensity and experimental tendencies are swiftly exposed and song by song they disprove any misconception that they’re merely sporting the mainstream. The band’s presence lies almost solely in the hands of Tom Dougall who, with some reserved angst and volume, spits his lyrics into the air, instantly intensifying his character and his presence. Instrumentally however, prominence is often given to the synth player, Alejandra Diez, whose warped and unfastened melodies give a wondrous colour in contrast to the sturdy rhythmic backbone that constantly pounds the ears of the audience. This amalgamation is often a frenzied affair, manic and dissonant yet progressively original. But as the lights glaze the audience an emerald green, Toy lead into Dead and Gone, the guitar drools a cooling psychedelic ooze that relieves them from the prior intensity, but not for long. As they perform Motoring it’s clear that Toy don’t merely replicate their records in a live setting, they approach each song with a more explosive nature that delivers not only an exhilarating and creative performance, but another worthy reason to merit seeing them live. Guy Hirst
Gaz Coombes O2 Academy 2, Birmingham
With violet lights scanning the audience as
21/10/12 Brum Notes Magazine
Howler HMV Institute 22/10/12
It might be NME’s Generation Next Tour but all three of tonight’s bands have their ears tuned firmly to the past, kicking off with the most retro of the lot, glam grunge shoegazing progsters (now that’s a hell of a mix) Gross Magic. If that sounds as much fun as shot blasting your genitals, relax. Somehow they pull it off with Sam McGarrigle’s trippy tweenage vocals neatly offsetting the heavier tracks and surprisingly complex chord structures. Magic. The Cast Of Cheers look all the way back to the golden days of 2008, when Foals took math rock mainstream. Adding more of an anthemic indie sound to the mix results in tracks like the endlessly addictive and be-twitching Family, the set’s inevitable highlight. “Best drummer everrrrrr,” cried out someone in the crowd in their best Comic Book Guy impression after the band’s octopus-on-steroids like sticksman had meatily beaten a couple of songs to death. Wise words. Finally, all the way from Minneapolis, Howler, who attracted a small but enthusiastic group of fans searching for this generation’s Ramones/Strokes/Libertines, all of whom have clearly influenced the band. Howler have even gone as far as covering The Libs Up The Bracket which they steadfastly refused November 2012
to play this evening despite increasingly desperate requests from one or two well lubricated members of the audience. What they did run through at a fair old pace though were just over half a dozen garage/surf rocktinged tracks kicking off with one of their slower numbers, Back To The Grave, and ending chaotically with their biggest hit to date, the twangtastic Back Of Your Neck which saw most of the crowd spill over the barriers to join the band on stage. Carnage never sounded so good. Daron Billings
Dakota Beats
Photo by Zoe Posnette
Outside it’s a rainy Sunday evening, but inside the dry comfort of the O2 Academy 2 is some sort of guitar-driven rave, hosted by none other than Gaz Coombes. No more than 100 people have turned out, but the ones that have are being treated to something very special indeed. Gaz was renowned for being the cheeky frontman of Britpop band Supergrass, whose song Alright was part of the soundtrack of the 90s. But tonight Gaz wants to show that he hasn’t lost the ability to make people move. Tonight ladies and gentlemen, Gaz is providing the soundtrack to a great party. From the techno-guitar explosion of Sub-Divider to the 60s-vibed Simulator, Gaz knows exactly how to get everybody moving. Nobody in attendance is remaining static, everybody is moving. Despite the small audience, Gaz is on top form. His sound tonight is massive, more suited to a festival tent. This is most evident in his closing track of the night, the phenomenal Break The Silence, which features club-style synthesisers and an explosively energetic chorus. He may not be young anymore, but Gaz is just as fun as ever before. Tom Roden
Dog Is Dead O2 Academy 2, Birmingham 24/10/12
Dog Is Dead are a band with a spring in their step. And who can blame them? Triumphantly taking to the stage for tonight’s Brum Notes Presents show, it’s the second date of their biggest ever UK tour and they’re fresh from unveiling their brightly addictive debut album All Our Favourite Stories. Striding on unassumingly before easing into the delightfully laid-back album opener Get Low, the audience is there for them from the off, squeezing tightly to the front of the venue before exploding into life on second track, the bouncing Talk Through the Night, an innocent tale of friendships and young adulthood which perfectly encapsulates what Dog Is Dead are all about. Do The Right Thing is bellowed back in earnest, sprinklings of saxophone add an 80s soul vibe, while Two Devils showcases frontman Robert Milton’s vocal range and Dog Is Dead’s unerring ability to switch from bright and breezy to heart-wrenchingly earnest. Dog Is Dead don’t put a foot – nor a note – wrong tonight, despite their impressively complex layered harmonies, all as tight you like, while their instrument-swapping tendencies impress further, only adding to the boundless energy that pervades. Fan favourite Glockenspiel Song begins an allconquering encore, finished in style with the thoughtful Teenage Daughter. Just like their debut album, this is a performance that is short, sharp and perfectly delivered. Chris Moriarty
Dakota Beats O2 Academy 2, Birmingham 26/10/12
There’s a Friday night feeling of excitement, as the numbers steadily pour through to see some emerging local talent for the latest instalment in the Brum Notes Presents series. Up first, The One Twos out-enemy The Enemy who headline next door, waking up the
crowd, with a brazen, ballsy sound, juxtaposed by frontman Matt Clark’s laid back pose. Sure, their sound owes more than a little to The Arctic Monkeys, but these boys know what they’re doing. Late additions to the line-up, City Lightz turned the audience interaction and stage presence up a few notches, admitting to having had a few too many backstage but clearing enjoying themselves, baiting the audience to make more noise before making an indie/urban racket of their own. Delaysoaked guitars set the tone for Dive Exit, a piercing combo of dual vocals, embodying the spirit and swagger of The Music, with a sprinkling of At The Drive-In energy. As the impressively large crowd awaits their headliners, the excitement and drunkenness builds steadily. Leather-clad with coiffed hair, Dan Harris looks every bit the frontman as the lights come up. He acts it too, gesturing, posing and bounding about like Maximo Park’s Paul Smith after he’s had his Berocca. But this isn’t just posturing, they have the tunes and grooves to match, with impressively punchy opener and new track Dive Into the Deep End setting the stall, before second track Back to Me shows The Pigeon Detectives how layered, energetic indie rock should have been done. If the first few tracks show their new, darker edge, fan favourite Fire Desire is Dakota Beats at their twinkling brightest. But it is brand new track Crocodiles which shows Dakota Beats at their soaring best, a track that has anthem written all over it, and boy did the crowd respond, with their fiercely loyal followers already knowing the words. Set closer The Tides was similarly sung back with gusto, bringing a triumphant performance to a fittingly triumphant end. Chris Moriarty 21
CLUBS
FACE 3RD BIRTHDAY Rainbow Warehouse, Birmingham 13/10/12
The Rainbow’s weekly clubbing party FACE celebrated its third birthday in style last month with a world class warehouse rave. The stellar line-up included the likes of Matthias Tanzmann and Davide Squillace in the Warehouse, while Scuba and Joy Orbison kept the party vibes going in the Garden. FACE co-founder Scott Bleepz called the night “the best party we have ever done,” and the crowds of revellers that turned out in force would surely agree. FACE runs weekly Saturdays at The Rainbow. Plans for a second Warehouse rave on December 29 have also been revealed, featuring Martinez Bros, Laura Jones and more. 22
Photos by Vicky Hargreaves Brum Notes Magazine
November 2012
23
STYLE
As tasty as his namesake’s custard, Mr Birds Emporium is finally here. After months of anticipation, this ‘vintage department store’ has opened its doors, and joy of joys, it’s everything it promised and more. With a diverse and fiercely independent array of retailers and the added bonus of The Custard Cream market every Saturday, retail at The Custard Factory feels very alive. Mr Birds Emporium showcases a carefully selected and eclectic mix of independent creatives including Bits & Bows, Trunk Junkies Vintage, Vote Vintage, Sneeky Fox Apparel, Uptodated, Vintage Hideaway, Boucher and Bond Creative, Laura Loves Boutique and Nothing New. As well as all of the above, Mr Birds also offers rentable permanent space without any hefty contractual commitments and there is also a ‘rent-a-space’ wall that allows up to 25 new names in the creative industry to rent a smaller space for as little as £10 a week. So with an ever changing and fresh approach to retail and ongoing relationships with its traders, Mr Birds promises to never get boring. Mr Birds Emporium is located in The Custard Factory, Digbeth, and is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10.30am - 5.30pm. Find more information at www.mrbirdsemporium.co.uk. words Cassie Philomena photos Jade Sukiya
~ WINTER WARMERS ~ FOR HER
TOPSHOP £150.00
24
FOR HIM
H&M £39.99
TOPMAN £90.00
BURTON £50.00
Brum Notes Magazine
ON THE STREET photos Jade Sukiya
AMBER, 18, PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT She is wearing a chic coat from Topshop, with a shirt from American Apparel and shirt from M&S. Her leather skirt is ASOS and her shoes are Kurt Geiger. She doesn’t have a style icon but she likes the classic cute look. Her favourite shop in Birmingham is Topshop.
LEANNE, 17, STUDENT Leanne is a true thrifter, her nan gave her the coat, her dungarees are from a vintage store and she found her Converse pumps at a local carboot. Her style icon is her nan and her favourite shop in Birmingham is Urban Outfitters.
XIEOCHEN, 21, STUDENT Xieochen’s jacket was bought online, her lace shirt is from China and her bold red skirt is from Lipsy. Her tights are from Primark and shoes are Prada. She doesn’t have a style icon and her favourite shops are Zara and Topshop.
KEVIN, 23, JUNIOR MENSWEAR BUYER & ECOMMERCE MANAGER Kevin is wearing a jacket is from Legacy, a grey t-shirt from Acne, trousers are Dries Van Noten and he sports black Converse. His style icon is Raf Simons and his favourite retailer in Birmingham is A TOO.
RIHANNA, 16, STUDENT Rihanna thinks her jacket is from London and her fur scarf is from the market. Her grey jumper is Asda’s George and her patterned tights are also from the market. Her style icon is Rihanna and her favourite place to shop is the Birmingham market.
CHRIS, 19, SALES ASSISTANT His t-shirt is Heel Bruise from The Candy Store and his jeans are H&M womenswear. His trainers are Adidas Gazelles which he has customised by added some gold studs. He doesn’t have a style icon but he likes streetwear combined with a smart classic design. His favourite shop in the city is The Candy Store.
November 2012
25
FOOD + DRINK Winter is pretty much on our doorstep now and is calling for a couple of cocktails to warm your cockles and fight off that winter bite. So, with this in mind, this month we’re looking at a couple of cocktails using some of the more unusual spirits from the Jim Beam range, which will provide your palate with the warmth of bourbon along with our added creativity to help get you through the cold. The first is my own twist on a Blue Blazer. Created in the 1800s by the don of mixology, Jerry Thomas, it’s been said that Thomas refused to make the drink unless the temperature outside fell to 10C or below, or the person ordering the drink had a cold or the flu. I’ve named my version of the drink OTB, which stands for Old Tub Blazer; Old Tub comes from the history of Jim Beam, when in 1880 it was called Old Tub, and Blazer as an obvious reference to the original cocktail Blue Blazer. The second is an original from one of our bar team, named The Beast of the Hunt after what red stags were called during a hunt. This cocktail provides your palate with a sweet, sour and strong kick - after a couple of these your hunt will begin!. By Harry Finch, bar manager, The New Inn, Vivian Street, Harborne, Birmingham. Call 0121 426 3373 or visit www.newinnharborne.co.uk.
Recipe: OTB
Recipe: the beast of the hunt
Ingredients: 50ml Jim Beam Honey 6.25ml - 12.5ml (on preference to the drinker) Absinthe Fresh ginger Quarter barspoon/teaspoon of ground cinnamon Half a barspoon/ teaspoon of demerara sugar
Ingredients: 45ml Red Stag Jim Beam 15ml Grand Marnier 5ml orgeat syrup 2 dashes of orange bitters Half a lemon Maraschino cherries
Directions: Cut ginger into small pieces and drop into the bottom of a Boston glass or cocktail shaker along with half a barspoon of demerara sugar and a quarter of a bar spoon of cinnamon. Add Absinthe and muddle all ingredients using a muddler or rolling pin. Then set fire to Absinthe to infuse the ingredients and blow out the flames after 30 seconds. Take the Jim Beam Honey and pour over cubed ice in a short/rocks glass, strain the mixture over the top of the Jim Beam and add a ginger fan for garnish.
26
Visit www.brumnotes.com for more Food & Drink features including a spotlight on Digbeth Dining Club and the Birmingham market stall that teaches you how to make your own sushi.
winter warmer jim beam cocktails
Directions: Add Red Stag, Grand Marnier, orgeat syrup, orange bitters and half a lemon to a Boston glass, add cubed ice and shake. Fine strain the contents into a chilled martini glass and string together three maraschino cherries and droop over the side of the martini glass for a garnish.
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; HMV Institute, High St, Digbeth B5, 0844 2485037; NIA, King Edwards Rd B1, 0121 7804141; LG Arena, NEC, Solihull B40, 0121 7804141; The Flapper, Kingston Row B1, 0121 2362421; The Victoria, John Bright St B1, 0121 6339439; Hare & Hounds, High St, Kings Heath B14, 0121 4442081; The Actress & Bishop, Ludgate Hill B3, 0121 2367426; The Sunflower Lounge, Smallbrook Queensway B5, 0121 6327656; Symphony Hall, Broad St B1, 0121 7803333; Town Hall, Victoria Sq B3, 0121 7803333; Kitchen Garden Cafe, York Road, Kings Heath B14, 0121 4434725; Alexandra Theatre, Station St B1, 0844 8472302; 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; The Ballroom, Dale End B4, 0121 320 2820; Lab11, Trent St B5, lab11.co.uk; The Moseley Arms, Ravenhurst St B12, 0121 7668467; Air, Heath Mill Lane B9, 0121 7666646; Artrix, Slideslow Dr, Bromsgrove B60, 01527 577330; WOLVERHAMPTON: Civic Hall/Wulfrun Hall, North St WV1, 0870 320 7000; The Slade Rooms, Broad St WV1, 0870 320 7000; Robin 2, Mount Pleasant, Bilston WV14, 01902 401211; WEST BROMWICH: The Public, New St B70, 0121 5337161; COVENTRY: Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, CV4, 024 7652 4524 M M M M M C C C M M M M M M CN CN CN CN CN CN C M M
Thursday, Nov 1 Bat For Lashes
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Sam Kelly
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Terra Naomi
The Temple @ HMV Institute Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Mahoney & The Moment Pete Johansson
Ort
Balsall Heath
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Patrick Monahan
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Steve Hughes
Artrix
Bromsgrove
To Kill A King
Friday, Nov 2 Greenwood Park The Carpet Cutouts David J Bigger Than Seattle The Frank & Walters DDM
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Sunflower Lounge
Birmingham
The Enquiry
Birmingham
M
Escape In Paris
M M CN CN CN CN
The Traps
The Actress & Bishop The End @ The Ballroom The Flapper
Tenebrous Liar
Ort
Balsall Heath
Atta Girl
Island Bar
Birmingham
Uprawr
The Asylum
Birmingham
House on Fire!
The Ballroom
Birmingham
Machine ft Presley
The End @ The Ballroom The Library @ HMV Institute The Rose Villa Tavern The Victoria
Birmingham
The Wagon & Horses Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
PROspec present Enei Pete Johansson
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Idiot B*stard Band Sunday, Nov 4 Noisettes
Town Hall
Birmingham
O2 Academy
Birmingham
The Bots
The Flapper
Birmingham
Chris Helme
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Dan Clark
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Monday, Nov 5 Ingrid Michaelson
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Loaded
Gatecrasher
Birmingham
Birmingham
CN
93
Birmingham
CN
Juqebox
The Flapper
Birmingham
CN CN
Hot Wax
CN CN
Bruk Up
Bombsquad Gateau Funk
Le Truc
Birmingham
Propaganda
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Berlusconi’s
The Victoria
Birmingham
Le Lieu present Doc Daneeka Freestyle Vs Killer Wave Pete Johansson
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Nov 3 Jim Moray
Mac
Birmingham
Twin Atlantic
O2 Academy
Birmingham
November 2012
O2 Academy 2
2:54
The Actress & Bishop The Ballroom
Birmingham
All details correct at time of going to press. Check with venues before setting out.
3OH!3
Birmingham
Birmingham
info@ brumnotes.com
M M M
O2 Academy 3
The Temple @ HMV Institute The Wagon & Horses HMV Institute
Want your gig or club night listed in our monthly guide? Send details to:
C C M M M C M CN
Subvert
Birmingham Birmingham
Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham
Kings Heath
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M M M M M M M M M M M M CN C M M M M CN C M M M M M M CN CN CN CN CN C C M M M M CN CN C C M M
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M
Attention Thieves Sea Of Bees
Birmingham
M M
The Flapper
Birmingham
The Rainbow
Birmingham
C
Bohemian Jukebox Sunday Social Alexei Sayle
Joyce the Librarian
The Victoria
Birmingham
Impact
Bull’s Head
Moseley
M
Monday, Nov 12 Amy Can Flyy
M
Jake Bugg
M
Rachael Sage
CN
Tuesday, Nov 6 The Cribs
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Nightwish
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Claudia Brücken
O2 Academy 3
Broadway Savages
Wednesday, Nov 7 Jack White
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Punch Brothers
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Mike Peters
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Spector
The Library @ HMV Institute Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
The Victoria
Birmingham
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Hooded Fang Moschino Hoes Versace Hotties David O’Doherty
Kings Heath
Thursday, Nov 8 Conor Maynard
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Emeli Sande
Symphony Hall
Birmingham
Larry McCray
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Laish
Ort
Balsall Heath
Fantastic Damage
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Dave Fulton
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Friday, Nov 9 Maximo Park
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Maybeshewill
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Heathen Zoo
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
Birmingham
Holograms
The Library @ HMV Institute Hare & Hounds
Bombsquad
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Gateau Funk
Le Truc
Birmingham
Propaganda
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Greg Wilson
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Freestyle
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Dave Fulton
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Paul Foot
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Nov 10 Billy Talent
HMV Institute
Birmingham
The End @ The Ballroom The Flapper
Birmingham
Ort
Balsall Heath
SubTotal Devlin
Eat Y’Self Pretty Sunrise Over Europe The Bonfire Radicals Uprawr
Birmingham
Kings Heath
Birmingham
The Asylum
Birmingham
Uber Movember Party Dave Fulton
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Pappy’s: Last Show Ever Sunday, Nov 11 Architects
Artrix
Bromsgrove
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Coheed And Cambria
O2 Academy
Birmingham
M M M M M
The Actress & Bishop Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham Birmingham
Loaded
The End @ The Ballroom The Library @ HMV Institute Kitchen Garden Cafe Gatecrasher
Tuesday, Nov 13 Revoker
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Young Man
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Buck 65
The Temple @ HMV Institute Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Kings Heath
Saint Saviour
Kings Heath
Birmingham Kings Heath Birmingham
Kings Heath
C
Polly And The Billets Doux JQ Comedy Night
C
Rob Rouse
Kitchen Garden Cafe The Rose Villa Tavern Artrix
Wednesday, Nov 14 Slade + The Sweet
Alexandra Theatre
Birmingham
DJ Fresh (Live)
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Duncan Reid & The Big Heads Parkway Drive
The Actress & Bishop The Ballroom
Birmingham
Jazz Morley
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Calories
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Chris Moyles Live
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Arthur Smith
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Laughing Cows
Kitchen Garden Cafe
Kings Heath
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Sunflower Lounge
Birmingham
The End @ The Ballroom The Flapper
Birmingham
Birmingham
M M M M M M C C C M M M
Thursday, Nov 15 The Wedding Present Soft Bullets Ugly Duckling
Birmingham Bromsgrove
Birmingham
M M
Club Smith
M M M CN C C
F***ed Up
The Library @ HMV Institute The Rainbow
AlunaGeorge
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Io
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Manhattan Loft
The Victoria
Birmingham
Daniel Sloss
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Ian D Montford
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Friday, Nov 16 Spunge
M M M M M M
Band Of Horses
Birmingham
Birmingham
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
The Revival Tour 2012 Primer
The Ballroom
Birmingham
The Flapper
Birmingham
Ezio
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Mumiy Troll
The Rainbow
Birmingham
AOS3
The Wagon & Horses
Birmingham
Brum Notes Magazine
M CN CN CN CN CN CN C M M M M M M M CN CN CN CN CN CN CN C
Alternative Dubstep Orchestra A Desolat Birmingham Bombsquad
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Gibb St Warehouse HMV Institute
Birmingham
Gateau Funk
Le Truc
Birmingham
Propaganda
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Live Forever
The Victoria
Birmingham
Freestyle
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Andy Askins
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Birmingham
Saturday, Nov 17 Rizzle Kicks
O2 Academy
Birmingham
The Crookes
Sunflower Lounge
Birmingham
Rufus Wainwright
Symphony Hall
Birmingham
Adam Ant
The Ballroom
Birmingham
Post Descartes
The Flapper
Birmingham
Speech Debelle
Birmingham
Project Cubano
The Temple @ HMV Institute Ort
Professor Green
Gatecrasher
Birmingham
Gods Kitchen: Clash Of The Gods Panic!
HMV Institute
Birmingham
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Uprawr
The Asylum
Birmingham
Only After Dark
The Ballroom
Birmingham
Jam Hott
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Habit
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Andy Askins
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Horse
Mac
Birmingham
Rizzle Kicks
O2 Academy
Birmingham
LA Shark
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Seether
Birmingham
M M
Trampled By Turtles
The Library @ HMV Institute Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
C C
Andi Osho
Kitchen Garden Cafe The Glee Club
Fred Macaulay
Artrix
Bromsgrove
Monday, Nov 19 Greg Lake
Alexandra Theatre
Birmingham
Passion Pit
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Juan Zelada
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Tyler James
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Mystery Jets
Birmingham
Loaded
The Library @ HMV Institute Gatecrasher
Tuesday, Nov 20 Dirty Three
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Thea Gilmore
Artrix
Bromsgrove
Wednesday, Nov 21 Europe
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Sam & The Womp
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Lily Opens Fire
The Actress & Bishop The Library @ HMV Institute Red Lion
Birmingham
M M M M M CN
Balsall Heath
Sunday, Nov 18
presents
M M M M
M M M M M
Wooden Horse
M
Buckcherry
M
Alchemy Duo
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham Kings Heath
in association with Academy Events
Plus special guests:
Misty’s Big Adventure | Young Runaways | Charlotte Carpenter
O2 ACADEMY2 BIRMINGHAM FRIDAY 30 NOVEMBER DOORS: 6PM / CURFEW: 10PM / £7 ADV Buy tickets now from: o2academybirmingham.co.uk 0844 477 2000 (24hr) boattorow.com brumnotes.com o2academybirmingham.co.uk November 2012
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M C M M M M M CN CN C C M M M M M M M M CN CN CN C C M M M M
Sunrise Over Europe Robin Ince
Birmingham
Thursday, Nov 22 Crystal Castles
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Acoustic Lounge
Island Bar
Birmingham
Sonic Boom Six
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Mad Caddies
The Other Room @ The Ballroom Artrix
Birmingham
Andy Fairweather Low Manhattan Loft
Birmingham
Eastern Electronic Festival Mick Ferry
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Nomad Mostly Comedy Friday, Nov 23 Levellers
Ort
Balsall Heath
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Therapy?
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
RiD
The Actress & Bishop The End @ The Ballroom The Flapper
Birmingham
The Lieutenants Looca
30
Birmingham Birmingham
Kids In Glass Houses Party Planning Committee Shana Tova
The Library @ HMV Institute The Victoria Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bombsquad
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Propaganda
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Eastern Electronic Festival X Freestyle Mick Ferry
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Pappy’s
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Nov 24 Ben Howard
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Ronin
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Birmingham Birmingham
Gypsy Pistoleros
Scruffy Murphys
Birmingham
The Wishfulfilment
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
M M CN CN CN
M
Bromsgrove
The Victoria
New Killer Shoes
CN CN C
Moseley
The Glee Club
M M
CN CN CN
Bull’s Head
Birmingham
M M
The Milk
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Birmingham
M
Ben Calvert & The Swifts Steve Hughes
The Library @ HMV Institute Kitchen Garden Cafe The Glee Club
Monday, Nov 26 Converge
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Akala
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Beth Orton
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Coronas
Birmingham
Elliot Brood
The Other Room @ The Ballroom Hare & Hounds
Matthews Southern Comfort Loaded
Kitchen Garden Cafe Gatecrasher
Kings Heath
Tuesday, Nov 27 The Soft Moon
C M M M M M M CN M M M M M M M M M M M M M M M CN C C C
Birmingham
Cold Fields
The Wagon & Horses Hare & Hounds
Tea Hodzic
Ort
Balsall Heath
Hospitality: Netsky
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Hot Wax
Island Bar
Birmingham
M
Eastern Electronic Festival Closing Party Uprawr
Suki10c
Birmingham
M M
The Asylum
Birmingham
Burlesque Festival
The Ballroom
Birmingham
Juqebox
Birmingham
The SCC
The Rose Villa Tavern The Victoria
Move ft Lojak
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Mick Ferry
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Sunday, Nov 25 Terri Walker
The Drum
Aston
Zounds
Kings Heath
Birmingham
M M
M M CN CN CN CN CN
Kings Heath Birmingham
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Dangerous Presidents Wednesday, Nov 28 Big Sean
Bull’s Head
Moseley
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Elbow
NIA
Birmingham
Needtobreathe
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Mike Tramp
The Asylum
Birmingham
The Staves
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Wolf Alice
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Thursday, Nov 29 Jersey Budd
The Flapper
Birmingham
Marilyn Manson + Rob Zombie The Vaccines
NIA
Birmingham
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Soil + Fozzy
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. Face+Heel
The Library @ HMV Institute Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Vaccines Aftershow Party Alun Cochrane
The Other Room @ The Ballroom The Glee Club
Birmingham
Roger Monkhouse
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Christian Reilly
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Friday, Nov 30 Boat To Row
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Symphony Hall
Birmingham
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
The Glee Club
Birmingham Birmingham
Show Of Hands
The Temple @ HMV Institute Town Hall
Bombsquad
HMV Institute
Birmingham
Propaganda
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Out of Bounds
The Victoria
Birmingham
Substance Throwback Xmas Party Freestyle
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Squeeze + Paul Heaton Zero Amigo Murder of Crows The North Sea Scrolls Madina Lake
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham
Brum Notes Magazine
November 2012
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Brum Notes Magazine