Brum Notes Magazine - August 2014

August 2014

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

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JOHNNY MARR

A glimpse into the mind of a guitar legend

“It has to be all about the music…”

INSIDE THIS MONTH: PULLED APART BY HORSES BATS THE MIGHTY YOUNG MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL YR WELCOME, BIRMINGHAM

PLUS: Win tickets for a whole weekend of clubbing / Have we found Birmingham’s best burger? / This month’s best albums reviewed / Your pick of the best of what’s on throughout August August 2014

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Thurs 16th Oct • £18 adv

Sat 29th Nov • £22.50 adv

Sun 7th Dec • £18 adv

Sat 18th Oct • £16 adv

+ Big Business + Krokodil

+ Tryptikon + Morbus Chron

Justin Furstenfeld Katy B

Sat 18th Oct • £10 adv 10.30pm-3.30am • £4 adv

OVER 18S ONLY - PROOF OF AGE REQUIRED

Thurs 14th Aug • £3 adv

Propaganda ‘A’ Level Results Party Sat 23rd Aug • £22.50 adv / £25 VIP 9pm - 5am • over 18s only

Bassman Birthday 2014 Tues 26th Aug • £12.50 adv

We Are The Ocean Weds 22nd Oct • £15 adv

Clean Bandit

Stakeout The Final Show Sat 20th Sept • £10 adv

UK Foo Fighters Tues 23rd Sept • £35/£45 adv

Ms. Lauryn Hill

Thurs 25th Sept • £9 adv

Download Freezes Over - King 810 Sat 27th Sept • £20 adv

The Fray

UK B-Boy Championships

Professor Green

1pm - 11pm • Weekend tix £25 adv

Sun 26th Oct • £17.50 adv

Tues 7th Oct • £20 adv

Sun 7th Dec • £18.50 adv

Inspiral Carpets

Sat 1st Nov • £34.50 adv

Counting Crows

Sat 2nd Aug • £6 adv

Respublica + Laughing Gravy

+ Lucy Rose

+ Kill The Romantic + Whisky

Sat 1st Nov • £13.50 adv

Mon 11th Aug • £6 adv

Klaxons

Tues 4th Nov • £12 adv

TesseracT & Animals As Leaders

The Hold Steady + The So So Glos

Weds 15th Oct • £15 adv

Kid Ink

Fri 12th Dec • £11.50 adv 6.30pm -10pm

The Doors Alive Fri 19th Dec 6pm -10pm

UB40 ft. Ali, Astro & Mickey + Radio Riddler

Thurs 6th Nov • £21.50 adv

Rise Against

5.30pm - 10pm

Asking Alexandria + The Ghost Inside + Crown The Empire + Secrets

Weds 20th Aug • £12.50 adv

My Ruin

The Smyths

30th Anniversary of “Hatful of Hollow” playing the seminal album in its entirety

Sun 23rd Nov • £24.50 adv

The Gaslight Anthem + Deer Tick + Bayside

Weds 26th Nov • £14 adv

Delain

Fri 28th Nov • £15 adv 6pm -10pm

Hollywood Undead

Eliza and the Bear Fri 17th Oct • £10 adv The UK’s No. 1 Tribute to Paul Weller & The Jam

6.45pm - 11pm

Kataleptic

The Modfathers Sat 18th Oct • £10 adv

Benjamin Booker

Danny & The Champions Of The World

Mon 8th Sept • £17 adv

+ Trevor Moss & Hannah Lou + Brokenwitt Rebels

Sat 6th Sept • £8 adv

Jesus Jones Doubt Tour

Thurs 11th Sept • FREE tix from www.ourzonemag.com/tours

Sat 15th Nov • £11 adv

6pm - 10pm

6.30pm - 10pm

Thurs 13th Nov • £10 adv

6pm - 10pm

Fri 10th Oct • £10 adv

Sat 30th Aug • £5 adv

Tues 9th Sept • £10 adv

Lords Of The Riff Vol.2 ft. Anti-Mortem

Supersuckers

+ Sanctorum + Extreme O.D + General

Sun 9th Nov • £14 adv

Sikth

Weds 8th Oct • £15 adv

Tues 14th Oct • £8 adv

Pearl Jem (Pearl Jam Tribute) 6.30pm - 10.30pm

Ourzone Found Tour 2014 ft. As It Is + Like Torches

Beneath The Remains

Mon 13th Oct • £16 adv

+ Decapitated + Grand Magus + Winterfylleth

Mamas Gun

Levellers

+ Lagerstein + Redrum + Rainbowdragoneyes

Behemoth

+ White Clouds + Gunfire

Orchard Hill

Tues 7th Oct • £13.50 adv

Alestorm

6pm -10pm

6pm - 10pm

Sat 13th Sept • £5 adv

Thurs 9th Oct • £13 adv

Fri 12th Dec • £18.50 adv

Chevelle

Fri 14th Nov • £22.50 adv

plus special guests Lydia and Nick Santino

Raging Speedhorn

Mon 27th Oct • £13 adv

Black Veil Brides The 8123 UK Tour ft. The Maine

Mon 8th Dec • £8 adv

World Final

Fri 7th Nov • £16.50 adv

The Urban Voodoo Machine

Rescheduled show • original tickets valid

At The Gates

UK B-Boy Championships

Quadrophenia Club Night

Sun 28th Sept • £13 adv

Graham Bonnet Sat 6th Dec • £18.50 adv

+ Pennywise + Emily’s Army

Big Screen Film Show with DJ Drew Stansall (The Specials) + The Atlantics (playing the movie hits) + The Coopers + The Birmingham Club A Go Go DJs

Fri 5th Dec • £15 adv

Sat 25th Oct • £15 adv

Sat 27th Sept • £12 adv 8pm - 1am • over 18s only

Boyz II Men

Catch the Rainbow Tour

3pm - 11pm • Weekend tix £25 adv

6pm - 10pm

Thurs 4th Dec • £30 adv

Rixton

6pm - 10pm

Fri 29th Aug • £22.50 adv

Sat 30th Aug • £9 adv

Electric Six

Thurs 23rd Oct • £13.50 adv / £27 VIP

Mordred + Furyon + Valous The Janoskians

Weds 3rd Dec • £12 adv

6.30pm - 10pm

Knock-Out Jam

6pm - 10pm

Mastodon

6.45pm - 11pm

Fri 19th Sept • £10 adv 6.30pm - 10pm

Definitely Mightbe

(Oasis Tribute) 20 Year Celebration, Performing Definitely Maybe in Full

Weds 24th Sept • £7 adv

Me vs Hero

Sun 28th Sept • £12.50 adv Rescheduled • original tix valid

Sun 19th Oct • £10 adv

Knotslip

Fri 24th Oct • £8 adv 6pm -10pm

Dave Giles Fri 31st Oct • £12 adv 6pm - 10pm

Framing Hanley Mon 3rd Nov • £10 adv

Kill It Kid

Sat 8th Nov • £10 adv

Antarctic Monkeys Thurs 13th Nov • £12 adv

Wild Child

Weds 26th Nov • £9 adv

Upon A Burning Body

Hats Off To Led Zeppelin

Sat 29th Nov • £11 adv

Sat 4th Oct • £13 adv

UK’s No.1 Stone Roses Tribute

6pm - 10pm

Skeletal Family & Salvation

The Clone Roses Sat 29th Nov • £8 adv

Dirty Heads

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

Brum Notes Magazine

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

CONTENTS

Jaws headline the opening night of One Beat Weekender. Read the review on P22. Photo by Andy Hughes Brum Notes Magazine Unit 12 The Bond 180-182 Fazeley Street Birmingham B5 5SE info@brumnotes.com 0121 224 7363 Advertising 0121 224 7363 advertising@brumnotes.com Distribution StickupMedia!

0121 224 7364 Editor: Chris Moriarty Contributors Words: David Vincent, Dan Cooper-Gavin, Daron Billings, Becky Rogers, Stephen Brolan, Dan Owens, Tom Clabon, Beth Coveney, Sam Bicknell, Matthew Burdon, Tom Pell, Ben Calvert Assistant Editor: Amy Sumner Arts Editor: Dan Cooper-Gavin Food & Drink Editor: Daron Billings Pictures: Andy Hughes, Daisy Blecker, Wayne Fox Design: Adam Williams, Andy Aitken Connect Twitter: @BrumNotesMag Facebook: www.facebook.com/ BrumNotesMagazine Online: www.brumnotes.com

Regulars News 4 Fresh Talent 6-7 Style 20 Food & Drink 21 Live Reviews 22-23 Album Reviews 24-25 What’s On Guide 26-31 Music and Features The Mighty Young Bats Pulled Apart By Horses Johnny Marr Moseley Folk Festival

10 13 14-15 17 18-19

All content Š 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.

August 2014

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alto to showcase the best in female arts

Alto, the Birmingham-based creative female collective, takes over Alfie Bird’s at The Custard Factory for its next event on August 9. Celebrating the talent of local musicians and artists and raising money for women’s charities along the way, Alto is about celebrating women in creative industries. The event runs from 3pm until late and will feature music, art and spoken word with proceeds going to Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid. Visit facebook.com/altocommunityUK.

Photo courtesy of Alex Fowkes

news

new card offers money off brum pubs and more glug debuts in birmingham to inspire creatives

A new series of events aimed at celebrating and inspiring the creative industry in the West Midlands kicks off this month.

Glug will host its first Birmingham event on August 21 at Fazeley Studios in Digbeth, the first of three Midlands Masters events. Organised by Inkygoodness and Created in Birmingham, the first event will feature talks from designers and creative studios including graphic designer and illustrator Alex Fowkes (pictured above), Alun Edwards from creative agency Studio Output and Matt Nation, owner of Digbeth clothing, book and art store Provide.

As well as expert talks, the evening will also include live drawing, stalls, food and drink and the chance for informal networking, as well as an after party until late at Spotlight.

Glug initially launched to showcase and promote the creative community in London and has since gone on to host successful events in other cities around the world, including New York, Auckland, Beijing and Edinburgh.

Tickets for the first Birmingham event are priced £7.50. Glug Birmingham: Midlands Masters takes place at Fazeley Studios on August 21, from 6pm-11.30pm, followed by an after party at Spotlight. To book visit www.glugevents.com.

win tickets to the mixmag live weekender

A new membership card has been launched offering discounts and special deals at some of the best restaurants, cafes, pubs, shops and attractions across Birmingham.

Hello Voucher costs just £10 for a year and includes money off at more than 100 businesses around the city, including The Victoria, Maison Mayci, The Warehouse Cafe and Disorder Boutique, with more venues being added all the time. Brum Notes readers can get an extra pound off annual membership by signing up with the code BRUM10NOTE at www.hellovoucher.com.

the old dance school announce live album

Respected Birmingham folk outfit The Old Dance School unveil their long-awaited live album later this month. On pre-sale at Moseley Folk Festival on August 31, prior to an official release on September 1, Steer In The Light: Live (Transition Records) was recorded at The Forge in London, Bristol Folk House and The Glee Club in Birmingham at the end of 2013. The dozen tracks include live versions of Chasing The Light’s Silver Tide, Forecast’s The Enlli Light and John Ball, plus Wen from debut album, Based On A True Story. www.theolddanceschool.com

library of birmingham shortlisted for award

The Mixmag Live Weekender brings two nights of adventurous house and techno to two of Birmingham’s most exciting venues. And we’re offering you the chance to enjoy it all for free.

Things kick off on Friday, August 8, when The Zoo Project curates an exclusive warm-up event at NextDoor, featuring Pedestrian, Medlar, Youandewan, Shadow City and more. On Saturday, August 9, Blackdot brings a line-up including Dubfire, Apollonia and Rhadoo to The 4

Rainbow’s Textile Factory from 2pm until 2.30am, before the action heads back to NextDoor for the after party until 7am.

Tickets cost £10 for the Friday night and £20 for the Saturday. For your chance to win entry to both nights for two, simply tell us: Which famous clubbing island is home to The Zoo Project?

Email competitions@brumnotes.com with your answer, name, age and contact details by midday on August 7.

The sparking new Library of Birmingham is in the running for the UK’s most prestigious architecture award. The landmark £189m building, designed by Dutch firm Mecanoo, has been shortlisted alongside five other contenders for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Stirling Prize. The winner is announced on October 16.

Brum Notes Magazine

Metropolis Music by arrangement with Primary Talent International present

Wednesday 3 December

Birmingham Institute Ticketmaster.co.uk Gigsandtours.com New album ‘Junto’ out 25 August 2014 Basementjaxx.com

hello voucher

August 2014

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Words by Amy Sumner

“Since our inception we’ve gone with nice little homely places where the attitude to party and enjoy oneself is an attitude ingrained into the very fabric of the bricks and mortar.

For the festival we wanted to offer two stages, with at least one outdoors, and with the Wagon & Horses we hit pay-dirt. It is also a very independent boozer, based in Digbeth, which is where we tend to meet.

“What we’ve learned is, don’t panic. Do prepare. Don’t expect a smooth ride. Do even out as many bumps in the ride prior to opening. Don’t get pissed early on. Do get pissed at the cessation of your responsibilities.”

Slaves

Die Das Der present Yr Welcome, Birmingham Digbeth-based collective Die Das Der has been in operation since January this year. On August 9-10, they curate their first festival, Yr Welcome, Birmingham, which takes place at The Wagon & Horses in Digbeth and aims to provide an essential guide to Birmingham’s noise rock, indie and alternative underbelly.

“There is always a healthy glut of festivalstyle entertainment in Birmingham be it via This is Tmrw’s All Years Leaving, Counteract’s Birmingham & Beyond or the One Beat Weekender, but we felt that we wanted to offer something with both indoor and outdoor stages and to supply a roster of talent ranging from the complete unknown through to those currently knocking on the door of a God Damn

Photo by Andy Hughes

more national recognition,” explains Die Das Der’s Greg Smith.

Dead Sea Skulls

“So we’ve tried to curate a line-up with a certain DIY ethic. There is a bit of a mix from the electronic musings of DNP and Mutes though to the soaring post-rock of Why? Said the Moon to Earth and Ultimate Grand Supreme. There’s badass garage with Table Scraps and Slaves and the askew shambolics of Ghosts of Dead Airplanes and Ratel. If you want math grunge, there’s Wax Futures, or Brit grunge, we have ANiMA.” There’s also Wolverhampton’s grunge blues outfit God Damn as well as Slaves and Dead Sea Skulls.

In the run up, the collective has cut its teeth with some small shows around lesser-known venues.

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With alternating stages, photographic displays and DJ sets, there’s plenty on offer across the weekend, and with day tickets priced at (a somewhat bizarre) £7.50, it’s also firmly in the realms of affordability.

“Something we’ve been very interested in as a collective is how reasonably we can price something without the overheads leaving us all in the gutter,” explains Greg. “We’re not promoters, more a collective of thinkers, dreamers, musos, journos and snappers, and as such we’re are not looking to recoup a large amount of money, but we obviously want to break even where we can.

“It’s a bit like the Fugazi/Dischord mentality whereby nothing was originally priced at more than $8. I think a price cap of £10 (allowing for inflation) is what we would strive to achieve at this point in our fledgling attempts.”

And the name?

“There’s a kind of self-deprecating arrogance at work with that, almost like a collective clarion call of ‘Here ya go Birmingham...

Yr Welcome!’ We’ve put together an event which we are all very proud of so we wanted to name it in a way which reflected this.”

Yr Welcome, Birmingham takes place at The Wagon & Horses, Digbeth, on August 9 and 10. Tickets are priced at £7.50 per day or £10 for the full weekend.

See facebook.com/wearediedasder for more details.

Brum Notes Magazine

Batsch

facebook.com/batschmusic

“It came about after an argument about bread – you know, the old ‘that’s not a bap that’s a batch’ one. We wanted our name to be something colloquial and to represent where we’re from. Batsch came up, everyone thought it was an awful idea, so that made us like it even more,” says drummer Matt Rheeston of the origins of his band’s tag. Nothing to do with August Batsch, the recognised authority on mushrooms then.

Releasing their debut tape-only Tiles EP last year (“they’re a nice product, compact and rattly with that unmistakable sound, as though you can hear the mechanics at work”) followed by Collar in July of this one, the Coventry electro quartet have been simmering away in their home city, creating music which already sounds far bigger than its confines.

“What we’re trying to capture is a kind of tarnished glamour, the dread that follows the hedonism. We sometimes use the term ‘dark-disco’ to describe our approach: upbeat and danceable yet bleak and a little cynical. I guess you can’t help but sound like where you’re from, and we have these excessive musical aspirations in a very unglamorous place.” It’s a perfect fit with likeminded existential esoteric electronic acts like Liverpool’s Outfit, with whom the quartet have already shared a stage.

“We all have slightly different tastes and tendencies, but the one thing we all agree on is that we like a good hook, a tight-ass beat and some proper synthesizing,” expands Matt on the band’s inspirations. “The easiest comparison is with Talking Heads, I suppose, who are undeniably one of our biggest influences, but we love classic artists like Chic and Shuggie Otis as much as we love contemporary ones.”

THE PLAYLIST THE ODDYSEE See Right Through (Touch) We caught The Oddysee at the One Beat Weekender last month and loved them. See Right Through (Touch) is a beautifully soulful record perfectly offset by its delicate female vocal. Consume with hazy evenings of summer sun.

Streaming now via soundcloud.com/ theoddysee

Self-recording their latest EP, Collar, at frontman Mason Le Long’s mum’s house, it’s a self-produced feel the band are peddling right now, but the resulting songs could not sound less homespun. The record’s lead single, Celina, is a deft disco stomp halfway between the pulsing electronics of Metronomy’s first album and the Talking Heads pop hooks they namecheck among their inspirations. Their sound is unquestionably rooted in disco, but it remains dexterous and agile whilst it charges forward. “Dutch Uncles have also influenced our approach to songwriting,” Matt considers. “They write very meticulous and complicated songs but they still somehow remain poppy and effortless.”

Batsch are an interesting bunch. Their own music is exciting enough but they’re also extending out that thinking curating their monthly Golden Palms club nights at Coventry’s The Tin. Check out that and check out their original material – there are many strings to these boys’ bow.

TABLE SCRAPS Bug A full throttle 90 seconds of gnarly and defiant garage punk – one guitar and one battered set of drums played loud and fast through three amps, it’s an unholy sex clatter and we love it.

Streaming now via soundcloud.com/table-scraps-1 / Available to buy August 11

SLTP 451 Fresh dose of straight-up, summery indie rock with more than a hint of Pete Doherty influence behind it. Jingling guitar riffs and a cheeky bassline underpin a promising debut offering from a fledgling local band. Expect to see them on the live circuit soon.

Streaming now via soundcloud.com/sltp

Batsch are live at The Oobleck, Birmingham, on August 30 as part of the Chicks Dig Jerks club night.

Follow us at soundcloud.com/ brumnotes for more

ONES TO WATCH Garden

Lock & Key

The Little Deaths

Salute Something

Ok, this one’s confusing so listen up. Birmingham band Garden support California’s The Garden, got it? Expect sludgeladen noise rock conceived in ‘the murky bowels of Edgbaston’s outskirts’.

Hare & Hounds, August 15

Ahead of the release of their debut EP, The Divide, in September, Lock & Key play a Birmingham show supporting Melbourne’s Deez Nuts. Expect vicious metal and hardcore in a ferocious live show.

The Oobleck, August 10

Comprising aural influences from the guitar bands of the Britpop era but merging with an ambient element of folk whimsy, sounding like a nostalgic drive down winding country lanes. Perfectly balanced.

Sunflower Lounge, August 2

Having released their debut Machine Myth EP earlier this year, Birmingham quintet Salute Something play its highlights live at this intimate show.

If hook-laden guitar music is your forte, do not miss it.

The Victoria, August 29

August 2014

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Brum Notes Magazine

SATURDAY 27 SEPT

9PM-3AM

HOUSE SOUND OF BIRMINGHAM & LEFTFOOT

CE

LE

BRATI

NG

PROUDLY PRESENT:

YEARS OF

HOUSE MUSIC MARSHALL JEFFERSON MAURICE FULTON (CLASSIC CHICAGO/TRAX SET)

WITH SUPPORT FROM:

LEE FISHER • JOCK LEE • ADAM REGAN • MATT BECK PLUS FILMS & ART EXHIBITION IN STABLES EARLY BIRDS: £10 ADVANCE: £12 MOTD

one ticket admits to both venues

tickets available from: theticketsellers.co.uk

HAREANDHOUNDS High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7JZ WWW.HAREANDHOUNDSKINGSHEATH.CO.UK

August 2014

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HigH & mighty With raw passion and full throttle, blues-drenched rock’n’roll, The Mighty Young are all about stripping back to the basics with their high octane live show. That’s why they’re bringing together some of their favourite underground garage rocker contemporaries for the first installment of a new action-packed live night in Birmingham. Amy Sumner finds out more.

“The idea is that each month a band ‘presents’ their favourite bands, inviting them to play a lineup that they have curated,” explains The Mighty Young drummer Robb Cartin of the new series of nights lined up at The Sun at the Station in Kings Heath. “Each show will be different with the room and the atmosphere decorated a different way each time to suit the hosts. We want to give that place the show it deserves so we’ve got some aces up our sleeve!

Photo by Daisy Blecker

“There’s so much massive, dirty, visceral music happening in this city at the moment and it deserves to be showcased. This line-up happened once before, years ago, and the place went crazy.

We could’ve picked a hundred bands to complete the bill but these guys really live up to what they claim to be able to do.”

The new night in question is the first in the series of five events at the venue for which the band in charge will be in complete creative control, able to sculpt the environment in which they perform and immerse the audience in their musical and visual world. At their disposal are set and lighting design, pyrotechnics and, heck, even actors.

The man behind the concept, Joseph French at The Sun at the Station, explains: “These one off gigs will be individual in every sense, demonstrating the diversity of scenes and styles in Birmingham today. Expect to see the boundaries of what is expected pushed in order to 10

provide an inimitable experience for artist and audience alike.”

The bands recruited for The Mighty Young’s night are rockabilly stalwarts The Cedar House Band, alongside a rare live appearance from garage pop act The Castillians. Together with The Mighty Young, these acts form the backbone of a likeminded underground collective in Birmingham, one that takes blues rock’n’roll and that DIY punk ethos and, along with the good ships Cold Rice and Killer Wave, have been responsible for some real and abrasive live pursuits.

“It is an underground Birmingham collective, you’re right,” says Robb, “and it has an ever-growing cast of characters. Read any national music press at the moment, the spotlight is on this city for the first time in years, and every band here has a responsibility to make it last as long as we can.

That being said, there’s a lot of groundbreaking stuff that is going unnoticed and so we throw our own parties. We love anything with some bollocks to it – obviously the blues, old soul, garage rock.

But nobody’s trying to reinvent the wheel here, we’re just trying to put our version of it out there.”

The two characters inherent in The Mighty Young are Robb and Joe Gatsby.

“The two of us have played in bands since we were 15, with a lot of other people. The band has

had many monikers but it’s boiled down to exactly what it started as – just us,” Robb explains. “We like Johnny Cash and Lou Reed, Neil Young and Ramsay Midwood, Detroit and Japan. It’s hard to put into writing exactly what we write about and how we’re pushed consciously or otherwise this way or that – some of our songs are about love and love lost, others are loosely organised hits of paranoia.”

Try to find it online though and you’ll find just one solitary song, And Then The Rain Came Down.

Ask the band where you can buy it and it’s a simple answer: “Pay the fee on the door.” This band is about the live show, they’re about taking the here and now with both hands and riding it until it’s red raw.

“We want to allow people to come together and hear our music and be able to talk about it and feel something when they do.”

Be sure not to miss them bringing the old school attitude back with what promises to be an almighty wallop.

The Mighty Young Presents...with The Castillians and The Cedar House Band takes place at The Sun at the Station, Kings Heath, on August 29. The Mighty Young are also live at Come Together at The Oobleck on August 2.

Brum Notes Magazine

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Brum Notes Magazine

S C I E N C EA N D P R O G R E S S Dublin’s science obsessed, post-punk math rockers Bats have found a home away from home in Birmingham. And lucky for us they’ll be paying another visit this month. They talk bacon, blood and… erm…Kodaline with Joe Whitehouse.

The year 2006 has a lot to answer for: Twitter, yet another installment of World Cup penalty misery for England, and the formation of a little-known quintet in Dublin. “Yeah I can’t believe it’s been that long, I still feel like the band is new,” enthuses Bats frontman Rupert Morris. “We’re always trying new things and experimenting so that keeps it fresh but I think a big reason that we’re still together is that we’ve never been a full-time touring band.”

Bats really have been around that long and they’ve got a lot to show for it: two albums, plenty of touring miles and festival slots at the likes of 2000 Trees and ArcTanGent – it’s clear they’ve been on the up-and-up for quite some time.

Two people who spotted this were Kurt Ballou (Converge) and Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes) who worked with them on 2009 LP, Red In Tooth And Claw, and 2012’s The Sleep Of Reason, respectively.

“We certainly learned a lot about the recording process from both those guys. We’d never made a proper record before we went to Salem to record with Kurt. We were pretty green and he pretty much threw us in at the deep end, all the time retaining his stoic guidance,” Rupert continues. “Chris was a bit more loose and allowed for trying things differently to some extent. The sessions were more relaxed and there were no studio hours. We had a lot more time doing it in Dublin. Also I learned from Chris that whiskey August 2014

is the key to prolonged screaming. I don’t think either affected our tunes too much as we always have them pretty locked down by the time we get to the studio.”

With this education they’ve become one of the premier talents in their post-punk niche and boast a strong following in Dublin and beyond. Birmingham is a city they’re well acquainted with and one in which their distinct brand of noise is held in high regard.

“We LOVE Birmingham, we’ve made a lot of friends over the years,” Rupert explains. “The Blakfish/&U&I guys are the mega-mates and the ones who inducted us into the Birmingham scene, but we’ve since become friends with the Shapes lads, Them Wolves and many others. It’s just a lovely music community and everyone is so nice.

We cut our teeth doing the awesome Off The Cuff festivals.”

It’s not just the scene that allures them however.

“Sammy from The Flapper always lets us stay in her house and feeds us bacon.” Looks like a combination of bacon, home comforts and a thriving, progressive scene, has created a home away from home for the quintet.

Much like Birmingham, Bats’ home city of Dublin also has an impressive musical alumni. But the band themselves seem slightly disillusioned with the current state of affairs.

“Well it’s our home so environment plays a large part in every aspect of development, but the scene has levelled out a bit I think. There used to be awesome bands exploding everywhere but there’s just a lot of bands with ‘The’ at the start of their name which sound like bland puke.

Then you’ve got Kodaline playing white noise on Letterman and everyone thinks they’re great.

Experimental bands seem to have declined. I mean, we still have great ones but I haven’t heard a new one in a long time.” The mood continues with the thought of the Emerald Isles’ festival offering compared to its British counterparts.

“We love playing in the UK. There’s a lot more people into our type of music for some reason.”

Bats have had a fantastic few years and you get the feeling that we haven’t even seen the best of them yet. Talk of a new album with a track based around “Thomas Edison electrocuting an elephant called Topsy in a pissing contest with Nicola Tesla”, and the onward promise of getting Game Of Thrones’ King Joffrey in a music video. Do they think it’s time for the heavier bands to step in to the light?

“We never left the light. The crimson blood red light. You can’t kill the metal.”

Bats are live at The Flapper, Birmingham, on August 26 with support from The Broken Oak Duet, Constant Waves and Them Wolves. Entry is free.

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PULLING TOGETHER After becoming one of the most talked about alternative bands in the country, Pulled Apart By Horses unleashed their sleazy punk rock shows on audiences far and wide. But after a self-imposed break they’re back with a new-found energy and an exciting new album, ready to work up a sweat once more. An intimate warm-up show in Coventry this month will help set them in good stead for the main stage appearances at Reading and Leeds. Frontman Tom Hudson tells David Vincent why they’re hungry to return to the live stage.

A good break between gigs can offer a band a chance to re-charge their batteries and catch up with friends and family. But as Pulled Apart By Horses’ Tom Hudson has also discovered, time away can also throw up a few problems.

“On tour it gets intense, so it’s been cool for us to just hang out, go from being a band to being a bunch of mates again. Being in a band is like being in a relationship…only with three other dudes,” Tom chuckles.

“I’m just going to a practice later, so I’m trying to remember some of the songs,” he laughs. “When we do chunks of gigs after months off, it’s really hard to remember the songs for that first rehearsal …we sound like a shit cover version of ourselves.

But then we’re back in the room!”

One of the highlights of their brief sabbatical was the chance to prop up the bar and check out some other acts, as fans rather than potential competitors.

The Leeds quartet – guitarist/vocalist Tom, guitarist James Brown, bassist/vocalist Rob Lee and drummer Lee Vincent – are very much ‘back in the room’ with their forthcoming new album. Entitled simply Blood, and featuring singles Hot Squash and Lizard Baby, it arrives two years after Tough Love, and comes after a period of self-inflicted downtime.

Rarely apart since 2010’s self-titled debut album signalled the combo as a British rock act with real promise, the pressure of touring triggered the predictable squabbles, challenges and compromises, but after temporarily breaking out of the tour/record/tour cycle Tom says that the foursome relished the opportunity to reconnect and socialise away from the pressures of work.

14

“Before, we were touring solidly so never had time to see any bands unless we were playing with them. So it was great to have the time to be a music fan. That was our inspiration, that spurred us on to write stuff for Blood.”

Among Tom’s favourite discoveries were Canada’s Metz (who play the Hare & Hounds on August 11) and The Wytches (who release their debut album later this month).

“Metz, this band on Sub Pop, they have that Nirvana thing, the wall of noise. They play for 25 minutes and then fuck off and leave the place a complete mess. I saw them three or four times in a year-and-a-half.

“I like checking out new bands, like The Wytches – they’re Brighton-based, these young

whippersnappers making a lot of noise. Me and Rob went to see them and just got them on tour with us.

“It felt nice going to a gig and not having to worry about things. But then after six months, we began to get jealous, we hungered for playing live again…”

But before PABH could seriously venture back out on the road, there was an album to write.

“We had a lot of time to write this one, to try stuff out, so we could experiment more,” says Tom of the process of compiling Blood. “With the past two albums, you got a month to write an album and then go straight on tour. We were constantly on the road, so we wanted to take time out this time. We’ve been brutal, we’ve cut things, but it feels like a rounded album.”

It also feels like a slightly different record to PABH and Tough Love.

“We’ve pushed ourselves more, it’s not just the same old thing,” Tom confirms. “We’re not going 120mph with every single song. We’ve taken that Pixies sound, Nirvana, bands we’ve grown up listening to. The first albums are more that posthardcore thing, this is a rock album, there’s slower Brum Notes Magazine

Early band discussions saw ideas formulate, but these soon developed in new directions as songs and riffs began to take a more solid form.

“Before we started out, we were all chatting, grouping together ideas, but it never comes out how you think,” explains Tom. “We’re all songwriters in the band. It opens it up more. I’ve had half a song, and it’s killing me I can’t finish it, but then someone else has a killer riff, and that fits with it. The writing is so varied, there’s a total punk tune and then someone starts playing stoner rock.

“Fitting them all together, that was the hardest part of the puzzle. You want it to sit together, you want the songs to sit together. We were pretty brutal with it. We had maybe 30 songs and parts of songs. If you felt it in your gut…if it feels right… then we’ll follow it through.”

Committed movie buffs, cinema has been a constant influence on all of PABH, shaping music, lyrics and accompanying promo videos.

“We’re into all kinds of films. We are all really big film geeks, into lots of different genres. That’s another love for us alongside the music.

Me and Rob do the graphics, all the artwork, Lee does a bit of journalism, he’s writing a screenplay, James is busy releasing seveninch singles of bands covering each other. But art and film is a big influence to us all. I’m into stuff like weird art house Italian films and imagery from those films comes into the lyrics.

August 2014

Further down the line, Tom says he’d love to get involved in providing music for films.

“I’d love to do a soundtrack,” he enthuses. “But I don’t know where I’d start with it. It’s a totally different experience to creating music for an album. But I’d really love to try it.

“Bands like Mogwai, that atmospheric, big sound. Did you see The Returned?” Tom asks, referring to Les Revenants, the creepy French sci-fi/horror infused drama soundtracked by Mogwai, which aired on Channel 4 last year. “That was awesome, the music was so much a part of the series, it was really cool.

People forget that music plays such a big part in film.”

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But before such dreams can become reality, there’s a splattering of live dates and the arrival of Blood.

“We’re kinda getting back into stuff – releasing the singles and the album. We’ve been listening to it for such a long time, we’re really looking forward to playing the new songs and getting the feel for how they go down live.

I guess Leeds/Reading are big ones for us, then we’ll get together our own tour.”

Three albums in, PABH’s forthcoming dates should see them playing longer and more structured sets.

“When you play 20-30mins, you go all out. But when you’re playing for an hour or more, you want to take the set on a journey, hold off on parts to give it more emphasis.”

Pulled Apart by Horses are live at Kasbah, Coventry, on August 18. New album Blood is out on September 1.

Featuring live performances from

BOAT ROW HANSU-TORI TO

“I guess we’ve learnt when writing stuff you can just have [just] a bass-line. Before, we’d have everyone playing at once, two guitars and bass crashing around. This time we wanted to play more with atmosphere. We still have spitting out lyrics, we still have an aggressive edge, but there’s looser, floatier verses then a crash in. There’s more drama.”

“I can’t do that thing, where when you write you say how you feel, I like to wrap things up in metaphors. You can also tell from the music videos how we’re into film.

Some bands just want to look cool, but we go to a director with a reference to a film.”

DEAF INSPECTOR BONFIRE RADICALS

ANTELOPE THE MOURNING SUNS DANTANNA FORGOTTEN FAIRGROUND

THE

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It’s loud, quiet, loud…rather than that loud, loud, louder.

LOBSTER EMMANUEL WALDRON .44 PISTOL THE TOM WALKER TRIO

Keep up-to-date at www.projectsoundlounge.co.uk

Project SoundLounge is very kindly supported by The Allan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust, Baron Davenport’s Charity, Douglas Turner Trust, Field Family Charitable Trust, Grantham Yorke Trust, Grimmitt Trust, John Feeney Charitable Trust, The REP and Roughley Trust.

Funded by

Town Hall renovation also funded by

15

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Brum Notes Magazine

moseley folk festival 2014

here’s JohNNy He may be one of British music’s most iconic guitarists, but Johnny Marr has never lost his motivation to keep pushing himself. Revelling in his new role as frontman, the former Smiths guitarist headlines the opening night of Moseley Folk Festival this month. He tells David Vincent why he just wants to make music that excites him.

While he’s never been far from the limelight, legendary guitarist Johnny Marr has only recently moved to the centre of the stage. As a young, shaggy haired Mancunian, he redefined the UK’s musical landscape with The Smiths. From the clipped intro of This Charming Man and swooping How Soon Is Now?, his inventive style, paired with Morrissey’s prose, signalled a return to the guitar after a period of lop-sided haircuts and analogue synths.

Despite the subsequent album tours and a sidestep working on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack with Hans Zimmer and Pharrell, Marr has still found time to pen a prompt follow up, Playland.

Since The Smiths’ demise in 1987, Marr has teamed up with New Order’s Bernard Sumner for Electronic, and spent stints with such already established acts as The The, America’s Modest Mouse and Yorkshire’s The Cribs. By his own admission, he says he’s “never had a career strategy”, and it shows. But now he’s out and about as a fully fledged, all strumming, all singing solo act. There are no Healers in sight. It just says ‘Johnny Marr’ on the posters.

Musically and lyrically, the 11-track Playland picks up the baton from its predecessor.

“I started off when I was 14–15 in bands and I was usually the frontman. So even though I’m known as the guitarist in The The, The Smiths, Electronic, my apprenticeship was as a frontman,” he says, adding that he finds his return to the role “natural” and “comfortable”.

“I don’t think you can ever shake off your influences.

In my case there was a lot of New Wave and post punk to soak up when I let school in the early 80s.

That music probably left an imprint on me. The way bands went about things then, it was up tempo,” he says. “I like playing faster music nowadays.”

“It’s got to be about the music and the mission you’re on. When you’re starting out, you do it to get out of your surroundings. The motivation, when you’ve been doing it for a while, becomes something different – now it has to be all about the music, why else do it? When you’re starting out, you’re doing it to get out of your parents’ house, to get away from your crappy flat for a while, ‘cos you haven’t got a job – they’re all considerations. But if they’re no longer considerations, the only way to go forward is to make music that excites you.

Marr’s debut solo album arrived early last year.

Packed full of serious riffs and with Marr proving to be a decent vocalist (who knew?), the top 10 charting The Messenger even surprised the man himself.

While the album’s in the bag, Marr says the songs are continuing to flow.

“I just want to concentrate on making songs that sound great coming out of a jukebox.”

“I am excited about recording some B-sides and extra tracks. I like recording and I like recording quickly,” Marr explains, adding that while other acts often use those B-sides and extra tracks as opportunities to push the boundaries and experiment, he’s keen to keep the quality high.

Johnny Marr headlines Moseley Folk Festival on Friday, August 29. Second album Playland and new single Easy Money are released on October 6. Marr also plays Wolverhampton Civic Hall on October 17.

“The first record, The Messenger, was really well received in a way that I really did not quite expect…it took off!” he exclaims.

August 2014

“It sounds just like we are live,” says Marr. “A lot of it is quite fast, up tempo, short and sharp. It feels like it moves along quickly, like modern life does.”

“[It] is a continuation from The Messenger, but I do think that it’s a development from the first too.

I didn’t want to invent the wheel. Some people might say I’ve tried to do that in the past,” he laughs.

The late 70s/early 80s, no-nonsense vibe of the debut remains strong.

“What I’ve been doing, they’re the very opposite of experimentation so far. I say they’re B-sides but I want them to be like double A-sides. We did some songs, The It-Switch, which was the B-side of New Town Velocity, and Psychic Beginner (with Upstarts), and they’re pretty strong tracks. The new ones [I’ve just done] could’ve been on the album without too much bother.”

From spending several decades riffing alongside a succession of other vocalists, moving from project to project, band to band, Marr says that since he found success with The Smiths, his motivation has never changed – it’s all about the music.

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marissa nadler

The rails

woods

arC iris

Moseley Folk Festival 2014: the highlights Jimi Goodwin (Friday)

woods (saTurday)

Doves are officially on a break, but members aren’t being idle. Jez and Andy Williams are about to launch their new band Black Rivers, but singer Jimi was first out of the blocks with solo debut album Odludek. While it does sound Doves-esque, Odludek finds the frontman (who previously played with Johnny Marr in Electronic and recently supported mates Elbow on tour) plundering a wider musical palette for a more abrasive sound.

Record number eight With Light & With Love finds Woods in more thoughtful mode. Whereas previous releases were recorded (to quote band member Jeremy Earl) “super spontaneous”, With Light’s songs were heavily rehearsed and “thought out”. It was also the first time they’d ventured into a professional/proper studio, having pulled together earlier LPs DIY. The result is a joyous collection of pop songs infused with echoes of Gram Parsons, The Byrds, 60s psych. The title track’s twitchy guitar intro brings to mind a wigged out Byrds while Moving To The Left recalls The Flaming Lips.

ThursTon moore (Friday) If Johnny Marr wrote the 80-90s UK indie guitar book, Thurston wrote the US equivalent, mashing the New York art and punk scenes and opening the door for what became grunge and Nirvana with Sonic Youth. Since the demise of the genuinely groundbreaking Sonic Youth, the guitarist, editor, writer and label owner has followed a myriad of paths. Yes, there’s a solo album looming – The Best Day is due in September and finds him joined by Sonic Youth cohort Steve Shelley and My Bloody Valentine’s Deb Googe – but the last few months has also seen Moore team up with Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, celebrate the music of Ornette Coleman with Nels Cline, interview The Slits’ Viv Albertine at a literary festival, collaborate with Japanese composer Takehisa Kosugi at the Glasgow Tectonics Festival, deliver a keynote speech at Liverpool Sound City 2014, and back Yoko Ono. There’s also an August residency with John Edwards/Adam Golebiewski, and Caspar Brötzmann in London, a string of solo dates, the Twilight III: Beneath Trident’s Tomb album and Sonic Youth re-releases. Busy chap.

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ÓlöF arnalds (saTurday) Though a classically trained violinist who also plays viola, guitar and charango, it’s her voice which is Ólöf’s most distinctive talent, sweet yet commanding. A former touring member of Iceland’s múm, she emerged as a solo artist in 2007 and has since worked with members of Sigur Ros, Amiina and Björk. Her forthcoming fourth album, Palme (One Little Indian, out Sep 29) sees the songwriter backed by múm co-founder Gunnar Orn Tynes and longstanding musical foil, Skúli Sverrisson. Billed as her most collaborative release to date, the songs were pieced together and transformed over a six month period, with the gently swaying lead track Patience a stand-out.

The rails (saTurday) Upon leaving the pioneering Fairport Convention, Moseley headliner Richard Thompson recorded a string of acclaimed albums with wife Linda. Now,

here’s their daughter (and brother of Teddy) teaming up with her own husband – solo artist and occasional Pretender James Walbourne – for The Rails. Produced by Edwyn Collins, album Fair Warning is a confident folk rock debut released via Island’s especially resurrected Pink label (former home to Fairport and Nick Drake). Painfully aware that mum and dad’s releases documented their turbulent relationship, Kami says: “Our long term goal is to make the perfect divorce album, obviously.”

lisa Knapp (sunday) While many of today’s leading folk lights – Martha Tilston, Eliza Carthy, The Unthanks – were born and raised on a diet of folk music, South Londoner Knapp stumbled into it having grown up listening to drum’n’bass, hip hop, acid house and Hendrix.

Such a route may explain why her long awaited second album, the triple BBC Folk Award nominated Hidden Seam, is such a melting pot. Opener Shipping Song initially points towards folktronica, yet the song, and the album, soon opens up. It’s less Anne Briggs and Shirley Collins, more Bjork or Kate Bush territory, with Lau-like atmospherics, Chinese sounds and layered vocals never intruding or coming over as contrived.

Moseley Folk Festival runs from Friday, August 29 to Sunday, August 31 at Moseley Park, Birmingham. Tickets £35/£37 per day, £65 (Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun) and £85 (weekend). Under 16 tickets £15-£40.

Details www.moseleyfolk.co.uk Brum Notes Magazine

Marissa Nadler They’ve been a fair few descriptions of Marissa Nadler’s music, but the best comes from the songwriter herself: “Dream folk slowcore.”

“I think that pigeonholing yourself to a specific genre is always a dangerous thing,” she says. “That being said, people do need descriptors. So, I pieced together those words for now to give an idea that the music is not entirely one thing, but an amalgamation of styles.”

Released back in February, latest album July is a spine-tingling collection of stripped down songs, expertly arranged and filled with subtle textures, Marissa’s voice to the fore.

Recorded in Seattle, the album pairs Nadler for the first time with producer Randall Dunn, whose CV includes drone and black metal acts Earth, Sunn O))) and Wolves In The Throne Room.

“Randall and I met years ago at a Sunn O))) show. I actually met him through my first booking agent, who sent me on my earliest tours with Earth and some other great and heavy bands. Randall wrote me directly

August 2014

and asked to record my next record. The email came at a time when I was eager to try something new and work with some new musicians. Several of the players on the album, namely Phil Wandscher [electric guitar], and Jonas Haskins [bass, synth bass] were already dear friends of mine. They lived in Seattle and I knew that I wanted them to play on the record.”

Nadler, who has previously worked with ‘black metal’ act Xasthur, says Dunn was “a very obvious choice. My music has always, even dating back to the first record, had heavy atmosphere and dark subject matter. Earth and Sunn O))) are two of my favourite bands.”

Over the last decade, the Boston-based singer has maintained an enviable work rate, recording seven official albums plus five unofficial/self-released records.

“I’ve always written in downtime,” she says.

“Usually, on tour, there is very little time to do much of anything. But, when I decide to write a record, it’s about all I do for several months. I apply a steely resolution and focus on the songs in a bit of an incubation period.”

Marissa Nadler takes to the Moseley Folk Festival main stage on Sunday, August 31.

arc iris There’s more to Arc Iris than meets the eye. Trained as a classical clarinettist and pianist, until recently Jocie Adams was a core member of Rhode Island’s alt-folk band The Low Anthem, but prior to that…she worked for NASA. “I snuck around, tried on all of the space suits, stole one and used it for a photoshoot with Tom Cruise,” she chuckles, before correcting: “I did research in Infrared Spectroscopy…it’s boring stuff.”

But there’s nothing so dull about Arc Iris. “Arc Iris means rainbow,” Jocie says. “I suppose it was partly inspired by the beautiful turn of events when the rain is just barely squeezed dry and the sun pokes his nose out. The idea of turning a page and starting anew is exciting and what keeps music full of life.”

Much has been said about Arc Iris’ eponymous debut album’s ability to zip between musical styles, yet despite the perceived genre-hopping, what stands out is the cohesiveness and the sweep of the sound.

“I appreciate this very much,” cries the singer and multiinstrumentalist. “We don’t think of it as genre-hopping or any of the rest of it. We think of the record as being a cohesive and carefully crafted journey.”

Main stage, Saturday, August 30.

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alfie bird’s The Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham B9 4AA 0121 270 6665 www.alfiebirds.co.uk Promising ‘Gourmet Eats and Beats’, Alfie Bird’s is the latest addition to The Custard Factory deep in the heart of Digbeth. Various clubs and bars have previously been here since the original Mr Bird himself left the building (most notably The Medicine Bar). And given that it’s a few minutes walk/ waddle away from the centre of Brum, any new business clearly needs to offer that little extra to drag people away from the usual suspects. So, what’s it all about Alfie?

The decor and atmosphere are pretty laid back and welcoming, with a proper pizza oven at one end of the main dining space and a dude spinning some tunes on vinyl. Burgers and pizzas are pretty much the main offerings so we plumped for one of each, the Smoking Smoked Salmon Pizza and the Pulled Pork Burger, along with side orders of Tempura Veg and Sweet Potato Wedges.

After a few minutes our waitress came out with possibly the most magnificent looking burger in Brum, several inches of meaty beef and pulled pork goodness topped with pickles, sauce and cheese all skewered in place in a brioche bun.

Cuisine:

American/italian

Price:

Around £10 for a burger and side

Service: Atmosphere: Food: Overall:

Happily it tasted as good as it looked with the outside of the burger having a decent char and the inside oozing with juices. Once you’ve finished “ooing” and “ahhing” over the burger itself the pulled pork hits you, soft and melt-in-the-mouth with a different level of flavour and intensity altogether. You may need to dislocate your jaw to get it all in but it’s a meat lover’s dream...the sort of meal a condemned man might order before going to meet his maker, a burger so delicious that the chef himself apparently pops in and orders one on his days off. Yes, that good. The best burger in Brum? Could be.

The pizza was impressive too. Stone baked with

Pub WATCH: the midland Bearwood Road, Bearwood B66 4BE

From overdrafts to draught beers. Housed in the former home of the Midland Bank (or HSBC if you’re under 40) on Bearwood’s high street, The Midland is another great addition to the region’s burgeoning real ale scene, with an impressive dozen or so brews on offer, plus a couple of proper ciders and...avert your eyes...’lager’ for the unconverted. Yuck, wash your mouths out with a pint or two of Vicar’s Todger.

Owner Black Country Ales (the same team behind 20

a good crispness on the base and a little of that chewy, doughy edge, it was generously topped with slivers of smoked salmon, crème fraîche, horseradish shavings, fresh rocket and Parmesan.

It’s an unusual concoction but it really works, 12 inches of pizza perfection.

The sides of Sweet Potato Wedges could easily make a nice snack on their own, although perhaps a creamy dip may have been better than the chilli one. The simple Tempura Veg were fresh and crisp and again could well make a decent nibble if you’re not feeling too peckish.

It would’ve been rude to leave without trying a cocktail or two. Again both were a notch above the average. Served in jam jars (the hipster’s favourite), the Deconstructed Mojito and Blush certainly packed a punch in flavour and alcohol and the Mojito in particular was excellent.

There’s a lot to love about Alfie Bird’s, truly independent and clearly run by people who give a damn, it’s the kind of place The Custard factory and indeed this city itself really needs a whole lot more of. Highly recommended. Daron Billings

Website: www.blackcountryales.co.uk The Wellington, The Craven Arms and more) has done a fine job of renovating the place with an authentic looking mirror-backed bar plus a novel use of the bank’s old strong room which now holds the kegs rather than the cash.

As with the best real ale pubs around, the line-up is always changing (check the board for details, brewer, strength, price etc) and there are the traditional pork pies and cheese cobs on offer if you’re feeling peckish/squiffy. DB Brum Notes Magazine

STREET STYLE BIRMINGHAM

This month's Street Style was shot backstage at One Beat Weekender, Mac Birmingham.

style

AnnA, Singer, elephAntine, 23 top - Cow ShortS - Charity Shop trAinerS - ConverSe, Cow SunglASSeS - ray-Ban’S found at GlaStonBury.

Style icon - Karen o, yeah yeah yeahS. FAVe Shop - Cow vintaGe

SiMon, druMMer, the exploding Sound MAchine, 29 top - eBay cordS - levi’S, oaSiS indoor MarKet BootS - eBay Style icon - the doorS FAVe Shop - urBan villaGe

Joey, Singer, the exploding Sound MAchine, 28 top And necklAce - indian Store, ChurCh road cordS - h&M BootS - Beatwear, liverpool Style icon - BritiSh pSyChedelia BandS froM the 60S FAVe Shop - urBan villaGe

SArAh, orgAniSt/BAcking VocAlS, the exploding Sound MAchine, 27 dreSS - topShop, eBay WAiStcoAt - vintaGe BootS - 60S vintaGe BAg - aCCeSSorize Style icon - GraCe SliCK FAVe Shop - urBan villaGe

reBeccA, Singer ekkAh, 24 top - river iSland deniM JAcket - Car Boot Sale trouSerS - topShop ShoeS - topShop Style icon - uMa thurMan (Mia wallaCe in pulp fiCtion) FAVe Shop - oaSiS indoor MarKet

toMMy, guitAriSt, ekkAh, 24 top - topMan JeAnS - river iSland BootS - dr MartenS SunglASSeS - vintaGe WAtch - CaSio FAVe Shop - Charity ShopS

August 2014BY ANDY HUGHES PHOTOS

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live

One Beat weekender Mac Birmingham 19-20/07/14

Los Campesinos!

After two years of glorious sunshine for the first two One Beat festivals, expecting three in a row may have been ambitious. But the occasional downpour and the odd rumble of thunder was never going to put a dampener on the biggest instalment of the festival yet. Nor does it put anyone off either, with crowds turning out in their numbers right from the start on day one. Byron Hare get things underway before the power pop of The Jacarandas. But on a day of largely new acts, it is old hands Johnny Foreigner who incite the first moshpit of the weekend, as the young crowd dances raucously in the rain to their charmingly delivered brand of lo-fi garage rock.

The dark and brooding electronica of The Grafham Water Sailing Club seems somewhat incongruous in the daylight, but no less engaging. Despite only having one single out, the hype surrounding Juice is endless. Even the weather seems to appreciate Juice’s presence as the rain clears for them.

Delivering a tight set which culminates in their single Sugar, Juice show why they are being hailed as one of the most interesting bands around right now.

Ahead of the release of their highly anticipated EP Chew Me Up, Spit Me Out, Dumb are one of the most talked about acts on the bill for the Saturday, drawing in the biggest crowd of the day so far. Past releases such

Troumaca

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as Dive and Retina get the crowd dancing like there’s no one watching and the latter sparks a stage invasion.

The crowd gathering swells for Los Campesinos!, the most established act on show who more than live up to their reputation with a lengthy, polished set that showcases a perfect blend of showmanship, humour and damn good songwriting. “There’s a real parents of band members vibe in here,” jokes frontman Gareth David, but it’s the younger generation that whips up a frenzy on the concrete dancefloor, including sporadic stage invasions that soon descend into Scooby Doo-style chase scenes across the front of the stage. The anthemic Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks is an appropriate pinnacle of an excellent set.

It is left to the young pretenders of Jaws to follow that up but their headline status instantly appears justified as they are greeted by a heaving mass of young fans. Frontman Connor is no Adele in the vocal stakes, but it’s songwriting that is his real strength as they work their way through poignantly delivered slacker dream pop anthems-in-waiting such as Be Slowly and fan favourite Toucan Surf. Jaws continue to grow in confidence seemingly every time they take to the stage and seeing the adoring manner in which every track is lapped up by the hardcore pocket of fans bodes well for a band whose debut album is due to drop next month.

It’s fair to say the Mac staff were clearly not used to handling crowdsurfers or stage invasions (this is still a festival in its infancy, after all), but this just egged the excitable young crowd on more and as Stay In teased with its “Stay in, stay out” refrain, the moshpit was fit to bursting. The inevitable full-scale stage invasion followed as final track, the

excellent Gold, kicked in, rounding off a triumphant opening day with a melee of teenage excitement.

With a surprising amount of clarity considering the after party at the Bull’s Head was in full swing until 2am, Sunday begins much more brightly than the day before. The Oddysee’s soulful grooves and The Exploding Sound Machine’s 60s psych experience complement the blue skies and blistering sunshine perfectly and everything is turned up a notch with the grunge punk of Elephantine, whose atypical time signatures keep everyone on their toes. “This is a family affair so I’m not going to swear, but I’m having a frogging good day,” enthuses frontwoman Anna Palmer. Midnight Bonfires mix up their tried and tested folk pop set, rearranging old favourites like Misbehave to create more variety than ever, the Alt-J vocals of frontman David Langley sounding particularly prominent ringing out across the amphitheatre, and as Friendly Fire Band welcome in the evening with their blend of reggae and ska and the beautifully blissed-out Rasta Man, the event heads towards its climax.

Power disco duo EKKAH try out their new dance routines, their funk and soul pop stomp garnering one of the bigger reactions of the day and as Oxford’s Glass Animals take to the stage to play the highlights from their recently released debut album, Zaba, the crowd is finally enticed down to the front. It’s a short set, not really enough time to get into the swing of it and that’s one of the downfalls of having so many bands on before such an early curfew – this is felt most harshly by Troumaca who pay the price of the tightly-packed schedule, only able to play five songs before curtain close. But it’s five songs which merge perfectly, Trees to Clouds to Gold, Women and Wine, their unique tropicalia dancehall dub the lasting memory from the fest. As set closers The Sun and The Grace signal their finale, it’s been a successful, well-attended and impressively cross-genre event. More of the same next year please.

Chris Moriarty, Matthew Burdon, Amy Sumner | Photos by Andy Hughes

Jaws

Brum Notes Magazine

Alex Ohm The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham 12/07/14

The tendency seems to be that when frontmen go solo, they go soft. That rock star persona previously strutted out atop crunching guitars and pounding drums is replaced with a collection of introspective warbles about a girl who once made them cry. Not here, mind. Not here at all. Dressed in a threepiece suit, Alex Ohm has essentially turned The Sunflower Lounge into that bit off Titanic when Leonardo Di Caprio takes Kate Winslet to dance with all the paupers. It’s a riot. “Gew on Al!” shouts a punter, or 20.

A melodic, ethereal, Radiohead-esque introduction starts the evening before the song melts into a bass driven sea shanty. This is around where the evening stays, and the instant carnival mood is infectious. Confidence seems high, and the new tunes, unwrapped for the first time in a headline environment and blasted loud with the backing of a band, are good. Very good. ‘You’re not alone,’ Alex poignantly sings at one point.

Tonight, without his former band The Lines, in many ways he pretty much is.

With new material a plenty, there is no need to dwell on past glories. His only blurred line is a cover of No Illusions, No Cheap Tricks, but Al knows the crowd want it. The big finale starts with Through the Storm, the first release of Ohm’s solo career, and ends with the band playing on without him, as he leaves alone to a thunderous applause. It seems this is one frontman who has no intention of going quietly.

Tom Pell

Kiran Leonard Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath 16/07/14

Eclectic’s too narrow a word for Kiran Leonard. Just as you think you’ve got him nailed down as a post punker, he goes a little proggy, then folky...jazzy...rocky...then synthy... agggghhhh! It’s no good, labels just won’t stick to him which surely has to be a good thing. Maybe he’s the product of an access all areas (of music) generation that’s grown up with a pretty much limitless ocean of tunes? Live, Leonard’s vocals are every bit as 21st century schizoid as the music, veering from the soaring beauty of Jeff Buckley to the gutter sneer of Johnny Rotten and on to the grizzled growl of Beefheart...sometimes all in the same song. This evening, Dear Lincoln gets an airing, thrashier and rawer than the version that’s wowed the BBC 6Music crowd, it still comes across as one of his more commercial tracks. It’s August 2014

the epic Geraldo’s Farm that steals the set though. One of the more coherent examples of Kiran’s genre splicing, it’s underpinned by a simple repeated synth motif that somehow holds everything together as Leonard and band spin off in all sorts of directions like musical Catherine Wheels. One for the beard strokers, head bangers and prog lovers to unite over, you get the distinct sense that Kiran and co really could develop into the kind of band we’ve perhaps not seen since Zappa’s heyday. The Grandsons of Invention anyone?

Daron Billings

Milk Teeth Talk, Birmingham 19/07/14

Bristol punk outfit Milk Teeth take to the stage to deliver a largely instrumental set, not intentionally but due to technical difficulties. Unperturbed, they rip through their frantic punk repertoire to an appreciative, albeit disappointingly small, audience. Recent single Vitamins provokes the crowd into action as the unmistakable guitar riff kicks in, their new song Bagels showing bags of potential and the solid evidence that this band aren’t running out of steam anytime soon.

The mood settles down a bit for Swear Jar, a slight departure from the breakneck speed that tends to define most of their catalogue and drawing far more influence from grunge, but it doesn’t seem out of place in the set – despite the slowed down pace, the energy remains. As the band wind down it’s clear that while they may not be re-inventing the wheel, they also aren’t simply aping the sounds of the greats. It’s music that’s familiar to most punk fans but it’s not boring either – there aren’t many bands can take an age-old formula and make it sound this fresh again. Milk Teeth do it well.

Matthew Burdon

Tame Impala The Institute, Birmingham 14/07/14

On this hot night, Tame Impala take to the stage in front of a packed house that spans generations, such is the wide appeal of their new wave of psychedelia sound.

After they’ve warmed the crowd up, main man Kevin Parker asks, “You Birmingham people know how to party, eh?”, before the band launch into Elephant. This heavy, low and throbbing bass-driven anthem has the floor bending under the weight of an audience pogo-ing as one. Tame Impala deliver a stage show with an emphasis on making an audience dance and the sound mix and

Tame Impala Photo by Wayne Fox

arrangements reflect this. The vocals often take a back seat in terms of volume and quantity, and the tunes are developed into extended versions with instrumentals either side of each song.

Mind Mischief is a prime example. The studio recording is all reverb-drenched sunshine pop with layered cross-panning phased vocals. Tonight they choose to drop half the words and craft the arrangements to suit a live show with drums, bass and guitar high in the mix. The audience laps it up.

Ben Calvert

Boat to Row Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath 27/06/14

‘An Evening With Boat to Row’ is every inch as genial as it sounds and with some wonderful support sets from Broken Boat, Pete Dixon and The Cadbury Sisters before them, there’s the marked sense we’re being well looked after.

Boat to Row are a band as deftly able to unplug and play through and through acoustic tracks as they are able to craft an amped up performance. The Birmingham quintet work their way through intricate folk songs from their Grassmarket and Loyal Light EPs, heart-stoppingly beautiful affairs of the soul backed by dextrous, labyrinthine instrumentals. There’s as many nods to traditional adages along the way as there are to ensuring a cross-demographic appeal; securing a silence so absolute at gone 11pm on a Saturday night is no mean feat. An exquisite account of their ability.

Amy Sumner 23

album reviews

OWL JOHN Owl John Out August 4 (Atlantic Records)

This solo project from Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, written and recorded in two weeks on the Isle of Mull, was apparently a stop-gap to appease the frontman’s creativity en route to making his band’s fifth album. Generally, solo efforts make for pretty indulgent fodder – the artists in question (or questionable artists) usually citing constraints and a need to release some inner child or whatever.

With Owl John, such indulgent avenues are mercifully absent, Hutchison mining the sources of his songwriting savvy. The difference here is that the songs are raw colours, less inhibited by the trappings of the ‘single’. Opening track Cold Creeps emerges from a fogbank of guitar fuzz with a tribal march of drums, establishing a soundscape born of Scotland’s haunting beauty; Ten Tons Of Silence is a sonorous lament shrouded

THE WYTCHES Annabel Dream Reader Out August 25 (Heavenly Recordings)

The dark side of psychedelia is ever-present in The Wytches’ debut. Their riotous sound kicks in straight away, slightly softened by their application of surf pop which is apparent in the bends of Weights and Ties, this conflicts nicely with the grungy, heavier likes of Gravedweller and Digsaw. At times there’s a kind of underlying spy movie soundtrack but this isn’t necessarily a drawback and as the record progresses into Robe For Juda and Track 13, The Wytches elongate those entangled grunge, surf and metal instrumentals while focussing more 24

in mist and mystery, while Hate Music’s lugubrious, cult-like incantation wouldn’t be out of place on Summerisle. Songs About Roses showcases Hutchison’s contempt for the platitune (just made that word up: n. songs stuffed with romantic tripe), a sparse anti-ballad that cries: ‘We don’t need your terrible blues’ – a musical thorn that adorns the floral cliché. However, it’s not all Highland sings. The album was partly recorded in the US, and Los Angeles, Be Kind is an ambivalent track that aligns itself to LA’s neon heart while also feeling exiled, its lamenting refrain ‘I get drunk just to feel I belong’ demonstrating Hutchison can capture atmosphere in places other than those shrouded in mist.

Returning to the ether with Celtic-tinged Stupid Boy, the album closes on a poignant note, waving goodbye to a two-week project that has produced one of the best solo albums in recent memory, but also waving hello to a brighter future.

Stephen Brolan

heavily on the poetic lyrics of frontman Kristian Bell, who nods towards his unlikely influences, Leonard Cohen and Elliott Smith. Annabel Dream Reader is non-conformist from start to finish, its elements outwardly alien but uniting perfectly.

Psychedelia has been painted black.

Becky Rogers

BURNING ALMS in Sequence Out August 1 (Smalltown America)

Producing their first full-length album since breaking away from parent band Calories, John Biggs and Tom Whitfield’s In Sequence is an unabashedly errant record that impresses in its

refusal to cling to any definitive mood, seamlessly flitting between Frank Turner acoustic melancholy (The Pastoral, The Periphery), Swans’ silverscreen nefariousness, and feedback toxic enough to make Sister Ray green with envy (The Aperture Colonised, Night Climates) for the duration.

Unburdened by genre, there are times when ambition threatens to steer the album into selfindulgent territory but, when the abrasive guitars do begin to curdle, the discerning language that populates the mournful So Unreal and Hemingway-alluding Matadors saves the day, hinting at the same sort of literary fluency that first made Lou Reed’s lyrics shine and affirming that the band are much more than just the architects of a sonic melee.

Frequently unbalanced and disorientating but an ultimately enjoyable listen, in its finest moments In Sequence represents the apotheosis of the BiggsWhitfield artistic union. A worthy after-project.

Dan Owens

Electric Würms Musik, Die Schwer Zu Twerk Out August 18 (Bella Union)

Musik, Die Schwer Zu Twerk, German for ‘music which is hard to twerk to’, is the spawn of Electric Würms, the new side-project of Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips. As well as throwing down a challenge for master Twerkers, Musik asks the question ‘what is the difference between genuine experimentalism in music and some blokes in a studio tripping on 70s acid?’

The resulting answer to which sounds like, ‘Sorry I can’t hear you, I’m flying towards the sun. I’m made of spaceship, me.’ In a word, Musik is trippy.

In several words, listening to this is to float through spacey sound collages which can be gentle (I Could See Only Clouds), chaotic (Living), or funky (standout track, Transform!!!). It’s swirling synthesizers, tripping bass grooves and stoner drums.

Don’t do LSD, kids. And if you do, certainly don’t listen to Electric Würms while you do, it could end very badly. Musik, Die Schwer Zu Twerk is a healthy, if confusing, alternative.

Tom Clabon

THE MONOBLOGGERS Who Gets The Dog: The Best Of 2009 - 2014 Out August 4

Two-and-a-half years after The Monobloggers called it a day, they release this, their tonguein-cheek best of record and, ironically, their first Brum Notes Magazine

full-length LP. Comprising songs the band wrote and recorded over their five year lifespan plus two new numbers, it’s the 90s US alt rock gem the band always promised, indebted to R.E.M, Jimmy Eat World and The Lemonheads, its forcefully scrappy DIY ethos on its sleeve from the start.

Stand-out classic tracks Start, Yesterday and Hands blend easily with the two newer numbers penned for the project, Can I Knock The Door and Propulsive.

Sure, the vocals aren’t always in tune but that’s the affable indulgence we cosset in this brand of askew alt rock and it’s what The Monobloggers traded on from the start. For a record assembled in hindsight, it’s a true-to-form and accurate account of their abilities, and with all proceeds going to The Teenage Cancer Trust we’re game to give it a go for the heck of it.

Amy Sumner

TWIN ATLANTIC Great Divide Out August 18 (Red Bull Records)

Bursting with energy from start to finish, Twin Atlantic’s third album, Great Divide, offers a slightly more commercial, radio-friendly sound than their previous releases though still hangs

August 2014

onto the same style we’ve grown to expect from the Scottish four-piece.

Intro track The Ones That I Love is a gorgeous piano ballad which showcases frontman Sam McTrusty’s unique vocals. It’s followed up by comeback single Heart and Soul, a stadium-sized, singalong-inducing track. It’s one of many foot thumping songs on the record, with the emphatic Fall Into The Party and I Am An Animal standing out as particular highlights.

Upcoming single Brothers and Sisters shows a softer side to Twin Atlantic, with atmospheric backing vocals adding depth and still retaining the same singalong rock we’d expect.

Great Divide closes powerfully with sentimental ballad Why Won’t We Change, although it’s the upbeat, energetic offerings like penultimate stomper Actions That Echo where Twin Atlantic really come into their own – and it’s songs like this you can’t help but imagine that are bound to translate brilliantly to live shows and a festival summer.

Beth Coveney

DZ Deathrays Black Rat Out August 18 (Infectious Records)

In many ways, Australian guitar-drums duo

DZ Deathrays have really hit upon the zeitgeist (given the recent proliferation of fuzzy, garage punk-inspired two pieces), and the UK release of Black Rat should certainly expedite the Deathrays’ much-deserved recognition as forerunners of their craft.

Taken as a whole, Black Rat wonderfully reproduces the gritty, underground vibes of an allnight house party. It’s a wildly atmospheric 40 minutes, surpassing the band’s earlier releases with its insatiable blend of blues, grunge and new wave channelled through punchy rhythms and anthemic vocals.

Tracks such as Gina Works at Hearts, Ocean Exploder and Reflective Skull are lacquered with driving hooks and moreish riffs, and are infectious and definitely replayable. However, the closing track Tonight Alright is one of a number of tracks which fails to live up to the expectation and anticipation generated by the album’s namesake opener, and is indicative of how and why Black Rat, through its lack of unity, only just falls short of being truly great.

It’s an album that clearly understands what it wants to be, and though this vision is, for the most part, consistent, there are a few tracks that feel misguided or waylaid. Black Rat would’ve made for a truly excellent EP, as there are more than a handful of terrific songs here.

Sam Bicknell

25

gigs

Pissed Jeans

PICK

The Institute, August 15 Pennsylvanian noise rock quartet Pissed Jeans venture over to the UK for a total of three dates and one small festival in London. With four full-length albums under their belt, it’s a more refined and focussed repertoire than before, the lines between punk, rock and hardcore subtly merging together. Oh, and according to their Facebook, they’re looking for an amateur trombone player to join them on stage at the show – 30 second YouTube applications over to their band page.

Golden Palms

The Tin, Coventry, August 1 The monthly club night curated by our new favourite local band, Batsch, Golden Palms welcomes a fine selection of talent from both local and national artists. This month Delightful Young Mothers (passionate punk attitude, complex lyrical arrangements) and He Is A Pegasus (dynamic bipolar set of roaring post-rock and haunting unaccompanied melodies) play live alongside Batsch DJs. A super exciting new discovery promising shimmering altdisco grooves.

Dumb

The Sunflower Lounge, August 14 Having played in bands together since their preteens, local lads Dumb head up this show to celebrate the launch of their debut EP, Chew Me Up, Spit Me Out. Sporting Built To Spill and Pavement-inspired American college rock with slacker grunge tones all carried off with a cocksure swagger, try the EP before you buy it here.

Project SoundLounge

Town Hall, Brindleyplace and The Rep, August 8-10 Taking place across three beautiful venues and one vibrant weekend, Project SoundLounge is a free festival promising the best in emerging artists across a multitude of genres. Highlights 26

at the Town Hall on Friday are soul-jazz collective Antelope and music, dance and film merger The Forgotten Fairground, whilst Saturday sees spoken word from Beat Root and electric blues band .44 Pistol in Brindleyplace. There’s also Dantanna’s hip hop catalogue and jazz quintet Hansu-Tori at The Rep and to wind down on Sunday some beautiful folk from Boat to Row and The Mourning Suns back at the Town Hall.

Barnesy

The Sunflower Lounge, August 16 Following support slots with John Lennon McCullagh and James Walsh (Starsailor), Barnesy plays a hometown headline show of his bluesy street poetry. Combining tricksy wordplay with soulful guitar work, he’s built himself up a reputation for a packed-out and assured live show. Enjoy it in these intimate surrounds while you can.

Mutual Benefit

Hare & Hounds, August 13 Brooklyn-based Jordan Lee is not only the man behind the Kassette Klub record label, but also the musical project that is Mutual Benefit. At alternating moments a one-man-band or a sprawling musical collective, Mutual Benefit has released a collection of cassette-only releases and EPs and in October last year his debut LP, Love’s Crushing Diamond. Lush, watery pop songs pieced together

over the past several years and inspired by the kinetic energy, goodbyes and blurred landscapes of life on the road, these songs are heartfelt and powerful with Lee’s fragile and beautiful voice at their heart. Be sure to catch Mutual Benefit’s debut Birmingham headline performance in whatever guise it takes on the night.

Ghostface Killah The Drum, August 16

With almost 20 years as a solo artist under his belt, the Wu-Tang Clan man, or “rap’s finest storyteller” (Q magazine), steps out to play a selection from his 12-album back catalogue. April’s Twelve Ways To Die LP signified a new, more soulful direction from the rapper, more composed, more poignant – who knows what’s in store for the show.

Metz

Hare & Hounds, August 11 Inspired by the Canadian punk scene of the early 90s and the raw power and high octane live performances of its components, Toronto noise rock trio Metz venture over to Birmingham for a brutal live performance. Claiming to play the music, the amps, and the room, this one’s going to be savage. Support comes from the hotly-tipped Girl Band and local noise rockers Them Wolves.

Throw away the sun cream, it ain’t gonna protect you in this heat.

Brum Notes Magazine

club nights

Andy Butler (Hercules & Love Affair)

PICK

Hare & Hounds, August 24

Hercules & Love Affair ringmaster Andy Butler takes a breather from his busy festival season for an evening of disco, house and techno in the 250-capacity club space at the Hare & Hounds. Known for creating a combination of meaningful house and pop music which appeals to the most musically adept of tastes, expect a storming set of the same when Butler takes to the decks. Don’t miss the chance to see him in such an intimate setting.

FACE Presents Illusion Recordings Allnighter The Rainbow, August 9

Tom Craven and James Cotterill’s Illusion Recordings has gone from strength to strength in recent years, hosting label parties across the UK, Europe, South America and Australia. Now, with a string of releases scheduled for 2014 featuring artists such as Delano Smith, Aybee, Acid Mondays, Trus’me and Norm Talley, FACE presents an allnighter in conjunction featuring its key players.

M i x m ag Live Blackdot

Presents

The Rainbow, August 9 Out of new clubbing venue NextDoor comes its newest underground house and techno fixture, Blackdot. With over 12 hours of non-stop beats from 2pm featuring the likes of Dubfire, Apollonia, Scuba, Rhadoo and Adam Shelton, there’ll also be an after party at the NextDoor venue from 2:307am. That sounds like a challenge to us...

Jamaica Love Karma, August 9

Celebrating Jamaica’s 52nd year of independence (why wait for the big milestones when you can celebrate every year?), expect the best in bashment, dancehall, R’n’B, hip hop, house, ragga, reggae and revival from Big Business, Invasion Crew and more.

Breakthru ft Calibre + Tokyo Prose Alfie Bird’s & The Oobleck, August 23

A long established favourite for Birmingham bass heads, Breakthru makes a welcome return to its Custard Factory home where it first began nigh on a decade ago, ready to put new venue The Oobleck’s custom fitted Nexo Alpha soundsystem through its paces. Irish drum’n’bass heavyweight Calibre heads up proceedings, with New Zealand’s Sam Reed, aka Tokyo Prose, also bringing his soulful blend of beats.

Hott Date Gender Bender The Oobleck, August 24

Genre bending on the decks and gender bending on the dancefloor, this promises to be one colourful event. With cheaper entry for those donning cross dressing outfits, this is an occasion to throw your inhibitions to the wind. A bank holiday Sunday party kicking off at 3pm in the afternoon with a jerk August 2014

BBQ to keep your energy levels up, a mash-up of party tunes will keep you going until late, with DJ sets from the likes of Chicks Dig Jerks, Jamm Hott, Sugarfoot Stomp, Julie Webster, Hot Cherryade, Lee Nabbs and many more.

House Divas

Sticky Warehouse, August 24 Expect singalong retro house anthems galore, with live performances from the likes of Rozalla Miller (Everybody’s Free), Alison Limerick (Where Love Lives) and Angie Brown (I’m Gonna Get You), plus a host of DJs keeping this 12-hour party going from 4pm to 4am. New label xOneLovex Productions takes over Sticky Warehouse under the Digbeth arches, with an indoor and outdoor arena, marquee, terrace and even a table-service VIP area to really embrace the diva in you.

Official Moseley After parties

Folk

Hare & Hounds, August 29 and 30 Featuring the full Crazy World Of Arthur Brown experience on Friday (29) and a performance from Bella Union’s recent signings, Oklahoma psych folk outfit Horse Thief on Saturday (30), the festival vibes carry on into the early hours at the Hare & Hounds in these official after parties. Just be sure to make it out of bed for the following day’s programme of music...

27

Wired Aerial Theatre

arts & culture

Summer In Southside

PICK

Various venues, August 9-24 For three consecutive weekends, the Hippodrome presents a feast of outdoor theatre, dance, circus and music. The opening Live and Local programme includes folksy storytelling from Tin Box Theatre and a special edition of Fletchers Bar’s Come Vinyl With Me event.

The following Saturday is Euro Stars day, with spectacles from across the continent, while the concluding Bank Holiday Jamboree weekend offers up all manner of acrobatics, storytelling and musical performances.

Flatpack Film Club: Sherlock Jr & Cops + Live Score Library of Birmingham, August 2

Flatpack’s weekend Film Club prides itself on offering up inspirational fare to discerning family audiences. This latest edition is a double bill comprising two of Buster Keaton’s finest silent shorts, with the hapless hero’s romantic intentions landing him in hot water each time. The 1924 film Sherlock Jr has Keaton dreaming of a life as a detective after being accused of theft, while 1922’s Cops involves another brush with the law, seemingly involving the entire LAPD. Live accompaniment comes from the BFI’s acclaimed silent-film pianist Cyrus Gabrysch.

L_ve Hangman

Mac Birmingham, August 24 Visitors of all ages are invited to play along on the Mac’s terrace for this markedly sinister twist on the popular game, as the fate of a strange puppet/ human hybrid hangs in the balance. There’ll be three chances to play across the afternoon, with the whole affair accompanied by a soundtrack from disco punk par excellence Kid Carpet.

Heritage, written by Rochi Rampal, sees the audience ascending to the library’s roof terrace, with local youngsters presenting the city below as a hotbed of industry, culture and intrigue. The capacity is limited to 30, so get booking.

Soldier Stories: Birmingham and The Royal Warwickshire Regiment 1914-1918 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, from August 2

It is, of course, the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War and venues across the Midlands are duly marking the occasion. This exhibition reflects on the experiences of Birmingham soldiers via a collection of their personal artefacts. Also opening this month, the Wolverhampton City Archives and Bantock House Museum display pieces of written correspondence from the front line in Letters Home, while the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum rounds up Coventry’s contribution in their show The Great War.

Shed – Collect – Shed: Coventry’s Lost And Found

Birmingham From Above

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry, from August 16

This co-production from The Rep and English

Staying true to the Herbert’s remit to explore Coventry’s social history via collected artefacts,

Library of Birmingham, August 9

28

this show sees artists Lorsen Camps, Martin Green and Joanna Rucklidge round up discarded or misplaced items found in the local area, with visitors invited to speculate on each piece’s story. This show is the last hurrah for the Coventry Centre for Contemporary Art, the so-called art shed created by Bob and Roberta Smith.

Bottleneck & Spacewang Crescent Theatre, August 22-23

This double bill is a good chance to sample new work from a pair of exciting young writers. Luke Barnes’ Bottleneck is a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Liverpool, while Tom Wells’ Spacewang is the funny yet strangely moving tale of a teenager striving to communicate with aliens. There’s also a bonus curtain raiser, another short comedy from Wells entitled Notes For First Time Astronauts.

The 39 Steps

Blue Orange Theatre, from August 28 Patrick Barlow’s Olivier Award-winning adaptation of John Buchan’s adventure novel – or, more accurately, a knockabout parody of Alfred Hitchcock’s cinematic version of the book. It sees the movie’s 150 characters played by just four actors, resulting in a kind of breathless chaos, with references to Hitchcock’s filmography shoehorned into the dialogue for good measure.

Brum Notes Magazine

WHAT’S ON M M M CN CN

Friday, Aug 1 Regale

Birmingham

Burning Alms

The Sunflower Lounge Hare & Hounds

Goodnight Lenin

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Richy Ahmed

NextDoor

Birmingham

The Bounce Factory Summer Sizzler Magic Door

Suki10c

Birmingham

CN Gar Murran C M M M M M CN CN CN CN CN

Kings Heath

The Oobleck

Birmingham

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Saturday, Aug 2 Respublica

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Tarrus Riley

The Institute

Birmingham

Lime

Birmingham

The Royale

The Sunflower Lounge The Victoria

Punkapalooza ft Drongos For Europe Hot Wax

The Wagon & Horses Island Bar

Birmingham

PROspec

NextDoor

Birmingham

Come Together

The Oobleck

Birmingham

FACE

The Rainbow

Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham

Bruk Up

The Rainbow Warehouse Hare & Hounds

Circles

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Enter The Dragon

Bull’s Head

Moseley

Gar Murran

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Sunday, Aug 3 The Free Love Club

Sun on the Hill

Birmingham

Sunplugged ft Tom Walker Zinc

Sun at the Station Island Bar

Kings Heath

The Sunflower Lounge The Roadhouse

Birmingham

C

Monday, Aug 4 Lower + The Scribers + Weatherbird Comedy Night

M

Tuesday, Aug 5 Backtrack

The Oobleck

Birmingham

Wednesday, Aug 6 Kingsland Road

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Jonah Matranga

The Jam House

Birmingham

CN CN CN C M M CN M

M M M M C C M M M

The Ibiza Carnival

Thursday, Aug 7 Where I’m Bound

O2 Academy 3

Kings Heath

Birmingham

Stirchley

Birmingham

The Barley Mob

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Comedy Carousel

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Manilla Rd Comedy

The Victoria

Birmingham

Friday, Aug 8 Dutch Cousin

Birmingham

LostAlone

The Actress & Bishop The Flapper

Kuoko

The Rainbow

Birmingham

August 2014

Birmingham

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

M

Thieves

The Wicked Whispers M CN Mixmag Live Week-

CN

ender Taking Care of Business Norman Jay

CN Andy Robinson C M M M CN CN CN CN CN

Saturday, Aug 9 Miss Halliwell Yr Welcome, Birmingham Festival ft Slaves + God Damn The Peaky Blinders

M M M M M M M M M M M C M M

Birmingham

NextDoor

Birmingham

The Victoria

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

The Glee Club

Birmingham

The Sunflower Lounge The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

Kings Heath

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Hot Wax

Island Bar

Birmingham

Jamaica Love

Karma

Birmingham

GANGSTER SQUAD

The Institute

Birmingham

FACE presents Illusion

The Rainbow

Birmingham

Mixmag Live Weekender Beatamax

The Rainbow Textile Factory The Victoria

Birmingham

Bull’s Head

Moseley

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Sunday, Aug 10 The Free Love Club

Sun on the Hill

Birmingham

Deez Nuts

The Oobleck

Birmingham

Mick Turner

The Sunflower Lounge The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

Sun at the Station Bull’s Head

Kings Heath

CN CN Killer Wave 2.0 Andy Robinson C M M M

The Sunflower Lounge Hare & Hounds

Yr Welcome, Birmingham Festival ft Dead Sea Skulls Sunplugged ft The Good Water Bohemian Jukebox ft Jayne Powell, Mr Plow Monday, Aug 11 Orchard Hill

Birmingham

Birmingham

Moseley

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Metz

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Wednesday, Aug 13 Mutual Benefit

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

The Slade Rooms

Wolverhampton

The Jam House

Birmingham Birmingham

Original High Five

The Shakespeare Hare & Hounds

Flashfires

The Roadhouse

Stirchley

Trevor Crook

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Friday, Aug 15 Panspermia

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

Drag

The Flapper

Birmingham

Reel Big Fish Thursday, Aug 14 Dr Feelgood Brumbox

Kings Heath

29

M M M

Pissed Jeans

The Institute

Birmingham

Eleven Miles Between

The Rainbow

Birmingham

The Garden

Birmingham

M

Carpenter Youth

The Sunflower Lounge Sun at the Station Bodega The Rainbow Garden Hare & Hounds

Birmingham

The Glee Club

Birmingham

The Drum

Aston

The Sunflower Lounge The Victoria

Birmingham

Birmingham

CN Lucha Libre CN The Squatters + Pete Graham Allnighter Reggae Nights

CN Trevor Crook C M M

Saturday, Aug 16 Ghostface Killah Barnesy

Kings Heath Birmingham

Kings Heath

M M

Beorma

M CN CN CN

The Destroyers

The Wagon & Horses Hare & Hounds

Testify (Northern Soul)

The Oobleck

Birmingham

FACE x Discotech

The Rainbow

Birmingham

YO! MTV Raps with VJ Croc & VJ E Double D Trevor Crook

Hare & Hounds

C

Double Echo

M

Sunday, Aug 17 Sunplugged ft Lionel Street Players Tuesday, Aug 19 Bad Manifest

M

Wednesday, Aug 20 My Ruin

M

M M C M CN CN CN CN

Sticky Warehouse The Oobleck

Birmingham

The Rainbow

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

The Oobleck

Birmingham

O2 Academy 2

Birmingham

Bats + Them Wolves

The Flapper

Birmingham

The Front Bottoms

The Sunflower Lounge

Birmingham

The Shakespeare The Slade Rooms The Glee Club

Birmingham

M CN House Divas ft Rozalla CN CN CN M M M M

Kings Heath

Miller + Angie Brown Hott Date Gender Bender Below Bank Holiday Special Andy Butler (Hercules & Love Affair) Monday, Aug 25 The Graveltones + Dead Sea Skulls Tuesday, Aug 26 Mordred

M

Thursday, Aug 28 Brumbox

Kings Heath

M

Rose Redd

The Glee Club

Birmingham

C

Sun at the Station

Kings Heath

Comedy Carousel: Andy Robinson Friday, Aug 29 The Janoskians

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

O2 Academy 3

Birmingham

M M M

Birmingham

Birmingham

Wolverhampton Birmingham

O2 Academy

Birmingham

Ondahwun

The Rainbow

Birmingham

Reaside

The Sunflower Lounge Hare & Hounds

Birmingham

NextDoor

Birmingham

CN CN Moseley Folk Official

The Rainbow

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Andy Robinson C

Bull’s Head

Moseley

The Glee Club

Birmingham

O2 Academy 2

Birmingham Birmingham

Ringo Deathstarr M CN Structure ft Mind Against Dolce Vita

Kings Heath

The Flapper

Birmingham

The Jam House

Birmingham

Andrew Stanley

The Glee Club

Birmingham Birmingham

Lucha Libre

The Sunflower Lounge Bodega

Shuffle

Island Bar

Birmingham

Northern Soul Night

The Victoria

Birmingham

M M

Osmosis (underground techno) Wookie

The Wagon & Horses Hare & Hounds

Birmingham

M

Kings Heath

The Glee Club

Birmingham

CN Jungle Ting present DJ

The Actress & Bishop The Sunflower Lounge PST

CN

Suki10c

Birmingham

CN CN FACE CN Moseley Folk Official

The Oobleck

Birmingham

The Rainbow

Birmingham

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Jam Hott Andy Robinson C

Bull’s Head

Moseley

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Sun on the Hill

Birmingham

Sun at the Station The Glee Club

Kings Heath

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Friday, Aug 22 Kastella

Saturday, Aug 23 Sweet Lilly Michael Cassidy

CN CN CN CN C

30

Birmingham

The Christians

M M M

M

The Actress & Bishop The Yardbird

Lifest ft Skabucks + The Stacks The Free Love Club

Thursday, Aug 21 Acid Mothers Temple

CN Andrew Stanley C M

Birmingham

M

The Actress & Bishop The Oobleck

Birmingham

Birmingham Birmingham

Wrangler

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

The Black Hounds

Wolverhampton

Breakthru ft Calibre

The Slade Rooms Alfie Bird’s

Bassman Birthday 2014

O2 Academy

Birmingham

FACE

The Rainbow

Birmingham

Up For The Love

Bull’s Head

Moseley

Andrew Stanley

The Glee Club

Birmingham

Sunday, Aug 24 Sunsets

Sun on the Hill

Birmingham

Birmingham

Afterparty ft Crazy World Of Arthur Brown Celestial Saturday, Aug 30 StakeOut Myth City Salvatore Leone Dazee Resurrection Summer Session Chicks Dig Jerks

Afterparty

M M C C

Sunday, Aug 31 Sunsets Sunplugged Stand Up with The Real McCoy: Mr Frazier Nick Doody

Birmingham Birmingham

Birmingham

Brum Notes Magazine

August 2014

31

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Brum Notes Magazine