August 2013
www.brumnotes.com music and lifestyle for the west midlands
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TROUMACA “It’s doing the thing that you love, when the thing that you love makes you the maddest.”
ALSO INSIDE: Turning back the clock with Ocean Colour Scene Looking ahead to Moseley Folk Festival The return of Sunset Cinema Club
AND: British Sea Power 65daysofstatic Laced
PLUS: Win tickets to Circoloco in The Arena / Mostly Jazz Festival and One Beat Saturday in pictures / Win a banquet for two at award-winning restaurant Lasan / Library of Birmingham opening season details revealed / Birmingham’s best cafes for vegetarians / Your complete guide to what’s on in August August 2013
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Sat 28th Sept • £20 adv
Thurs 31st Oct • £26.50 adv
Thurs 14th Nov • £18.50 adv
Sat 28th Sept • £10 adv
Fri 1st Nov • £12.50 adv
Sat 16th Nov • £9 adv
Wiz Khalifa + Trinidad Jame$ Bury Tomorrow Tues 1st Oct • £15 adv 10.30pm-3.30am • £4 adv
Early bird £3 tix available in August Over 18s only - Proof of age required
Thurs 15th Aug • £3 adv
10.30pm - 3.30am • over 18s only
Propaganda A Level Results - Frat Party Tues 6th Aug • £12.50 adv
The Adicts + Vice Squad Thurs 15th Aug • £30 adv 6pm - 10pm
The Airborne Toxic Event
Suede + Teleman
Professor Green
6.30pm - 10pm
[spunge]
36crazyfists
Fri 22nd Nov
Sat 2nd Nov • £20 adv
6pm - 10pm
6.30pm - 11pm
Peter Hook and the Light
Fri 4th Oct • £15 adv
Sat 23rd Nov • £20 adv
Diamond Head & Uli Jon Roth
Sun 3rd Nov
ft. Ned’s Atomic Dustbin + Cud + Republica + DJ set from Steve Lamacq
Sun 6th Oct • £15 adv
Mon 4th Nov • £17.50 adv
6pm - 10pm
Impericon Never Say Die! Tour ft. Emmure
Bastille
Sat 23rd Nov • £11 adv
Weds 6th Nov • £24 adv
The Complete Stone Roses
Rescheduled from 6th Dec • original tickets valid 6.30pm - 10pm
Boomtown Rats
Tues 8th Oct • £10 adv
Thurs 15th Aug • £3 adv
+ Hawk Eyes
Propaganda A Level Results - Frat Party
Weds 9th Oct • £15 adv
Defenders of the Faith ft. Amon Amarth
+ Bonafide + Bad Touch
Weds 13th Nov • £27.50 adv
Sat 17th Aug • £22.50 adv
9pm - 5am • last entry 2am • over 18s only
MC Bassman Birthday Bash 2013 The Silence of the Bass
Weds 4th Sept • £12.50 adv
Hoodie Allen
Thurs 5th Sept • £18.50 adv
Jimmy Eat World
Thurs 5th Sept • £17.50 adv 6pm - 11pm
Martin Walkyier’s Viking Funeral 2013
Martin Walkyier Goes Skyclad with special guests Devilment, Elvenking, WAKO & Helgrind
Sat 7th Sept • £14.50 adv
Wiley + Angel
Black Spiders
The Quireboys
Thurs 10th Oct • £12 adv
Sat 14th Sept • £8 adv 6pm - 11pm
Ones To Watch Showcasing the Best Live Music from The Midlands Tues 17th Sept • £8.50 adv
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
Janet Devlin
Sleeping With Sirens
Thurs 14th Nov • £15 adv
Sun 1st Dec • £11 adv
Mon 14th Oct • £23 adv
Road To Warped Tour
Babyshambles
6.30pm - 11pm
ft. Escape The Fate + Chiodos + The Color Morale + Cytota
The Doors Alive Tues 3rd Dec • £20 adv
Papa Roach
Tues 15th Oct • £19 adv
Lawson
+ Paighton + Room 95
Weds 16th Oct • £15 adv
Volbeat
+ Iced Earth
Thurs 17th Oct
Rudimental Thurs 17th Oct • £20 adv
Sat 3rd Aug • £7 adv 6pm - 10pm
StakeOut Tues 13th Aug • £6 adv 6pm - 10pm
Disclosure
(Rock Band) facebook.com/disclosuremusic
Bowling For Soup
Fri 16th Aug • £5 adv
Sat 19th Oct • £14.50 adv
+ Memories + Avantine + Taxi Treats
Bid Farewell Tour 2013
Zedd
Sun 20th Oct • £26.50 adv
Public Image Ltd + The Selecter
Fri 25th Oct • £9.50 adv 6pm - 10pm
Clean Bandit The Feeling + Yellowire
Saturday - Knock Out Jam Sunday - World Final 2013
Sat 30th Nov • £12 adv 20th Year Celebrations 1993-2013
6pm - 10pm
Motionless In White
UK B-Boy Championships 2013
30th Anniversary Concert
My Life Story
Sat 26th Oct
Sat 21st Sept • £15 adv 3pm - 11pm Sun 22nd Sept • £17.50 adv 5pm - 11pm Weekend ticket £25 adv
Howard Jones
Craig Colton
Fri 20th Sept • £12 adv 6pm - 10pm
Sat 30th Nov • £28.50 adv / £50 VIP
Fri 11th Oct • £14 adv
Sat 19th Oct • £20 adv / £50 VIP
Soundgarden
Disclosure
6.30pm - 10pm
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Sat 14th Sept • £36 adv
Alice In Chains
Fri 15th Nov • £10 adv
Half Man Half Biscuit
+ Chance The Rapper
Weds 27th Nov
Tues 12th Nov • £18.50 adv
Goldie Lookin Chain
Weds 11th Sept 6pm - 10pm
Nedstock 2013
The Toy Dolls
The B52’s 10.30pm - 3.30am • over 18s only
Imagine Dragons
Performing New Order’s “Movement” & “Power, Corruption and Lies” Live
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
Sat 26th Oct • £22.50 adv
6pm - 10pm
Cytota
Mon 7th Oct • £8 adv
+ Landscapes + In Hearts Wake
+ Kristyna Myles
The Amity Affliction Thurs 19th Sept • £6 adv 6.30pm - 10.30pm
Alexander Fri 20th Sept • £5 adv 6.30pm - 10pm
Layers
+ Romans + Mutes
Weds 25th Sept • £15 adv
Mon 19th Aug • £8 adv
Ben Kenney
twenty | one | pilots
Thurs 26th Sept • £7 adv
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
Sat 24th Aug • £5 adv
Faith
+ Dirty Little Lies + The Stacks + Quarry + Theives
Sat 31st Aug • £5 adv
The Crimson Star (EP Launch) + Our World Below? + Piston + Black Star Bullet + Moody Bomber
Travis
Sat 7th Sept • £5 adv
Mon 28th Oct Tues 29th Oct Sun 10th Nov
+ Structures + Awake By Design + Minimum
Jake Bugg
Sat 15th Sept • £9 adv
Panacea Dream Thurs 12th Sept • £11 adv
Tori Kelly
Exit Calm
Mon 30th Sept • £5 adv
Ben Montague Weds 9th Oct • £10 adv
Young Knives
Weds 16th Oct • £6 adv 6pm - 10pm
The Last Carnival Sat 19th Oct • £10 adv 8pm - 1am • Over 18s only
Quadrophenia Night
(A tribute to the iconic film) ft. The Atlantics (Live) + DJ Drew Stansall + The Coopers
Sun 20th Oct • £5 adv 6.30pm - 10.30pm
Scholars
Johnny Get The Gun
Tues 1st Oct • £7 adv
Weds 23rd Oct • £10 adv
Heights + Sirens
Weds 2nd Oct • £6 adv
Evarose
Sat 5th Oct • £5 adv
Salvation
+ Fury + Fortress + Bullitstorm + Zombie Extras
Sun 6th Oct • £15 adv
Romeo’s Daughter “Rapture” Tour
London Grammar Fri 25th Oct • £7 adv
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
Orange
+ Viva La Revolution + All Thought Out
Sat 26th Oct • £10 adv
The Lancashire Hotpots ‘Crust for Life’ Tour + Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers
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
Kings of Leon live at the LG Arena, Birmingham. Read the review on P22. Photo by Gobinder Jhitta. Brum Notes Magazine Unit 12 The Bond 180-182 Fazeley Street Digbeth Birmingham B5 5SE info@brumnotes.com 0121 224 7363 Advertising 0121 224 7363 advertising@brumnotes.com Distribution StickupMedia! 0121 224 7364 Editor: Chris Moriarty Contributors Words: Tom Pell, David Vincent, Amy Sumner, Guy Hirst Daron Billings, Harley Cassidy, Ben Calvert, New Music Editor: Amy Sumner Food & Drink Editor: Daron Billings Pictures: Andy Hughes, Wayne Fox, Sinéad O’Callaghan, Gobinder Jhitta Style editor: Jade Sukiya jade@brumnotes.com Design: Adam Williams, Andy Aitken, Charlotte Audrey Owen-Meehan Connect Twitter: @BrumNotesMag Facebook: www.facebook.com/ BrumNotesMagazine Online: www.brumnotes.com
Regulars News 4-5 Competitions 5 Hotlist 7 Live Reviews 20-22 Style 24-25 Food & Drink 26-27 What’s On Guide 29-31 Music and Features Fresh Talent: I Am Anushka/Laced 6 Sunset Cinema Club 8 65daysofstatic 11 Ocean Colour Scene 12-13 British Sea Power 14 Moseley Folk Festival preview 15 Troumaca 18-19
All content © Brum Notes Magazine. Views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Brum Notes Magazine. While all care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of content, Brum Notes Magazine will not be held liable for any errors or losses claimed to have been incurred by any errors. Advertising terms and conditions available on request. August 2013
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layers to headline next brum notes presents gig this september Layers will headline the next Brum Notes Presents live show, taking place at the O2 Academy 3 in Birmingham on September 20. The Birmingham four-piece are renowned for their energetic live sets, combining soul, progressive pop and hardcore grit. They will be supported on the night by riff-heavy rockers Romans and fuzzy, lo-fi, one man project Mutes. The show also marks the release of the self-titled debut EP from Layers, through Till Deaf Do Us Party Records. Tickets are on sale now priced £5adv, with ticket-holders getting free entry to indie club night Propaganda afterwards.
adventurous season of music to mark library of birmingham opening IN BRIEF Forward-thinking arts and music promoters Capsule will curate an exciting programme of events to mark the opening of the new £189m Library of Birmingham, which opens its doors next month. Capsule, the team behind the annual Supersonic Festival, have been chosen to put together a four-month ‘Discovery Season’ of events in the library itself, including a groundbreaking weekend festival called Bring to Light. Bring to Light takes place from October 25 to 27 featuring the likes of visual artist Dinos Chapman (left), hip hop trio Clipping and the ‘brain pulse music’ of Masaki Batoh, while South Africa’s Shangaan Electro leads a dance workshop. Discovery Season, which runs from September 3 to December 31, will also feature literature, art, film, illustration, food and debate, across the library’s new spaces, including the studio theatre, tower and garden terrace. The season begins on September 3 with a brass-led musical extravaganza Together We Breathe, bringing together brass players from the CBSO, Conservatoire and Brass Band of Birmingham, alongside amateur players dotted throughout the library. Other highlights will include the Rise of Birmingham on October 2, a live music event showcasing some of the city’s most exciting new bands. Meanwhile, Capsule have also revealed new dates for Supersonic Festival, with the next instalment taking place from April 25 to 27 next year. The festival, which celebrated its 10 year anniversary in 2012, was originally expected to run in October but organisers have announced it will instead take place next April and be ‘re-imagined’ in a new format at a different venue away from its previous Custard Factory home.
Maxïmo Park, Mystery Jets and Deaf Havana will headline a new music festival taking place in Worcestershire next month. Ringmaster Festival is on September 28 at Whitbourne Estate near Worcester, with 50 acts performing across six vintage style big top tents. Midlands acts including Swim Deep, Ghostpoet, Charlotte Carpenter and Isolate Atoms are also on the bill. Tickets are £39.50 and under 10s go free.. Ort cafe will host an 80s-inspired bicycle ride through Balsall Heath this month. The Moseley Road venue is gathering cyclists in their finest retro outfits for the ride and BBQ on August 11 from 2pm, followed by an 80s disco. Budding poets, dancers and musicians can get professional training at a series of summer masterclasses taking place at Mac Birmingham this month. Beatfreeks Summer Academies, open to anyone aged 11 to 25, run from midday to 4pm from August 26 to 30 and cost £20 for all five days. Limited free spaces also available. Visit beatfreeks.eventbrite.co.uk.
weekend arts festival to run across four city squares next month A weekend of outdoor arts events will take place across Birmingham’s main city squares to help celebrate the opening of the new £189m library. The 4 Squares Weekender runs from September 6 to 8 across Oozells, Centenary, Chamberlain and Victoria squares. Highlights of the weekend will include two hire wire performances of As the World Tipped by Wired Aerial Theatre, while as well as more aerial acrobatics from NoFit State Circus. Renowned orchestra CBSO will stage a number of pop-up performances, while there will also be reggae from the team behind The Drum’s Simmer Down showcase, appearances by Birmingham Royal Ballet, street theatre, exhibitions and more. The weekend celebration is presented by Birmingham Arts Partnership, a collaboration between some of the leading arts organisations and venues in the city. The majority of performances will be staged outside, with free attractions also being held inside the Town Hall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Ikon Gallery’s 72ft barge Slow Boat and, of course, the Library of Birmingham itself. For further details and programme information visit www.4squaresweekender.com. 4
Brum Notes Magazine
COMPETITIONS WIN TWO PAIRS OF VIP WEEKEND TICKETS TO CIRCOLOCO IN THE ARENA Clubbing extravaganza Circoloco in the Arena returns to the streets of Digbeth this month, joining forces with Type Festival for two days of world class dance music on August 10 and 11. Taking over The Rainbow complex, including its outdoor amphitheatre The Arena, thousands of revellers will enjoy sets from the likes of Art Department (pictured), Seth Troxler, Kerri Chandler, Jamie Jones and many, many more. If you’d like to enjoy the two-day dance fest in true style, we’ve got two pairs of VIP weekend passes to give away, worth more than £500, giving you access to the entire festival for both days, with exclusive backstage and viewing platform access, use of a private bar and luxury toilets, as well as entry to the scintillating after parties. For your chance to win one of two pairs of VIP weekend tickets, tell us:
On which Spanish party island did clubbing brand Circoloco make its name? Over 18s only. Send your answer along with your name, age, address and a contact email address and telephone number to competitions@brumnotes. com by August 8.
WIN A SUMMER BANQUET FOR TWO AT AWARD-WINNING LASAN RESTAURANT
(£9.98 for children under 10). The offer runs every Sunday until September 29 from 1pm until 9pm. To give you a taste of this exceptional cuisine, we’re giving you the chance to snaffle a FREE Summer Banquet for two. For a chance of winning, just answer the following question: In what year did Lasan win the title of Best Local Restaurant on Gordon Ramsay’s F Word ? Send your answer, name, age, address and contact email address to competitions@brumnotes.com by August 30.
Winner of Gordon Ramsay’s F Word Best Local Restaurant award (and at least a dozen others), Lasan has just launched its Summer Banquet giving discerning diners the chance to enjoy some of the best Indian food this side of the Ganges for just £19.98 per person
want a
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ST SEP ARTING TEM BER
world-class music education and training
we offer full-time courses in...
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OPEN DAY
Saturday 24th August 2013 3 Lionel Street, Birmingham, B3 1AG tel: 0121 236 6066 email: birmingham@academyofmusic.ac.uk web: academyofmusic.ac.uk
August 2013
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Words by Amy Sumner
I Am Anushka
Photo by Wayne Fox
twitter.com/AnushkaMusic “I’ve been making music in this outfit for almost a year now and I’ve only played a very select few gigs - probably about 10,” explains Anna Palmer of her latest musical project, I Am Anushka. “As far as musical landscapes go, I’d probably be the weird, dilapidated, overgrown mess on the outskirts of Digbeth that no-one quite knows what to make of...” It’s an intriguing analogy given that Anna has no tracks available to hear online, so the only chance you’ll have had to hear her is at one of her rare lives shows, which have included supporting Troumaca and playing Moseley Folk Festival. With influences spanning the likes of Karen O, Kate Bush, Bjork, Pixies, Weezer, Jeff Buckley and Debussy, it’s fair to envisage a pretty diverse project though – a project that takes into account her previous outfit (Birmingham eclectics,
Tantrums) whilst simultaneously being the opportunity to create something of her own. “Everything changes,” Anna explains of her solo direction. “I Am Anushka represents me as an individual, producing completely organic, lonely music. I have other ventures with other musicians coming soon which will result in another change due to those influences of collaboration.” Outside of making music as I Am Anushka, Anna studies Composition at Birmingham Conservatoire and is a self-employed piano and vocal teacher. And inside of it? “I write about UFOs and dogs.” Make of that what you will... “In terms of writing, I Am Anushka is an ongoing guise but currently I’m collaborating a lot with Kaila [Whyte] from Youth Man with a new project coming soon. I’m also collaborating with Greg from Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame and Sunset Cinema Club.” What is clear then is that Anna Palmer is an artist with many musical tricks up her sleeve. Be sure to see her perform one of them soon. I Am Anushka plays the Brum Notes August Issue Launch Party with Victories at Sea and FF Korova at the Bull’s Head, Moseley on August 8.
Laced Formed earlier this year, Laced have played just six shows, and have only one song available online. Despite the lack of action, this four-piece from around the West Midlands are already linked inextricably with the current Birmingham music scene and hotly tipped as the latest ‘ones to watch’. With their first ever headline show coming up this month, it’s time to pay attention. “We were all friends in different bands and now we’re friends in one band,” explains lead singer and bassist Andy Parkes. “Yeah, me and Reece both played together in bands for years so we’re comfortable writing together,” continues guitarist Josh Eggerton. “After the last band, me, Josh and Andy started writing some songs together,” adds Reece, “just ideas like. Then we realised we could do this properly and asked Jamie [Moorhouse, drums]. Gracie [Vee, guitar] joined around the same time as Jamie and it was done.” With just one track, Jade Vine, available to hear online and only a handful of live shows 6
facebook.com/everythingisLaced to their name, it’s been pretty hard to get the measure of Laced, and asked what they’d name the type of music they make, they offer only “watervibe”. “We recorded both Jade Vine and Glue with our good friend Neil Kennedy at The Ranch in Southampton,” explains Reece. “Josh had already written Jade Vine before the band came together, but then we added all the bits and bobs when we started jamming. We wanted to try and create a really ‘washy’ sound when recording it. Glue was a song we wrote about three weeks prior to going into the studio, it was just purely an experiment of trying to find our sound. We were all listening to a lot of Smashing Pumpkins at the time and I think that came out a lot in Glue.”
Perhaps, then, the best suggestion is to check out this little lot live. Laced play The Sunflower Lounge on August 10 with Leopard and Prayers and according to Grace you can expect “melting walls and mermaids handing out lavender upon arrival.” Sounds like a pretty intriguing use of a couple of hours to us.”
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Laced headline The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, on August 10, with Leopard and Prayers.
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Brum Notes Magazine
HOTLIST
ONES TO WATCH
THE PLAYLIST The best new material from
midnight bonfires
DUMB Birmingham and beyond.
Blending layers off-kilter indie, alt-folk and tropical pop, Midnight Bonfires are one of the most refreshingly original bands to emerge from Birmingham in recent months. A charming stage presence adds to the appeal. Watch them: Aug 31, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath
Retina Snarling new single showcasing Dumb’s biting, hook-filled indie rock at its best, with a stylish rooftop video to go with it. Released August 13 through One Beat Records.
Lungs Juice
skull tv
Having got people excited Making more noise than is with just a 42 second video proper for two people to teaser, the epic, swirling do, Skull TV are every bit mass of guitars and roaring as dark as the name sugchorus should be enough gests, creating a hauntingly to persuade you to arrive atmospheric instrumenearly for their live debut tal whirl of loops, guitars, supporting Dumb. feedback and samples. WatchInstitute them: Aug 9, The Watch them: Aug 24, The Brum Notes 25_07 Half Page Advert PRINT.pdf Victoria (with Dumb) Flapper, Birmingham
August 2013
The ravens A very new yet very hard working rock‘n’roll revival quintet from Birmingham, The Ravens combine country cluster-plucking guitars, Johnny Cash shuffle rhythms and vintage rockabilly vocals. Watch 10:30:23 them: Aug 30, The 25/7/13 Roadhouse, Kings Norton
Faraway Dreamy, haunting yet infectious electronica from ex-Guillemots guitarist MC Lord Magrão and vocalist Suzie Blake. Out now on Hero Records.
drakelow Swallowing Diamond Orchestral power-pop with edge from post-Young Runaways outfit Drakelow. drakelow.bandcamp.com
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THE SUN S T E S R E V E N
Sunset Cinema Club and their ‘jitterpunk’ sound are an indispensable part of Birmingham’s recent musical heritage. Often cited as an influence by other bands from the region and hailed by local and national press as future heroes during their heyday, the trio had a solid eight year run which saw them release an album, several EPs and split releases before going their separate ways five years ago. This month they reunite for one show only, a reunion of cult club night Tropical Hotdog, to play with and to their friends in a performance which promises to be something very special indeed. SCC’s Greg Haines tells Amy Sumner what to expect. What made you want to start up the band again? At first, Pete Dixon from Calories/Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam asked us to get together for his birthday, but it quickly snowballed into a sort of mini This Is Tmrw festival. We’d been looking for an excuse to get our shimmy on again for a while to be fair. Why did you call it a day in the first place? Lots of little reasons but fundamentally we’d been doing it for eight years and were growing out of it, or at least the idea of driving up to the arse-ends of the UK in the middle of the week, only getting paid enough to top up the petrol tank and then share a Ginsters pasty on the way home. Will this be a one show type thing or do you have further shows in the pipeline? We’d rather keep the date special and make it a one-off I think. I don’t want to milk this too much because we all have our own things going on now – Dom [James, guitar/vocals] is producing so many bands and bashing out bass for Calories and Burning Alms, John [Maycroft, drums] is still smashing his drum kit for his punk band End Credit, I’m DJing and singing/mincing around for Free School and various other solo projects – so I think the Ned’s Atomic Dustbin model of doing reunion gigs once a year or so works best for us. What was it about this show in particular that took your fancy? Just the idea of some of the old school bands 8
and faces coming back together for a big party. There’s a strong Jug of Ale legacy running through the line-up, so it’s really like a shout out to the glory days of the old ‘£1 in/£1 a pint Wednesdays’ thing that Catapult Club used to put on years ago. Coming from Redditch, that’s where we made our first ever friends in Birmingham, supporting the likes of Distophia, Yellobelly, Shocked Elevator Family and Panda Love Unit whose core members went on to form Calories, Echo Lake, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam and Johnny Foreigner, respectively. How much have you practiced in preparation? It’s difficult as Dom lives in London now. We’ve got a day booked in this weekend, and we’re going into that having all rehearsed the album individually. We did the same thing a couple of years ago for a NYE gig at The Victoria, but that time we went straight into a soundcheck, no rehearsal. We just about scraped through then, so a good day’s worth of rehearsing should be enough to get the muscle memory going again! As a band, your own musical tastes seem to have changed a lot judging by the different projects you’re now involved in. Will it feel like pulling on a comfortable old jacket going back to the SCC songs? John is still bashing drums to pieces in a punk band so I think he’ll have no problem at all, but me personally, going from that creepy falsetto thing I’ve been doing for the past year or so to barking like a sweaty, angry dad
and doing that sweaty varicose veins thing again, it’ll be a massive shock to the system. I think it’ll feel like putting on that tight lycra Spiderman body sock and realising I’m not the skinny indie boy I used to be. But it’s not like we ever cared about how we looked anyway, so bring on the bitch-tits. You get a lot of mutual respect from fellow musicians and other bands hailing SCC as an influence. Do you draw a lot of satisfaction from that, despite the commercial success not quite arriving? We’ve always been really grateful for that – the name-checks we still get, the way some people are still genuinely into our songs. We could moan about how we never really made it and we couldn’t get our album released outside of Japan, but that would be really pig-ignorant because not many local bands could say they had their demos played regularly on Radio 1 and all that. We did really well for a band that was pretty uncool, stubbornly weird and always on the verge of being ‘novelty’. The fact that we can get together five years after splitting up and it’s actually a big deal to some people – we’re definitely really blessed for that. Sunset Cinema Club reunite to play the Tropical Hotdog Reunion, presented by This Is Tmrw, with Johnny Foreigner, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam, Echo Lake, Ace Bushy Striptease, Burning Alms and King Singh, at the Hare & Hounds on August 3. Brum Notes Magazine
August 2013
9
Birmingham Repertory Theatre in association with The Albany presents
12 to 28 September
The Legend Of Mike Smith By Soweto Kinch Directed and Choreographed by Jonzi D
Award-winning jazz and hip hop star Soweto Kinch brings an incredible staged performance of his latest album.
Tickets ÂŁ10 to ÂŁ15
(Concessions available)
Box Office:
0121 236 4455 Online:
birmingham-rep.co.uk Registered in England 295910 Charity No.223660
tes ad_125x90mm_AW.indd 1
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Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EP.
24/07/2013 15:19
Brum Notes Magazine
trick of the light In the 10 years since their debut release, Stumble. Stop. Repeat, Sheffield quartet 65daysofstatic have proved to be one of the steel city’s most appealing exports, with their challenging yet accessible take on ‘post-rock’. Their latest album Wild Light, due out next month, finds them mashing atmospheric rock with 70s/80s sci-fi soundtracks and glitch. In one of their first interviews since completing the collection, guitarist and keys player Paul Wolinski tells Dave Freak about the chaos that inspired it.
Any good road stories? We arrived in Beijing for the most polluted day ever. It was like the end of the world. The sight coming out of Beijing airport…it was like metal, the air was like metal, everything was grey, you could feel yourself moving through the air it was so thick, you couldn’t see more than a few metres in front of you, it was all so…grey. Staggering. Quite a scary experience. It felt like the future in all the wrong ways. Insane. In China you can still smoke indoors, so at the gig, everyone was smoking – probably to get rid of the taste of the metal air – so there was nowhere to hide from it. It was hard on our lungs. When we got home, we were all ill for a week. Did any of that experience feed into the new album, Wild Light? In an abstract way, yeah, it must have inspired us. But we’d done most of the writing for the record before the tour, because we were August 2013
touring old records we didn’t want to play much new material. But seeing that contrast between the cleanness and richness of Australia with China, which was making all the stuff for Australia…the factories of the world…
got four or five times more than we’d asked for – although all that got ploughed into the project. I’m not fully decided on the future of crowdfunding for making music, but it was a lovely response.
There’s a quote in the album press release which says ‘there is no order but chaos’. However, the album is clearly coherent and flows… Thank you. It seems very focused to us, but at the same time, it was a long time for us to reach that point. We worked on songs for so long, there are so many versions of songs. Rather than capture the songs perfectly, it’s about capturing the ideas, and that’s something you can’t catch – that’s the chaos. You try to make order out of it, you can’t contain it. This is the first interview we’ve really done about the album, so it’s hard to talk about it still…
Has there been any talk of putting the soundtrack on the DVD of the film? We had an email exchange with Douglas Trumbull, the director, who gave us best wishes, but as far as copyright goes, it’s owned by Universal so there was nothing he could do to get involved. The idea of working with Universal to get our soundtrack on there would be a recipe for disaster, it’s a bit of a non-starter for us, we just don’t operate on a scale that would interest them.
Your soundtrack project, to 70s sci-fi Silent Running, was a huge success. Tell us more about that. Glasgow Film Festival asked us to do a live soundtrack to any film we wanted and we picked Silent Running. It was only ever supposed to be for two nights in Glasgow but it got booked for a bunch of other places around Europe. We floated the idea on the internet about doing the album, and we used a crowdfunding site to gauge interest as we didn’t want to throw all our efforts into it in case the only people who wanted it were those buzzing about it on Twitter. But we reached our target in something like four hours and by the end of the month, we’d
Has it led to any further soundtrackrelated offers? There’s been some interesting conversations, but the indie film world works the same as the indie music world, so there’s not much money and it’s hard to get things off the ground. We’ve had songs already written on computer games and film and TV trailers, so things get slowly used. But it’d be so much more exciting to do bespoke music. That would be great. But our music stands up on its own, whereas if you’re writing for film, you’re working to a different set of rules. I’d like to do the two in tandem.
65daysofstatic are live at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, on August 29. New album Wild Light is released on Sept 16 through Superball Music. 11
Photo: Chris Saunders
You recently made your first trip to Australia and visited places such as Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur – how was that experience? It was wild. We’d been to Taiwan before but it was the first time to all of those other places. It was an eye-opening experience. We toured Australia for a week/week-and-a-half and it was beautiful, all the people were suspiciously happy. We were really well received, it was a show a day but at a really relaxing pace. And then we sprinted around Asia, spending 24 hours in each country – play a show, get on a plane to another country, show, plane…it’s all a bit fuzzy around the edges [laughs].
HOMECOMING HEROES
As former Britpop stalwarts Ocean Colour Scene prepare to headline the opening night of Moseley Folk Festival with their career-defining second album Moseley Shoals, David Vincent asks frontman Simon Fowler to step back 20 years. By 1993, many considered Ocean Colour Scene washed up. The band, formed from the coming together of The Fanatics (Simon Fowler, Damon Minchella and Oscar Harrison) and The Boys (Steve Craddock), had a rising reputation locally, cemented by 1990’s Sway. Featuring the ‘get a piece of the action’ refrain, it led to the Bretonshirt wearing combo’s eponymous debut for major label Fontana. Released in 1992 – the same year as Radiohead’s Creep, Manic’s Motorcycle Emptiness and Suede’s The Drowners – it arrived in the gap between Madchester and baggy, ahead of the looming Britpop explosion, and while Sway’s guitar groove was an indie club favourite, the band found themselves quickly unsigned. “We had been with Fontana and that had broken down, so we didn’t have a deal,” recalls songwriter and vocalist Simon. But back in Birmingham they refused to lick their wounds and slip away gracefully, so fired on by a rich local music scene and with a seemingly constant flow of songs (check out some of those extra tracks on early EPs), they got to work on their magnum opus, Moseley Shoals. Twenty years later, Simon confesses to being a little hazy about some of the specifics but is clear about their desire, enthusiasm and work ethic: “We’d made it in the end because we stuck at it.” “We were in Kings Heath, in Bob Lamb’s studio, 12
and we were there every day, writing and recording what became Moseley Shoals. Steve was playing with Paul [Weller] at that time and I was supporting Paul as well, and I guess Steve took some of the money he was making and put it into the recording,” Simon says, adding, “…but I can’t really remember. “I guess the songs started to come together when we went into the studio around December 1992, or around about then. I don’t know how many songs we’d written by then, but they actually came together over a two to three-year period. “Moseley Shoals’ songs were recorded and re-recorded and I can’t remember where they all came from, but some of the recordings were left over from Kings Heath and some Sherborne Street, though how much, I don’t know,” he says, referring to OCS’s rehearsal and recording space in Ladywood, which later became known as Moseley Shoals after the album (which in turn took its name from B13 and the famed soul studio Muscle Shoals in the USA’s deep south). “The Sherborne Street site is offices now or something, there was a compulsory purchase order and it was knocked down.” On the topic of Moseley, Simon says: “We were living in the area at the time – Steve and I were in
Moseley and Kings Heath, Oscar was in Handsworth and Damon in Solihull. Every night we were at the Jug of Ale. That was our HQ.” Situated on the Alcester Road, the typically rammed pub was a popular gig venue – comparable to today’s Hare & Hounds – but the Jug of Ale finally closed its doors in 2008 having enjoyed a colourful history with appearances from an almost endless list of local acts such as Broadcast, Pram, Misty’s Big Adventure and The Courtesy Group, through to national star names-in-the-making such as The Verve, Kasabian, Oasis and Super Furry Animals. “There were lots of good bands about then, like Onionhead, The Boatymen who we really admired, Micky Greaney was around, and it was just before The Surf Drums…and there was Pop Will Eat Itself, they used to still be around. “The Jug, that’s where I met Oasis. Well, I actually met Noel [Gallagher] the week before at a video shoot with Paul [Weller] in Oxford. He said he was up in our neck of the woods supporting Whiteout, who we’d known for years since they were 15, so I went along. A lot of bands playing the Jug in those days made it, and not just local bands.” With the patronage of both the then-rising Oasis Brum Notes Magazine
and the still-in-ascent Weller, OCS signed to MCA in 1995, with the first taster arriving in early 1996, their monumental track The Riverboat Song.
(Brit)pop stars (“we never thought of ourselves like that,” says Simon), they also supported the Gallagher brothers at their record-breaking Knebworth appearance in 1996.
“I always had this theory that people knew the riff already, that they kind of almost knew it from somewhere else,” says Simon of the killer track which catapulted the band into the spotlight. “Steve came up with that riff and I don’t know where it came from, whether he reversed the riff from Satisfaction or something that guitarists do…” he laughs, cheekily, “but it’s so…primeval. I never tire of hearing it. It really releases the tension at the start of a gig.”
“Moseley Shoals had been out by then and we were the second biggest band in Britain after Oasis. I remember playing Circle and looking out at the hands waving in the back, and there was something like 150,000 people there. It was nerve-wracking.”
The success of the song was boosted by its inclusion in broadcaster Chris Evans’ latest TV venture, TFI Friday, which used the riff to introduce guests. “We did the pilot show for TFI Friday and we became friends with Chris, and he just said ‘can I use it to walk on to?’ Sure! Why not! We were invited back for the first episode and became really good friends with Chris.” Top 10 singles You’ve Got It Bad, The Day We Caught the Train and The Circle followed with the album going triple platinum. Now bona fide
As the band prepare to perform the album again in its entirety at Moseley Folk Festival, Simon confesses follow up Marchin’ Already (which they’ll play at the O2 Academy in December) has more personal importance. “For us it was a landmark. Moseley Shoals went to number two, and was there for about six months, but this one – Machin’ Already – knocked Oasis off the top of the hit parade. Noel sent us a plaque to congratulate us, addressed ‘to the second best band in Britain.’” Seventeen years on from Moseley Shoals’ surprise success, and OCS have never stopped. They’ve recently released their 10th album, Painting, and have festivals and gigs booked until the end of
“I ALWAYS HAD THIS THEORY THAT PEOPLE KNEW THE RIVERBOAT SONG RIFF ALREADY, THAT THEY KIND OF ALMOST KNEW IT FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE” the year. Beyond that, Simon – who also plays Edinburgh Fringe with Merrymouth this month – is unsure. “I don’t know,” he ponders. “Steve has his album out and may be doing a lot with Paul, maybe I’ll do the folky thing with Dan and maybe do some gigs with Oscar. One thing Moseley Shoals did teach us is that you really never know what’s around the corner…”
Ocean Colour Scene headline the opening night of Moseley Folk Festival at Moseley Park, Birmingham, on August 30. They also headline the O2 Academy, Birmingham, on December 14, as part of the Marchin’ Already tour.
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someone sort this mess out?”
During the first half of 2012 the band wrote, recorded and released 33 songs on six limitededition EPs to coincide with their own monthly club night called Krankenhaus. Machineries of Joy is a handpicked collection of their 10 favourite tracks off BSP 1-6. But will songs like War Zone and French Pornographic Novel remain rare EP collectibles? “Who knows?” Martin asks. “I think some of the songs are too good to be left alone, but it depends if we want to move forwards or leave the past behind us. Sometimes we chose a song just because it felt good to play it. Machineries of Joy, Hail Holy Queen, When a Warm Wind Blows, Light Above Descending, K-Hole, I love them all.”
RAW POWER Brighton alt-rockers British Sea Power have hit a new stride in 2013. Their latest album Machineries of Joy has received worldwide critical acclaim, they’ve played shows in Tokyo and Taipei, and recently set off on a UK festival tour. As they prepare to make the trip to Birmingham for this month’s Moseley Folk Festival, Guy Hirst gets the lowdown from guitarist Martin Noble. British Sea Power have some eccentric quirks to say the least. They’ve given journalists grid references at which to meet them (thankfully not this time), played on top of the Great Wall of China and now have their own brand of clotted-cream fudge, hair wax and beer. “We’ve had two types of beer,” Martin Noble explains fondly. “We fancied having our own beer without having to fill our bedrooms with demijohns, so the last one was in conjunction with Dent Brewery. We’re hoping to do something with Sussex brewery Dark Star too.” Not only have they expressed their obsession with bird watching in the past, and sold t-shirts that read ‘Heron Addict’, but British Sea Power have thematically linked their music to the forces of nature throughout their entire career. So it comes at no surprise that the band escaped to the Berwyn Mountains in North Wales back in 2012 to finish writing the music for Machineries of Joy, “Abi [Fry, viola] and Neil [Hamilton Wilkinson, bass] live on the Isle of Skye and the rest of us 14
in Brighton,” Martin explains. “ So [working in Wales] makes you feel more like a group instead of doing demos at home. It takes pressure away too, because you make music for yourselves like you did when you started out, rather than thinking about the business side of things. You get into a different headspace. The barn had a hot tub overlooking the valley too...that had a massive effect on the album.”
The band are no strangers to coupling their ambient soundscapes with captivating visuals on screen. In 2009 the band recorded a soundtrack to the 1934 battle-the-elements film Man of Aran, in 2012 their soundtrack to the 1999 space documentary Out of the Present screened at the Cineglobe International Film Festival, and in January this year their soundtrack to the British coastline documentary From the Sea to the Land Beyond was released on DVD. Fans of their cinematic talents will be pleased to know that British Sea Power will be bringing their own visuals to Moseley Folk Festival too. “If it’s dark enough we’ll have some projections and lights. The films feature everything from spooky trees, Zippy and Bungle, experimental outtakes from the film Inferno and migrating snow geese. We’ve got hours of footage that someone needs to put together, locations include Zion National Park, Dungeoness, China, Taiwan, Isle of Eigg and loads more.” As for soaking up the rest of the festival, Martin insists he is very much looking forward to watching the man who follows them on stage to headline the Saturday night.
The band now have the longest ever tenure at Rough Trade Records and Machineries of Joy has peaked within the UK’s top 20 album charts.
“Edywn Collins is on after us, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him. I’m a big fan of Orange Juice and his solo work, his new album is great too.”
“Mutually it felt like the right thing to do. We’ve never fallen out with Rough Trade and they’ve never fallen out with us, and we haven’t fallen out with each other as a band. I think Geoff Travis [Rough Trade founder] understands us and just lets us get on with it,” says Martin. “If you are in the top 20, it’s a number that you can just throw around to make yourselves look important. Bands sell a lot less records these days due to downloads and Spotify etc so it’s all a bit weird. It’s not a fair deal and things could be different. Can
As for British Sea Power’s own set, as well as some experimental projections, what else will be in store? “We’ll be playing something old, something new, nothing borrowed, and a bit of blue.”
British Sea Power will be playing the main stage at Moseley Folk Festival on August 31. Their new album Machineries of Joy is out now. Brum Notes Magazine
MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL Moseley Folk Festival returns to the leafy surrounds of Moseley Park later this month, bringing three days of the finest finest folk, alt-folk and folk influenced musicians from around the world to the heart of Birmingham. The line-up for 2013 is one of the festival’s best yet. Guy Hirst takes you through some of the highlights.
KATE RUSBY (SUNDAY)
Kate Rusby is a contemporary folk icon and one of the most popular artists of her generation. Her expressive and distinct voice has earned her a place among the cream of British folk musicians.
BRITISH SEA POWER (SATURDAY)
Goodnight Lenin
Currently touring in support of their critically acclaimed album Machineries of Joy, British Sea Power have earned endorsements from the likes of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Radiohead and Bill Oddie. They are set to rock the main stage on the Saturday night, hopefully accompanied by some awesome visuals.
This collective of multi-instrumentalists have spent three long years creating the perfect debut album. Moseley Folk festival marks the last scheduled date of just a handful of live appearances for the band this year, so for an early exclusive peek at their new material make sure you’re down to watch them at the main stage. The Staves
OCEAN COLOUR SCENE (FRIDAY)
BOAT TO ROW (FRIDAY)
After a busy UK tour Birmingham’s own folk collective Boat To Row will be right at home on the Moseley Folk Festival main stage. Expect banjos, mandolins, harmonious melodies and some fine fiddle playing.
THE STAVES (SATURDAY)
The Staves are a trio of Hertfordshire-bred sisters with an incredible talent for vocal harmonies. Having supported Bon Iver, The Civil Wars and Ben Howard, The Staves’ reputation for awe-inspiring live shows precedes them, so don’t miss out.
GLOBAL FOLK (SATURDAY)
Global Folk is a project run by Birmingham born and bred musician Mendi Mohinder Singh, a classically trained tabla virtuoso, who in 2003 was invited by the president of Chile to play for over 70,000 people. Singh’s international blend of music is set to blow the lid off the Lunar Stage.
CANNON STREET (SATURDAY)
Trembling Bells
TREMBLING BELLS (FRIDAY)
Glaswegian indie-folk rockers Trembling Bells will be bringing their mix of 1960s-influenced psychedelia and British folk revival to the Lunar Stage on Friday. Currently taking a fully collaborative show on the road with Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band, expect something special from their Moseley appearance. August 2013
LUCY ROSE (SUNDAY)
She’s only 23 years old, but Warwickshire born singer-songwriter Lucy Rose has already toured with the likes of Noah & The Whale and Bombay Bicycle Club, played on the same day as Bob Dylan at Hop Farm Festival, performed at Glastonbury and headlined tours around the country. With an acclaimed debut album on Columbia Records under her belt, her heart-melting songs will be the perfect Sunday evening treat.
GOODNIGHT LENIN (FRIDAY)
They formed in Moseley back in 1989, and now Britpop legends Ocean Colour Scene return home to headline the main stage and mark a triumphant end to the first day. The band recently released their 10th album but will be harking back to the glory days of Moseley Shoals, playing their classic second album in full.
Lucy Rose
Teenage sisters Nadi and Rukaiyah Qazi are a Birmingham-based acoustic-folk duo. Performing under the name Cannon Street, their unique style is sure to captivate the audience from beginning to end on the Lunar Stage.
THE DUBLIN LEGENDS (SUNDAY)
In 2012 The Dubliners celebrated 50 years of touring, but following the tragic death of founding member Barney McKenna and John Sheahan’s decision to retire, they decided to tour under the name The Dublin Legends. With more than five decades of experience playing classic songs and ballads, they’re this year’s number one act to look forward to.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS THE AFTER PARTY (FRIDAY)
Hare & Hounds, from 10pm A firm favourite addition to the weekend, the infamous after parties let festival-goers party on late into the night at the Hare & Hounds in nearby Kings Heath. This year, Friday’s party will see Steve Craddock, fresh from his headline set playing guitar in Ocean Colour Scene, racing across to take up DJ duties upstairs at the Hare. Expect mod anthems until the early hours. Festival ticket-holders only.
FOOD As well as the incredible music, there’ll also be plenty of lovely food to indulge in. You’ll find a well-stocked real ale and cider bar complemented with locally sourced food. Expect roast pig, smoked fish, crepes, and award-winning Thai and Caribbean delicacies. Food brought from home is also welcome (but you can’t bring in your own booze).
Moseley Folk Festival takes place from August 30 to September 1 in Moseley Park. Adult tickets range from £35 to £85, tickets for under 16s range from £15 to £35, and under 12s go free when accompanied by a paying adult. 15
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GRACE UNDER PRES— SURE For many music-loving Brum natives, the now infamous story of Troumaca’s past year will be ingrained into your soul. Signed up by Gilles Peterson pretty much after stepping off stage at last year’s Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival, the five-piece have been off recording their debut album, The Grace, which will hit shelves through Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings label on August 26. The gents in question – Sam Bayliss, Geoff Foulkes, Jim Nayak, Matthew Campbell and Tom Gregory, currently sat in the beer garden of The Old Crown, nursing blackcurrant squashes – are a close-knit group, instantly distinguishable from the crowd because of, as Geoff puts it, “their barnets”. They also look like they’ve all navigated through the often risky rails of a vintage shop with the tactical nous of Sir Francis Drake, with Geoff sporting the best pair of double-rimmed sunglasses you’ll ever see. “We love telling stories, and having the vibe of a band,” says frontman Sam. “We love being in a band. It’s about writing together, and presenting it as a five-piece.” We were given a glimpse of their exotic, bassescapism (stick that in your genre pipe and smoke it) on The Virgin Island EP, released earlier this year, setting the stall out with Lady Colour, My Love and Clouds appearing alongside an early instrumental version of new single Layou, which is due out in its new form on August 12. The gorgeous, hypnotic My Love and swirling Clouds don’t even make it onto The Grace, whetting the appetite for what new joys are to come. “It can start from a beat, but we are still guitarbased,” says Geoff. “We still write predominantly from the guitar. We’ll sit there with a few chords, then jam about with some melodies, and then we’ll put the words together. 18
It may have seemed a long time coming, but one of Birmingham’s most innovative bands unveil their much anticipated debut album this month. Troumaca tell Tom Pell why The Grace will be the sexiest record of the year.
“We’re 50 per cent dance heads as well,” he continues, “so if we started writing something else straight from beats, I don’t think it would trip us up.” As for the album itself, Sam says: “I think, we’re just looking to find some catharsis. Lyrically, there’s a lot of soul searching going on. It’s weird, when we put the album together we noticed on a lot of tracks, the subject matter is dark. But the music is always uplifting.” “The music is the release,” explains Geoff. “Though it’s so dark, I always finish the album smiling. It’s very therapeutic. The music is a triumph for me, on this album.” Jim pipes up, out of nowhere, like some kind of otherworldly spirit guide, adding: “I think the music symbolises where we’ve got to. There have been sacrifices, and a lot of emotion, whilst at the same time getting the biggest reward. It’s doing the thing that you love, when the thing that you love makes you the maddest. It’s a funny, lucky position to be in. What better to be mad about, than the thing that gives you the most happiness?” “Let’s all be mad,” suggests Geoff. Musically, Troumaca really do innovate and excite, with guitar-based songs thrown through an electronic kaleidoscope filled with eastern and afro-beat rhythms, topped off with a splash of B-Town swagger. “You’ve got to give props to [label] Brownswood for that,” insists Sam. “They just let us get on with it, they didn’t give us any pointers. Before that, people were trying to push us down different paths.” “At one point, it was like if we didn’t selfproduce it, they didn’t want it,” agrees Geoff. Sam adds: “They were like, ‘the less polish, the better. Stop polishing!’” Through their heavy involvement in the writing and producing process, the ongoing Spotify and
streaming argument is something the band are concerned by, as part of a bigger cultural dilemma. “If people don’t want to invest in the music as art, that we’re are trying to produce and bring to the planet, then I may as well go and get a shirt and tie,” reckons Geoff. “How are we all meant to improve?” Luckily, a bit of moolah is still pocketed from touring, something the lads love doing. A headline tour has been announced for October (although keep your ears to the ground for a potential surprise outing this month too...), with the grand homecoming Birmingham date being October 26 at The Rainbow. Although it sounds like the party won’t end there. “And, we’re doing an after party, at Spotlight,” Sam divulges. “It’s an early finish at The Rainbow, so it’ll start about 10.30pm at Spotlight. It’s the last show on the tour, so we’re going to be really excited, and then we’ll throw the after party too. We can all get slizzard.” Look forward to the ever-present sultry side of Troumaca being out in force. “There’s a massive sexual tension between us five,” Geoff teases “That definitely comes out on the album too. I’ve got no qualms saying it – it’s definitely the sexiest album out this year.” Sam certainly agrees, warning: “The birth rate, in nine months time, is gonna be through the roof...”
Debut album The Grace by Troumaca is out on August 26, through Brownswood Recordings. New single Layou is out on August 12. Troumaca headline The Rainbow, Birmingham, on October 26. Plus, follow the band’s Facebook page at facebook.com/troumaca for details of an intimate secret show this month. Brum Notes Magazine
TROUMACA—THE GRACE TRACK BY TRACK 1. TREES Tom: “Basically, the first song is for us. It’s for what we’ve been through.” Geoff: “Trees is about the struggle. The trees are a metaphor for the walls that rise up and try and stop you doing what you’re doing.”
wrote it when I lost my granddad, and I was going through that. The chorus is about not showing your emotions. The rest is a bit weird. This album is so emo! It’s like we just sit about and listen to Incubus all day.”
2. SANCTIFY
9. LAYOU
Sam: “I think of it as a guy who is looking back on choices he made, but he’s writing it as a ghost. Wondering what would have happened if he’d made better decisions.”
Tom: “It started as a full song, that I wrote, but after we used it as an instrumental for gigs the old song has come back. It’s about a woman again. About going on an adventure, emotionally and physically, being free, and doing things that aren’t on your plate every day. Layou is a place, in Troumaca. It’s a place no one really knows about, so to someone else, it could represent the escape of being anywhere.”
3. GOLD, WOMEN & WINE Tom: “It’s about debauchery.” Geoff: “It’s a guy who can have anything that he wants, when he wants, but he’s kind of tangled around some woman. But he’ll always come back to the women, not the woman.”
10. LADY COLOUR
Geoff: “Again, it’s a man who had everything he wants, but he’s made a bad decision and he’s asking for the forgiveness of the people.” Tom: “It’s a metaphor for regret.”
Geoff: “Lady Colour was originally a full-blown garage tune. Matt started playing piano, and that started bringing it down, and giving it the feel it has now.” Sam: “Again, it’s about a woman.” Geoff: “We’re young men. We’re all cocks. It’s fine.”
5. THE SUN
11. THE GRACE
Geoff: “It’s an apocalyptic track, with us trying to show that from what we’ve all been doing on this planet, we’re all fucked, and we’re gonna get burned. That’s it really. Another dark one!”
Geoff: “It’s a track about going through that soul searching, and becoming happy with who you are. Grace is my nan’s name – she was the head of the family, and she was the Queen of Troumaca. She was a very important woman to me, so it’s good we got her name in there.” Tom: “She’s actually sampled on the album, between Lady Colour and The Grace. She’s telling Geoff’s family how to cook breadfruit, which is the fruit of St Vincent. We were lucky enough to have family video that we could use. Geoff’s uncle is on the album somewhere too.” Geoff: “Yeah, but he sounds like some kind of dancehall MC on it.” Tom: “Musically, The Grace has got quite a gospel feel to it, and it’s almost like the rejoice at the end of the record. But it finishes with the lyric, ‘the girls are killing me’, which sums up the album too.” Geoff: “Because they are.”
4. KINGDOM
6. INTERLUDE (WORDS) Tom: “It’s quite dark and naughty.” Geoff: “Again, it’s getting fooled by a woman. ‘Your words are cheap,’ we say. They usually are, on a weekend.”
7. TIGER EYE Geoff: “Sorry, that girl over there is really pretty...” Tom, after a group glance: “... it’s about a dangerous girl, who’s personified by a tiger. It’s about not wanting to give something up, and opening your heart to a dangerous person. In a kind of blasé manner.”
8. IVORY Sam: “It’s the oldest song on the album, I think. It’s about death. I August 2013
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LIVE
Racing
Boat to Row
One Beat Saturday Mac, Birmingham 20/07/13
It’s been a pretty impressive 12 months for Birmingham artists (at last) with Peace, Swim Deep and Troumaca all making names for themselves outside B-Town and Laura Mvula securing a top 10 album. Capitalising on all this, One Beat Saturday gathered together another dozen up-and-coming acts kicking off with These Kings’ impressive Editors go math rock-ish set, Sugar (nope, not the Bob Mould version) who laid some cool stoner vocals over twisted goth grunge gui-
tars, and Bad Moon who funked the place up a little with slap bass and a 60s underground meets 90s indie vibe. Next up, poet Ian Bowkett made the first of several appearances, rather brilliantly capturing what it’s like to be young and in love these days. Youth Man’s punk-fuelled assault on the senses was a real highlight, with blisteringly paced tracks running headlong into sludgier territory whilst Cold, released last year as a single, revealed a more soulful, reflective side. Punk Anansie anyone? Racing’s laid back retro funk grooves provided the perfect afternoon summer soundtrack, paving the way for The Grafham Water Sailing Club to twist heads with their motorik beats and disintegrating Joy Division drums. So good in fact that they set off the fire alarms (no mean feat in an outdoor gig). Unlike most of today’s bands, Velvet Texas 20
Velvet Texas Cannonball
Cannonball have been around for a while and all that experience showed as they put on the kind of set that fans of classic rock (think The Doors, Free, Led Zeppelin) would happily sell their denim jackets to witness. Wide Eyed’s take on shoegaze added some neat Smashing Pumpkinsstyle riffs to the mix, leaving Dumb to undermine The Pixies’ comeback with a set of tracks that nudge close to Black Francis at his bitter best. The impressive number of fans wearing Jaws tshirts were duly rewarded with their particular brand of jangly 90s-style indie rock. They got the biggest crowd up and dancing too. That just left Boat To Row to folk things up at the end. Closing their set and the whole wonderfully eclectic event with their plucking beautiful love song and ‘theme tune’, A Boat To Row, To Row To You, brilliantly demonstrating that Birmingham is certainly moving to more than just one beat these days. Daron Billings Photos by Andy Hughes
Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival Moseley Park, Moseley 05-07/07/13
Day One Sun? Check. Cider? Check. Good Times? Hell yes. Friday afternoon saw Birmingham well represented with Antelope’s soulful mash-up and Alternative Dubstep Orchestra’s scratchtastic fusion of dubby beats and rich brass. Next up, Greg Bird & Enterprize produced the kind of music that makes you want to hump the person next to you, with Baby Love-sampling But Then I Lost My Mind making a strong bid for anthem of the summer. After getting signed following their appearance here last year, it’s been a great year Troumaca. Describing their sound as
Jaws
Youth Man
“sun drenched tropical blissdom” raises the bar but this afternoon as the sun beats down, it’s a joyfully apt description. “Who gets the party started?” Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, that’s who. Consisting of eight awesomely funky brothers who grew up in Chicago, they’re arguably the best thing to happen to brass since Brasso and strong contenders for band of the festival. It’s a really tough act to follow but that didn’t seem to trouble Bonobo, with the laid back groove of recent hypnotically chiming single Cirrus perfectly suiting the chilled-out, post-work Friday evening vibe. Day Two Curated by champion of funk and soul Mr Craig Charles, day two saw The Haggis Horns cement their reputation among the UK’s funkiest muthas, conjuring up their spiritual granddads The Average White Band. Brum Notes Magazine
Nile Rodgers & Chic
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Smoove & Turrell
The Fantasy Funk Band
Candi Staton
Jeremiah Ferrari’s ragga rap weed anthems proved strangely intoxicating in the sun, paving the way for Smoove & Turrell to raise the crowd with their unique brand of northern funk. Bonus points for calling George Osborne a “C U Next Tuesday”. John Turrell was back in action as part of The Fantasy Funk Band, a supergroup dreamt up by Craig Charles’ listeners on 6 Music. It’s an appropriate name, particularly on set closer, the soul-lifting Move On Up. Robbed of such a unique frontman most bands would have given up but, incredibly, 13 years after Ian Dury’s death from cancer, The Blockheads are still going strong with stand-in Derek Hussey doing a fine job of filling Ian’s shoes. Norman Watt-Roy’s the star of the show though. Half man, half bass, suited and booted (despite the heat) he drives the entire hits-packed set, grooving across the stage like a dude half his age. Is Craig Charles the best funk and soul DJ on planet earth? Hell yeah. Spinning the songs with as much energy and enthusiasm as the August 2013
people that originally recorded them for a good hour or so, he played one classic track after another before bringing things slap bang up to date with the Smoove remix of George Barnett’s ‘even better than the original’ cover of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. That just left Candi Staton to wrap things up. As sweet as her name implies, Young Hearts got the crowd singing along and You Got The Love did indeed get their hands up in the air. Blending gospel with dance track Hallelujah Anyway seemed a fitting way to end an almost religious experience. Amen. Day Three And still the sun shone. Daytime saw fine sets from The Initiative, at their best a kind of hip hop Steely Dan, followed by GOGO Penguin’s cool as funk jazz breaks and Snarky Puppy, whose texturally rich postjazz (with a side order of hip 70s funk) marked them out as a breed apart. You think summer time soul and, if you’re a certain age at least, you think Soul II Soul. Tonight was an all killer no filler selection kicking off with Keep On Movin, Get A Life, Joy and a sun drenched Back To Life sending all the 40-somethings tripping back to the Summer of ‘89. Once Chic took to the stage, for the next two hours Moseley Park was the scene of
the biggest party anywhere on earth. Really. Everybody Dance, Dance, Dance Dance, I’m Coming Out, Upside Down, He’s The Greatest Dancer...hit after hit after hit. By the time they get to We Are Family, complete strangers are hugging each other, the world and its problems outside the gates just don’t seem to exist anymore and pretty much the entire crowd’s a sweaty grinning mess. Most tunes are pretty much perfect live recreations of their recorded versions but renditions of Madonna’s Like A Virgin, Bowie’s Let’s Dance and Duran Duran’s Notorious (all originally produced by Nile of course) breathed new life into old favourites, adding a sizzling soulfulness, with Notorious in particular proving something of a revelation. Damn that’s some funky shit. Throughout it all Nile Rodgers smiled like a man who knows he’s enjoying possibly some of the most remarkable times in his career, with the best selling song of the year (Get Lucky) under his belt, remission from the cancer that struck him down in 2011 and a scene-stealing appearance at Glastonbury. As the first notes of Good Times blast out he’s joined by a sizeable number of the backstage crew and as many members of the audience as the stage can stand. It’s the perfect last number for a festival that was jam packed full of them. How the hell are they going to top that next year? Hmmm... anyone got Prince’s phone number? Daron Billings Photos by Wayne Fox 21
New Killer Shoes O2 Academy 3, Birmingham 20/07/13
After some impressive support from young grease and leather rock‘n’roll band Rebel Beats, headliners New Killer Shoes confidently stroll onto the stage, shortly followed by frontman Jon King. The most enthusiastic fans are, quite simply, drunk and insane. They don’t just mosh, they drop down and do the worm to totally acoustic songs, pile up on top of one another, and mouth along to every word as they do it. But despite this, everyone in the room tonight is digging New Killer Shoes, from the 250lb guy toppling over to the 13-year-old girl trying to avoid him. The band race through tracks from their debut 2013 album I Ain’t Even Lying, and then frontman Jon King announces that the rest of the band are going for ‘“tea and biscuits” while he treats the audience to an acoustic version of Love Rocket, which gets an Oasis-Wonderwall type sing-along reception. New Killer Shoes supported Adam Ant on his latest tour as well as playing Download festival this year, and as they play their encore it’s easy to see how they appeal to such different demographics. They’re loud, they’re British, and songs like Leave Me Alone and
22
Snake Charmer merge the best of punkrock, ska and indie. Guy Hirst
Kings of Leon
Balkanic Eruption featuring Tantz (live)
Polished, professional and all too perfect, the Kings tick every box in the live show arsenal with their intimidating, charismatic stage presence, enormous video screens and retina scarring light-show. But after Closer comes to a skulking finish four songs in, a cataclysmic bang signals the power failure of the entire aforementioned staging. Everything goes off – screens, amps, even Caleb’s mic. So, brothers Nathan and Jared and cousin Matthew join the frontman in a stroll backstage. For about 15 minutes. Now, communicating with over 10,000 fans without the aid of amplification might be a tough task, but when those fans have paid SIXTY FIVE POUND a ticket, you can have a bloody go. Springsteen would have had folks on stage, literally Dancing In The Dark.
Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath 13/07/13
After living in Budapest and travelling around Serbia and Romania, Ellie Midhani brings her passion for klezmer, Balkan and traditional Romani music back to Birmingham where she founded Balkanic Eruption in 2009. Tonight the exotic soiree hosts Leeds-based electro-klezmer band Tantz. At the drop of a hat, or rather, after some quick-fire clarinet tooting, the crowd turns into a yiddish rave fit for any raucous rabbi. A couple with wine-stained lips dance hand in hand, bodaciously swinging each other to and fro, falling over in fits of laughter and exhaustion after each song. Love, wine and klezmer is an invincible combination... Lead by violinist Matt Holborn and barefoot clarinet player Arran Kent, Tantz plunge into a labyrinth of melodies and rhythms. They play tunes from their 2013 release Etrog Pomander and include some klezmer staples like Hava Nagila Hava. Their track Tantz Tantz Yidelekh sounds like a power-mad Pied Piper jammin’ with Django Reinhardt and the Fiddler on the Roof. There’s some pretty cool electronic samples performed by percussionist Dwayne Kilvington too. Not enough bands use a melodica these days and few events have a beautiful woman spinning fluorescent hula hoops around her dreadlocks for pre-show entertainment, or resident DJs like Will Itsasecret spinning Balkan beats ‘til the early hours. But then again, Balkanic Eruption is a rare cultural gem, a vibrant alternative to your painfully average and soulless club night. Guy Hirst
LG Arena, Birmingham 10/07/13
“Thank you for your patience, we really appreciate it,” Caleb drawls, like a performance parrot, after normality is resumed. No matter how great the tunes are, no one wants to feel like they could have had an evening in with a DVD. In the encore, Sex On Fire receives a frenetically favourable response, which is unfair considering the audience have heard such bangers as Use Somebody, On Call, Four Kicks and Molly’s Chambers. Remember 2003’s hair, beards and naivety? Well Chambers, stylistically at least, now seems further away than Mordor did to Frodo Baggins. They finish on Black Thumbnail, an album track from 2007’s Because Of The Times. It has emotion, it’s something different – but it’s too late. Style has already claimed an unwanted victory over substance. Tom Pell Brum Notes Magazine
SWIM DEEP
20 SEPTEMBER • BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL
BABYSHAMBLES
14 OCTOBER • BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY
THE DUCKWORTH LEWIS METHOD 29 SEPTEMBER • BIRMINGHAM GLEE CLUB
L AURA MVUL A
08 OCTOBER • BIRMINGHAM INSTITUTE
KATE NASH
11 OCTOBER • BIRMINGHAM INSTITUTE
BROTHER AND BONES 16 OCTOBER • BIRMINGHAM INSTITUTE
CHARLENE SORAIA
24 OCTOBER • BIRMINGHAM INSTITUTE
BLUE OCTOBER
17 NOVEMBER • BIRMINGHAM INSTITUTE
EMILY BARKER & THE RED CL AY HALO 19 NOVEMBER • BIRMINGHAM GLEE CLUB
BASEMENT JAXX
05 DECEMBER • BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY
MAROON 5
08 JANUARY • BIRMINGHAM LG ARENA
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM: GIGSANDTOURS.COM / 0844 811 0051 August 2013
23
TOR'SPICK STYLE FESTIVAL PICKS
TOPSHOP £18.00
URBAN OUTFITTERS £125.00 MANGO £69.99 NEW LOOK £22.99
FOR HER
NIKE AF1 £44.99
TOPSHOP £34.00 BURTON £25.00
FOR HIM
NOWAYBACK STORE £25.00
TOPMAN £90.00
URBAN OUTFITTERS £130.00 24
Brum Notes Magazine
KS
birmingham street style photography by Sinéad O’Callaghan
PANTELAKIS, 17, STUDENT Pantelakis wears yellow Alexander McQueen Pumas from Offspring at Selfridges, jeans from Primark and a patterned shirt from Urban Outfitters. He keeps up to date with the latest creations from his favourite designers to inspire his style and his favourite retailer in Birmingham is Selfridges.
MAGGIE, 22, STUDENT Maggie wears a pastel crop top, denim skater skirt and tan leather sandals all from Topshop, her jewellery was bought in China and her watch is Armani Exchange. Maggie’s style icon is Rihanna and her favourite retailer in Birmingham is Urban Outfitters.
AMBER, 18, STUDENT Amber is wearing a shirt and bag from COW and earrings from American Apparel. The rest of her outfit is from Topshop. Her style icon is Laya Lewis and her favourite retailer in Birmingham is Topshop.
NATHAN, 22 Nathan wears trainers by Puma at Foot Asylum, jeans from River Island and his t-shirt and black denim studded jacket are from Zara. His style icon is Kanye West and his favourite retailer in Birmingham is Zara.
August 2013
ASHA, 18, STUDENT Asha is wearing metallic gold flatform shoes from Asos, a bag from COW and her socks and floral dress are from Primark. Her style icon is Ana Kras and her favourite retailer in Birmingham is COW.
DAN, 32, FINANCIAL ANALYST Dan is wearing burgundy brogues from Kurt Geiger, jeans from Topman a cardigan from Reiss and a Calvin Klein t-shirt. Dan doesn’t idolise anyone’s style and his favourite retailer in Birmingham is The Kooples.
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FUMO 1 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, B2 5PG www.sancarlofumo.co.uk 0121 643 8979
We all know that Birmingham has more canals than Venice, but better food? Surely not. Whilst the Spanish have tapas, the Venetians have cicchetti. That’s the simple premise behind Fumo, a new-ish Italian eaterie from the team behind Birmingham institution San Carlo. It’s a smart idea. After all, often the dilemma of dining out is what to choose but Fumo gives you the chance to, well, have your cicchetti and eat it. The whole place has a glamorous, up-market feel and you feel at least 25 per cent more sophisticated merely by being in there. All the staff are seemingly 100 per cent purebred Italian too and proved impressively knowledgeable when quizzed on the food. And what glorious food it is too. We began with a delicious platter of crisp bruschetta topped with a variety of ingredients including sweet fresh crab meat and tender artichoke and culminating in one of Fumo’s seasonal specials, a whole peach marinated in marsala wine overnight and topped
Cuisine:
Italian
Price:
Around £25 per head (3 dishes)
Service: Atmosphere: Food: Overall:
with homemade vanilla ice cream. Each month the restaurant picks a different region of Italy to focus on and this Sicilian speciality was worth the visit alone. Other highlights included Fritto Portofino, deep fried seafood’s greatest hits. A very generous portion of prawns, scallops and calamari topped off by two whole langoustines and served with freshly made aioli and spicy red pepper dips, it looked as good as it tasted. Of course, pasta’s always a great test of any Italian restaurant and here again Fumo sets the standard. Both the
Orecchiette ‘Nduja, flavoured with a sauce made from ground spicy Calabrian sausage, and the Trofie Al Pesto, little twists of pasta tossed in zingy pine fresh pesto, were freshly handmade on site and cooked to absolute al dente perfection. The Tuna Tartare deserves a special mention too, prepared at our table by the waiter it added a little extra ceremony to proceedings. Given the heatwave, we drank Spritz (Aperol, prosecco and soda), adding a refreshing summer sparkle to the meal. At £9.50 a glass it’s not for knocking back but you’ll be too busy “ooohing” and “ahhhing” over the food to do that. The huge upside of this place is the chance to try a variety of dishes and with dishes starting off from just a few pounds and around five or six being sufficient for most couples, it’s perfectly possible to enjoy some of the finest food outside of Italy without it taking the Pisa. It’s a really social way of dining too. Truly Fumo-mentous. Daron Billings
VENUE WATCH: THE SUN AT THE STATION 7 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7BB
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Traditionalists are having a minor tizz at the new title of ‘The Sun at The Station’. Stuff ‘em. ‘Sometimes Change Is Good’, pronounce the menu holders at this newly-refurbished Kings Heath pub. And this place has been crying out for change for years. The people behind The Sun On The Hill in the city centre have taken it over and brought The Station’s interior up to date, making it bright, airy and retro-modern with some subtle and very surreal print wallpaper, while retaining the period features. A quality choice of drinks includes Merlot, Shiraz, and Pinotage for red wine drinkers. Black Sheep Bitter, Sharps’ Doom Bar, Greene King IPA and the ubiquitous Purity Mad Goose feature for
thesunatthestation.co.uk
the ale-lovers. There’s a couple of continental strength lagers too, plus Stowford Press Cider, perfect for a sunny day in the beer garden. This outdoor space has always been the hero of The Station. Now there’s a new undercover area for when the weather ain’t so good, but on days like this, sat under the tree in leafy surroundings there’s a very Mediterranean feel going on and once you’re in, you’ll want to stay. Food? There’s something for everyone on the menu. Choose from traditional favourites, sandwiches, wraps and ciabattas, specials and a tapas-style section including chorizo chipolatas with chipotle sauce for those who like to alliterBrum Notes ate when ordering. BenMagazine Calvert
SIX OF THE BEST…
THESUNONTHEHILL.CO.UK
0121 448 7966
Veggie-friendly Cafes THE WAREHOUSE CAFE Digbeth From Digbeth daals to Cuffufle cordials, the menu boasts a fully dedicated vegetarian and vegan selection. Enjoy a mix of British comfort food and international flavours in a relaxed atmosphere. Home to friendly staff, delightful meals and a selection of exclusive recipes, this hideaway cafe makes for a peaceful lunch or dinner break.
EVERY WEEKEND UNTIL 1AM!
TRY OUR BRAND NEW MENU
CAFE SOYA arcadian, city Centre This Chinese and Vietnamese cafe has a great extensive vegetarian and vegan menu. They use the magic of tofu to create incredible and delicious mock dishes as well as traditional soy recipes. Think mouth watering pan fried dumplings, Malaysian rendang curries, and veggie lemongrass chicken fried rice. CHERRY REDS Kings HEATH With more veggie alternatives than there are meat dishes, this little Kings Heath gem offers one of the most vegetarian-friendly menus around. Open 14 hours a day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks, this charming little workhorse churns out a great variety of quality food and drink. Including homemade falafel burgers, American style pancakes, and the best nachos in Kings Heath.
ORT CAFE BALSALL HEATH This high street hideout provides a lovely vegetarian menu in a homely atmosphere. They serve up fresh veggie burgers, paninis, omelettes, pancakes and do delicious specials and soups of the day. With a major focus on the creative arts, Ort is a perfect place to chill out and discover local music, theatre, comedy and much more.
MANIC ORGANIC KINGS HEATH ‘The Revolution Will Not be Microwaved,’ says their website, and rightly so – this homely cafe is known for using locally sourced and organic produce in their homemade dishes and seasonal vegetarian menu. Enjoy a smoothie of the day in their sunny tea garden, or get cozy with a steaming pot of coffee inside by a nice big window and watch the world go by.
TWITTER @THESUNONTHEHILL
FACEBOOK.COM/ THESUNONTHEHILL
FOURSQUARE THE SUN ON THE HILL
WELCOME TO OUR NEW PUB!
AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY! LIVE PERFORMANCES IN THE BEER GARDEN AND A BARBEQUE ALL WEEKEND!
LOCO LOUNGE KINGS HEATH This spacious and stylish cafe has something for everyone, including an exclusive vegan menu offering tapas dishes, breakfasts, paninis, salads, soups and burgers. Vegetarians can expect buttermilk pancakes, pan fried halloumi salads, August 2013and a range of indulgent desserts. lentil curries
TWITTER @THESUNATTHESTATION
FACEBOOK.COM/ THESUNATTHESTATION
FOURSQUARE THE SUN AT THE STATION
THESUNATTHESTATION.CO.UK 0121 444 8749
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Brum Notes Magazine
WHAT’S ON M C M
Thursday, Aug 1 The Jazzlines Ensemble
Mac
Birmingham
Roger Monkhouse
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Friday, Aug 2 Angry Itch
KEY TO LISTINGS: M = LIVE MUSIC CN = CLUB NIGHT C = COMEDY
M M CN CN
Guy Jones
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Dumb
The Victoria
Birmingham
Lucha Libre
Bodega
Birmingham
OneDub
The Rainbow Warehouse Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Aug 10 Fight The Bear
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Nerve Centre + BlakCan + Passengers English of The Sixth
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
Laced
Birmingham
Radio Black Forest Festival (from 3pm) Will.i.am (DJ set)
The Sunflower Lounge The Wagon & Horses Gatecrasher
Type Festival Xstatic + Sundissential present The Celebration
The Rainbow Arena The Tunnel Club
Birmingham
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
Birmingham
Propaganda
The Wagon & Horses O2 Academy
The Electric Cyber Party
The Rooftop
Birmingham
Sounds for Hounds
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Freestyle
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Roger Monkhouse
The Glee Club
Birmingham
M M
Saturday, Aug 3 StakeOut
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
M
Malandra
The Flapper
Birmingham
Zelig
The Sunflower Lounge The Wagon & Horses Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
CN CN Circoloco in The Arena/
Suki10c
Birmingham
The Institute
Birmingham
The Rainbow
Birmingham
The Tunnel Club Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Flapper
Birmingham
The Rainbow
Birmingham
CN
Monday, Aug 5 Jam Jah
Bull’s Head
Moseley
M
Tuesday, Aug 6 The Adicts
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Wednesday, Aug 7 Soul Jazz Orchestra
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bodega
Birmingham
The Actress & Bishop The Rainbow
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Flapper
Birmingham
M M CN CN CN CN C M M M
Eyes In Istanbull The Nightingales
M
Drongos for Europe
M
Sunset Cinema Club + Johnny Foreigner Fallout’s Birthday Bash
CN CN The Ibiza Carnival CN FACE CN Ecko’s 1 Night Stand
CN Dawn Raid & MC Bic CN Killer Wave 2.0 Roger Monkhouse C Sunday, Aug 4 Unique + Alex Aitken
M CN EBL Daytime
M CN Zouk Latin Bass M M M
Thursday, Aug 8 Wax Futures + Enquiry + Panda Watch Matt Sheehan
C
Brum Notes August Issue Launch with Victories at Sea + I Am Anushka + FF Korova Rudi Lickwood
M
Friday, Aug 9 Secret Oktober
August 2013
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham Kings Heath
CN DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn CN Freestyle Rudi Lickwood C M M
CN
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Birmingham Birmingham
Birmingham
Kings Heath
Birmingham
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CN Tropicalia Soundsystem Rudi Lickwood C M CN CN M C M M M M C M M M M
Sunday, Aug 11 Bohemian Jukebox Sunday Social Circoloco in The Arena/ Type Festival Monday, Aug 12 Jam Jah Tuesday, Aug 13 Disclosure JQ Comedy Night
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Rainbow Arena
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Rose Villa Tavern
Birmingham
Kings Heath
Thursday, Aug 15 Down by Law
Mac
Birmingham
The B-52s
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Wrapped In Plastic
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Pete Johansson Friday, Aug 16 Manakin The Kaleidoscopes
The Glee Club The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham
M M
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
Heiko Laux & Subjected
The Rainbow
Birmingham
GotYaBack
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Freestyle
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Maff Brown
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Aug 24 Heathen Zoo + Skull TV
The Flapper
Birmingham
Youth Man + Female Smell The Passives
The Sunflower Lounge Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Payback Party DJ Marky
The Rainbow Warehouse Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Flapper
Birmingham
Rose Villa Tavern The Rainbow
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Bull’s Head
Moseley
M CN Together We Blaze
CN CN Adam Regan & Tom C
Shorterz Maff Brown
Sunday, Aug 25 Chris Bicknell
M CN Bank Holiday Extra CN Below CN Jerry Dammers DJ Set CN Prospec present
Birmingham
Kings Heath
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Birmingham
Bad For Lazarus + Table Scraps James Rivera
The Victoria
Birmingham
The Roadhouse
Stirchley
The Rainbow Garden Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
CN
Spectrasoul Monday, Aug 26 Jam Jah
Kings Heath
M
Wednesday, Aug 28 Lonnie Liston Smith
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Thursday, Aug 29 Mellow Peaches
Mac
Birmingham
65daysofstatic
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
Friends Social
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Nathan Caton
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Sunflower Lounge O2 Academy
Birmingham
Friday, Aug 30 Winstons Big Brother
The Flapper
Birmingham
The Traps
The Victoria
Birmingham
Moseley Folk Festival
Moseley Park
Moseley
The Ravens
The Roadhouse
Stirchley
Eternal Muzic Summer Payback Moseley Folk After Party
Warehouse Club Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham Birmingham
Audio Disease
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Brum Punx Picnic (from 3pm) Midnight Bonfires
The Wagon & Horses Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
Moseley Park
Moseley
The Drum
Aston
Warehouse Club Bull’s Head
Birmingham
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Aug 17 Golden Glass Among The Echoes
CN
MC Bassman: The Silence of the Bass Jungle Ting
Eyes In Istanbull
Birmingham
Birmingham
Suki10c
Birmingham
Malpa
The Institute
Birmingham
Face x Habit
The Rainbow
Birmingham
OM UNIT
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Pete Johansson Sunday, Aug 18 Dale Hanson Monday, Aug 19 Twenty One Pilots
M CN Jam Jah
The Glee Club The Flapper
Birmingham
M M M C M M M M CN
CN CN Freestyle Nathan Caton C
Birmingham
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
M
Tuesday, Aug 20 Merchandise
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
M
Wednesday, Aug 21 Vanessa Knight + Sylvia
The Glee Club
Birmingham
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M CN CN CN C
Friday, Aug 23 Kontrast + Quid + The Nics Magpies & Vagabonds
The Rainbow
M M
M M C
M
KillTimers
CN CN Freestyle Pete Johansson C
M
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Development VisionBombing
CN CN CN CN C
Moseley
The Glee Club
Wednesday, Aug 14 The Blues Hound Club
M CN Dave Fogg &
M
Bull’s Head
Thursday, Aug 22 Eliza Carthy & Jim Moray
Mac
Birmingham
Beatie Wolfe
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Maff Brown
The Glee Club
Birmingham
M M M M
Saturday, Aug 31 The Crimson Star Duke
M Moseley Folk Festival M CN OneDub Live CN The Only Way is Hardcore Jam Hott
CN Nathan Caton C
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Kings Heath
Moseley
Brum Notes Magazine
August 2013
31
DISCOVER NEW MUSIC tHe Library oF birmiNGHam Friday 6 September
OMAR
WedNeSday 2 october
preSeNtS
A British soul singer, songwriter and musician, Omar learned his craft classically, playing the trumpet, piano and percussion. He is described by some as the father of British neo soul.
Rhys Chatham & Charlemagne Palestine Ex Easter Island Head Large Guitar Ensemble
A UK premiere - an incredible opportunity to see two giants in contemporary composition perform together.
Bring to Light preSeNtS
*
Feat.
FREE SCHOOL VICTORIES AT SEA VICTOR YOUTH MAN
a WeeKeNd oF adveNturouS muSic
SuNday 24 November
box oFFice: 0121 245 4455
+ dJ Set From tHiS iS tmrW
Saturday 2 November
25-27 october
diNoS cHapmaN / SHaNGaaN eLectro / JoSepHiNe FoSter / cLippiNG / deaFHeaveN / maSaKi batoH / robedoor / ZomeS / HiGH WoLF / KoGumaZa / ricHard daWSoN / SLeaFord modS / SaraH aNGLiSS / deLia darLiNGS / LaureNce HuNt / HordeS
birmiNGHam-box.co.uK * briNG to LiGHt tHeticKetSeLLerS.co.uK
performs Terry Riley’s ‘In C’
Hosted by
+ SpeciaL GueStS pram
Adrian Utley (Portishead) brings
Produced by
together an orchestra of electric
www.capsule.org.uk
guitar players to interpret Terry Riley’s ‘In C’. Written in 1964 and perhaps one of the most influential pieces of
Supported by
music from the 20th Century.
LibraryoFbirmiNGHam.com 32
Brum Notes Magazine