June 2013
www.brumnotes.com music and lifestyle for the west midlands
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PLUS: Festival Season is here! We look ahead to BASS Festival, Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival and more…
ALSO INSIDE: TROUMACA BONOBO VICTORIES AT SEA THEM WOLVES
AND: All new Food & Drink section / The best new musical talent from Birmingham and beyond / Vintage Fashion / Your guide to the best of what’s on in June June 2013
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Sat 17th Aug • £22.50 adv
Fri 15th Nov • £10 adv
Fri 6th Dec • £11 adv
MC Bassman Birthday Bash 2013
Craig Colton
Complete Stone Roses
9pm - 5am • last entry 2am • over 18s only
The Silence of the Bass
Sat 7th Sept • £14.50 adv 10.30pm-3.30am • £4 adv Early bird £3 tickets available in June, July & August. Over 18s only - Proof of age required.
Fri 14th June • £5 adv 10.30pm • over 18s only
Swiss Lips Live at Propaganda Thurs 15th Aug • £3 adv
10.30pm - 3.30am • over 18s only
Propaganda A Level Results - Frat Party Sat 1st June
Miles Kane Fri 7th June • £10 adv 6pm - 10pm
Toro Y Moi
Wiley
Weds 11th Sept • £17.50 adv 6pm - 10pm
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
6.30pm - 10pm
Sat 16th Nov • £9 adv
Thurs 12th Dec • £26.50 adv
Fri 22nd Nov • £16 adv
Sat 14th Dec • £25 adv
Imagine Dragons
Marchin’ Already Tour
[spunge] 6pm - 10pm
Sat 23rd Nov • £20 adv
Weds 18th Dec • £35 adv
Disclosure
Tenacious D
Janet Devlin
Sat 30th Nov • £28.50 adv / £50 VIP
Thurs 19th Dec • £25 adv
Sat 21st Sept • £15 adv 3pm - 11pm Sun 22nd Sept • £17.50 adv 5pm - 11pm Weekend ticket £25 adv
30th Anniversary Concert
Soundgarden
Tues 17th Sept • £8.50 adv
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
UK B-Boy Championships 2013 Sat 28th Sept • £20 adv
We Are Saviours
Howard Jones
The Doors Alive + Only The Good
Basement Jaxx
Tues 11th June • £25 adv
Fri 4th Oct • £15 adv
Fri 6th Dec • £28 adv
Happy Mondays
Weds 12th June • £18.50 adv
Diamond Head & Uli Jon Roth
Peter Murphy
Fri 7th June • £6 adv
Fri 11th Oct • £14 adv
Cat Chinn
MK1
Sleeping With Sirens
6pm - 10pm
Taking Hayley Sat 13th - Tues 16th July 6.30pm Sun 14th July 12.30pm • £9 adv / £7 concs.
6.30pm - 10pm
Within Temptation
Impericon Never Say Die! Tour ft. Emmure
Fri 28th June • £10 adv / £25 VIP
Sat 13th July • £8 adv
Fri 24th Jan 14 • £20 adv
Sun 6th Oct • £15 adv
Black Spiders
Kendrick Lamar
Iced Earth
“Bummed” 25th Anniversary Tour
Tues 8th Oct • £10 adv
Mon 8th July • £25 adv
Sun 12th Jan 14 • £17.50 adv
6.30pm - 10pm
Celebrates 35 years of Bauhaus Performing solely Bauhaus material 6pm - 10pm
Sleigh The UK 2013: The Wonder Stuff Pop Will Eat Itself Jesus Jones
Electric Six
Thurs 5th Dec • £25 adv
6pm - 10pm
Sat 21st Dec • £22.50 adv
Tues 3rd Dec • £12 adv
+ Trinidad Jame$
Kim Wilde’s Christmas Party
with special guest Nik Kershaw
Sun 1st Dec • £11 adv
Wiz Khalifa
Mon 17th June • £20 adv
Tues 17th Dec • £26 adv
Nedstock 2013
Weds 27th Nov • £16.50 adv
Sat 14th Sept • £36 adv
Sat 8th June • £5 adv
Todd Rundgren’s Official State Visit
Ocean Colour Scene Revelations: The Mission & Fields Of The Nephilim
+ CoN+KwAkE
Jurassic 5
Placebo
ft. Ned’s Atomic Dustbin + Cud + Republica + DJ set from Steve Lamacq
Saturday - Knock Out Jam Sunday - World Final 2013
6.30pm - 10.30pm
6.30pm - 10pm
6pm - 10pm
Mon 14th Oct • £23 adv
Babyshambles
Thurs 17th Oct • £15 adv
Rudimental
Sat 19th Oct • £20 adv / £50 VIP
Bowling For Soup
6pm-10pm
+ Snooty Bobs
Thurs 11th July • £10 adv
Tues 13th Aug • £6 adv
Fri 12th July • £7.50 adv
Disclosure (Rock Band)
4ft Fingers
Mon 19th Aug • £8 adv
Watsky
6.30pm - 10pm
Sat 15th June • £6 adv
Fight The Dice + Million Empire + Duchamp Pilot + Alex Kid + Dan The Thief
Sat 22nd June • £7 adv
Orange
+ Templeton Pek Sat 13th July • £6 adv 6.30pm - 10.30pm
Propagator Presents:
Robert Craig Oulton
+ The New Revolutions + Radio Charmers + Rogue Ambition + Temptation
National Rock & Pop Festival
Bid Farewell Tour 2013
Sat 29th June • £5 adv
Sat 26th Oct • £18.50 adv
The Feeling
Fri 19th July • £5 adv
Mon 15th July • £15 adv
+ Shyne + Witness + Kixxer + Rip Tyde Weds 3rd July • £6 adv / £4 concessions.
Brokenwitt Rebels
Bam Margera
from Jackass is F**kface Unstoppable
Sat 3rd Aug • £25 adv
Toots & The Maytals
Tues 6th Aug • £12.50 adv
The Adicts
Thurs 15th Aug • £30 adv 6pm - 10pm
The B52’s
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
Mon 28th Oct Tues 29th Oct Sun 10th Nov • £17.50 adv
Jake Bugg
Thurs 31st Oct • £26.50 adv
Suede
Sun 3rd Nov
Bastille
Mon 4th Nov • £17.50 adv
The Toy Dolls
Lovebite
School Of Rock & Pop Charity Showcase
6pm - 10pm
+ Modern Minds + Ego Honey + Cold White Brother Sat 20th July • £6 adv
Sat 6th July • £8 adv
New Killer Shoes
(Stereophonics Tribute Band)
Sun 21st July • £6 adv
Stereosonics Weds 10th July • £9.50 adv
The Original Rudeboys
Emily’s Army
6pm - 10pm
Rescheduled show • original tickets valid
twenty | one | pilots Weds 2nd Oct • £6 adv
Evarose 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 Weds 23rd Oct • £10 adv
London Grammar
Sat 2nd Nov • £10 adv
UK Foo Fighters
The No.1 Foo Fighters Tribute
Sat 3rd Aug • £7 adv
Fri 8th Nov • £12 adv
StakeOut
Absolute Bowie
6pm - 10pm
6.30pm - 10pm
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
Peace live at the O2 Academy 2. Turn to live reviews on P20-22. 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: David Vincent, Amy Sumner, Lyle Bignon, Daron Billings, Lauren Cox, Harley Cassidy, Ben Russell, Ben Calvert New Music Editor: Amy Sumner Food & Drink Editor: Daron Billings Pictures: Andy Hughes, Andy Watson (Drw-images), Jody Kirton, Wayne Fox, Jane WIlliams, Sinéad O’Callaghan, Gobinder Jhitta Style editor: Jade Sukiya jade@brumnotes.com Design: Adam Williams, Andy Aitken Connect Twitter: @BrumNotesMag Facebook: www.facebook.com/ BrumNotesMagazine Online: www.brumnotes.com
Regulars News 4-5 Hotlist 7 Live Reviews 20-22 Style 24-25 **NEW** Food & Drink 26-27 What’s On Guide 28-30 Music and Features Fresh Talent: Furrow/Wrestling 6 Fresh Talent: Them Wolves 8 Victories At Sea 12 BASS Festival preview 12-13 Mostly Jazz Festival: Bonobo 14 Mostly Jazz Festival: Troumaca 16-17 Temples 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. June 2013
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scooterists for heroes to return to adam & eve this month Scooters are set to line the streets of Digbeth as a popular mod festival takes over The Adam & Eve. Scooterists for Heroes will return on June 8 for its third year, with a host of bands playing in the road outside the pub. The event will be headlined by music legends The Move, who will also celebrate founder member Trevor Burton getting a star on Kings Heath’s Walk of Fame this month. The Move will be joined for the all-day Scooterists for Heroes festival by a host of other mod and ska-influenced acts including The Skabucks, The Sha La La La’s, Tommy Gun and Welcome Pariah. DJs will also keep crowds entertained throughout the day, with festivities kicking off at 1pm. Money raised will go to the Help For Heroes charity, with organisers hoping to top last year’s £3,701 total. Tickets are £7 on the door.
KERRANG! RADIO TO AXE BIRMINGHAM STUDIOS AS FM BROADCAST DROPPED
IN BRIEF
Kerrang! Radio will lose its FM broadcast frequency and close its Birmingham-based studios this month. In a shake-up announced by owners Bauer Media, the 105.2FM frequency in the West Midlands will instead be taken over by Bauer’s London-based Planet Rock, a station which aims to cater for an older demographic. Kerrang! Radio will continue to broadcast digitally, available online and through mobile devices and digital TV. But the Lionel Street studios will no longer be used to operate the station, with programming set to be moved to London. The last FM broadcast from the station’s Birmingham base will be on June 14, after which time Planet Rock will take over the frequency. A number of redundancies are expected to be made as part of the changes. A statement from Bauer Media said: “The change to Kerrang! will allow the station to come directly into line with the artists featured in Kerrang! magazine.” An update posted on the official Kerrang! Radio Facebook page added: “Whichever of our two amazing rock stations you listen to - and however you do so - this team of Brummie misfits thanks you for your support and most sincerely salutes you and all that is rock and metal.” The station, which launched officially in 2004, has been an active supporter of local musical talent in the West Midlands, giving airplay to unsigned bands and supporting a number of live events and club nights in the region. Fans responded to the news by setting up a ‘Hands off our Kerrang! Radio’ Facebook The Kerrang! studios in Lionel Street group to protest against the changes.
Renowned music journalist and writer Stuart Maconie will launch his new book, The People’s Songs, with a question and answer event at Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery. The BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music presenter will read extracts, answer questions and sign copies at the Brindleyplace gallery on July 2. The new book looks at the songs that have soundtracked our changing times, from Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again to Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal. To book a place visit www.writingwestmidlands.org. Hotly-tipped Birmingham band Superfood have announced details of their debut headline show. The fourpiece will headline The Rainbow on July 4. Tickets are £5 adv and available now from www.birminghampromoters.com. Jaws, Tempting Rosie and The Bombergs will headline a free music festival to launch the new Aston Villa kit this month. The live music stage has been curated by Counteract Magazine and will form part of a two-day free family event over the Father’s Day weekend of June 15 and 16. Other acts performing include Prisms, Shatter Effect and Laced.
OCEAN COLOUR SCENE TO PLAY MOSELEY SHOALS ALBUM IN FULL AT THIS YEAR’S MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL Indie rock icons Ocean Colour Scene will headline the opening night of this year’s Moseley Folk Festival in their home city. The band behind hits such as The Riverboat Song and The Day We Caught The Train have been named as Friday night headliners when they will play their breakthrough 1996 album Moseley Shoals in full. The three-day festival will return to the leafy surrounds of Moseley Park, Birmingham, from August 30 to September 1 with organisers revealing the full line-up, one of its most eclectic bills to date. Other headline acts include Edywn Collins, British Sea Power and The Dublin Legends, formerly known as The Dubliners. Other highlights of the weekend include Birmingham outfits Goodnight Lenin and Boat To Row, Efterklang, The Staves, Alessi’s Ark and last month’s Brum Notes cover star Lucy Rose. Visit www.brumnotes.com for the full line-up. Tickets on sale at www.moseleyfolk.co.uk. 4
Brum Notes Magazine
TWO-DAY OUTDOOR CLUBBING FESTIVAL HEADS TO BIRMINGHAM THIS SUMMER free jazz fest heads to brum in july International clubbing brand Circoloco will return to Birmingham this summer to head up a two-day outdoor festival. Circoloco in the Arena will join forces with Type Festival to take over The Rainbow Complex in Digbeth, including its amphitheatre-inspired outdoor Arena space for two days of partying from August 10-11. Festival organisers have announced a stellar line-up of DJ talent including the likes of Seth Troxler, Matthias Tanzmann, Davide Squillace, Cassy, Kerri Chandler, Maceo Plex, Apollonia, The Martinez Brothers, Tania Vulcano, System of Survival and Tale of Us. Those artists will be complemented by Type talent including Berlin hero Prosumer, NYC’s Levon Vincent, Needwant’s Kim Ann Foxman and a special live showing from John Heckle. Also on the bill will be Jamie Jones, alongside Planet E chief Carl Craig, Joy Orbison, Adam Shelton, Subb-Ann and many more. Circoloco in the Arena, inspired by the infamous Circoloco Ibiza parties, was first held as a one-day event in April last year, but organisers have promised a new door system and more bars to ensure there is no repeat of difficulties experienced by some revellers queuing to get in. Tickets range from £38.50 to £45 plus booking fees for the Saturday, or £63.50 to £70 for weekend tickets. One-day tickets are only available for the Saturday, with a weekend ticket the only way to guarantee entry to the second day. Visit www.typefestival.com for more details and ticket links.
A long-running jazz and blues festival which stages free performances at venues across Birmingham will return to the city next month. The 29th Birmingham International Jazz & Blues Festival will run from July 5 to 14, with more than 170 performances in pubs, venues and public spaces, with the majority of those being free to attend in what is said to be Europe’s biggest free jazz party. Artists confirmed to perform include Spain’s Potato Head Jazz Band, The Good Lovelies and Melissa Lauren from Canada, Dutch musician Tim Kliphuis, Kent DuChaine from the USA and Giedre Kilciauskiene and the Andrej Polevikov Quartet from Lithuania. This year will also see the festival host the 2013 British Jazz Awards, which will take place at St Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter on July 10. To see the full line-up and programme of events visit www.bigbearmusic.com. More jazz also takes place in Birmingham in July, with the return of the Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival in Moseley Park from July 5 to 7. Turn to P14-17 for interviews with two of the acts performing this year. Ticket details at www.mostlyjazz.co.uk.
FRIDAY 14TH JuNE 2013 SOULSHaRE RECORDS PRESENTS...
PaRT III
ANDREW WEATHERALL & SEAN JOHNSTON SUPPORT FROM DEaN SUNSHINE SMITH
10-3@ HARE AND HOUNDS KINGS HEATH BIRMINGHAM June 2013
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Words by Amy Sumner and Ben Russell
Furrow “Our surroundings inspire our sound because of the remote setting we’re in,” explains bassist Thom Snell, reflecting on the influence drawn from the band’s hometown, West Felton in Shropshire. “There is a vastness of open fields and we’re attempting to fill that void and space.” “I met Thom on the bus when we were at college studying art,” continues drummer
Furrow headline the Brum Notes June Issue Launch Party at the Bull’s Head, Moseley, on June 6, with Wax Futures and DUMB DJs.
furrowband.tumblr.com and lead singer Richard Cartwright. “We found that we had a shared love of the same bands. Since then we have always tried to be creative by making and curating art exhibitions. We both went off to different universities and cities and in the end we got trapped in jobs and ran out of money so came back home to re-think. Since then we have never been more creative.” Furrow are a creative pair indeed. Having supported the likes of Novella, Bleached, Paws, Boyfriend and Fawn Spots, the duo self-release their own cassettes and fundamentally embrace the DIY aesthetic. Utilising just a bass, half a drum kit and a crap load of loops, Furrow are noisy, scrappy and exciting. “We’ll play for ages until something sounds good,” says Richard of their creative process. “We are not musicians at all so often
Wrestling “It’s pretty fast but can also go kind of slow and meander at times ... but always intense,” says Wrestling frontman and guitarist Richard Sadler. Being forced even more to describe the sound of the enigmatic three-piece from Wolverhampton, he adds: “We play clean toned, emotionally driven music with screamy kind of vocals. “It’s a mixture of old and new style punk/emo. Not the cringey teen-drama My Chemical Romance kind of stuff, but bands like Cap’n Jazz, Braid and Spy Versus Spy that were all around in the 90s.” Despite sharing their moniker with a band somewhere up north, Wrestling, part of an up-and-coming scene in Wolverhampton, are a very much a unique outfit. Passionate when playing live, they also believe strongly in the DIY ethic and that it still has its place in the music world we live in today. “We don’t really believe in expecting people to listen to our music if we do not have the conviction to put every ounce of work 6
we find that mistakes work best. Our friend Mike Smith from Mowbird described us best outside the McDonalds car park ... after driving home from our last tour .... He said, ‘you’re not musicians, you are both artists ... your approach seems minimalistic but it’s not, because all the sounds from both of you fill a room like a sound installation.’ I think the McFlurry or the long drive went to his head that day.” Furrow release a lot of their music on cassette but also embrace social media. So how important is it to fuse old and new? “For us, tapes are readily available and we are able to create something unique by home dubbing and making the cover,” explains Thom. “Plus, everyone we know still has tape decks in their cars. It’s the same with social media - it’s the best way to be heard.”
wrestling.bandcamp.com and effort into it ourselves,” continues Richard. “We play a lot of gigs in our own little secret space in Wolverhampton which are always really fun. “Gigs in spaces like this are really important to us, the lack of third party interference and meddling makes for way cooler gigs full of like-minded individuals. “A lot of our friends from bands around the
country come down and play too – it’s an awesome little community that we are really proud of.” Wrestling are live at the Wolf Town DIY all-dayer, taking place at The Wagon & Horses, Digbeth, on June 8. See the preview opposite for more details on the show or visit wolftowndiy.limitedrun.com.
Brum Notes Magazine
HOTLIST
PREVIEW
THE PLAYLIST
Wolf Town DIY presents Midwest West Midlands
material from The best new material, from Birmingham and beyond.
God Damn The Heavy Money EP Incendiary rock powerhouses God Damn have laid their brutal bullets of metal onto record, with a sure-to-beraucous release party planned for The Sunflower Lounge on June 29. Available June 17, www.gravyhq.com
Dowsing
How could you not be intrigued by an event which names itself the considerably catchy Midwest West Midlands and markets itself as ‘an all-day outdoor emo extravaganza’? Brought to you by the good people over at Midlands-based independent record label Wolf Town DIY, the mini festival takes place at The Wagon & Horses in Digbeth on June 8 and brings together a variety of bands from across the region and the wider UK as well as from the good old US of A. With a forecasted 11 hours of live music (12pm–11pm), there are some very exciting acts indeed billed for the event. Chicago’s Dowsing, topping the bill, and Wolverhampton’s very own Wrestling will provide particular highlights, with Wax Futures, Panda Watch and WADE also bringing fun and games to the courtyard round the back of the boozer. Other acts include Annable,
Nai Harvest, Bayoné, Plaids, Cast Ashore, Crossings and Ten Speed Bicycle, helping make up a veritably packed out line-up. The event is open to all ages and there’ll be stalls, zines and food throughout the day, all for the comfortable price of £6. This is an independent live music event with a fiercely independent and DIY feel, so get out and support your local promoters and the people who make the West Midlands’ thriving music scene tick over day to day, and catch some wonderfully indie/emo/punk collectives in the process.
FF Korova Dali’s Dream A swirling, hypnotic journey of lo-fi, nupsychedelia, this is the tantalising debut track to come out of the new project from Izzy Izenstain and Richard Franklin. www.soundcloud.com/ff-korova
superfood
For the full lineup as well as tickets and further information, visit www.wolftowndiy.limitedrun.com.
TV (Demo) ‘Stop banging on about Superfood, would you?’ Well, we can’t help it. Just the second recording from super-hyped 90s-inspired Birmingham outfit and it’s another addictive dose of yelping, jangling excellence, wrapped in the cheeky brattishness of Britpop-peak Supergrass and Blur. www.soundcloud.com/superfood
Wolf Town DIY presents Midwest West Midlands, taking place at The Wagon & Horses, Digbeth, on June 8 from midday.
Follow us at soundcloud.com/ brumnotes for more
ONES TO WATCH drenge
victor
huskies
john napier & the guitarheads
The drawling, bluesy punk of single Bloodsports was the perfect introduction to brothers Eoin and Rory Loveless. Surprisingly powerful for a duo, expect a high octane live show. Watch them: June 4, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath
A soothing and invigorating blend of post-rock meets melodic grunge, blending experimental noise into a reverbsoaked crescendo, overlaid by harmonious vocals. Watch them: June 24, Hare & Hounds, w/Deerhoof
Brain-burrowing hooks and harmonies shimmer over glistening guitars, celebrating the innocent escapism of youth. Sun-drenched, stripped-down dream pop from Nottingham. Watch them: June 20, The Actress & Bishop
One of Birmingham’s most talented songwriters delivers a jaunty yet introspective dose of acoustic guitar-led indie pop. Like a Brummie Brendan Benson with better facial hair. Watch them: June 21, Bull’s Head, Moseley
June 2013
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READY TO BITE
Noise rock trio Them Wolves have been kicking up quite a storm with their lurching riffs, pummelling rhythms and unerring ability to unleash an all-round abrasive aural assault. This month sees them infiltrating stereos as they unleash their debut EP. Amy Sumner peeks behind the masks… “The title is a reference to a man we admire,” explains Them Wolves guitarist Stuart-Lee Tovey of the band’s forthcoming EP. “I like what he stands for and how he sees things more philosophically instead of just reducing everything to facts and figures. Plus, he has a cool voice.” The EP in question, German For Duke, will be the debut from Birmingham noise rock trio Them Wolves and, set for release on June 24, it’ll be set free into the world courtesy of Birmingham-based independents It’s Just Noise and Distorted Tapes via limited edition screen-printed CD and digital download. “It’s been in the works since the band started really,” Stuart elaborates. “Folding a Napkin on Terminal Island, the second track on the EP, was actually the first song we wrote as Them Wolves. But we’ve done pretty much everything ourselves as we always do so it’s been a really intense couple of months – I haven’t watched Batman since February!” Them Wolves’ live performances have often drawn comparisons to the early 80s noise rock tendencies of The Jesus Lizard and Pissed Jeans as well as the more modern abrasive sounds of F**ked Up, Trash Talk, and Bats. Are these the types of raw and energetic sounds that we’ll be hearing on record? 8
“Personally I haven’t been listening to all that much heavy music recently, I’ve mainly been listening to The Magnetic Fields and Radio 4. Actually, there’s a really good twohour video on YouTube of a man playing with a hair dryer.” The band have also claimed that the record is “totally influenced by a two second clip we found in Some Kind of Monster which we looped, made big and played backwards for almost forever”.
The boys have also made and uploaded a video for The Wild Girl of Champagne, which is, as you might imagine, pretty sinister. “We were trying to find someone to make a video for us but things kept falling through so in the end, we just did it ourselves. The Wild Girl of Champagne was a feral child from the 18th century, so we went with the feral idea. Then we added some folklore and a bit of horror.”
“That’s slightly embellished,” admits Stuart. “We did sneak in an extra choice second here and there and I think Greg [Coates, lead vocals and bass] watched Apollo 13 for a bit. Noel [Campbell, drums] definitely went on his phone or saw a tin or something.”
The recorded music is one thing, but their live shows really are something else. And you’re in luck if you want to experience it for yourselves, as they’ll be joining Wolverhampton’s heavy metal heroes-in-waiting God Damn for a veritable sweatpit of a show at The Sunflower Lounge’s subterranean gig room this month. So, what can we expect?
The tracklisting for German For Duke will include The Wild Girl of Champagne, Folding a Napkin on Terminal Island, Let’s You and Him Fight, You’re More Like a Young Mary Bell and Wolf Song. Were they all written specifically for this EP?
“A nice time,” Stuart assures. “Our second and third gigs were with God Damn and that was a year-and-a-half ago now. So we are just looking forward to playing with them again. I think we fit really well together even though we do different things.”
“We were just writing songs,” explains Stuart. “So when the time came to put something out, we just chose the five that made the most sense.”
Them Wolves are live at The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, on June 29. Debut EP German For Duke is out on June 24 on It’s Just Noise/Distorted Tapes. Brum Notes Magazine
June 2013
9
Elusive and epic in equal measure, Birmingham trio Victories At Sea have certainly kept their fans waiting when it comes to recorded material. But that has simply fuelled the anticipation and with the release of their debut EP now tantalisingly close, Amy Sumner gets the lowdown on what could be one of the highlights of the year.
In their three-year lifespan as a band, Victories At Sea have been fairly elusive. They’ve played live in Birmingham but relatively intermittently, they’ve ventured further afield but by no means regularly, and they’ve released a couple of tracks online but no more than that. And yet, Victories At Sea are widely acknowledged as one of the city’s most promising talents. Boy do these three know how to tease. However, with the announcement of their forthcoming EP, it appears as though it’s finally anchors away. Recorded with “Birmingham electronic wizards” Free School and accompanied by some really very beautiful imagery, In Memory Of will be released on July 3 through Wigan-based independent, Static Caravan Records. Lead singer and guitarist John-Paul White talks us through the release. “It’s four tracks of elusive joy and we’re really proud of it,” he says. “It’s purposely got a sense of finality to it, being called what it is, and you can interpret that how you like. Maybe it’s the last thing we’ll ever do… “But it’s been in the works for too long – so long that all three of us have discovered patches of grey in our hair. We first started talking about EPs in 2010, barely weeks into our life as a band, but we wanted to do this properly. We recorded in several studios until we found our true home which turned out 10
to be a damp basement in an old whistle factory. We let our majestic producers cover us in glitter and we played heavily until our ears gave in; electro tinnitus is a new wave of sound which keeps us awake. Once it was done, it was a case of deciding on the right label – nothing is quick in this business, but we’re glad we waited.” So what can we expect from the tracklisting? Will the anthemic Future Gold and Stay Positive be making appearances? “Stay Positive kicks the EP into life, the big pop statement and the cage rattler. This track went online back in January but it’s been remixed and rebuffed into a more colossal sonic assault. Then there’s Dive and that’s probably the poppiest tune we’ve written and has a real summer vibe to it. No Escape has been closing our live shows for some time and we’re really proud of how it turned out, it also sets a nice gentle change of pace midEP before Low, which is a dark funeral march and probably the darkest six minutes we’ve ever written. We’ve actually never played that song live, it just built layer by layer in the studio, which is a new way of working for us. “With writing, everything comes from a black hole. We spend the first hour in our studio most nights just playing anything, making things up, dare I say, jamming? But we record
victory
Long-awaiteD
everything, and if something sticks then we start to write from that little bit. It takes us a long time to be happy with a finished article, a very long time – our completed output per year is about four songs. This may explain why this EP took so damn long to do.” The release of a debut EP is a pretty monumental occasion for any band and what better way to mark it than with a launch party? Victories At Sea will play The Sunflower Lounge on June 21 with support courtesy of the completely fantastic The Grafham Water Sailing Club and Skull TV. So what can we expect? “We like foam cannons, but we may just have to go for a bubble machine for this one,” JP suggests. “Mix that sorta glee with visuals and Jägermeister and you are at our kind of party… maybe fancy dress, and Prince on the PA between the bands. I’m excited already, we really want that show to be a rammed, sweaty room full of friends and fans, it’s gonna be special.”
Victories At Sea are live at The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, on June 21 for their EP launch party, with support from The Grafham Water Sailing Club and Skull TV. Debut EP In Memory Of is released on July 3 on Static Caravan Recordings. Brum Notes Magazine
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June 2013
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LIFE AND SOUL Birmingham’s BASS Festival returns for an eighth year, delivering nearly three weeks of soulinspired activities across the city. David Vincent gets the lowdown on one of the UK’s biggest black music and arts festivals and picks some highlights to look out for.
Terri Walker
Soul Acoustic June 11, The Glee Club, Birmingham The opening event of this year’s fest sets the theme of ‘soul’ with an old skool package tour show devoted to the quieter end of the British soul spectrum. Headlining the show is Terri Walker, whose debut album, Untitled, earned her a Mercury nomination back in 2003. Well known for her collaborations – with acts as varied as Mos Def, Toddla T and Artful Dodger, to name but three – her latest release is with Nicole Wray under the name Lady. “I would just call it soul music. Just deep soul. We’re taking it back but with today’s energy,” says Terri herself. Among those joining the Brit soul diva are Ms D (Wiley’s Heatwave and Chipmunk’s Oopsy Daisy), and Urban Development Vocal Collectives Shezar, plus Shea, Shakka (Wretch 32’s Blackout) and Call Me Unique. “A tour like this is exactly what is needed right now,” reckons Terri.
Blues: Is The Party Over?
Soul Of A Producer: Soul-Clash!
June 15-22, The Edge, Digbeth Exploring the history of blues parties in the city from the 1960s-1980s and their impact on wider club culture with an exhibition, group discussion and evening of blistering reggae vibes from the King Alloy Sound System.
June 22, Spotlight, Lower Trinity St, Digbeth The Louis Den team presents a free battle of the beats as camps of producers twist and mash-up samples from top soul artists for a unique soundclash.
UK Jamdown: Urban Soul Showcase
Monique: Full Circle
June 15, Pulse Nightclub, Brierley Hill Subtitled ‘Paying Homage to the Kings and Queens of Soul’, UK Jamdown showcases a dozen acts alongside a set from DJ Sacha Brooks and a catwalk show. There’s also free champagne and a ‘divas and dappers’ dress code, if that takes your fancy.
Soul Cafe June 16, Urban Coffee Company, Church Street, Birmingham; June 21, Greenhouse Cafe, The Custard Factory, Digbeth; June 25, Cafe Ort, Balsall Heath A free mini-tour highlighting some of the city’s own new talent with stripped down and unplugged sets from I Luv Live open mic winner Emma Marie, Allysa Rochelle and Jermaine Soul, plus the hip hop/ jazz influenced Amahra.
Soulheaven Revisited June 17-28, Custard Factory, Digbeth Photographer Anthony McFarlane captures that Northern Soul vibe, exploring soul weekenders, rare vinyl hunting and scooters. Also includes a free Northern Soul club night on June 21.
Lowdown: Breaking Your Record To The Industry June 20, Punch HQ, The Custard Factory, Digbeth Free evening session exploring how to get your tracks noticed. With music promo specialist Austin Daboh. 12
June 22, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath Launching the second album, Full Circle, from Birmingham singer-songwriter Monique Thomas, whose rich, gospel-infused tones have been compared to both Mary J Blige and India Arie.
Monique Thomas
I Luv Live: Soul Special June 26, Oh Velvet, Broad St, Birmingham Live music showcase with leading acts and open mic slots. Expect appearances from the tipped ‘alt-soul singer-songwriter’ KOF (who has recently collaborated with Terri Walker), classic soul/funk/jazz fan Izzy Bizu and African born, US-raised singer songwriter Abbee Audio, formerly of X Factor hopefuls Harmony Hood.
Reuben James & Soul Train June 28, Symphony Hall, Birmingham A Jazzlines free cafe bar gig featuring the former Birmingham Conservatoire student pianist who has been compared to both Herbie Hancock Brum Notes Magazine
Reuben James
Aston Performing Arts Academy pay tribute to the seminal fashion and music collective as part of a live musical trip through the decades. As the title suggests, another reference point is the long-running US music show, Soul Train.
Bilal
and Robert Glasper. Combining specially commissioned originals with new arrangements of soul classics, Reuben is very much at the forefront of the next gen of British jazz talent.
Soul II Soultrain June 28, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham Prior to Soul II Soul’s headline performance at Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival next month,
June 30, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath Rising artist Bilal draws BASS to a close. Born in Philadelphia, home to the ‘Philly sound’ which defined soul music during the 1970s, Bilal has collaborated with such A-listers as Dr Dre, Jay Z, Beyonce, Erykah Badu and J Dilla. Recent album A Love Surreal showcases a more acoustic, warmer sound. Debuting at the top of the US iTunes RnB Chart, he describes it as “a musical art gallery”, yet one with a cohesive vision. “I’ve always wanted to make music that is so basic and simple that it can be recreated every time. Something simple like a jazz standard,” he says. “On this album I let go of a lot of sh** for the first time and that opened my eyes up to a lot of more stuff. It was a real complete thought.”
What do you think about the idea of BASS FM? It is a very young, exciting and innovative idea that will bring something fresh and creative to the local marketplace. What are you going to add to the station? Lots of energy, new music and a different vibe not seen before. There will be crazy mixing of tunes with up-to-date urban gossip. Can you give us a feel for your show? I don’t limit myself to a specific genre, if it sounds good and it makes you feel good, I will play it! Anything from hip hop to old skool garage to dub. What do you love and hate about Birmingham? I love the shopping, the vibrancy of the city and the friendly people. I hate that I don’t get to spend enough time here. Tell us something about you that no-one else knows. I am addicted to the old Channel 5 drama Sunset Beach, I still watch reruns now. June 2013
< DJ Melody Kane
BASS Festival 2013 runs from June 11 to 30, with a theme of ‘Soul’. For full festival listings and more information visit www.punch-records.co.uk.
Malik MD7 >
This year’s BASS Festival also launches a new radio station called BASS 87.7FM, available to listen to online or on FM radio from June 2 to 30. We caught up with two of the station’s new DJs to find out more.
Bilal
What do you think about the idea of BASS FM? It’s a great idea for people in the music scene to showcase the talent that they witness first-hand. What are you going to add to the station? High energy music and exclusive tracks combined with unpredictability! Can you give us a feel for your show? The best of UK hip hop with a touch of US hits and lots of artist interviews. What do you love and hate about Birmingham? I love the creative struggle of local artists and the groundwork that makes the local sound and genres what they are. I hate the attitude of a small section of the community which is un-progressive. Tell us something about you that no-one else knows? I have a very big, soft heart!
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MONKEY BUSINESS
and that’s where I’m going to leave it. If I could sing, I’d be featuring myself on things, I guess.” It’s hardly a disadvantage. The new record features, among others, RnB legend Erykah Badu, appearing on Heaven For The Sinner. “That came about last year through mutual friends. We were just chatting about music and it came about really naturally, which was cool.” He also works with Grey Reverend on opener First Fires, a Brooklyn-based vocalist who Bonobo now classes as a neighbour. Cornelia, from Pieces, joins Simon on tour in Manchester on the eve of this interview, with London-born Szjerdene acting as a permanent tour vocalist.
Bonobo has quietly gone about his business with a prolific output of bass-led music, developing into one of the most respected electronic musicians to come out of the UK in recent years. He brings his much sought-after live show to the intimate surroundings of Moseley Park, headlining the opening night of next month’s Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival. Tom Pell speaks to the man behind the monkey moniker to find out what’s in store. “It’s a type of monkey,” says Bonobo, aka Englishman in New York Simon Green. “A Congolese chimp, in fact. It’s something I chose years ago, and didn’t really realise it would come this far! I didn’t put much thought into it to be honest,” he admits, reflecting on his unique stage name. The best nicknames are the ones that stick, of course, and after 14 years and five albums, the electronic pioneer is very much here to stay. His new album, The North Borders, was naughtily released early in March, ahead of its planned April 1 debut. “Yeah, with about 10 days to go, an Australian DJ leaked it in Melbourne. We watermark every copy, so we knew exactly who it was once it cropped up online,” he explains. “I think nowadays, once a record is leaked it’s out anyway. We had plans to do all the promotional stuff, so we just brought forward the release date on iTunes and stuff, so we could still put it out.” The magic of technology, eh? Easier than driving thousands of CDs to respective branches of Woolworths. “I guess you wouldn’t have been able to leak a record in the old days either, so it evens itself out,” he adds. 14
The creative process involved in the making of his own records is very much a lone one, with Simon creating his dreamy, beat-laden soundscapes totally by himself. “It’s just me; I see it very much as a solo project. I work on my own, and I play most of the instruments on the records, and most songs just come out of experimentation. I just play around with a few sounds and something starts to emerge eventually. “I don’t have specific people that influence me; it’s more what I’m into at the time. Music comes and goes, so I’m influenced by what’s around me. It might be one song that I’ve heard two days before that influences a track I write a few days later. I couldn’t list people,” he reflects.
“I’d love to work with Bjork, she’d be my dream vocalist, but I think a lot of producers would say that, right? Working with Erykah Baduh and having her coming out on the road with us to San Francisco already felt like a dream because she’s one of my favourites.” Early next month, Bonobo will star as one of the headliners of the now firmly established Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival in Moseley Park, headlining the opening Friday night, taking to the stage after the likes of Chicago’s Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Birmingham natives Troumaca. “I’m really looking forward to it. I know the guys that put it on, they’re a great bunch. It’s a good little family there, with one of the liveliest crowds in the Midlands,” he says. “I’m on bass, and electronics. I play a bit of keys too. We have horns, strings, drummers, vocalists – it’s a bigger band these days.” Being an obvious collaborative specialist, could there be a connection between Bonobo and fellow musical meddler, iconic Chic founder and Sunday night headliner, Nile Rodgers? “No numbers have been swapped yet! But who knows. It might be one of those things that happens on the day.
“People always try to put you in a genre. People say it’s ‘downtempo’, but I don’t really subscribe to that idea. It’s weird, because my tempos are all over the place, but I guess if people need to call it something... I think it’s just music at the end of the day.”
“But, I can promise a very choreographed live performance. We’ll have a load of musicians up there, and it’s very emotive. And there’s a big light show, we take enough stuff with us on the road! It’s gonna be good, man.”
Whilst writing all of the album’s instrumentation parts himself, Bonobo frequently seeks collaboration via guest vocalists.
Bonobo headlines the Leftfoot main stage at Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival, Moseley Park, on Friday, July 5. The festival runs from July 5 to 7, with adult tickets ranging from £35 to £85. Visit www.mostlyjazz.co.uk for details.
“With regards to singing myself, I’ve tried it, and it doesn’t work. I’ve done it behind closed doors
Brum Notes Magazine
ALL SAINTS CHURCH | SATURDAY 8TH JUNE | 6.30PM KINGS HEATH COMMUNITY CINEMA PRESENTS
THE KID (CHARLIE CHAPLIN) With live piano accompaniment from Mike Hurley. £5 Adults | £3 Concessions
ALL SAINTS CHURCH | SATURDAY 13TH JULY | 6.30PM KINGS HEATH COMMUNITY CINEMA PRESENTS
WANDERSON LOPEZ MENDI SINGH JOELLE BARKER Intuitive EP Launch with Cinematic visuals from Expurgação. | £5 Adults | £3 Concessions
June 2013
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INDEPENDENT SPIRITs
The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival is one which will surely always hold a special place for Birmingham’s dub-tropical adventurers Troumaca. Their appearance last year impressed taste-making DJ and producer Gilles Peterson so much that he later signed them to his Brownswood Recordings label. That breakthrough has seen their subsequent debut Virgin Island EP embraced by listeners from far and wide and so it will be with a sense of triumph that the band return to the main stage in the soulful surroundings of Moseley Park next month. Amy Sumner meets a band determined to do things on their own terms.
Most bands want to do things on their own terms, that’s a given. But there’s something completely refreshing about Troumaca – a band who resisted prolonged major label interest in order to secure greater creative control, opting to sign with independent Brownswood Recordings last December. Fiercely loyal to the city which spawned them and intent on giving back to its partygoers, they are a band who have come to be completely adulated in their hometown. And now, the love they so generously disperse, is spreading… “There was a band on before us who literally emptied the room, so we were shitting ourselves thinking that no one was going to be there,” explains cosmic lead singer Sam Bayliss, looking back on the band’s jaunt to The Great Escape festival in Brighton last month. “It filled up though and we were buzzing – people were screaming for us to do more.” That buzz has come off the back of the release of their Virgin Island EP in February, a beautifully crafted piece of work. An insatiable mix of tropicalia and soul, it’s a complete embodiment of the all-embracing five-piece. 16
“The reaction to the EP was really good and we were very proud of it, especially locally. In fact, we found out that we only narrowly missed out on a slot on the Radio 1 playlist. That was really encouraging because that EP was the first time that we’d ever self-produced – it was a bit rough around the edges but it clearly caught the imagination. We did the artwork and we shot the video – we had a nightmare editing it actually, but when it came together, it became the aesthetic.” And it’s an aesthetic which is being fully nurtured by Troumaca’s new Brownswood home and the label’s founder, DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson. “They’re treating us really well over there,” Sam enthuses. “I mean, because they’re an independent label, there isn’t a lot of money so it is a struggle and we are still having to feed ourselves. But we get a lot of creative freedom and we are a big part of the creative process, which is great because we like to be in control of what we do and have a good say in where it’s going… which probably sounds fucking arrogant,” he adds after a second’s pause. “But when we had all the interest from the majors, they all wanted tracks
like [early anthem] Fire – they were all asking for more tracks like that which wasn’t the direction we were going in. “Gilles is a dude as well,” he adds, “every time we see him it’s like we’ve been on a great day out and have been flattered by a really fit girl for about an hour – he just makes us feel really happy.” It’s not hard to figure the attraction between the two. Troumaca then, know the importance of getting their own music and its surroundings right. What they also know is how to throw a good party. Themselves responsible for curating the now legendary Troumaca & Friends parties at The Adam & Eve a couple of years back, they now have a new destination for those who choose to groove – Venus (“it’s just because we like the planets,” Sam explains of their new club night, which debuted at the Hare & Hounds in May). “The parties we used to do at The Adam & Eve with Peace and Swim Deep etc were obviously massive,” Sam says with genuine modesty. “But because we also enjoy electronic music and there is an electronic element in the music that Brum Notes Magazine
we produce, we wanted to put that into a party too – so that’s why we decided to curate Venus. “I think the two nights differ in relation to us as a live act now and then. When we played at the first Venus, it was the most comfortable that we’ve ever felt onstage as a band and that felt reciprocal from the audience too – there was no anxiety. “The idea is to grow it into something bigger and to showcase some great local live acts,” Sam continues. “Troumaca don’t necessarily have to play every one and we certainly don’t have a business plan as such – it’s just that we wanna throw a party. The next Venus will be in August in line with our album release. It’ll be in association with Leftfoot and This Is Tmrw and it’ll be in some wacky place - so watch this space!” An album release is something which followers of this band have been eagerly awaiting, and indeed the two little words in this context are spectacularly full of promise and excitement. “We actually finished mastering the album yesterday,” Sam admits, “and we’re really excited about how it’s all come together, especially with the self-production. It has a great balance of live and electronic elements. The album will be out towards the end of August and we’re looking
at getting the first single out in June. The last six months have been a weird process with the constant gigging and recording and producing – it’s been a mad process, very intense and unconventional so we’re happy to see it mastered. “And in terms of the artwork, we’ll be working on it for the next few releases, though there will be a few collabs with our artistic direction… we’ve just actually had a fall out about the album cover today – the label aren’t feeling what we wanna do… so much for all that creative freedom!” he jokes. Troumaca are one of those bands who any music lover in the West Midlands will know about – right now they are completely unique, making their own way with their own sound into popularity. If you haven’t seen them live, you must, and it’s true when they say that there’s no place like home. “We’re playing the main stage at Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival,” says Sam, “and the plan is to grow the live set that we’ve got so far – there are a lot of new tracks on the album so we will be developing it in line with that. We played the festival last year and that’s how we originally met Gilles – he didn’t know who we were at the time and he was compering for the day. But he managed to catch us and afterwards he was like
[adopts a thick cockney accent], ‘fucking hell, are you boys signed?’ It was that which really set us on course for the last 12 months. “In terms of festivals, we’re also playing Bestival, Shambala, Strawberry Fields and LeeFest. Oh, and we’re doing a tour of France in the autumn – they love us over there! We’ve been on their national radio and everything, they just really like us!” In a city bursting at the seams with musical talent and bands frantically popping up here, there and everywhere, Troumaca are a shining example of what can be achieved by going at your own pace and doing it on your own terms. Producing some of the freshest music across the UK right now, they’re also doing it with a modesty which, quite frankly, they needn’t. Our advice? Get out and see this band at your next available opportunity and prepare to be shown some serious love.
Troumaca are live at Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival in Moseley Park on July 5. They also DJ at the After Party at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, later that night. Visit www.mostlyjazz.co.uk for ticket details. Visit www.troumaca.co.uk for more information on the band.
JACK SAVORETTI • THE TRAVELLING BAND BOAT TO ROW • TREMBLING BELLS • THE BARR BROTHERS GORDIE MACKEEMAN & HIS RHYTHM BOYS • ALESSI’S ARK BLUE ROSE CODE • KATHERINE PRIDDY • FROGMORTON THE CADBURY SISTERS • KAREN TWEED • DAVID CAMPBELL
TIR NA NOG • THE FORESTEARS • DIRTY OLD FOLKERS JACK HARRISON & AIDAN SIMPSON • RED BIRD SKY
ABIE’S MIRACLE TONIC • PHILLIP HENRY & HANNAH MARTIN • NAYFE SJ
CANNON STREET • JASMINE KENNEDY • OTTERSGEAR
June 2013
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get ready for worship “You can either go out and get wasted every week or be productive,” reckons Temples frontman James Bagshaw. David Vincent tunes in to find out more about the band from the Midlands who are firing woozy psychedelia right back into the muscial consciousness.
Barely nine months into their existence and Temples have found themselves playing alongside Suede, Kasabian, Mystery Jets, and The Vaccines, there are dates with Beady Eye and The Rolling Stones looming, while Johnny Marr, Liam and Noel are big fans. In a rare quiet moment, guitarist and vocalist James Bagshaw can’t quite believe it all. “It has happened really fast,” he says, clearly stunned. “It’s been fantastic…” The quartet hail from Kettering, a nowheresville small town just outside Northampton. “There’s nothing going on in Kettering,” admits James, although he adds that coming from a cultural wasteland did have its advantages. “When it’s that way there is a beauty to it. “You can either go out and get wasted every week or be productive … and then get wasted,” he laughs. “[We] are quite productive people, there’s not much to inspire you in Kettering, so you have to search a little deeper, or go to a city. What better place for no compromises?” But record execs on the prowl should note that Temples are not leading a charge – there’s not going to be an explosion of Kettering acts just yet. 18
“There’s no other bands here, certainly not of the same ilk; there are some metal bands but no-one else doing what we’re doing,” James confirms. “There’s no ‘scene’.” James and Temples co-founder Tom Warmsley (bass) are long-time friends, initially from separate bands, who came together over a shared love of old records; from the seminal Nuggets compilation and T-Rex, to far more obscure cuts, such as Mick Farren and The Deviants, The Third Power, Flake, Jackal - check the band’s Facebook page for links. “I used to do a psych night and got Tom to DJ as I knew he liked digging up records,” recalls James of Temples’ formation. “We’d play these records to other people who liked 60s/70s music but who perhaps didn’t know these hidden gems. From then, Tom and I shared records, and then the time just felt right and we started recording at my house.” Citing such names as The Byrds, The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield, Todd Rungdren, Joe Meek, Phil Spector, Jack Nitzsche, and even Les Paul as influences, a layered, distinctly pop/psych sound quickly developed. “Shelter Song was the first one we finished,” says James. “We had four songs at the start and Shelter Song was the first one we’d mixed and completed. From there we knew
we had a thread that we could sew. We found a new sound … we wanted to make a statement.” And like any good statement, it had to have a snappy name. They called it ‘neo-psych’. “Tom put it on our [web] page and I get it,” says James of the tag. “In a way it’s a genre of psychedelia, a new take on it, we were saying that psych doesn’t have to be that way, that this is a progression more than a pastiche of the 60s.” With several songs completed, the duo put them online and ended up accidentally getting signed, as James explains. “We put four tracks onto YouTube. In our heads it was just this little EP thing, this free thing, we had no idea that anyone would pick up on it. But after a couple of weeks we had this call from Heavenly [Records] and they wanted to put out Shelter Song. The first thing I thought was that they’d want us to go into a recording studio, that they’d think it was this demo, but Jeff [Barrett, Heavenly supremo] said, ‘it needs to be put out as it is, not altered or anything.’ He knew what we were about.” James was pleasantly shocked by the offer, especially as Temples had never played a gig. “We knew about Heavenly, their heritage, Brum Notes Magazine
“In a way it’s a genre of psychedelia, a new take on it … this is a progression more than a pastiche of the 60s.”
there have been so many fantastic bands on the label. It was surreal at the time … it was fantastic.” Released in November, Shelter Song received universally rave reviews, with those unaware of their 60s/70s roots citing Tame Impala and Fleet Foxes as reference points. The ensuing adulation has spurred James, Tom and fellow likeminded Kettering pals Sam Toms (drums) and Adam Smith (keyboards) to push themselves further. “When we started working on tracks we had this gut feeling, it felt like it was a good representation of us on record, and as soon as people liked it, that pushes you a lot harder in a way. What do we do next? We never want to do a version of a previous song, just repeat ourselves, we want to push boundaries, push the themes, the instrumentation. I don’t think about it too much – how far we’ve come, or not come – it’s just about pushing forward, to the next thing.” June 2013
One of those ‘next things’ is second single Colour To Life, proof Shelter Song was no flash in the pan. “It wasn’t part of the first four tracks that we did, although it was still done in my little box room,” says James, who reckons there’ll be one or two further singles before the album – though that’s not down to any lack of material, it seems. “We’ve got 12 to 13 tracks recorded, so there’s an album’s worth. But because it has been a quick thing, it has all happened so fast, I don’t want to rush the creativity; we don’t feel as if we should speed things up, push out an album quickly just to satisfy people’s desires, so we’re holding it back as there could be newer songs that work better. We want to keep on writing … so yeah, I expect there will be a couple more singles first. “It’s weird to imagine putting out an album with a band that’s only been together for about nine months,” James says, again reflecting on their current situation. “I’ve never made a record before, it’s important, so we want to get it right … it’s our debut album, it’s got to be right.”
While Kettering has never been seen as a hotbed of musical talent, back in the midto-late 80s, the area did produce another act who cited similar influences. Initially hailing from Rugby, over the border in Warwickshire, though with strong links to Northampton, Spacemen 3 and their off-shoots Spiritualized and Spectrum/ Sonic Boom re-fashioned psychedelia for a new generation. “I didn’t know anything about Spacemen 3 or Spiritualized until after our first batch of songs,” admits James. “Our driver’s from Rugby and he said about them – we were just listening to their first album [Sound of Confusion] driving back from Scotland. “I knew about Sonic Boom and working with MGMT, and I really like his way of creating sounds. We were going to try and approach him [to produce] but it’s so much easier to do it at home, there’s no emailing things back and forth. “I think Spacemen 3/Spiritualized are the closest thing of any of the bands that people think we’re similar to.”
Temples are live at the Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath, on June 19. New single Colours To Life is out on June 24. 19
ALT-J Photo by Andy Watson
LIVE Alt-J O2 Academy, Birmingham 05/05/13
Were Alt-J ever meant to be mainstream? Was music that took references from dark literature, female genitalia and French thriller movies ever meant to delight the masses and sell out venues across the country? There are a thousand and more questions that you could ask regarding Alt-J and their genredodging sound but none more prominent for tonight’s show than ‘what do we expect from this evening?’. Album-wise, An Awesome Wave sounds like a story, each track falling into another with the inclusion of intros and interludes to set each song apart, making it a captivating listen. The task Alt-J had was taking this and applying it to their live performance. Ultimately this is where the band failed. There’s no shying away from the fact that Alt-J are an undeniably tight unit whose music sounds just as eminent live, if not more so, as it does on record. Every component of their set was spot on from Gus’ standout keyboard to Gwill’s gritty bass, most notably on Fitzpleasure. Joe Newman’s vocals are as singular as ever, prominent in the wash of electro-rock sounds that drilled through the 02. The only problem was that, whilst they sprinted on the great sounding track, they fell short at the stage presence hurdles. With little affinity between audience and band it was hard for Alt-J’s music to fully 20
make an impact on the (mostly teenage) faces looking up at them. Genuine splendour-ridden moments like Breezeblocks and Taro held some promise, as well as their gorgeous cover of Kylie Minogue’s Slow and the crowd sing-along of Matilda, but tonight’s atmosphere was lacking and the pizzazz the band held promise with on their debut sadly didn’t follow through on the big stage. Harley Cassidy
Unknown Mortal Orchestra + Splashh The Institute, Birmingham 08/05/2013
Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Splashh make for a pretty exciting line-up for a Wednesday night by anyone’s standards, and indeed they gather a sell-out crowd deep inside The Institute tonight. Fuzzy, scuzzy and delicious, the four-piece psychedelic Hackney openers play a summery set to match the weather outside with standout track All I Wanna Do gaining the greatest audience response. Making sure to confirm that they would be back in Birmingham (at the Hare & Hounds in fact) on June 2, Splashh leave the stage pretty triumphantly. Only having been together for three years,
Unknown Mortal Orchestra are a band who have kind of etched themselves into our consciousness. Playing a varied set made up of components of both of their albums, extended instrumentals team with audience interaction and a pretty successful encore of Pink Floyd’s Lucifer Sam to create a special atmosphere. It’s a crowd of very mixed ages tonight which is tribute to UMO’s appeal and we can only hope that they venture back to these parts soon to take on one of The Institute’s bigger rooms next time round. Amy Sumner
Wolf People + Baron + Goodnight Lenin Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath 09/05/2013
Announced as an addition to the line-up not awfully long before they take to the stage, Birmingham five-piece folk troubadours Goodnight Lenin deliver a set punctuated with new material, shrouded in an incensetinged surround. Now veterans to delivering beautiful and unusual live performances, their subsequent at The Old Rep theatre on May 31, for which this was a warm-up show, certainly promised to be special if the new songs we were treated to prove to Brum Notes Magazine
a different era altogether. Framed by stacks of old tellies showing the vintage footage that makes up all of the band’s videos, Mssrs J Willdgoose Esq and Wrigglesworth laid live drums, guitars, banjos and keyboards over longREGGAE CITY dead voices rescued Photo by Jody Kirton/ Phlex Media Limited from film archive obscurity. It was always going to be chalbe the trend. lenging making this work as a live event but Brighton-based Baron are up next, their the imaginative stage set coupled with the modern brand of prog combining ambience, odd bit of humour proved to be surprisingly restraint and full blown bodies of jamming to effective. The band even relied on samples create an intricately crafted wall of sound. for the traditional bits of inter-song banThey play a number of tracks off their latest ter: “It’s great to be in... ,” pause whilst Mr release, Columns, all of which their audi- Willgoose found the button with the right ence laps up. sample, “...Birmingham” drew suitably apSo when Wolf People take to the stage, the preciative cheers from the audience. Just room is hot and it is ready. Wolf People too imagine if he’d pressed the Manchester one have a new record to try out, Fain. Elements by mistake, eh? of this combine with older material to cre- The band’s best tracks all got an airing toate a varied set and one which is as intricate night (or should that be air-raiding) with Lonas it is obtuse. don Can Take It and Spitfire paying homage Altogether a thoroughly successful night to some of the heroes (sung and unsung) once again delivered by the stellar folk over of World War II. It’s not all doodlebugs and at This Is Tmrw. Bravo. chocks away though, Signal 30 fused AmeriAmy Sumner can road safety clips to (suitably enough) a driving QOTSA soundtrack whilst Everest Public Service Broadcasting was a gentler beast, building to a delicate + The Grafham Water Sailing sound of wonder as our hero, Sir Edmund Club Hilary, bravely scaled its peak, as frozen in The Institute, Birmingham time as the ice that surrounded him. Aiming 18/05/13 to “teach the lessons of the past through the music of the future”, tonight was a case of After local boys The Grafham Water Sail- mission accomplished chaps. ing Club once again impressed with their Daron Billings atmospheric fusion of post punk and early synth sounds (think pre-H17 split Hu- Reggae City man League sharing a spliff with Gang Of The Rainbow Complex, Birmingham Four), Public Service Broadcasting raided 18/05/13
Standing under the archway in the closedoff Adderley Street, letting the mighty bass of Mungo’s Hi Fi soundsystem reorder your internal organs and the aromas of jerk chicken, herb and fresh sexy juice wash over you, it hits you: Birmingham does this type of event really well. The location was near perfect: a little slice of 21st-century carnival pleasure in old, industrial Birmingham, using the roadblock space alongside The Rainbow’s warehouse, bar and mezzanine to great effect. The line-up was pretty neat too. Everything this reviewer managed to get to – a live PA from city reggae outfit Friendly Fire, booming jungle from veteran DJ Micky Finn, The Selecter’s tight and bouncing set, most of Johnny Clarke’s heavyweight performance, plus the subtastic vibration white finger speciality of Mungo’s and the Ragga Twins – worked beautifully together to create a big, feel-good vibe. The mixed bill did its job in attracting a mixed audience and the festival was all the better for it; this was a night that was genuinely all about sharing in the music. So big up the Reggae City Festival organisers, and here’s to an even bigger and better event in 2014. Lyle Bignon
Skaters + DUMB + George Barnett The Rainbow, Birmingham 19/05/2013
Probably making his name most solidly right now as the guy responsible for that Daft Punk cover (now up to over two million YouTube views), tonight 19-year-old Herefordborn George Barnett boldly opts not to play it and focuses on his own body of work, equally as impressive and drenched in pop. However, tonight it’s clear that much of the room has come to see Moseley’s DUMB, the hot-to-trot young four-piece grabbing all the right attention right now from the likes of
SKATERS Photo by Andy Hughes
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING Photo by Wayne Fox
June 2013
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TRIBES Photo by Jane Williams
Radio 1 and the NME. They play a solid set of new material, with first single Dive gaining the largest audience response, but with follow-ups Retina and Still I’m Stuck also sounding impressive. Making the transition from house party laminate to stage tonight, it’s clear that their songwriting really is gathering momentum and if they keep penning tracks of this calibre, their live sets will continue to flourish. So when New York’s Skaters take to the stage in matching customised jackets and baseball caps, the audience is ready for a stellar headline set, if not outfit choice. Skaters play well, if not altogether convincingly. It’s clear that they’re a confident young set and more than adept at playing together live, though their ‘plasma punk’ sound is nothing massively new. As they gradually remove their ‘Skaters’ emblazoned trench coats and the hats fall to the floor, they relax a little and learn that they don’t have to swear at the camera every few seconds, and in those moments their performance is much more convincing. Here’s hoping that next time, the outfits and the pretensions are left at the dry cleaners. Amy Sumner
The Specials O2 Academy, Birmingham 21/05/13
It could have passed as a pork pie hat convention, a Fred Perry twin tips and Harrington jackets rally or even a Disaffected Youth of ’79 Reunion. The capacity audience, mostly made up of 50-something blokes kitted out in their finest 22
retro garms, was rewarded for its collective efforts with a killer live show from the band – the first of two nights in Birmingham. Countless comparisons have been drawn between the tinderbox of injustice that shaped The Specials’ material in the late 70s and early 80s, and the current political and socio-economic climate, but it was hard to see how. Beyond the maniacal skanking (guilty as charged, your honour), chants of “RUDE BOY, RUDE BOY,” and thousands of phones recording A Message To You Rudy, this was anything other than a feel-good experience that gave the crowd an opportunity to let off a little steam and relive the halcyon days of 2 Tone. There were a few eejits in the audience (to the hammered bloke who shouted SKYBLOOOARRRRRMEEEE on repeat behind us, no wonder the Ricoh are kicking you lot out), and the band looked a little frazzled at times, but the joy that live ska brings to people – especially from a band this influential – overruled all. Tracks like Stereotypes, Maggie’s Farm, Do Nothing and Doesn’t Make It Alright were met with a good response, as was the slight increase in banter from frontman Terry Hall, but nothing prepared us (or them) for the beer-soaked roaring welcome that Nite Klub, Ghost Town and Gangsters received. To see The Specials rock a sold-out venue in a city down the road from their hometown was pretty amazing, and it was without doubt one of the hottest and sweatiest gigs imaginable. We did as the boys instructed us to, and enjoyed ourselves, enjoyed ourselves. Top drawer. Lyle Bignon
Tribes + Superfood The Institute, Birmingham 23/05/13
One of Birmingham’s most hyped-about new bands, Superfood, showcased their undeniably raw and seemingly effortless talent with their 90s grunge/Britpop-inspired tunes. They undoubtedly proved that they are wholly deserving of the attention that they’ve gained over the past few months through their memorable live performances and more recently their long-awaited online material. Their stage presence was strong without being cocky and not only did they sound like a well-refined band but they looked the part too; Superfood really do have the whole package. They finished their all-round superb set with their self-titled single which, although Blur-esque, is filled with unique and original qualities. Well-loved Camden rockers Tribes took a dig at their critics soon after they walked
on stage. After claiming that they were still proud of their second album despite what the “bastards” at NME were saying, the smaller-than-usual crowd erupted into a chorus of appreciative cheers. Although their rock star personas and the energy of their fans hadn’t faded, there was an underlying feeling of slight disappointment as the songs from the second album are clearly very Americanised and are far from the edgy British rock‘n’roll that made us fall in love with Tribes the first time around. The majority of their set was made up of tracks from their stunning debut Baby which received a much better reaction than tracks from Wish To Scream, with the exception of the single How the Other Half Live. Stick to your roots Tribes, we love you the way you are. Lauren Cox
Peace + JAWS O2 Academy 2, Birmingham 27/04/13
The last time that Peace played in their hometown (prior to their slot on the NME awards tour in February), was the now-legendary Christmas party at The Rainbow supported by Swim Deep, JAWS, Wide Eyed, Heavy Waves, and the band that went on to become Superfood. Tonight, they’re accompanied by JAWS as well – an outfit who have come a long way and picked up one hell of a lot of fans in the process. The room is completely bouncing from the second that the young foursome walk on stage and word for word sing-alongs of almost all choruses highlights how adored they have become in this, their hometown too. JAWS still have further to come as a band in terms of stage presence and live sound, but they make a pretty convincing bash at the big league tonight and if they keep penning tracks like Gold, their upward trajectory can only continue. Now armed with a pretty brilliant album as well as that EP, Peace finally have enough material to make up a convincing set, and convince they do tonight. They thunder through album highlights which transfer to live highlights (Delicious, Waste of Paint, Follow Baby) in front of a completely enamoured sold-out floor of fans and friends. And they do it with swag. Five months ago at the Christmas show at The Rainbow, Peace were well on their way to becoming pop stars. And now they are there - and on stage in their hometown, there is damn near nothing they cannot do. A completely solid performance deserved of every ounce of hype they have received. Amy Sumner
Brum Notes Magazine
June 2013
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TOR'SPICK STYLE EDITOR'S PICKS “NEW IN”
TOPMAN £30.00
TOPSHOP £45.00
MANGO £69.99
ASOS £18.00
FOR HER
OASIS £38.00
URBAN OUTFITTERS £28.00
FOR HIM
OFFICE £34.99
ASOS £175.00
VINTAGE N O K C O R F FROCK ON VINTAGE is an already well known fashion business in
Birmingham run by creative entrepreneur and stylist Pam Cheema based out of the Custard Factory in Digbeth. It started as a small stall at various flea markets and vintage fairs across the country and due to its success she decided to quit her day job and the rest is history... Pam prides her business on providing individual one-off pieces that allow everybody to express themselves uniquely. The business keeps an eye on current trends and street style in order to cherry pick the best items, from printed shirts and sequin dresses to vintage Moschino belts and leather backpacks. You can even find her items stocked in the Bullring’s Topshop store, while Pam has also launched her Men’s Vintage brand ‘Unassociated’ this month. FoV deals with customers at their Custard Factory boutique on an appointment-only basis, with the added bonus of having Pam available to help you when deciding on your amazing one-off treats. Visit them at www.frockonvintage.co.uk for more information.
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Brum Notes Magazine
KS
birmingham street style photography by Sinéad O’Callaghan
BILLY, INVESTMENT BANKER Billy is wearing a trench coat from Zara, trousers from Reiss, brown brogues from Russell & Bromley, a tie from TM Lewin, and a shirt from H&M. His style icon is Ryan Gosling and his favourite retailer in Birmingham is COS.
HELENA, GAP YEAR STUDENT Helena is wearing Forever 21 shoes, a Topshop bag and dress, a top and necklace from Zara and a hat handed down from her mother, originally bought from Liberty London. Helena draws inspiration from following various Tumblrs and her favourite retailer in Birmingham is Zara.
REISS, BUILDER Reiss wears a jacket from Blood Brothers at Selfridges, a t-shirt from Romance at Autograph, Levi’s orange label jeans and shoes from Clarks. His Style icon is A$AP Rocky and his favourite retailer in Birmingham is Autograph.
June 2013
KAREN, STUDENT Karen is wearing a vintage men’s jumper from Urban Outfitters, disco pants from Boohoo, Nike trainers from Footlocker and bag from Waterstones. Her style icon is Rihanna and her favourite retailer is Cow.
INDIA, THEATRE STUDENT India is wearing a scarf from TK Maxx, a vintage jacket, a dress from an independent boutique in Paris and ballet pumps from Asda. Her style icon is Audrey Tautou and her favourite retailer is H&M.
TOM, TV EXTRA Toms is wearing a t-shirt from I Am Generic, Primark jeans, Nike Air Max ‘Beaches of Rio’ trainers and a cap from The Hundreds. His style icon is Kanye West and his favourite retailer in Birmingham is Size.
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Piccolino 9 Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HS 0121 634 3055
Dining al fresco in this country might be a case of wishful thinking but Italian eatery Piccolino has taken the risk out of it all with the launch of their swanky all-weather terrace (replete with retractable canopies and hotter than the sun heaters). To test it – and their new spring menu – out we plumped for calamari and carpaccio to start with, nibbling on the complimentary bread and olive oil whilst we waited. The calamari delivered that salty hit you’re looking for with crisp batter flattering the white rings of squid. A generous helping of garlic mayo finished it off. The star starter was the carpaccio though, melt in the mouth paper thin circles of beef drizzled with a pleasantly warming Venetian sauce (originally created for Harry’s Bar). Fresh peppery rocket and thick parmesan shavings were the perfect accompaniment. Piccolino prides itself on its fresh seafood and there are always daily specials to plunder.
Cuisine:
Italian
Price:
Around £30 per head (3 courses)
Service: Atmosphere: Food: Overall:
We went for monkfish, its firm meaty flesh served on the bone for added mouth watering succulence. Superb… it was like snogging a mermaid. The Saltimbocca (veal in sage butter) was perhaps a touch overdone at the edges – being a low fat meat it’s easy to do – but full of flavour. The sides of zucchine fritte (courgettes in batter) were divine, avoiding the soggy fate that befalls some versions of this dish and the patate all’aglio (potatoes, garlic and rosemary) did exactly what it said on the tin.
Pudding came in the form of three small but perfectly flavoured scoops of homemade ice cream – amaretti was the pick of the bunch – and enough yummy tiramisu to feed a small Italian village. The whole meal was washed down with a perfectly decent bottle of fruity, cherry rich Nero D’Avola. Service was frankly exceptional this evening and, even as the place filled up, our charming waiter (100 per cent Italian, as many of the staff seemed to be) had the supernatural ability to be in several different places at once. The food is good, hearty Italian fare and the whole place has a lively atmosphere, both inside and out. Grab a spot on the terrace if you can – whatever the weather – and watch the world go by. Just a short walk from bustling Broad Street, it’s the perfect spot to live la dolce vita for an hour or two. Daron Billings
VENUE WATCH: The Church Inn
22 Great Hampton Street, Birmingham B18 6AQ
26 by Jack Spicer Adams Photo
Hallelujah! Let’s go to church. Well, not church per se, but The Church, the Hockley boozer recently taken over and renovated by Carl Finn of Soul Food Project fame. The first room you enter is in the style of a snug, with high-backed powder-blue chairs forming booths down one side. Pub owners Everards provide the ales from their brewery and, as you’d expect when you see Matt Marriott behind the bar, there is a good stock of cocktail ingredients too. It’s a sunny day, so we go upstairs to take a pew on the new roof terrace. Lots of people up here have ordered food, so dishes of SFP trademark jambalaya and plates of burgers are being presented to the hungry
www.thechurchinnjq.co.uk
hipsters. Small bites to share are also on the menu with chicken wings being popular. Apart from al fresco rooftop dining, the pub boasts another unique selling point in that they plan to use the roof terrace as a cinema. Back downstairs there’s a larger bar room for eating when the weather is not so fair, and it has the potential to be a big hit with lunchtime diners from businesses nearby. The Church adds a nice link in the north innercity Birmingham pub stroll between The Rose Villa Tavern and The Lord Clifden, though for many it’ll be the focus of drinking and eating in this area rather than a stop off point. Amen. BenMagazine Calvert Brum Notes
SIX OF THE BEST…
THESUNONTHEHILL.CO.UK
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FESTIVAL DRINKS Brothers Festival Pear Cider
Now firmly established as the unofficial drink of choice for Glastonbury revellers, this Somerset cider is part of festival folklore and its whopping 7 per cent ABV goes some way to helping people relive those Worthy Farm memories, or getting you in the mood to mingle.
PURITY PURE GOLD
Purity ales are common sights for discerning festival-goers in Birmingham, with the Warwickshire-based brewery being a welcome presence at various events including Supersonic, Moseley Folk Festival and next month’s Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival. WIth a refreshing golden flavour and its 3.8 per cent strength being perfect for all-day drinking sessions, Pure Gold is full of festival spirit.
Rekorderlig Passionfruit Cider
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Westons Old Rosie Cloudy Cider
Cider features highly on most festival drinks shopping lists, but this cloudy variety offers a different experience to the instant refreshment of the fruit versions. Strong, cloudy and ultradry, its lack of fizz makes it easier to drink on long festival days, while it’s still pleasant at the inevitable ‘tent-warmed’ temperature.
Petrov Vodka Refill Pouch
Refillable and supposedly eco-friendly due to using 90 per cent less packaging, this handy pouch is perfect for mixing your own cocktails. It’s also cheap, lighter to carry in your backpack and handy to carry around to add to whatever other drink you fancy.
FREE LIVE ACOUSTIC MUSIC AND LIVE DJs EVERY WEDNESDAY FROM 8PM & EVERY SUNDAY FROM 4PM.
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Shaken Udder Milkshakes
Not all drinks have to be alcoholic at festivals and a hearty milkshake packed with real fruit is a great hangover cure, crams some muchneeded vitamins into your body and works as a great addition to a breakfast on the go. Shaken Udder started life at festivals and will be on hand2013 at most of your favourites this summer. June
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27
WHAT’S ON M M
Saturday, Jun 1 Miles Kane
Moseley
Birmingham
Adam Bloom
The Rainbow Warehouse The Glee Club
Manila Rd Comedy
The Victoria
Birmingham
Ort
Balsall Heath
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham Birmingham
Driven Skies
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
MMX
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Zouk Launch Party
Bodega
Birmingham
Takin Care of Business Origins presents The Heatwave Propaganda
Island Bar
Birmingham
Lab11
Birmingham
CN CN House of God CN Shadow City pre-
O2 Academy
Birmingham
Subway City
Birmingham
The Rainbow
Birmingham
The Victoria
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Birmingham
CN CN Absolut Reggae CN Freestyle Adam Bloom C
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Birmingham
Saturday, Jun 8 We Are Saviours
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Club Phobia
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
False Pretence
The Actress & Bishop The Adam & Eve
Birmingham
The Asylum
Birmingham
The Flapper
Birmingham Birmingham
Ibiza The Show
The Sunflower Lounge Gatecrasher
Hot Wax
Island Bar
Birmingham
Dush
Lab11
Birmingham
Beatamax
The Victoria
Birmingham Birmingham
M M M M
Valous Post Descartes
The Flapper
Birmingham
Keyshia Cole
The Institute
Birmingham
Great Cynics
Birmingham
M
Johnny Kowalski & The Sexy Weirdos OffWorld
The Sunflower Lounge Hare & Hounds
CN CN Shuffle CN Face presents Viva
Club PST
Birmingham
Island Bar
Birmingham
The Rainbow
Birmingham
CN
The Rainbow Warehouse The Victoria
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Music 10.31 present Zinc
CN Funk Fusion CN SumoSoundSys-
tem Presents King Yoof OOOOOO LOOK
CN Rob Rouse C Jimmy Carr C
Birmingham
Kings Heath
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Civic Hall
Wolverhampton
Sunday, Jun 2
M
SPOTLIGHT KID
M
Dean Dovey
River Street M Splashh M CN Zinc
M M M M M CN
M M M M M
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Monday, Jun 3 Chapel Club
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper (Upstairs) The Yardbird
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Island Bar The Institute
Birmingham Birmingham
Trevor Burton & The Move Tuesday, Jun 4 The Family Rain
Hare & Hounds
The Institute
Birmingham
Drenge
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Oh Stockholm! + Matt Sheehan Milkshake End of Term, ft Tim Westwood Wednesday, Jun 5 Seapony
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Gatecrasher
Birmingham
The Yardbird
Birmingham
The Chapman Family Thursday, Jun 6 Liz Lawrence + Steve Folk Folks
The Slade Rooms
Sylvia
M
Bull’s Head
O2 Academy 2 The Actress & Bishop The Asylum
Gucci Pimp
KEY TO LISTINGS: M = LIVE MUSIC CN = CLUB NIGHT C = COMEDY
Kings Heath
Wolverhampton
Ort
Balsall Heath
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
CN C C M M M M M M CN CN CN
Brum Notes Issue Launch Party with Furrow, Wax Futures, Future Smell + DUMB DJs Shift K3y
Friday, Jun 7 Jazzlines presents The Tom Rainey Trio Toro Y Moi Cat Chinn + Snooty Bobs Rubicava
sents Applebottom DJ Royale
M M M M M M M CN CN CN CN CN CN
Scooterists for Heroes Only The Good Those Without Hope Forloco
Face presents One Records Bruk Up 1st Birthday Party Shut Up & Skank
CN CN Killer Wave
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Brum Notes Magazine
C
Adam Bloom
M
Sunday, Jun 9 Luke Wylde & The Japes MONEY
M Bohemian Jukebox M CN Zinc M M M M M M M M M M C C C
Monday, Jun 10 Mudhoney Tuesday, Jun 11 Jurassic 5
The Glee Club
Birmingham
M The Yardbird
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Island Bar
Birmingham
The Institute
Birmingham
M M M M M CN CN
O2 Academy
Birmingham
BASS Festival: Terri Walker James Skelly & The Intenders Wednesday, Jun 12 Martha
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Institute
Birmingham
Ort
Balsall Heath
Todd Rundgren’s Official State Visit Tegan & Sara
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
CN
The Institute
Birmingham
CN
Boxes
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Fair Ohs
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Thursday, Jun 13 Night Engines
Friday, Jun 14 Yussef Ahmed: Album Launch Steve Troman’s Golden Apples of the Sun RiD + Reaside
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
The Laughing Goat Comedy Club Mike Wilmot
The Asylum
Birmingham
M
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Joe Lycett Edinburgh Preview Show
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
M M M
Aston
Ort
Balsall Heath
The Flapper
Birmingham
Danny Brown
The Institute
Birmingham
Mark Owen
The Institute
Birmingham
Big Deal
The Rainbow
Birmingham
Lucha Libre
Bodega
Birmingham
OneDub
The Rainbow Warehouse The Victoria
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Civic Hall
Wolverhampton
Ort
Balsall Heath
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
The Actress & Bishop The Flapper
Birmingham
CN Shuffle CN A Love From Outer
C C
The Drum
Space: Andrew Weatherall + Sean Johnston Vision Bombing Launch Party Freestyle presents The Mostly Jazz Festival Pre-Party Mike Wilmot Bill Bailey Saturday, Jun 15 Daisy Chapman + Micky Greaney Fight The Dice Against the Wheel The Rattlin Doors
Birmingham
Birmingham
Plus Guests
Monday 14 October
02 Academy Birmingham 0844 477 2000 0844 811 0051 GIGSANDTOURS.COM A Metropolis Music presentation by arrangement with Primary Talent International
June 2013
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M
Rebellious Jukebox
M
Pressure Drop Summer Party House Classics
The Sunflower Lounge Hare & Hounds
Birmingham
CN The All New Atta
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Kings Heath
C
Girl Gary Delaney
The Glee Club
Birmingham
M
Sunday, Jun 23 A Sunday Session
Birmingham
Rumours of Spring
The Flapper (Upstairs) The Yardbird
Luke Jackson
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Zinc
Island Bar
Birmingham
Comedy Showcase
The Victoria
Birmingham
Monday, Jun 24 Bob Wayne
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Deerhoof
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Tuesday, Jun 25 Bo Bruce
The Glee Club
Birmingham
The Slade Rooms
Wolverhampton
Bull’s Head
Moseley
CN CN Highgrade Sum-
Gatecrasher
Birmingham
The Institute
Birmingham
CN Education in
The Victoria
Birmingham
mer Session Sound Commune
CN Mike Wilmot C Bill Bailey C M M M CN
Sunday, Jun 16 Ben Bartlett Just Add Monsters Johnny Borrell & Zazou Zinc
CN
Monday, Jun 17 Peter Murphy: 35yrs of Bauhaus Tuesday, Jun 18 Forro
M
Wednesday, Jun 19 Temples
M
Thursday, Jun 20 Huskies
M
M M M C
Bull’s Head The Glee Club Civic Hall
Moseley Birmingham Wolverhampton
The Flapper (Upstairs) The Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Island Bar
Birmingham
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Bodega
Birmingham
Birmingham
Kings Heath Birmingham
Valentine
The Actress & Bishop The Asylum
Dry the River
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
Bull’s Head
Birmingham Moseley
Gary Delaney
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Friday, Jun 21 GBH
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
Cairde
The Asylum
Birmingham
Ciaran Martin
The Flapper
Birmingham
Victories At Sea
The Sunflower Lounge Bull’s Head
Birmingham
Island Bar
Birmingham
CN CN A Mid-Drummer
The Victoria
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
CN
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
M M M M M CN
John Napier & The Guitar Heads Takin Care of Business Live Forever Night’s Scream Hot Club De Swing Festival Tea Party Freestyle
CN Gary Delaney C M M M M CN
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
O2 Academy 3
Birmingham
The Final Crisis
The Asylum
Birmingham
Someone Said Fire
The Flapper
Birmingham
Bella Diem
The Sunflower Lounge The Adam & Eve
Birmingham
CN CN Twist & Shout CN Habit Presents Farley & Heller
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Moseley
Saturday, Jun 22 Orange
Kicks: Hip Hope & Illustration Hed Kandi
M M M M CN
Hare & Hounds
Benjamin Yellowitz
M M CN C
Birmingham
Gatecrasher
Birmingham
Island Bar
Birmingham
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
M C C M M M M M M M CN CN CN CN CN C M M M M M
Wednesday, Jun 26 The Temperance Movement AM:Live Residents Special Thursday, Jun 27 The Strypes
The Slade Rooms
Wolverhampton
Sean Meo
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Rob Rouse Edinburgh Preview Friday, Jun 28 MK1
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
O2 Academy 2
Birmingham
Proper English Gentlemen The Sex Toys
The Actress & Bishop The Adam & Eve
Birmingham
Silence The Weak
The Flapper
Birmingham
MD7 and the UK Hip Hop Legends Vince Kidd
The Institute
Birmingham
The Institute
Birmingham
The Paradimes + Friendly Fire Band 45 Shop Lock: Sound System Fridays Lucha Libre
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
The Drum
Aston
Bodega
Birmingham
DJ Henry Evans
Island Bar
Birmingham
Just a Groove
The Victoria
Birmingham
Freestyle
Bull’s Head
Moseley
Sean Meo
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Saturday, Jun 29 Basil Gabbidon
The Drum
Aston
Phlox of Pink
Ort
Balsall Heath
None So Blind
The Asylum
Birmingham
Jupiter Ate
The Flapper
Birmingham
God Damn + Them Wolves Shuffle
The Sunflower Lounge Island Bar
Birmingham
Suki10c
Birmingham
The Victoria
Birmingham
Bull’s Head
Moseley
The Glee Club
Birmingham
Sunday, Jun 30 Che Cartwright
The Flapper
Birmingham
Bilal
Hare & Hounds
Kings Heath
CN CN Kanyini ft Lunary Asylum The SCC
CN CN Jam Hott Sean Meo C M M
Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham
Brum Notes Magazine
June 2013
31
Outdoor Arena Music
mac birmingham
One Beat Records AND
BRUM NOTES MAGAZINE
One Beat PRESENTS
Grand Union Orchestra:
Sat 29 Jun 7.30pm
Trading Roots 12 - strong band of international jazz masters
The Spooky Men’s Chorale A macho juggernaut of an all male choir from Down Under
Sat 20 Jul 2-10pm
A day of top music headlined by Boat to Row
Eliza Carthy & Jim Moray
Thu 22 Aug 7.30pm
A ‘best of’ once in a lifetime spectacular
Sales & Information 0121 446 3232 www.macarts.co.uk Cannon Hill Park Birmingham B12 9QH Registered charity no: 528979
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2 0 J U LY 2 0 1 3 A one day music festival in the outdoor Arena, mac birmingham.
Fri 19 Jul 7.30pm
One Beat Saturday
SATURDAY Boat to Row
JAWS
DUMB WIDE EYED
Velvet Texas Cannonball
GRAFHAM WATER SAILING CLUB
Youth Man Bad Moon
All these and more with special guests to be announced and Jack Parker & Amy Sumner (DJs), spoken word, vintage stalls and all day food and bar. Doors 1.30pm–10pm. Age 13+. Tickets only £10 all day.
mac at fifty
Tickets available from www.macarts.co.uk Brum Notes Magazine