Brum Notes Magazine - January issue

january 2010

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

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DELPHIC The sound of the new decade

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the maccabees und

gro ine under the sunsh

goodnight lenin

albums of the month

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Brum Notes Magazine: Issue 4, January 2010 Brum Notes Magazine The Moseley Exchange 149-153 Alcester Road Moseley Birmingham B13 8JP info@brumnotes.com To advertise contact: advertising@ brumnotes.com Editor: Sean O’Muir Contributors Words: Tom Pell, James Collins, Andy Roberts, Vyvian Raoul, Rommy Stelfox, Ross Cotton Pictures: Steve Gerrard, Katja Ogrin.

Design: Andy Aitken Website: Cellar Door 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. www.brumnotes.com Find us on Facebook.

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contents NEWS 4-5: Where can you find Chesney Hawkes, Fyfe Dangerfield and 2ManyDjs together? On our news pages, that’s where.

FEATURES 6-7: Birmingham’s Best Bands of the Decade We reveal the top 10 bands to have emerged from the West Midlands music scene during the annoyingly-named decade of the Noughties.

8-9: Goodnight Lenin Emerging Brummie folkers talk kitchens and home-made videos.

10-11: The Maccabees As if conquering 2009 wasn’t enough, these boys have big plans for 2010.

12-13: The Sunshine Underground The Shropshire lads attempt to explain where the heck they have been for four years.

15-18: Delphic 2010’s hottest prospect talk up their debut album and pose for some pretty pictures in our exclusive photo shoot.

REVIEWS 20-23: Live Relive stunning shows from the likes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs

and White Lies.

22: Records The new year begins in style with offerings from Delphic, Fyfe Dangerfield, Chew Lips and The Sunshine Underground. Plus where to pick up some top notch free tracks.

LISTINGS 27: Gig Guide Your comprehensive guide to gigs throughout January, plus our tips for the best shows and club nights to shake off the January blues and blow that ill-advised ‘no drinking’ resolution.

page four

news BRUM DEBUT FOR FOLK-PAINTER The first UK exhibition by folk-inspired artist Clare Rojas will be launching in Birmingham next month.

City centre gallery Ikon, in oozells Square, will host the collection by the San Francisco-based painter and print-maker from February 3. her work is characterised

by flat areas of colour and a homespun style. her paintings will form centrepieces in a larger installation that is the entire exhibition, with the gallery walls covered by a patchwork of painted panels. kon’s tower Room will contain paintings on antique banjos, drawing together Rojas’ mu-

sical and literary interests.

A concert is also planned to combine with the exhibition opening, featuring Rojas performing songs under her alter-ego Peggy honeywell.

We They, We They, the new exhibition by Clare Rojas runs from February 3 to March 21.

See www.ikon-gallery.co.uk.

Visitors to Birmingham’s Cafe Ikon will be able to enjoy free live music as they dine every Wednesday throughout January.

Between 7-9pm, Birmingham based guitarist and composer, Jamie Fekete will be playing flamenco and gypsy jazz guitar. Fekete tours with tG Collective and The destroyers, and teaches extensively.

Cafe Ikon, which is part of Ikon Gallery in oozells Square, re-launched in September with a new menu following a refurbishment.

Ever fancied trying your hand at DJing for a room full of happy clubbers?

Well, now you can - for two songs at least.

Music For The People (M4tP) is a new sort of club night, aimed at those who want to have direct control over the music being played.

Following a successful first night in december, M4tP will be going monthly from January 15, upstairs at The Victoria in John Bright Street, Birmingham.

Clubbers get to choose two songs of their own to play,

any era and any genre, on Cd, vinyl, or plucked from the giant jukebox.

Promoter Rich, AKA dJ Bees, said the night was inspired by the long running People’s Republic of disco club in Brixton.

“The concept is simple,” he said. “every person that comes along to the night brings with them their favourite two tunes on either Cd or vinyl. All the music gets given a ticket number, with the next tune to be played being decided by a number drawn out of a hat as the

MOSELEY SNEAK

CHESNEY HAWKED CUSTARD DINING

FREE MUSIC FOR GALLERY DINERS

The latest addition to Moseley’s shopping scene, Mojo Sneakers, has opened its doors.

The store in St Mary’s Row offers ‘urban retro’ clothing and will be unveiling the hottest in sneaker fashion.

Strawberry Tree, 2009, by Clare Rojas

EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE THE DJ

Ironic gig-goers alert, student favourite Chesney hawkes will be taking to the stage in Wolverhampton for a special acoustic show.

‘The one and only’ will be at The Little Civic on February 19. tickets £10.

A new restaurant and bar has opened for business on the former Rooty Frooty’s site in digbeth’s Custard Factory. Matthew’s of Birmingham is now taking bookings after a successful launch last month.

night progresses.

“This ensures that a huge variety of music is played, meaning that the night doesn’t get defined by a single genre, the emphasis is just on having a good time and dancing to your favourite tunes.”

“We will play anything and everything, from rock and indie to dance, techno, drum & bass, pop, reggae, ska or soul. We don’t care about the label a particular track has been given, we just care about good music.”

M4tP is free on January 15 and February 12.

TOP BOMBING

Remix kings 2ManydJs have been added to the bill for this year’s Snowbombing festival. They join the likes of editors, Friendly Fires and Vitalic for the Austrian snow and music showpiece, running from April 5-10.

news

DANGERFIELD DAY

GUILLEMOTS FRONTMAN RETURNS WITH DEBUT SOLO ALBUM AND HOMECOMING LIVE SHOW

B

irmingham-born musical virtuoso FYFe dANGeRFIeLd returns to his home city this month to showcase tracks from his debut solo album.

The Guillemots frontman and classically trained multi-instrumentalist will perform at The Glee Club in The Arcadian on January 18 as part of a mini-tour to accompany the release of Fly Yellow Moon on Geffen UK on

the same day.

The album was written by Fyfe in snatched moments over a 12-month period and recorded in just five days, produced by Adam Noble in Urchin Studios, London, where Guillemots recorded breakthrough eP I Saw Such Things In My Sleep. he met up with ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler to mix a couple of songs on a 1960s mixing desk but the rest of the tracks

remained as they were from the first recording session. “It often sounded best this way,” said Fyfe.

“Capturing the moment

the were recorded and not being painted over too much.”

Tickets are £11. See the album review on p23.

S ’ M A H G N I BIRM best bands of THE decade As a new decade begins, there has been plenty of reminiscing on the one just gone. Bloggers, Twitterers, Facebookers and Brummie music-lovers in general have been getting stuck in themselves, casting a teary-eyed glance over the best bands to emerge from the West Midlands over the past 10 years, through an online debate led by The Blue Whale Blog. The scores have been totted up and Brum Notes Magazine can now reveal your top 10...

#10: MISTY’S BIG ADVENTURE

“Whimsical, thought-provoking lyrics, with a vocal delivery reminiscent of the Divine Comedy,” explains fan Steve Bridgeman. “They’re certainly the most glamourous band on the list, with lovely ladies on keys, sax and trumpet, and an Erotic Volvo – whatever one of those is – on dancing duties.”

#9: THE BIG BANG

JP White, ex-The Gravity Crisis and Silversuit says: “Frighteningly intimidating on stage, sound as a pound off it, these were by far the best live act of the list, and certainly for their first two years were top of the tree.”

#8: MR NOBODY

“Hands down the best live band I have ever seen,” says Liam Cole of Kidnapper Bell. “Their sound can be described a product of their wide range of influences, however at their core a superb songwriter in the form of James Brough. A sad loss that these guys are no longer playing gigs together.”

#7: Tantrums

“At present the city is a bit dry of real great songs in consistent supply, but these don’t have one dud in their set,” says JP White.

#6 Miss Halliwell

Vitriolic blogger Jeff Stuka says: “Personnel changes have been many over the years but the musical ambition and creativity of Matt ‘Miles Perhower’ remains constant and their profile continues to grow.”

#5: UNTITLED MUSICAL PROJECT

“Trying not to be biased when talking about Brum bands can be tough,” says music promoter Matt Beck from This Is Tomorrow, “but I feel with all the bands on this list I would go and buy their music regardless of where they were from. I first bought an UMP 7in in Brighton not knowing they were based in Brum and have loved them since. Shouty, screamy, often raucous and ramshackle with songs that were over in the blink of an eye. They were Brum’s best punk band and are sadly missed.”

#4: CALORIES

Sunset Cinema Club’s Greg Haines says: “If you’ve never been in a crowd shouting ‘Everything is beautifuuUUL-IN-IIIITTTTSSSOWN-WAY!’ then you don’t know anything about Birmingham bands and need to sort it out ASAP. “Calories are to this scene what Darth Vader is to Star Wars, there’s just something awesomely simple and intimidating about their current set of massive pop songs.”

#3: My Dad Hitla / I Am Zeitgeist

“The ingenuity of Radiohead, the anger of The Clash, the awkwardness of Nirvana, the almost believable pseudo-mystique of The Beatles, a singer that may have believed he was Jesus at some point, a guitarist with a death-wish discharging himself from hospital with a broken back, a bassist that could smoke Bob Marley under the table and a drummer who was driven to near-insanity hanging around with the other three – My Dad Hitla were complete madness permanently on the verge of true genius,” says Andy Roberts, of The Blue Whale Blog.

#2: SUNSET CINEMA CLUB

Designer Pete Stanley from ThePlasticAshtray.co.uk says: “It’s hard not to get excited about Sunset Cinema Club; awesome musicianship, quirky, individualistic approach to their own music and they remind me so much of The Minutemen. I think great bands all have the same way of looking at music and playing gigs. I’ve never seen them play a bad show or not smile while they are playing. They must be the only band I’ve seen who don’t take themselves too seriously.”

page seven

#1: 35 seconds Back to Greg Haines from SCC to describe their appeal, in his own unique way: “I followed them as a fan and I played for them as a fan,” he explains.

“You couldn’t find a more eclectic mix of characters in any band; it’s a miracle that they ever sat down and wrote anything together, but the end result was obviously what 35 Seconds were all about. Not many bands can juggle ‘forward thinking’, ‘epic’, ‘heartfelt’ and ‘choruses’ without folding up into their own arse holes but 35 Seconds achieved just this with every single song. The fact that they were never snapped up by a label of any kind is a good case for having the entire music industry sent to a concentration camp to keep them from spreading their idiot genes any further into the Compiled by Andy Roberts of www.bluewhalestudios.wordpress.com. populace.”

page nine

goodnight lenin Rollicking folk, tight-knit harmonies and olde worlde charm. Isn’t that all a bit 2009? Not so, according to Birmingham’s new boys on the alt-acoustic block Goodnight Lenin, who have been weaving a web of intrigue to start the new year. And look out, they’re coming to a kitchen near you.

mingham scenesters out of kitchens, just be a band away from comparisons We have a lot to thank there, then there is a reaand have a bit of a party.” to Fleet Foxes when we YouTube for - dogs on son for that. Goodnight The harmony-soaked do harmonies. I don’t skateboards, fat kids Lenin are, for the most modern folk of Goodpersonally like Mumford on roller coasters and part, a new incarnation of night Lenin has earned & Sons that much, which an endless supply of indie-rock nearlymen The inevitable comparisons is strange when people softcore titillation for Allies, who’s split saw with the likes of radio say we are so similar. bedroom-bound teenfour ex-members reunitdarlings Mumford & “Elvis Perkins is the main aged boys. ing and remoulding into Sons and American guy for me.

But beyond all that it four-fifths of the melodic beard-lovers Fleet Foxes, “I listen to some albums has proved a valuable beast that is Goodnight while raising a cynical and say ‘I want to do stomping ground for new Lenin. eyebrow or two from something along those bands keen to show off onlookers who have oblines,’ and people expect their live capabilities. For But the modesty of the new band’s DIY kitchen served a marked change it to be Fleet Foxes and Birmingham band Goodvideos belies a burning in sound from The Allies Mumford & Sons, but night Lenin, a simple it’s definitely Elvis recording of them Perkins in Dearsinging acoustically land. in their kitchen has Hopefully those videos will be the rare footage “Obviously after had an almost viral The Allies it helps effect on their burin years to come if we get to the level where that we already geoning popularity, people are interested in rare footage.” are involved in the creating whispers music scene and a of excitement from lot of people throw many would-be fans ambition to deliver their to Goodnight Lenin. things to us to help us before they had even seen music on a much grander But John insists they which is great and people them set foot on stage scale. draw their influences are hearing us and people under their new guise.

“Hopefully those videos from beyond the obvicoming out who we’ve “Originally it just came will be the rare footage in ous comparisons and the never spoken to which is from me and John Joe years to come if we get to band are determined to a good sign.

(McCreedy, mandolin, the level where people are carve out a reputation of “We didn’t want to rush violin and vocals) on our interested in rare foottheir own. anything out and the own just playing guitars age,” continues John.

“We split up for about a kitchen video showed and we just sat up on “We did the kitchen vidyear after The Allies and what it’s all about which the side playing and one eo and we’ve been getting when we got together is music stripped to its of the lads there filmed just a ridiculous number again we wanted to bare bones. it,” explains vocalist and of offers just from that. sound a bit different,” he “Hopefully the plan is to guitarist John Fell.

“We’re playing at the continues.

“We are not record in March to do a “We liked it and said we Moseley Folk Festival in traditional folk. There is single and send that out wanted to do something September and that was folk in there, but with and show people that a bit different and so just kind of the minimum we just a bit more of an we’re marketable.” did it again one night wanted to achieve.

We’re American influence, with •Goodnight Lenin support after a few drinks.” going to keep January Dylan and Elvis Perkins. First Aid Kit at The RainIf they look familiar to fairly free and play a lot “We are not going to get bow on February 22. the more eagle-eyed Bir-

“

page ten

RETURN OF THE MACCS

After conquering 2009 with one of the albums of the year and hailed by some as one of Britain’s finest modern bands, The Maccabees could be forgiven for taking some well-earned time off.

But instead they will be storming into the new decade headlining next month’s Shockwaves NME Awards tour, with a soon-to-be-released 12 inch version of their unlikely collaboration with rap legend Roots Manuva in tow.

Guitarist Hugo White talks to Brum Notes Magazine about their year of triumph. with us. That sort of “Basically when we ou might not expect but. recorded No Kind Words didn’t happen, y’know, to see Roots Manu- In fact the track, a we got in touch with his we had this thing of it re-working of previous va and The Maccabees always being this hip hop management, blah blah single No Kind Words, on the same bill, let blah, no-one got through drum beat and it felt like sounds like it was always alone the same track.

Y

So on the face of it this unlikely collaboration in the November release of Empty Vessels may have sounded incongruous.

But both artists have a history of making things happen, and always on their own terms, so in reality it sounds anything

intended, with Orlando and Rodney coming on like slightly messed up messiahs over a tune that already had a driving, hip-hop drum beat.

“It was sort of weird,” recalls Hugo White, one half of the band’s sibling guitar team.

it would lend itself to that.

“And we all love Roots Manuva and I think Felix [White, brother and coguitarist] pounced upon that and tried desperately to get in touch with him to try and get him to come and do something

to us and about six months later or something we got a phone call from this guy and it was Roots Manuva, it was Rodney, on the phone, just like saying, what’s this song you wanna do?

“And then within a couple of weeks we did the

page eleven song, y’know?

“I think it’s interesting to do things like that and show that it does lend itself. And I think No Kind Words is in the same kind of vein as a lot of Roots Manuva stuff.”

The record will be released in physical 12 inch form on February 1, kicking off a busy month for the band as they take to the road for yet another headline tour, this time leading the likes of fellow indie darlings Bombay Bicycle Club, The Big Pink and The Drums on the annual NME Awards live carnival.

Clearly they’re not afraid of trying new things and their second record, Wall of Arms, is further testament to this. Although it has the same spirit, that same sense of abandon, as their debut Colour It In, Wall of Arms is much more atmospheric.

The same peaks, the same driving beats, but there’s something new there as well.

“We sort of felt we’d done a lot of that jaggedy, thin sounding music and we made a conscious effort to embed stuff more and have a bit more depth to everything,” explains Hugo.

Some of this depth comes courtesy of the Markus Dravs production. He’s performed the same trick for Bjork, the latest Coldplay album and that master piece of the soaring song, Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible. If that

difficult second album is sink or swim then Markus Dravs is the ever attendant lifeguard by the side of the pool.

“Markus was pretty amazing at helping,” Hugo continues.

“It was his call to get the brass section in and things like that really worked out.”

They’ve gone further for sure but they haven’t lost the essential essence of The Maccabees. It is just as sensitive, just as profound and has all the same urgency. A lot was expected of this album and that hasn’t been lost on them, something which is obvious from the attitude they took to the making of it.

“We wanted to sort of disappear a bit and not see anyone we knew so we got a house in Paris and did it in a small studio, which was amazing.

“We did the last record in London really, and we wanted to do this one where we didn’t see any of our friends and kind of separate ourselves. I mean, it doesn’t sound very Parisian and it doesn’t have much Parisian influence but we did it in Paris.

“It’s nice to be in a different place and not feel stuck in the same…it sort of changes your mindset.”

Whilst they clearly took the task in hand very seriously, they appear undaunted by any weight of expectation. Rather, it seems they enjoy the

Hugo White on stage at the O2 Academy Pic by Katja Ogrin

challenge and this is probably because everything they do is their own; they’re doing it as much for themselves as for anyone else. They don’t just write the songs, they design the covers and shoot the videos - manage the whole aesthetic - so the experience can’t help but feel personal.

“In some respects, it’s just as important as the music,” Hugo adds.

“If you’re doing the music then it’s important that you represent it; we’ve always thought it was important to keep it coming from within the band rather than just handing it over to an outside

person and saying, ‘do the artwork.’

“It’s just, really, making sure that it’s our thing.”

Words by Vyvian Raoul •The Maccabees headline the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour at the O2 Academy Birmingham on February 11.

•Empty Vessels, by The Maccabees featuring Roots Manuva is released as a 12 inch single on February 1. Available for digital download now.

page twelve

SUNSHINE HIT ME It’s more than four years since Shropshire-raised, Leeds-based dance-rockers THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND last invaded our stereos with their ahead-of-its-time blend of sharp guitars and club floor grooves. But while the musical landscape has shifted somewhat since their debut days, they are ready to return and sound as fresh as ever.

Well, well, well, where with it and we realised the bloomin’ hell have that meant a move to a big city.” you lot been?

After a near four year hiatus, The Sunshine Underground are back with their follow up to 2006’s Raise The Alarm, the ominously titled Nobody’s Coming to Save You. Presumably from the weather.

We caught up with lead singer Craig Wellington to see what the boys have been up to, and to find out what a group of Telford lads are doing flying the flag for Leeds-based music.

“Our drummer Matt came up years and years ago to a music college here in Leeds and we were still at home in Shrewsbury and Telford,” explains Craig.

“It was in the early stages of the band and we’d only written about two songs, but felt there was enough there to go

Not content with the Leeds label, journo hacks around the country have bandied the group around in the same breath as The Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand.

“I guess when we came out, they were just the bands that were selling records I guess,” continues Craig.

“I’ve always thought that we did our own thing really. I can understand Franz Ferdinand a little bit, as they have got that slight club sound to some of their songs, but that’s where it ends. As for the Kaisers, I can’t see it really.”

Carving out their own niche shouldn’t be too much of a stretch considering the diverse, punky, funky grooves that have become

synonymous with TSU, grooves that are still present on the new album.

“It’s definitely a progression, that’s why it took so long.

“We just wanted to make an effort to make sure it sounded different from the first record.

“There are heavier moments, quieter moments, sort of a mixed bag really.

It always sounds like us,

but hopefully us going into new directions.”

And while these new directions have been pursued, the four of them haven’t exactly been sitting around twiddling their thumbs.

A real effort has been made to keep fans involved, or, as Wellington puts it, simply to “make sure people know we’re still out there, making a record!”

This process has involved leaking tracks in various stages of completion via the band’s Myspace throughout the year, and asking fans where they wanted the band to tour. The group also recently posted an acoustic video of new track In My Arms on their website. Stripped back and exposed, the idea was to leak the songs without giving everything away. The little teases.

“We do all that stuff ourselves and we really enjoy it. Facebook’s a big one for us too, and we’ve just started out on Twitter. It’s good to get involved with the fans.

When we were putting

a tour together, we let them come forward with places to play and stuff, and we’d never really had that interaction before.”

But now, after they’re at last back in the world of albums, reviews and collaborations, who would TSU borrow to rival the cheeky little pinching of Johnny Marr by fellow Yorkshire-ites the Cribs?

“Graham Coxon. He’s just a legend. We’ll have him. Or Thom Yorke. We could have a superband!

Get loads of them in.

If you do an interview with him any time, send him over. Tell him we’re up for that. It’s an open door!”

We will Craig. We will.

Words by Tom Pell.

• The Sunshine Underground’s second album Nobody’s Coming To Save You is released on February 1 through City Rockers/ EMI. Read the review on P24.

• The band play the Coventry Kasbah on February 13.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

page fifteen

Manchester trio DELPHIC are ready to unleash their stunning debut album Acolyte, a devastating blend of epic guitars and infectious dance beats. Get ready for the sound of 2010.

Exclusive pictures by Steve Gerrard.

orget about the F dreaded seconda l b u m - s y n d ro m e,

sensibilities of some of their more guitaroriented influences. for epic dance-pop The chugging guitars pioneers Delphic it of Doves and the beats seems their debut and production values has been difficult of Chemical Brothers, dancefloors of the enough.

Not that you’ll hear Hacienda and the pop too many complaints melodies of Hot Chip mind. The band openly can all be heard creeping admit recording hotly into what is an engaging anticipated debut Acolyte album. has been something of But this is no derivative wannabe record, it’s an an “arduous” process.

But it has certainly been original creation which worth the wait as they wears its influences have produced what is proudly on its sleeve, but sure to be one of the moves them on to create album’s of 2010, despite something fresh and it only being January, hopefully lasting for the blending the influences new decade. of the 90s rave scene With the album all with the post-punk wrapped up and ready

for its January 11 launch, synth-slinger and vocalist Richard Boardman insists they are itching to get out and show what they can do in the live arena as well.

“The album was quite an arduous process but now that’s all done we’re just ready and raring to go,” he explains.

“We all live in a flat together in Manchester and we’d written most of it there and some of it in the Lake District and then we thought: ‘lets go and record it.’

“We’d done most of it ourselves in a little studio in our flat but we wanted to record some of the live stuff properly so we went into a studio.

“Quite arrogantly we thought we could do it ourselves without a producer but we were quite taken aback and it was more difficult than we thought.”

Having taken the decision to bring in

support from an outside producer, the move proved trickier than expected, even when working with some of their own personal heroes.

“We did something with the Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands but that didn’t work out, Paul from Orbital but that didn’t work out either, we went round a few producers.

“We had all known each other for so long and had this core group of three and it was difficult to let anyone else into that group.

“Chemical Brothers are heroes of ours and we couldn’t even let them into the group.

“Luckily we got put in touch with Ewan Pearson and he helped us realise the final stages.

“It was arduous but brilliant as well and really good fun learning how everything worked.

“It was very weird –

these are people that have had an influence on our record and we look up to but at the same time we’re trying to look forward and sometimes working with your heroes isn’t necessarily the best thing to do.

“What they had done was brilliant but it was still difficult letting someone else into the group. I think one of the difficulties was they are primarily creatives and songwriters as well.

What we needed was someone who wasn’t necessarily a songwriter.

“Ewan was brilliant as he’s more a DJ and remixer so he let us be the songwriters.”

Working with Ewan, a Berlin-based producer and DJ, inevitably meant trips to Germany’s capital of cool and the chance to explore the city’s unique dance music scene.

“He’s got a studio in Berlin and we recorded quite a lot of it out there

in Berlin,” continues Richard.

“It was really fun, a lot of that Berlin techno sound seeped into the record and we got to go to a lot of cool techno clubs as well.

“We’d finished most of it toward the middle of the summer and took a bit of a breather from it to have that space to not listen to it and then come back to it and make little changes. One of the tracks Acolyte is the focal point, the whole album

was based around that, it was this 10 minute epic instrumental and was a real bastard to write.

“To finish it was really exciting but relief was probably the most overriding feeling. We’re just itching to get it out there.”

It is Delphic’s ability to blend the genres of guitar and dance music which has earned them attention from many quarters and Richard admits it was a conscious decision to try and create

page seventeen a unique sound of their own.

“It’s what we always set out to do,” he explains.

“We’d all been in bands before where we’d done slightly more indie stuff, we all really liked Radiohead, and it had probably gone a bit pedestrian indie, 18 and trying to get a record deal and just trying to satisfy other people.

“Strangely, my dad’s a lawyer and, he doesn’t play them, but he has a collection of vintage

synths so we got some of them and bought a few extra bits of gear ourselves. We’d always been into dance music as kids but we got swept away with guitars when The Strokes came along so we wanted to go back to what we were always into.

“Matt’s got a wicked guitar sound and always had that big, epic, postrock sound with loads of pedals and combining that with electronic music was always the plan, to create these big, epic soundscapes.”

Translating these “epic soundscapes” to the live stage is another string to Delphic’s electro bow and the band are looking

forward to being able to perform material which they hope will be more familiar to the audiences on this month’s headline tour, following hot on the heels of the album launch.

Not that they are strangers to the big stage, having toured with the likes of Orbital and performed at festivals around the world, but touring their own album will be a completely fresh challenge.

“We mess around with the set lots and it’s all joined together with a full band so we kind of play along with the arrangement loads, it’s really good fun.

“It’s hard when people

don’t know them and we mess around with tunes but once the album is out there it will be good fun to do that.

“They are all good. It’s really good fun to play on a huge stage, in Japan we played in front of about 8,000 people and then we came back playing in a small, sweaty club which was equally good if not better.

“The gigs are geared towards a big rave so it really suits a really intimate, small set-up but on the other hand it really suits big stadiums as well. It’s like two different worlds.”

Words by Sean O’Muir

• Acolyte, the debut album

by Delphic is released on January 11.

• They play at the Little Civic in Wolverhampton on January 20.

live

page twenty-one PRAM Vivid, Digbeth Dec 11

YEAH YEAH YEAHS O2 Academy, Birmingham Dec 9

When the Yeah Yeah Yeahs come to town it is more than just a live concert, it is a psychological kaleidoscope of colour and music.

And that is exactly what came crashing into Birmingham’s 02 Academy in front of a sellout crowd.

The New York three-piece, Karen O, Nick Zinner and Brian Chase, hit the city hard playing tracks off their recently released album It’s Blitz! as well as a few old favourites.

And despite a slow start, the band fly through classics such as Phenomena, Gold Lion, Y Control and an incredible stripped-down version of love song Maps.

In fact the only time the band slow down is to allow the iconic and sometimes delirious Miss O, to indulge in several outfit changes.

Along with some of the favourites were newer songs such as the 80s synth-pop inspired Heads Will Roll, Skeletons, Dull Life and Zero, all from It’s Blitz!

The album, produced by Dave Sitek and Nick Launay, has been described as a glance backward as well as a step forward for the band.

While the album does feature heavily on synth sounds and atmospheric washes rather than overdriven guitars the songs mix effortlessly with those from Fever To Tell and Show Your Bones.

Where the previous albums were out-and-out thrilling It’s Blitz! is thrilling in a more drawn out and experimental way.

Every song the band plays, whether new or old, goes down incredibly well with a very loud, appreciative and loving crowd.

And it’s a very hard thing not to love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when the band themselves look as if they’re having so much fun doing what they do.

Words: Rommy Stelfox Pics: Katja Ogrin

After 10 years of Capsule events, who can help celebrate better than home grown Brummies Pram?

Equipped with a clarinet, trombone, thumb piano and other trinkets, Pram are ready to take us to their world.

Smoke fills the room and the audience begins to wonder what’s next. Backing visuals imitate a live seance, while harsh crackles and an accordion are thrown into the intense mix. The high pitched, ghostly theremin sends shivers down spines, as though spirits are rising in this now acute venue.

Flashes of images and emotionless masks add a subliminal experience to an alien sound, creating both confusion and delight.

Merging stirring jazz, western, electro, salsa and Indian music, Pram really know how to surprise. Even old tracks such as Metaluna have changed arrangements, while Sam Owen shows off her talent during Cinnabar by switching between glockenspiel, keyboard, clarinet and flute within seconds.

A new track, featuring a vibraphone and Sam’s gentle hums, explores the feeling of sadness. With images of the sunken Titanic and emotional faces, it seems that Pram have matured since their soundtracks to children’s nightmares.

They now invoke the reality of tragedy, leaving the audience astonished and tearful with the outcome.

Words: Ross Cotton

page twenty-two Pic: Katja Ogrin

GOODNIGHT LENIN, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath Dec 8

WHITE LIES 02 Academy, Birmingham Dec 5

Just like the iconic indie frontmen of the 1980s, Harry McVeigh didn’t give away much tonight. Even during their big moments Farewell to the Fairground and To Lose My Life - he seemed unmoved and stood on stage like a modern messiah - your own personal Jesus - legs apart, shoulders set wide and one fist clenched behind his back.

All this confidence made it easy to see how this would work in a stadium.

During A Place To Hide comparisons to The Killers came easily - and maybe this makes it a mite middle of the road. Then again, all

clad in black they looked like musical mercenaries, guitars for hire, and, at times, it didn’t seem like they were playing instruments so much as brandishing weapons.

Aptly, the last song of the encore - and the whole tour it emerged - was Death.

For the first time all night a huge grin cracked across McVeigh’s face as he beat a fist against his chest and implored the throng, ‘you sing it!’ A completely unnecessary appeal; they were already echoing his every utterance with full voice, rapt and adoring. In this peak, this petit mort, all the earlier swagger was vindicated and, when it had finished, the crowd lay back, sweaty and exhausted but completely satisfied.

Words: Vyvian Raoul

Out of the ashes of The Allies, come a Northfield five piece that are as far away from the unfortunately infamous concrete streets of the south Brum constituency as you may expect, sonically speaking.

The grimey city sounds typically associated with the locale such as Tantrums and Scarlet Harlots are bypassed in favour of a more earthly patter coloured with chimes of mandolin and pure, micro precision four part harmonies.

Think Band of Horses performing Simon and Garfunkel tunes, in fact, a version of Cecilia is given a robust airing that envelops the room in a warm, melancholic glow. Another cover, Kings of Leon’s Four Kicks is given a subdued melodic makeover, but falls short as arguably the weakest number of the set. Yes it displays a creative approach to reworking the song, but it’s Goodnight Lenin’s own songs that really illustrate a flair for captivating the ears.

Crook In The Creek and Wenceslas Square, currently doing the rounds on YouTube, mesmerise the audience and convince us all that their craftsmanship and conviction is both solid and accessible enough to connect with the masses – Mumford & Sons, you had better watch out.

From a local perspective, there has not been a native band in a long time gracing

the hallowed stages of Birmingham that have sounded so immediate and (almost) ready to shift units on a large scale. All this without compromising the integrity of the art – given time they might just become our Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Words: Andy Roberts

COPY HAHO The Victoria, Birmingham Dec 14

“Where can we go for a party afterwards?” asked Copy Haho repeatedly, seemingly itching to get out and enjoy Birmingham’s nightlife. Alas, it was a cold, wet Monday night so they had to make do with the mini-party that heralded the return of pioneering promoters This Is Tomorrow.

Despite a somewhat disappointing turn out, those that braved the weather enjoyed a night to remember.

Hold Yr Horse Is made an incredible amount of noise for a three piece and were full of charm between songs. Likewise, Copy Haho continued the charm offensive and were determined to inject some party spirit into the room, no doubt buoyed by the Jagermeister they were slugging on the stairs.

Like Pavement with a Scottish drawl, they delivered powerful chunks of geek rock. The angular Wrong Direction and energy of Pulling Push Ups were highlights and bode well should the promised debut album emerge.

Words: James Collins

page twenty-four

records DELPHIC Acolyte

(Chimeric/Polydor)

You won’t find many ‘hot tips for 2010’ lists that don’t feature Delphic in there.

And for very good reason. Their long-

CHEW LIPS

awaited debut is sure to still be in the running come December when it is time to reflect on the albums of the year.

Refreshingly, it is a ‘proper’ album. At a time when the single is king, Delphic have worked hard to create an album that needs to be listened to in its entirety. The singles

The indie-guitar and dance hybrid may sound oh-so-trendy, but it is an earnest and convincing record that goes beyond the current clamour for synths. It’s Mancunian influences are clear, from the Hacienda haze to the celebrated guitar bands to emerge, but Delphic are going the right way about carving a reputation of their own.

THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND Nobody’s Coming To Save You

Unicorn

(City Rockers)

(Family)

We’ve been banging on about Chew Lips here at Brum Notes Magazine for quite a while now and this exhilarating debut album proves why.

A rollercoaster of electronic popperfection, with the hook-laden, distinctive vocals of Tigs weaving

are certainly there, with tracks such as the excellent Hot Chipesque Doubt and the majestically twinkling trance-inspired This Momentary.

Less radio friendly but equally engaging is title track Acolyte, a nine-minute, largely instrumental epic, summing up the album’s peaks and troughs with its sweeping take on 90s house.

tales that flit between sexy and sinister, underpinned by a cacophony of swirling synthesisers and danceable electronic beats.

With a clutch of killer choruses on future pop classics such as Slick and Karen, the album also boasts tender moments such as album-closer Piano Song, booming basslines on Toro and the slowed-down euphoria of Gold Key. Sassy, sharp and stylish.

Continuing the indie-dance theme showcased on Delphic’s debut, fellow genrebenders The Sunshine Underground return after a four year absence with their long-awaited second album.

And they are certainly pulling no punches,

delivering a knock-out, relentless record of pounding rock.

It starts off in style with the excellent Coming To Save You and immediately rolls into the psychedelic mantra of Spell It Out, before future single We’ve Always Been Your Friends continues the winning groove formula. It’s a breathless opening and while the rest of the album doesn’t quite maintain the standards, it is a welcome return.

page twenty-five

FYFE DANGERFIELD music, performing jazz or writing killer pop songs for his main band. But in between all of this he has somehow find the time to write and record a solo album, and what a blessing that he has.

Fyfe is back and he’s got soul. Album opener When You Walk In The Room is an excellent marker, with it’s stripped down, straining vocals. The breezy 60s harmony of So Brand New quickly changes the mood and THE TRAPS

the album is littered with everything from simple folk ditties to grand, orchestral arrangements.

The delightfully simplistic acoustic guitar tracks such as Livewire, showcase his folk sensibilities, nodding towards influences of contemporaries such as Richard Burke.

But it is the ambitious layers of euphoric pop which are the most successful, with tracks such as Faster Than The Setting Sun and the emotion-fulled She Needs Me, in which LYKKE LI

Fyfe on his own most resembles Fyfe in his Guillemots role and prove to be the album’s highlights.

The rapid-fire, five day recording session was designed to capture the original essence of each of these tracks and the end result is a stroll through the musical mind of one of Birmingham’s most talented modern-day exports. It is an album of delicacy, intimacy and raw emotion, a charming collection of songs from a charming musician.

The Honey Drip

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Let’s Pretend That We’re

(www.the-traps.com)

(www.lykkeli.com)

(www.myspace.com/caloriesband)

A sexy, swaggering nugget of rock from Birmingham mainstays.

Underpinned by an infectiously simple piano riff and swooning harmonies. But don’t worry, it’s less Coldplay and Keane, more vintage Supergrass injected with some John Spencer groove.

It’s hard not to love Lykke Li - gorgeous, Swedish and blessed with a voice that could melt a heart of stone.

This stripped-down take on a classic is free of the saccharine sweetness of previous versions, turning it to a haunting, gut-wrenching song of angst.

Get a taste of Birmingham’s fourth best band of the decade (see p6) for free.

Think Weezer on steroids, with a delicious melody and an impossibly loud chorus that sits bolt upright and punches you right in the stomach when you least expect it.

Fly Yellow Moon (Geffen UK)

It’s hard to imagine that Fyfe Dangerfield has a lot of spare time on his hands. As well as fronting folk explosion Guillemots, who are already planning their third album, he gets stuck into a range of other projects whether its composing classical

GS! FREE SON Seeing as though it’s January, nobody has any money left and it is generally a pretty depressing month, we thought we’d give you a treat to help beat the New Year blues by pointing you in the direction of some of the hottest free tracks currently knocking around the internet.

Guilt-free music that won’t cost you a penny!

Any freebies of your own that you want to share, then email your suggestions to: info@brumnotes.com.

CALORIES Older

The New remixes by Zoned Out & G-Corp of the track ‘R GENERATION’

Taken from “THE PRESSURES OF LIFE,” the new album from XOVA. AVAILABLE NOW ON iTUNES Or Mail order from: WWW.XOVALIVE.COM WWW.MYSPACE.COM/XOVALIVE

XOVA silers Indi- Reggae Fu

gham

Live from Birmin

LIVE

ANUARY 2010 FRIDAY 8TH J HOUNDS THE HARE & H , KINGS HEAT D R R E T S E C L A BIRMINGHAM RANCE ONLY £3 ENT

Every Monday is : Broken Amp- open acoustic evening. Local acts showcased every Monday.

Every Tuesday fortnightly: (12th + 26th) Highway 61 Blues Club. Hosted by Maz Mitrenko, open electric Jam. All musicians welcome.

JANUARY LISTINGS: Friday 1st: DJs playing Northern Soul, funk and rare grooves.

Saturday 2nd: Tricks ‘n’ Licks Wednesday 6th: Chaos acoustic club final gig !

Friday 8th: Punkybeats presents 3 live bands Saturday 9th: 360 + BSN4:20 (SKA/Reggae) Sunday 10th: Kataleptic + Malacite metal night.

Tuesday 12th: Highway 61 blues club - electric jam, musicians welcome Wednesday 13th: Kid Conventional + Imprint Zero + The James Lewis Band Thursday 14th: ‘Love Music, Hate Racism’ charity gig. 5 live bands , see website for details Friday 15th: The Jam DRC Saturday 16th: Tom Peel and friends Sunday 17th: Open Xpress open poetry afternoon, 3pm start Thursday 21st: ‘INcoming’ student band showcase Friday 22nd: Tarantism + Alcohol Licks Saturday 23rd: tbc Thursday 28th : Loop Promotions presents Friday 29th: “Pressure Drop” Tempting Rosie club night (Ska) Saturday 30th: Henry’s Children The Adam and Eve, Bradford St, Birmingham B12 0JD 0121 693 1500

page twenty-seven

gig guide THE REGION’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE MONTHLY GUIDE TO GIGS OF ALL SIZES

PICK OF THE MONTH:

Want your gig or club night listed in our monthly guide?

Send details to: info@brumnotes.com All details correct at time of going to press.

Check with venues before setting out.

For latest information and ticket details visit: www.brumnotes.com.

While every effort will be made to ensure the accuracy of listings, Brum Notes Magazine will not be held liable for any errors or losses incurred from errors which may materialise.

Be good kids.

GIGS 1. FYFE DANGERFIELD, Jan 18, Glee Club, Birmingham Guillemots frontman branches out with a hometown solo show.

Tickets £11, www.glee.co.uk.

2. DELPHIC, Jan 20, Little Civic, Wolverhampton Manchester indie dance trio showcase material from their stunning debut album in a brand new, intimate venue. Tickets £7, www.wolvescivic.co.uk.

3. WAY TO BLUE: THE SONGS OF NICK DRAKE, Jan 23, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry Artists including Vashti Bunyan, Scott Matthews and Lisa Hannigan present modern reworkings of the legendary songwriter’s work. Tickets £17.50-£27.50, www.warwickartscentre.co.uk.

4. THE LATE EIGHTIES, Jan 23, O2 Academy 3, Birmingham Tight-knit power pop from Birmingham four-piece.

Tickets £5 adv, www.ticketweb.co.uk.

5. LED BIB, Jan 27, The Rainbow, Digbeth Mercury-nominated jazz band renowned for their live performances.

Tickets £4, www.birminghamjazz.co.uk.

CLUB NIGHTS 1. TOTAL CARNAGE Jan 15, Custard Factory Rave across three arenas, with more than 30 artists and 20 MCs. Advance tickets £10.

2. M4TP Jan 15, The Victoria Be the DJ for the night, with revellers getting the chance to choose the songs. Free entry.

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: It’s pantomime season and of course there is an array of second-rate celebrities making their way to the Midlands for weeks and weeks of highly predictable entertainment. But a lot of people seem to love them, so here is the pick of the bunch. Squeaky-voice ‘comic’ Joe Pasquale and annoyinglyfaced miniature singer Ray Quinn will lead the cast of SLEEPING BEAUTY at the Birmingham Hippodrome until January 31. Evil old Paul Robinson from neighbours, aka Stefan Dennis - the voice behind 1989 hit Don’t It Make You Feel Good - will join The Krankies at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre for a production of CINDERELLA until January 25. In Lichfield, Aladdin will run until January 9 at the Garrick Theatre, while Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre stages Beauty and the Beast until January 9. The panto programme continues with Dick Whittington and his Cat, whatever that is, running at Stourbridge Town Hall Theatre from January 23 to 30 while continuing the feline theme, PUSS IN BOOTS is at Dormston Mill Theatre, Sedgeley, Jan 10 to 16.

3. STUPID UNDERGROUND Jan 30, Custard Factory Annual free January party with techno, drum n bass, dubstep and more. Free entry before 11.30pm.

BOOKING AHEAD BETH JEANS HOUGHTON & STORNOWAY Feb 17, The Glee Club £8.50, www.glee.co.uk

LOS CAMPESINOS! March 1, The Rainbow £9, www.seetickets.com

FIONN REGAN March 2, The Rainbow £8, www.seetickets.com BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE

May 16, O2 Academy £12.50, www.ticketweb.co.uk.

SATURDAY, JAN 2 THE LAMBRETTAS, THE UPPER FIFTH, RUDIE & THE REVOLVERS, J60, Sound Bar, Birmingham WEDNESDAY, JAN 6 LITTLE SISTER, Nicole’s, Birmingham THURSDAY, JAN 7 THE STICKY LABELS, O2 Academy 3, Birmingham IN FIELDS, ROZ BRUCE, SPARKY, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham CBSO: VIENNESE GALA, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton FRIDAY, JAN 8 ZOMBIE CLUB, Sound Bar, Birmingham THE MANHATTAN PROJECT, WE ALL NEED HEROES, LOVE KATE KILL GEORGE, HEADTRAP, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham SONS OF THE DESERT, LITTLE HOLLYWOOD, DAVID BALLARD, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham CARVALHO & THE EXTENDED FAMILY, YELITZA, KEIVIY, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath XOVA. Hare &

Hounds, Kings Heath SATURDAY, JAN 9 CBSO: NEW YEAR FROM VIENNA, Symphony Hall, Birmingham OLD IONS, EVENTUALLY, DINOSAUR JAM, The Flapper, Birmingham BARRY’S ATTIC, CASINO ZONE, THE SIEGE, JUNEAU BROTHERS, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham LUCID DREAM, JESUS DELUX, The Victoria, Birmingham

MONDAY, JAN 11 BELCEA QUARTET, Town Hall, Birmingham ISOLATED ATOMS, Kasbah, Coventry TUESDAY, JAN 12 OK GO, O2 Academy 3, Birmingham

WEDNESDAY, JAN 13 CBSO: BRAHMS AND SIBELIUS (matinee), Symphony Hall, Birmingham DON’T MOVE!, POLLY MACKEY NAPALM DEATH, & THE PLEASURE Wulfrun Hall, PRINCIPLE, The Wolverhampton Flapper, Birmingham KATIE DOVE THE MINNIKINS, DIXON, THE KTB, Kitchen Garden SIZZLING GYPSIES, Cafe, Kings Heath Kasbah, Coventry THURSDAY, JAN 14 SUNDAY, JAN 10 Merchants of ISOLATED ATOMS, Menace, Bite the I THEE LOTHARIO, Kerb, Diamond CORELLI, SEA Blakk, Silent FIELDS, The Jack, O2 Academy 3, Rainbow, Digbeth Birmingham LEWIS GARLAND CBSO: BRAHMS & THE KETT AND SIBELIUS, REBELLION, Symphony Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, Birmingham Coventry MOTHERLESS, SOUR MASH,

DYSPHORIA, AKRYA, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham THE INTERNATIONAL, CHE, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath FRIDAY, JAN 15 HENRY’S CHILDREN, PAN & THE POETS, THE GREAT WESTERN, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham RED LIGHT ROOM, A COLD NIGHT FOR..., THE MODERN, 1080, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham THE TRUCKERS, The Ropewalk, Birmingham THE UPPERS, LOW ORDERS, THIEVES LIKE US, The Rainbow, Digbeth RICKY COOL & THE HOOLA BOOLA BOYS, TC’s, Selly Oak SATURDAY, JAN 16 Vivian Girls, Veronica Falls, O2 Academy 3, Birmingham TERELLA, EZ & DJ BUZZWORD, FIGURE ONE, KABUKI, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham THIS BEAUTIFUL THIEF, CAJOLECAJOLE, THE CARPELS, The

Rainbow, Digbeth DON’T MOVE, LUCY ANNE SALE, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry THE INTERNATIONAL, ANDY & MIKE, Kasbah, Coventry SUNDAY, JAN 17 ROGUE STATES, LINER, NEIL WARD, The Yardbird, Birmingham THE A CAPPELLA ROGUES, PAUL RAHME, DAVID SOUL, The Custard Factory Theatre, Digbeth MONDAY, JAN 18 FYFE DANGERFIELD, The Glee Club, Birmingham

& ERIN MCKEOWN, The Glee Club, Birmingham LYU, BROOKE, LOSING STREAK, The Flapper, Birmingham JOHN MAYER, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton WEDNESDAY, JAN 20 Jamie T (Rescheduled), O2 Academy, Birmingham Breathe Carolina, O2 Academy 3, Birmingham XYU PRESENTS, THE MANHATTAN PROJECT, DIAMOND BLAKK, FAULT SOCIETY, The Victoria, Birmingham ROLO TOMASSI, SONI-QUELLA, The Flapper, Birmingham

DELPHIC, Little Civic, Wolverhampton ELIO PACE, The Robin 2, Bilston TUESDAY, JAN 19 Wolfmother, The Black Angels, O2 Academy, Birmingham ANAIS MITCHELL

THURSDAY, JAN 21 Sienna, Everybody Looks Famous, Third Way Forward, Dirty Mindz,

Hunger for Thirst, O2 Academy 3, Birmingham TSIEN, ...AND UPSTAIRS NURSES, HAERKEN, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham BLACK HEART GENERATOR, JAPANESE VOYEURS, The Flapper, Birmingham FRIDAY, JAN 22

WAITING, THE OWSLA, The Rainbow, Digbeth TEMPTING ROSIE, TC’s, Selly Oak SATURDAY, JAN 23 The Late Eighties, O2 Academy 3, Birmingham CBSO: ELGAR’S ENIGMA, Symphony Hall, Birmingham LP45, CAPITAL SUN, LITTLE L, The Flapper, Birmingham PAPER TIGERS, UNA ZUKI, PITSELEH, SEMISAPIEN, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham DANDELION KILLERS, Island Bar, Birmingham APOCALYPSE NOW PUNK FESTIVAL, The Swinging Sporran, Birmingham LITTLE SISTER, Tower of Song, Cotteridge SPOKEN WORD WITH HENRY ROLLINS, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton WAY TO BLUE: THE SONGS OF NICK DRAKE, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry HAUNTED BY HUMANS, Kasbah, Coventry

Kittie, It Dies Today, Forever Never, Malefice, O2 Academy 2, Birmingham PIT VIPERS, ROCKSALT, THE VINYL, SO CALLED ENEMY, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham BLACK DOLLAR BILLS, THE BLUEBEAT ARKESTRA, OPEN TO FIRE, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham JAKERS, The Ropewalk, Birmingham KATE GOES, ANARCHIST COOKBOOK, SONIC DELAYS, EAT Y’SELF PRETTY, Island Bar, Birmingham APOCALYPSE NOW PUNK FESTIVAL, The Swinging Sporran, SUNDAY, JAN 24 Birmingham NATIONS APOCALYPSE NOW

PUNK FESTIVAL, The Swinging Sporran, Birmingham THE RIVERS PRESLEY SET, DELTA MAID, ALEX MOIR, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath LIBERTY SLAVES, PSYCHO CIRCUS, LOVECHILD, The Robin 2, Bilston

Kings Heath

MONDAY, JAN 25

KUPOVTI, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham NUVRAX PRESENTS JAZZ & SOUL, The Ropewalk, Birmingham ANTHONY MILES, GET FRANK, PRE SLEEP MONOLOGUE, The Victoria, Birmingham CHILD ABUSE, DJ SCOTCH EGG, Island Bar, Birmingham HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, BULLET, ELLE DIABLO, The Rainbow, Digbeth THE STEVE GIBBONS BAND, The Robin 2, Bilston

Reel Big Fish, O2 Academy, Birmingham TOM PAXTON, Town Hall, Birmingham EVILE, Civic Hall Bar, Wolverhampton ROXANNE DE BASTION, Kasbah, Coventry TUESDAY, JAN 26 Twenty Twenty, O2 Academy, Birmingham ACOUSTIC SESSIONS HOSTED BY BEN DRUMMOND, The Jam House, Birmingham REAL ESTATE, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath WEDNESDAY, JAN 27 Iglu & Hartly, Politics, O2 Academy 3, Birmingham HOLLY WILLIAMS, Kitchen Garden Cafe,

LED BIB, The Rainbow, Digbeth THURSDAY, JAN 28

FRIDAY, JAN 29 JAN GARBAREK GROUP, Town Hall, Birmingham THE ARCADIAN KICKS, THE RULING CLASS, Sound Bar, Birmingham LOOCA, DEAN

JAMES, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham BROKEN WITT REBELS, ALLTHEMORE, THE MILITANTS, ESCAPE AVENUE, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham ZICO CHAIN, TO THE BONES, GANG ON GANG, The Flapper, Birmingham FREELANCE MOURNERS, The Rainbow, Digbeth THE REGGAELATORS, TC’s, Selly Oak EMILIE AUTUMN, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton SICUM, MEZZOTONIC, ROB CARVALHO, THE XTENDED FAMILY, The Public, West Bromwich ANTONIO FORCIONE, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry SATURDAY, JAN 30 All Time Low, The Blackout, Young Guns, My Passion Twin Atlantic, O2 Academy, Birmingham Municipal Waste, Victims, Violent Arrest, O2 Academy 2, Birmingham BARENBOIM PLAYS BEETHOVEN,

Symphony Hall, Birmingham VINNY & THE CURSE, AUROURA PLASTIC MONSTER, The Flapper, Birmingham CAPTAIN HORIZON, SENCE, THE NAKED YOUTH, DREAMERS NIGHTMARES, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham

MILES HUNT & ERICA NOCKALLS, Little Civic, Wolverhampton LLOYD MCGRATH, Kasbah, Coventry SUNDAY, JAN 31 HAMEL, The Glee Club, Birmingham TIFFANY PAGE, Sound Bar, Birmingham POET IN NEW YORK, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Kings Heath BUFFY SAINTEMARIE, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

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