Brun Notes Magazine - November issue

november 09

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

INCL U FULL DES GI LIST INGS G FO NOVE MBER R

get your teeth into

CHEW LIPS PLUS:

the next electro pop superstars?

IAN BROWN COSMO JARVIS ALICE IN CHAINS MEW WORLD OF FOX

PLUS! WIN!

MUSIC LIVE TICKETS! P5 FLIGHTS TO PRAGUE! P25 ER! P24

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Brum Notes Magazine: Issue 2, November 2009 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, Kenny Laurie, James Collins, Lyle Bignon, Matt Beck, Jose Jones, Simon Flynn Pictures: Katja Ogrin, Lucy Pryor, David Mo Website: Cellar Door Design Design: Andy Aitken 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: Nuggets of knowledge from around and about.

FEATURES 7: World of Fox Former post-rocker Simon Fox on his new acoustic adventure.

8: Alice in Chains The grunge superstars are back and eager to impress.

10: Ian Brown Monkeying around and spilling the beans on his new album.

11: Mew Find out if the Scandinavian epic rockers have anything

a-Mew-sing to say. Sorry.

12: Cosmo Jarvis Genre-bending teenager tells us about a kid called Frank who lives across the road.

14: Chew Lips Singer Tigs gets a bit lippy/ chews the fat/insert your own mouth-related pun.

REVIEWS 20: Live Bloc Party in Birmingham, Kings of Convenience in Coventry and Franz Ferdinand in Wolverhampton.

22: Records Who’s made the worst Christmas album, Bob Dylan

or Tori Amos? Actually they’re both ok.

FOOD AND DRINK 24: Festive indulgence and the chance to win free pies.

TRAVEL: 24: More festive indulgence, this time in other countries.

Plus, win free flights.

LISTINGS 27: Gig Guide Your comprehensive guide to gigs throughout November.

Plus tips on the best things to see and do so you don’t even have to think for yourself.

page four

news

£29m ARENA RELAUNCH MORE TOILETS, SUPER FAST BEER PUMPS AND SHEDLOADS OF TVS FOR SPRUCED-UP NEC CONCERT BOWL.

PARTY TIME!!

As offices across the

land get ready for overpriced, awkward and inevitably disappointing Christmas parties, we’ve decided to host our own...and you’re all invited!

So make your excuses to the boss, forget about that colleague from HR who you’ve been flirtatiously glancing at all year and get yourselves down to The Victoria on December 16 instead.

We’ll be cosily squeezed in upstairs at Brum’s finest boozer from 6pm till late, with a host of seasonal treats including free mulled wine, festive stories and scrumptious Christmas dinner pies.

And of course there’ll be music galore, with live sets from the likes of Scarlet Harlots, Is I Cinema and Little Palm, as well as a top secret headliner, plus some Crimbo DJ antics.

Early bird tickets are just £5 so get them quick from The Victoria or online at www.brumnotes.com.

Free pies with all tickets bought by November 30!

The newly named LG Arena has reopened at the NEC following its £29m redevelopment.

The venue, which can accommodate 15,700 concert-goers has been refurbished inside and out, with a new landmark tower, a 40 metre “living wall” shrubbery feature on the approach and an overhauled arena bowl.

Bosses are hoping the addition of a new pre and post-show entertainment area will also keep audiences at the venue for even longer than just a quick pint before the gig.

The space, named forumLIVE complete with slightly annoying combination of lower case and capital letters, includes 6,500 square metres of bars and restaurants and more than 100 digital screens.

Bars have been equipped with powerful beer pumps to pour six pints in seven seconds, while the addition of extra toilets is also aimed at cutting down on queues.

Visitors who want to avoid mixing with the normos can also upgrade to the Tower Deck, a private

bar overlooking the hoi polloi, while the prawn sandwich brigade can tuck in to grub from the Sanctum restaurant in an exclusive hospitality area, which includes private entertainment facilities for 100 privileged ticket holders looking out across the arena.

Phil Mead, director of arenas for the NEC Group, said the 18-month refurbishment programme would restore the arena to the “premier league” of UK venues.

“We have taken our visitors views into account in every step of the redesign process

and we know that they are going to be blown away as soon as they set foot inside,” he said.

With opening season now underway at the venue, a dizzying range of stellar stars will be appearing over the coming months including Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, Status Quo, UB40, Placebo and Deep Purple. James Morrison will be there as well.

• Visit www.lgarena.co.uk.

• Keep in touch with the latest show announcements at www.brumnotes.com.

news

THE VIC IS ONE

One of the finest additions to Birmingham’s nightlife scene in recent years, The Victoria in John Bright Street, celebrates its first birthday on November 13.

Expect sparkling birthday cocktails, discount drinks, prizes, balloons and an uber-cool DJ battle royale.

STAN SEASON

A series of Stanley Kubrick films will be on the big screen this month as part of a celebration of the late director’s work.

The Light House in Wolverhampton was due to kick off the Stanley Kubrick Retrospective with a special Halloween screening of The

It may seem way a long way off, but dates have been confirmed for next summer’s Moseley Folk Festival.

The annual event will return to the hidden surrounds of Moseley Park from September 3 to 5, 2010. Tickets were more in demand than ever this year, so watch this space for more details of next year’s festival.

It will be preceded by another musical gathering in Moseley Park next summer. Mostly Jazz runs on July 3 and 4, with acts including Polar Bear, The James Taylor Quartet, and Mercury nominees Led Bib already confirmed.

Meanwhile, folk festival organisers will be hosting their monthly Lunar Society event on November 6, featuring hotly-tipped glam folk songstress Beth Jeans Houghton (pictured) at the Hare & Hounds.

The six-venue Oxjam music marathon raised more than £3,000 for the charity. More than 450 fans turned out for a variety of performances on October 24.

EDITORS TOP THE CHARTS

TiT ARE BACK

Brum alternative promoters This is Tomorrow return to action on December 14 at The Victoria with Scottish alt rockers Copy Haho and twee folkster Boat to Row. More information at www.myspace.com/ thisistomorrowuk. And www. brumnotes.com too, while you’re there.

Chubb Buildings-based arts centre in Fryer Street from 8pm on November 5. It will be followed by the screening of Barry Lyndon, the tale of an 18th century gambler and social climber, showing from 7pm on November 12.

Tickets cost £5 and £3.80.

Call 01902 716055 or visit www.light-house.co.uk.

FESTIVAL FEVER

OXJAMMED

Last month’s cover stars and adopted Brummies Editors leapt straight to the top of the charts with their third album, the electronicainfused In This Light And On This Evening.

They will be embarking on a fresh headline tour next year, including a return to the new 02 Academy in Birmingham, on March 30.

See www.brumnotes.com for ticket details.

Shining on October 31, followed by two more film screenings during November.

The season will continue in November with 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon.

Award-winning sci-fi spectacular 2001: A Space Odyssey will be on at the

JOIN US AT MUSIC LIVE - FREE! The UK’s biggest musicmaking extravaganza returns to the NEC this month for its 10th anniversary.

More than 22,000 people are expected at Music Live which runs from November 6-8, featuring a host of stalls showcasing the very best in musical equipment, as well as live performances and masterclasses.

And there will be one

more notable addition to this year’s show - Brum Notes Magazine! We shall be displaying our wares on our very own stall so be sure to stop by and say hello and collect a goodie

bag. We’ve also got three pairs of free tickets up for grabs for the first people to email competitions@ brumnotes.com telling us how many years Music Live has been running.

page seven

WORLD OF FOX Former frontman of Birmingham post-rock pioneers Grover, Simon Fox, returns with his debut solo acoustic effort. Just don’t call it folk.

After 10 years at the forefront of Birmingham’s experimental music scene with post-rockers Grover, Simon Fox has certainly earned some quiet time.

But while his debut solo album Everything is for the Best, under his one-man moniker World of Fox, exhibits a gentler side to his music, it maintains an experimental drive.

Released on the fantasticallynamed Commercially Inviable Records label, it draws on a range of influences imbibed through nearly two decades of performing.

Despite an appearance at this year’s Moseley Folk Festival and a live set-up that includes little more than just an acoustic guitar and a banjo, Simon is reluctant to be lumped under the label of ‘folk music.’

“I think of myself as an alternative musician,” he explains.

“Other people lump me in with folk and acoustic music but I still think of myself as experimental.”

“I found I was listening to more and more acoustic stuff, but the stuff Grover were listening to like Mogwai, I was getting a bit bored of,” As for playing live, he admits it represents a different challenge to that of fronting a noisy, post-rock band.

“Playing solo is always scarier than playing in a band,” he says.

“Grover were always very loud and distortion oriented so any bum notes would be covered up by a bass player and drummer and

now it is all me.

“I used to dabble in solo stuff but it’s taken me a while to get comfortable with it.”

The record itself was all recorded at his Kings Heath home but still features a range of raw sounds and a variety of instruments.

Guitar, banjo, theremin, mandolin, percussion, keyboards, brass and woodwind all find their way onto the album.

“I tried to make quite an eclectic album, I’ve tried to mix it up a bit so it doesn’t all sound the same.

“The record is all me, but there can still be some quite big arrangements.

“It was about self-sufficiency. I’ve always been a bit of a control freak and it was just about channelling it without having to rely on anybody else.”

As well as pushing the new album, Simon still has a host of other musical projects in the pipeline, aimed at pushing his boundaries, including one particularly unexpected sideline.

“I’m also working on a collection of covers of 80s songs,” he explains.

“I wanted to do some covers and I realised all the ones I was thinking of were from the 80s.

“I’m not being cheesy, I’m trying to stick to the songs that specifically meant something to me.”

Words by Sean O’Muir.

• Everything is for the Best by World of Fox is out now on Commercially Inviable Records.

• Read the review on page 23.

page eight

Alice in Chains

They were one of the superstar bands of the Seattle grunge explosion in the early 1990s, selling more than 17 million albums. Now, against all odds, they’re back.

Reunions are all the rage these days, with everyone from Take That to, er...

Shed Seven, reforming to relive their glory days and rake in some extra cash.

But when former Seattle scene grunge heroes Alice in Chains reappeared on the musical horizon, it was far from the till-ringing brainwave of a boy band manager.

Beset by tragedy with the loss of ex-frontman Layne Staley to substance abuse in 2002, the band faced the unenviable task of replacing his unique vocals, a role now carried out admirably by William DuVall.

Now, 22 years after they first formed, Alice in Chains are touring again on the back of releasing their first studio album in 14 years, Black Gives Way To Blue.

“We financed the record ourselves so we didn’t have a record label, so we weren’t contractually obliged to get it out,” explains bassist Mike Inez. “When we did find a record deal they wanted to sit on it and do all the pre-marketing so we’ve been itching to get this out. We couldn’t be happier, it’s totally surprising to us. It’s a nice feeling to know that your fans are still there after all these years. We are very blessed by that and very humble.”

Speaking from Big Bear, a ski resort and mountain destination in California which Mike now calls home, he explains he relocated to the countryside at the earliest opportunity, having been born

and raised in LA and musically engulfed in Seattle.

“The first thing I did when I got some money was I left the city,” he says.

“I used to live in Seattle and I’ve got very good memories, it was a mind-blowing time for us all. For all the Seattle bands coming from nothing, it was huge and it was totally unexpected.

“We are still great friends with all of those people.

“It was a crazy time. We still maintain those friendships, especially within our own band. We are still best friends after all these years.”

As a band, they sadly lost a friend when singer Layne was found dead in his Seattle home, and Mike admits it was a tough job for anyone to step into his shoes.

“The only way [William] was going to win people over was face to face. On the three year tour we did, I was very proud of him. I remember looking over at him and he just had his chin out and was giving it his all.

“It was really nice to see him grow into it.

“He’s not ever trying to replace Layne, Layne was irreplaceable, but he has so much

respect for Layne’s work.

“There’s so much written about him and the drug abuse and the doom and gloom aspect but I’ve never heard a guy laugh more than Layne.

He was such a good spirit and a bright shining light and that’s what I miss about Layne so much, not even his vocals or being in a band with him, I just miss Layne, his laugh and being around him.

But he is with us spiritually.”

Word by James Collins.

•Alice in Chains play the O2 Academy Birmingham on November 13.

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Ian Brown has gone full circle with the release of his sixth studio album, having recorded it at Battery Studios where he and former band The Stone Roses made their seminal debut two decades ago.

IAN BROWN

But with his latest solo offering again attracting a fresh wave of critical acclaim, the iconic frontman has cemented his reputation as a vital musician in his own right.

As he prepared to hit the road on a full UK tour next month, Brown spoke about his most personal record to date.

“I feel it’s my best work, yeah, I certainly put the hours in,” he said.

“I started writing it about this time last year, not constantly, but on and off. We worked right through the winter, started recording it in early spring and finished it on July 7, so we’ve gone through all seasons.”

From the social commentary of previous LP The World Is Yours, Brown has taken a more introspective approach to My Way and Brown admitted it was a conscious effort to take a more “autobiographical” outlook on his writing, even addressing his Stone Roses days within the songs.

“We thought, right it’s gonna be a “My Way” album – I’m gonna write about my life in music. I’m gonna write about coming off the dole, going into music, what happened along the way-that was my brief.

“It’s not nostalgia to me, it’s my life and all things come around.

There’s a point to everything and everything comes around in a circle eventually.

“By nostalgia I mean repackaging, remastering, reselling, squeezing a lemon.

That made me think about the Roses, as I’ve never addressed them in songs before.

“It was easy – I feel great about the Roses, I don’t feel bad about it.”

As he prepares for another round of UK dates, despite a career of stellar tours, it is a festival appearance which stands out as a career high.

“Glastonbury 05 was probably my favourite show because it was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played to. It was pretty emotional and everyone was singing along. There were thousands of people bobbing up and down and we played really well that night.

“Usually I do a show, I feel great about it and the next day I’ve forgotten it. But one day, if I make it, when I’m 90 and I’m sat out in the back chair with my Filipino nurse putting a blanket over me, maybe I’ll think about when I played Nottingham Rock City on my birthday, or my first Brixton Academy, but Glastonbury’s the show that I think about every few weeks and think “Wow, that was ace”.

• Ian Brown plays at the O2 Academy Birmingham on December 18.

Words by Holly Wild

page eleven

MEW

It’s something of a cliché, but the musical landscape of post-Abba Scandinavia seems littered with dream-weaving, natureloving sounds of epic proportions.

And with their latest album, No More Stories, Danish outfit Mew provide yet another example of their own ability to craft shimmering beauty with heartfelt melodies on a grand scale.

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With such depth of sound it is easy to equate their music with their Nordic environs and the perceived beauty of their homeland.

But drummer Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen, insists they sometimes feel held back by being ‘boxed’ in with other Scandi-bands. “We sometimes feel that we are being kept out somehow, that seems to be the difficulty, when people put us in a box with other bands, but

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Dreamy art rockers Mew return to English shores with yet another criticallyacclaimed album in tow.

sometimes there’s really nothing we can do.

“But there seems to be some kind of Nordic touch to it, a bit of a dark thing maybe that we take in and we also add the brightness. We try to at least.”

Despite recording their third album largely in Brooklyn with producer Rich Costey (Glasvegas, Muse, NIN), it seems that home is where the heart is for Mew. “We are not very good at writing on the road,” continues Silas.

“We need to be focused in our own studio in Copenhagen, that’s where stuff happens.

“We lived a few years in London but we feel a little bit more relaxed [in Copenhagen]. It’s a small city and we have family and relatives and friends here and that means a lot as well.

“We needed to get back and get settled down.”

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“I also like Norway personally. I like the nature, I like to jump in the frozen cold waters and go in the mountains, all that stuff.

If there’s a chance and the coach isn’t in too much of a hurry I love to do that, it’s like being reborn coming up out of the water.

“You can catch fish and live out there at night, it’s great.

I really love the nature. We spend so much time in the cities, so the stuff in between is good.”

So, is he expecting to find the chance to get back to nature when they visit the urban landscape of Wolverhampton this month?

“We’ve been there before, I’m sure we can find some.”

Words by Sean O’Muir • No More Stories is out now.

• Mew are at the Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, on November 3.

page twelve

inside the head

of

cosmo jarvis Cosmo Jarvis is an interesting character.

You’d maybe expect a genre crossing, two disc extravaganza of an album complete with self-made music videos from a U2, a Muse, or a Metallica.

But a 19 year old, New Jersey born, do-ityourself musician from Devon? No, not so much.

Humasyouhitch/Sonofabitch is the debut album in question, one part pop ditty, one part introspective aggression, and boasts catchy hooks and depth a plenty.

Not bad to say he wrote, recorded and produced it all himself. In his bedroom.

On a 10-year-old pirate copy of Adobe Audition.

Your new album, Humasyouhitch/Sonofabitch – What’s the name all about? Humas??

The title? Well, it’s hum as you hitch...

Ohh....

(Laughs) Yeah, a lot of people have been thinking it’s an Albanian word or something. One day I was writing a song [Mel’s Song] walking home from Brixham, and I was hitchhiking because I don’t have a car yet. So hum as you hitch came from there, and son of a bitch is because the others songs are about nasty, nasty shit. And they rhyme, so that must be worth something.

How many instruments did you end up playing on the album?

Damn. Piano, guitar, xylophone, bass, drums, double bass... basically everything

on it except for the cello, I got a girl called Jo to do that bit. On a couple of tracks another guy played drums, and on a couple my little brother played them too.

She’s Got You was the debut single – why this one?

It was the least risky? I guess people could take it as a poppy kind of song, but It wasn’t just about a girl, it was a conflict with a girl, because there was always that danger of me being pin holed as a song writer who only writes about heartache and shit.

You made the video for your new single, Problems, yourself. Who is the little lad in it?

Oh, that’s Frank! He lives across the street from me. He’s really cool. He’s named some of my songs

for me and I hope I can work with him in the future definitely. He reminds me of me when I was a kid.

Are there any artists in particular who influenced your DIY style, or was it simply a case of: ‘Hang on, I can do this myself in my bedroom’?

I always kind of felt like, ‘why wait to do something properly?’ I started off just putting things through a mic jack into my computer and creating sounds through that, and I feel like if I hadn’t have done that I wouldn’t know how to make sound my kind of way, rather than having a producer doing it. I guess, the old low-budget, hip hop stuff that the Beastie Boys did, and a lot of Tom Waits, but at the same time I do love big cheesy recording too, so I’m learning how to do that at the moment.

With the diversity of the different genres of your music, who are your biggest influences?

Tom Waits is up there, the Grateful Dead, a lot of what they did with the guitars, erm, and Sugababes! I love a lot of their songs. And a lot of Frank Zappa I got from my dad, but I also like Paramore and all that, and Panic at the Disco when they came out.

With your ventures into film-making, do you consider yourself purely a musician?

I don’t know really. I’m a song-maker and a filmmaker and an actor I guess, I mean, anything past that I don’t really know. I believe there’s a lot more ground to be covered with film as I’ve barely touched on it really. And also with crossing film with music

it’s endless. Editing is a love of mine too.

The albums divided into two sections. Was this a decision early on or just a late change when all the songs were lined up in front of you?

Very few of the songs were written around the time of the album being put together, a lot of them were from when I was 13, 14 years old and were just hanging around.

Some songs like She Only Goes Out On Tuesdays are much newer, but with the two discs, it means some of them are really happy, fluffy, pop ones and the others are like shaveddown pop. People might love one half and hate the other, so they can just choose one I guess. Or love both!

Words by Tom Pell

• Debut album Humasyouhitch/Sonofabitch is out November 16, single Problems is out November 8.

• Cosmo Jarvis is at the Hare & Hounds on November 10.

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CHEW LIPS Just 18 months after their first ever gig, Chew Lips are hitting the road for their first headline tour. Catch them while you can.

A female voice delivering infectious melodies against a back drop of indulgent electronica may sound a familiar formula as 2009 draws to a close.

But as Chew Lips prepare to launch their hotlyanticipated debut album at the start of the new decade, they are a band determined to carve out a reputation all of their own in 2010.

Things have certainly moved quickly behind the scenes for the Londonbased three piece who only played their first gig together 18 months

ago. Within weeks they had been booked to play at the Electric Proms and have since written and recorded their debut record with renowned knob-twiddler David Kosten (Bat For Lashes) and enjoyed a string of triumphant festival appearances.

Now they are preparing to take to the road this month for their first UK headline tour.

For singer Tigs it has been something of a whirlwind, culminating in some slightly bizarre accomplishments, including being invited

on to Woman’s Hour on Radio 4.

“It’s going to be hilarious, it’s a bit bizarre being asked, but it’s the sort of thing my mum can listen to,” she says. But radio appearances aside, their string of forthcoming live dates are an even more intriguing prospect.

“It’s the first time that we will have headlined a tour.

“We haven’t even got our album out until January so it’s going round playing to people that might have seen us at various festivals over the summer.

“Cumulatively we must have played to 25,000 people at, I think, about 23 festivals or something like that and a few bits and pieces and gigs in between.

“Hopefully there will be some people who want to see us outside of London but we shall see.”

The band have given a taster of their danceinducing sense of rhythm and penchant for a hook with singles Solo and Salt Air, both released on Kitsuné earlier this year, and it certainly bodes well for their full length album, which will not actually feature either of those tracks.

“We recorded at the studio of acclaimed

producer David Kosten who did the Bat For Lashes record, so that was just absolutely amazing,” explains Tigs.

“You can expect neither of the singles to be on the record, we’ve moved on since then.

“I also think we’ve come a long way musically since the singles.

“You can expect the same electro sound and the same nod to some of our musical heroes and references to big pop songs like Prince and some classic pop, with an experimental aspect as well which has come into play during the recording of it.

“We weren’t precious about deconstructing

what we’d created in our demos.

“There’s new sections, new songs and new sounds, we’re excited about it, we really are.

“We actually recorded the album just before the festival season.

“We wrote 60 songs I think in a year and we picked the cream of those.

“I think you’ve got to do that. That’s the only way to do it. If the first 10 songs you write become your album, that’s surely no guarantee of quality, you’ve got to do the best you’ve got.”

Comparisons with the likes of current queen of the airwaves when it comes to electro-pop, La

page seventeen

Roux, are inevitable, but Tigs hopes their record will be appreciated in its own right when it is finally unleashed in two months time.

“It will be one of the first records of 2010 so hopefully it will be considered as part of a new set rather than compared to what is around now,” she says.

“I think whenever we had a record out we would always be compared to something but as soon as people hear the record, they will put those comparisons aside and compare us with something else.

“In terms of influences, there’s classic records like LCD Soundsystem,

classic rock from the 60s and 80s. I like Fleetwood Mac, The Carpenters, hopefully those references can be heard and I really admire singers like Pat Benetar, Karen Carpenter, Debbie Harry.

“There’s quite a different range of music, but cumulatively there’s probably only three bands we all agree on, LCD Soundsystem, Bowie and Prince, but individually we all like different things.”

• Chew Lips play The Flapper in Birmingham on November 24.

page nineteen

live

BLOC PARTY 02 Academy, Birmingham Oct 15

Bloc Party attacked the set, opening tracks left many unvalidating frontman Kele able to recall what day it was.

Okereke’s claim that this One More Chance and was the most anticipated gig Banquet pounded the impreson the tour. sive sound system at the new The first three tracks, start- Academy before they made ing with a thumping Halo, light work of Mercury, a track set the tone for a night that could go either way in of sweating and headthe live arena; a sentiment unsigned, garage-rehearsing, deliver - a shame because beating that rarely let up that could also be applied to group and I wouldn’t have their music deserved it. from start to finish. Okereke most of their Intimacy album. known the difference. recently claimed to have There is one important aspect I once heard that ‘charisma But after calling for the taken pride in indirectly crowd to “get tough” they of the Essex group I can’t is contrast’ but the differplaying a part in the break get on with - their stage ence between their infectious roared into a euphoric encore. up of Oasis, but even the presence lacks engaging music and their - at best unFlux and Helicopter brought Manc rock legends would charisma. Okereke is amiderstated and at worst boring have been proud of the able and Tong is an energetic - personas doesn’t sit right. a suitably rapturous ending to energy that their antitheses drummer but I found my eye It is hard to take your eyes off a high energy night. created. They bragged that wondering around the new a Florence Welch, a Calvin “down south” Thursday was venue, crowd-watching. Lead Harris or a Pete Doherty, the start of the weekend but guitarist Russell Lissack could when he’s on form, and that isWords: Kenny Laurie the force and tempo of the have been plucked out of any where Bloc Party sadly didn’t Pic: Lucy Pryor

page twenty

THE MACCABEES O2 Academy, Birmingham Oct 1

Well, it didn’t take long, but the sticky floors are back!

In fact, I find it strangely comforting, even though my trainers literally came off on more than one occasion when I tried to walk, and I actually fell over at one point. But your feet sticking to the floor in the Academy is like slipping on an old comfortable blanket. Only now, that blanket can tell you the time in Birmingham Alabama and Birmingham, Australia, which I didn’t even know existed.

I’m sure The Maccabees weren’t worrying about the sticky floors, or the global time-telling art deco clocks.

The new surroundings didn’t escape their notice though, declaring they were sad to see the old Dale End venue go, but beaming that we

now have a great replacement. Frontman Orlando Weeks was pretty much beaming throughout as he showed off his sharp new haircut and ragdoll dance moves.

Despite their confident stage antics, The Maccabees still charmed the crowd with their humble gratitude and seemed genuinely proud to see the massed frolics, with Weeks grinning widely at the sight of the sickeningly young and good looking mosh pit bouncing in unison to the anthemic One Hand Holding, while the audience fired back the staccato lyrics of Precious Time The Maccabees have a knack of producing tracks that bury themselves in your subconscious with almost every song rolled out from both albums greeted with whoops of recognition normally only reserved for hit singles. Dinosaurs, Can You Give It, and Latchmere were lapped up as were the more delicate moments from breakthrough hits First Love and Toothpaste Kisses.

Words: Sean O’Muir Pic: Katja Ogrin

THE TEMPER TRAP Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath Sep 28

The number of people whipping out their mobile phones to record the obligatory shaky camera footage suggested that this could be something to show off about in years to come.

The band have enjoyed a summer of growing attention thanks in no small part to their all-conquering single Sweet Disposition filtering its way into the public consciousness.

The no-frills pub surroundings of the Hare & Hounds seemed a long way from the sheen and glamour of a Sky+ advert but the fourpiece looked very much at home on what was their second appearance in Kings Heath this year.

Frontman Dougy Mandagi appeared genuinely appreciative and admitted it was “nice to see a few more people” on their return to the venue.

His delicately raw, falsetto vocals took a few minutes to

warm up but it wasn’t long before the singer and his fellow band mates disappeared into their own world of shimmering, gazing melodies.

The beating simplicity of Rest caught the attention while hit single Sweet Disposition was an obvious highlight. But it was deliciously indulgent instrumental Drum Song which was one of the most captivating tracks, delivered with a spellbinding intensity, with bassist Jonathan Aherne swinging his instrument like a machine gun, while the rest of the band stomped and swayed to the ethereal, delay-soaked hooks.

From then on, they upped the tempo and the crowd responded, signing off in style with the chugging, straightdown-the-line indie rock of Science of Fear.

The Temper Trap are clearly a band who believe in what they are doing and clearly love playing, traits which will always go a long way to winning over new fans, especially with the tunes to back it up.

Words: James Collins Pic: Katja Ogrin

page twenty-one

MUMFORD & SONS Glee Club, Birmingham Sep 29

Selling out on a Tuesday night is no mean feat. But the bumper crowd was won over with a delightfully accessible brand of roll-along melodic folk, dressed up with an endearing mix of jokes and japes. Declaring The Glee Club as one of their favourite venues in the world also helped.

Instrument swapping frontman Marcus Mumford’s ability to sing and keep perfect time on a kick drum while strumming away on the guitar was a show in itself, while banjo twiddler Winston Marshall’s fingerwork was mesmerising.

The real wow factor comes into it when they melt into their seamless harmonies, with the heavenly chorus of Awake My Soul a perfect example.

Roll Away Your Stone has all the makings of an altfolk anthem, with the band inviting the audience for a hoe-down to its ramshackle rockabilly rhythm.

Words: Sean O’Muir Pic: Sarah Lines

JOHNNY FOREIGNER The Flapper, Birmingham Oct 7

‘JoFo,’ as they are adoringly referred to by the devoted,

returned to Birmingham in support of second album Grace and the Bigger Picture.

The trio opened the set with an explosive Yr All Just Jealous which the crowd duly sung back. JoFo then launched straight into download-only single Feels Like Summer and for the next 40 minutes they barely let up.

Anyone fearing that second album syndrome would strike need not have worried as the new songs are strong, and a step forward in terms of arrangement. One track in particular takes a much more tender approach which saw drummer Junior picking up the guitar, and bassist Kelly taking lead vocals and pulling up a pew at the drums.

Songs from Waited Up Till It Was Light were treated like returning heroes, with the crowd whipped up into delirium with songs like Hennings Favourite and Salt, Pepa & Spinderella.

Highlight of the show though was set closer The Coast Was Always Clear, clocking in at over eight minutes and changing direction so many times it left the audience exhausted.

Words: Matt Beck

THE DESTROYERS Town Hall, Birmingham Oct 11

The first flags on earth, circa 6000BC, were allegedly used to assist with military co-ordination on battlefields.

Fast forward a few millennia to October 2009, Town Hall, Birmingham.

A tall, bearded, barefoot

man dances wildly on stage, waving a large two sided flag bearing the inscription Out of Babel. Co-ordinating both the heaving audience and a small army of brightly dressed musicians on stage, this is a battlefield alright, but everyone is on the same side.

Welcome to The Destroyers live experience.

The show had been relatively sedate before the headline set, with experimental folk courtesy of The Old Dance School and top notch bluegrass courtesy of The Toy Hearts.

Once on stage, Birmingham’s best kept musical secret had a minimum of 15 band members at any one time, including violinists, a brass section, a hurdy gurdy player and ringmaster Paul Murphy.

Filled with theatrical delights including the klezmer of debut single and album title track Out of Babel, the 90 minute set delivered outstanding musicianship with trademark humour, closing with a spectacularly epic mash-up number, Swamp Fever.

Words: Lyle Bignon

KINGS OF CONVENIENCE Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry Oct 15

When Kings of Convenience last visited Warwick Arts Centre in 2004, they told how they had recently dined at a friend’s house in Germany. After eating, the friend’s elderly relative pointed at the remains of an old fighter plane in the garden. “With this plane,” he told them, “I bombed

Coventry”. “And so,” the band told the crowd, “we know the guy that did it”.

Five years on, they have lost none of their deadpan Scandinavian delivery and ability to make a crowd laugh.

Luckily, they have the songs to back up the banter, with a lengthy set dominated by new album, Declaration of Dependence. They remain the authoritative acoustic duo, effortlessly delivering beautifully crafted harmonic offerings in the vein of Simon and Garfunkel.

Words: Simon Flynn

FRANZ FERDINAND Civic Hall, Wolverhampton Oct 19

Franz Ferdinand are an astonishing live band and, importantly, they know how to be one.

Nick McCarthy is the star, his musicianship is as sharp as his suit, while not many guitarists today have the ability to balance being an uber-talented instrumentalist with authentic rock star cool.

The hit-packed set inevitably floated enough boats to rival rush hour in Venice, opening with Matinee and including the likes of No You Girls, Do You Want To, This Fire, Walk Away and Michael.

Special mention for Take Me Out too.

The encore included popular live track Outsiders complete with team drumming and the synthsoaked and beat heavy Lucid Dreams, hinted at the direction of the next record.

Words: Jose Jones

page twenty-two

records COSMO JARVIS

Humasyouhitch/Sonofabitch (Wall of Sound)

Woah there, settle down youngster.

Teenaged anti-folk, pop-punk hybrid Cosmo Jarvis goes

BOB DYLAN

hurtling into his musical career with a double album to showcase the deepest workings of his lyrical brain.

Split across two sides of opposing moods, the songs offer a ragbag collection of personal tales of his youth and the troubles of adolescence, alongside

Christmas In The Heart (Columbia)

While his gruff exterior may be more Grinch than Buddy the Elf, Dylan has pulled another surprise out of the sack. It’s not even blue, blue tales of holiday heartbreak, these are tangled up in tinsel, whistle and bells Christmas songs. It’s a bizarre concoction

and at times you have to remind yourself this really is Bob Dylan, yes the Bob Dylan, singing: “Who’s got a big red cherry nose?

Santa’s got a big red cherry nose.” At times it sounds like Otto, the school bus driver from the Simpsons, on karaoke and it is, if not intentionally, hilarious.

Turn your back and boo if you like, but its for charity so you can’t dislike it or that makes you a skinflint as well as a Scrooge.

witty skits about his dreams of getting Jessica Alba’s number.

Humasyouhitch is full of dainty ditties about girls, with the darker underbelly of Sonofabitch tackling alcoholism and parents divorcing, underpinned by a brutal, Eminemstyle honesty.

Inevitably, with 18 self-recorded songs bursting out, there is something of a lack of quality control, with

both sides hitting peaks and troughs, from the excellence of single She’s Got You to the Goldie Lookin Chainesque rambling of Mel’s Song.

Jingly rhythms and rambling narratives make for an intriguing listen. Having claimed to have written more than 200 songs there will be plenty more to come from the Cosmo Jarvis.

TORI AMOS

Midwinter Graces (Island)

Star of Wonder is a highlight while some tracks, including the tender Snow Angel and the jazzy Pink and Glitter, stand up beyond the novelty of the seasonal aspect.

Her multi-layered This is everything you sound and unique would expect from vocals are perfectly a Tori Amos album, suited to an ethereal, delicate, haunting winter theme. It’s and, well, just a little hardly going to replace bit weird. Some of it Mel and Kim on the is perfectly delivered English traditional folk, stereo at the office party but worth a while her reworking listen wrapped up in a of some classic festive Christmas jumper. tunes are full of surprises. The dramatic

page twenty-three

STEREOPHONICS

Charlie Winston

(Mercury)

(Real World Records)

Keep Calm and Carry On

Stereophonics continue their onward journey towards dad rock obscurity with their latest album, littered with middle of the road tunes.

Album opener She’s Alright does a good

impersonation of a Who tribute act, while others do little to spark any real interest in a band who are seemingly trading on their early successes with inexplicably good effect.

But of course it is coming out just in time for Christmas so it’ll make the perfect present for the oneCD-a-year dad rockers out there.

Hobo

Charlie Winston topped the charts in France, no doubt where he is not held back by his hackneyed lyrics. That sounds a tad harsh, but at times his perky tunes are let down

MR HUDSON

WORLD OF FOX

(G.O.O.D Music/Mercury)

(Commercially Inviable)

Straight No Chaser

It may be a little heralded fact but Mr Hudson is actually from Birmingham. Now firmly rooted in London, the Oxford graduate has charmed his way into the affections of the Radio 1 playlist, due in no small part to his buddying up with hip-hop star Kanye

West. His debut album under the previous moniker of Mr Hudson and the Library hinted at his ability to weave cross-genre sounds and maintained a semblance of raw soul. But much of that has been squeezed out amidst sappy, radio-friendly dance effects and overbearing vocoders, which cynics may suggest were a nifty trick designed to mask the limits of his vocal ability. Have we learned nothing from Cher?

by clichéd rhymes.

Overall it’s a pleasant folk romp, with a hint of lounge jazz, drawing comparisons to a bohemian Jamie Cullum, with his penchant for an easy listening tune and doubtless musical talent. But it rarely maintains the heights of quirky My Life As A Duck and lacks the edge to live long in the memory.

Everything is for the Best

Everything is for the Best is Simon Fox’s first foray into a solo, full length album under his moniker, World of Fox, and it boasts a depth that belies its home recording.

Showcasing his talents on a range of instruments including banjo, theremin, brass and

woodwind, it goes beyond the standard soloist with an acoustic guitar formula. Tracks such as opener Please Take Your Time hold an almost Nordic feel with similarities to the eerie calm of Kings of Convenience, while the record maintains an experimental edge. Despite the delicate feel, his post-rock roots still manifest themselves in the reversed guitars, building melodies and an overall sense of drama.

page twenty-four

food & drink

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat. And as well as Slade on the radio, it also means food and drinks promotions galore. So tuck in!

PIES GET STUFFED!

Birmingham’s finest and funkiest pie maker, Urban Pie, is doing its own bit to get into the spirit of the season with a new recipe in its range of speciality pies.

Nestled in the shopping mecca of the Bullring, weary shoppers will be able to tuck into the top notch Christmas Dinner Pie, packed with chicken, seasonal vegetables and topped with a tasty stuffing crust, to give you a flavour of Christmas Day, without having to sit through the Eastenders special afterwards.

Even better, to celebrate we’ve got a meal for four to give away so one lucky reader and three companions can get stuffed for free on Christmas Dinner pies or any of the other tasty 20 plus options on the menu.

WINE GETS MULLED!

Here at Brum Notes Magazine, we pride ourselves on trawling the West Midlands to find you the finest cultural happenings.

However, from the middle of this month you are more likely to find us slumped over a table in Victoria Square, with a thick glass, filled with frothy German beer at the ever-popular Frankfurt Christmas Market.

One of the highlights of the festive calendar, it seems to arrive earlier every year and you will be able to slurp hot wine and munch hot dogs from November 12 until December 23.

It’s not all about the sausages and alcohol though, there’s also crafts and...ah, forget it, it’s all about the sausages and alcohol.

drinks, at win! a meal for four, including pies, sides and brum notes urban pie, bullring. plus! four tickets to the magazine christmas party on december 16!

to win!

just tell us: WHERE WILL WE BE HOLDING THE FIRST EVER BRUM NOTES MAGAZINE CHRISTMAS PARTY ON DECEMBER 16? eMAIL YOUR ANSWERS TO COMPETITIONS@ BRUMNOTES.COM

BY NOVEMBER 30, INCLUDING YOUR ANSWER, name AGE AND CONTACT DETAILS. GOOD LUCK!

page twenty-five

travel

d we don’t Birmingham as well. An of e id ts ou ts ke ar m e are Christmas Believe it or not, ther pton. just mean in Wolverham FRANKFURT, GERMANY

Christmas market runs from November 25 until December 22.

“So, if the Frankfurt market is in Birmingham, does that mean Frankfurt itself is full of Brummies flogging pints of mild and bars of Dairy Milk?”

Erm no. No it doesn’t. But just like our own fine city, Frankfurt is bustling with rustic stalls and the heavy aroma of hot wine and sickly sweet strawberries covered in chocolate, plus the carousel and huge tree. Nestled in amongst the distinctive buildings of the Römerberg and Paulsplatz, it is a picture postcard scene within a huge, skyscraper city with plenty more to offer.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Christmas markets run from November 28 to January 1.

Winter is a perfect time to visit Prague, not least because it reduces your chances of being surrounded by hoards of stags and hens which make Broad Street seem tame. But as well as that, the city’s famous festive markets transform the already stunning city centre into a winter wonderland. The main markets are located in the tourist-heavy Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, but take a bit more of a stroll and you’ll find smaller markets tucked away in Havelske Trziste, Namesti Republiky, and elsewhere.

Time it right and you could meet St Nicholas accompanied by an angel and a devil, touring the city streets the night before St Nicholas Day on December 6.

Fly from Birmingham with bmibaby from £32.99 one way including taxes and charges.

win! free flights to prague!

Bag an early Christmas present with free flights for a winter wonderland trip to the Czech capital of Prague.

We’ve got a pair of return flights to give away from Birmingham International Airport to Prague thanks to those lovely people at bmibaby.

All you have to do is tell us when the Christmas markets get underway this year in Prague. Email your answer with name, age and contact details to competitions@brumnotes.com by November 30.

Terms and conditions apply. Full terms and conditions available on request or at www.brumnotes.com.

Travel must be taken by March 25, 2010, excluding school holidays.

Travel must be booked 14 days in advance of outbound travel date.

Flights are subject to availability. Availability is more restrictive during peak periods.

x e t r o the vfeaturing

(ex oasis)

d a e h e n o b

Nations Waiting The Uppers + Infared t e S J D s r e Upp

£6 7pm Sunday 8

th

in advance at

£8 on the door

November

Sound Bar 205-213 Corporation St. Birmingham B4 6SE 0121 236 2220

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. YOUVES, CALORIES, TANTRUMS, Nov 9, The Flapper, Birmingham Dance punks Youves lead a Midlands themed mash-up, with support from indie upstarts Calories and Tantrums. 14+ show. Tickets £5 adv, details at www.birminghampromoters.com.

2. THE FLAMING LIPS, Nov 17, O2 Academy, Birmingham Psychedelic indie legends who don’t do ordinary. Sure to have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Tickets £20, www.ticketweb.co.uk.

3. SWAMPMEAT, Nov 20, The Victoria, Birmingham Album launch party from scuzzy blues rock and rollers.

Tickets £7 adv, www.coldrice.com.

4. VIJAY KISHORE, Nov 22, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath Headline show from velvet voiced strummer, with support from Gemma Quarterman and Liz Lawrence. Tickets £4 adv, www.birminghampromoters.com.

5. CHEW LIPS, Nov 24, The Flapper, Birmingham Could be the last chance to catch these electro popsters in a small venue, ahead of their January album launch. Tickets £5, www.seetickets.com.

CLUB NIGHTS 1. GOLDEN TRASH 0.2 Nov 7, The Steel Press Works Warehouse disco at former press works in Northwood Street, off St Paul’s Square. Cheap drinks too.

2. RAG & BONE Nov 13, Rainbow Warehouse DJ sets from Bombay Bicycle Club, Hasselbaink and more. Advance tickets just £4.

3. NEW SCOTLAND YARD Nov 21, Lord Lucan’s Debut club night from NSY DJs. Expect electro, dubstep, soul and reggae and some craziness.

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT:

BOOKING AHEAD EDITORS March 30, O2 Academy

Act like a child and get into the Christmas spirit early by catching the REINDEER AND LANTERN PARADE in Birmingham city centre between High Street and Brindleyplace on November 15, from 4.30pm-5.30pm, complete with marching bands and festive characters.

Catch the work of some of the finest emerging film talent around at the FLIP ANIMATION FESTIVAL from November 5-7, taking place at the Light House in Wolverhampton and various venues in Birmingham.

The ever-so freaky BODIES REVEALED exhibition launches at the Custard Factory on October 30, running until January, giving you the chance to get a close look at real human specimens, preserved to give a fascinating insight into the workings of the body.

Continuing the theme, catch some blood of the cinematic kind at The Sunflower Lounge on November 17, with the screening of two classics from Italian master of horror DARIO ARGENTO.

£20, www.seetickets.com

THE SONGS OF NICK DRAKE Jan 23, Warwick Arts Centre £25, www.warwickartscentre. co.uk.

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB Dec 11, O2 Academy 2 £9.50, www.ticketweb.co.uk.

THE MIXMAG TOUR Dec 5, Custard Factory £12, www.theticketsellers.co.uk.

SUNDAY NOV 1 PASSION PIT, THE JOY FORMIDABLE, 02 Academy, Birmingham ABSENT ELK, HOLD FIRE, 02 Academy, Birmingham ADRIAN EDMONDSON & THE BAD SHEPHERDS, The Glee Club, Birmingham UGLY DUCKLING, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath STEVE AJAO, The Public, West Bromwich MONDAY NOV 2 ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK, 02 Academy, Birmingham THE HAUNTED, 02 Academy, Birmingham A-HA, The NIA, Birmingham TUESDAY NOV 3 STREET DOGS, 02 Academy, Birmingham ALESHA DIXON, Symphony Hall, Birmingham FLEETWOOD MAC, The NIA, Birmingham MIKE DIGNAM, The Flapper, Birmingham

MEW, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

WEDNESDAY NOV 4 EXIT CALM, 02 Academy, Birmingham ANDREA BOCELLI, The NIA, Birmingham MARK EITZEL, The Glee Club, Birmingham SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES, Robin 2, Bilston THURSDAY NOV 5 PURESSENCE, 02 Academy, Birmingham STEVE EARLE, Town Hall, Birmingham TUBELORD, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath KURRAN & THE WOLFNOTES, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath THE STICKY LABELS, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham SCREAMING LIGHTS, The Flapper, Birmingham PARADISE LOST, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton FRIDAY NOV 6

THE CHEEK, 02 Academy, Birmingham CLUTCH KYSELA, 02 Academy, Birmingham ALABAMA 3, 02 Academy, Birmingham BETH JEANS

HOUGHTON, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath THE MEANING, The Station, Kings Heath THE DIESELS, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham THE KNIGHTS, The Flapper, Birmingham DOCTORS ORDERS, The Road House, Kings Norton BEVERLEY KNIGHT, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton MOSTLY AUTUMN, Robin 2, Bilston SATURDAY NOV 7 LISA MITCHELL, 02 Academy, Birmingham THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT, 02 Academy, Birmingham ELKIE BROOKS, Town Hall, Birmingham PORTICO QUARTET, CBSO Centre, Birmingham DAMIEN JURADO, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, JAPANDROIDS, The Flapper, Birmingham OPEN TO FIRE, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham VINNY & THE CURSE, The Victoria, Birmingham

Birmingham BACKSTREET BOYS, LG Arena, Birmingham TIPITINA, The Public, West Bromwich MONDAY NOV 9 BIFFY CLYRO (sold out), 02 Academy, Birmingham VV BROWN, 02 Academy, Birmingham THE HIGH LLAMAS, The Glee Club, Birmingham YOUVES, CALORIES, TANTRUMS, The Flapper, Birmingham

THE SPECIALS, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton TUESDAY NOV 10 SEASICK STEVE, 02 Academy, Birmingham JAY REATARD, 02 Academy, Birmingham NEW BEAUTIFUL SOUTH, 02 Academy, Birmingham CBSO THE PLANETS, Symphony Hall, Birmingham MUSE, The NIA, Birmingham

SUNDAY NOV 8 FRANKMUSIK, KILLA KELA , 02 Academy, Birmingham FLIPPER, 02 Academy, COSMO JARVIS,

Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath WOODS, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath THE SPECIALS, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton SHINEDOWN, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

Birmingham DAWN LANDES, 02 Academy, Birmingham PROPAGANDA FT KAISER CHIEFS DJ SET, 02 Academy, Birmingham BILL WYMAN’S RHYTHM KINGS, Town Hall, Birmingham WEDNESDAY NOV 11 DEEP PURPLE, LG Arena, Birmingham BABYBIRD, 02 MARTHA TILSTON, Academy, Birmingham The Glee Club, JUST JACK, 02 Birmingham Academy, Birmingham PANACEA DREAM, STEVE TROMANS The Actress & Bishop, DEBOP BAND, The Glee Club, Birmingham Birmingham EINSTELLUNG, The ADAM WALKER & Flapper, Birmingham THE UPFRONT, The JODIE & THE JET Flapper, Birmingham THE DRONES, Hare & PLANE, The Station, Kings Heath Hounds, Kings Heath THE LOVELY OXBOW, Vivid, EGGS, The Victoria, Digbeth Birmingham LARRY MILLER, THURSDAY NOV 12 A SKYLIT DRIVE, 02 The Road House, Kings Norton Academy, Birmingham BEYONCE, The NIA, SATURDAY NOV 14 Birmingham SPECTRUM, EMILY MAGUIRE, PENDULUM DJ SET, The Glee Club, DJ YODA, 02 Birmingham Academy, Birmingham PINEAPPLE PARTY, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham MR CRICKET, The Flapper, Birmingham SHAM 69, Robin 2, Bilston ELLIOT MINOR, 02 Academy, Birmingham FRIDAY NOV 13 RUMPELSTILTSKIN, THE RUMBLE CBSO Centre, STRIPS, 02 Academy, Birmingham Birmingham ROMANCE, The ALICE IN CHAINS, Flapper, Birmingham 02 Academy,

THE OUTER CIRCLE, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham DANIEL LAND & THE MODERN PAINTERS, The Victoria, Birmingham STARVING DOGS, The Road House, Kings Norton AL ATKINS, The Public, West Bromwich SUNDAY NOV 15 NELL BRYDEN, 02 Academy, Birmingham EMMURE, 02 Academy, Birmingham GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS, The Glee Club, Birmingham DARREN HAYMAN, The Victoria, Birmingham THE NIGHT TRIPPERS, The Public, West Bromwich ERJA LYYTINEN, Robin 2, Bilston MONDAY NOV 16 ALBERTA CROSS, 02 Academy, Birmingham YES, Symphony Hall, Birmingham RIVERSIDE, Robin 2, Bilston TUESDAY NOV 17 THE FLAMING LIPS, 02 Academy, Birmingham THE MISSION DISTRICT, 02 Academy, Birmingham JONAS BROTHERS, LG Arena, Birmingham FOY VANCE, The Glee

Club, Birmingham THE GARY HARPER BAND, The Road House, Kings Norton WEDNESDAY NOV 18

LA ROUX (sold out), 02 Academy, Birmingham CYMBALS EAT GUITARS, 02 Academy, Birmingham STEVE HACKETT, Robin 2, Bilston THURSDAY NOV 19 THE FALL OF TROY, 02 Academy, Birmingham SLAYER, 02 Academy, Birmingham THIS LOVE AFFAIR, 02 Academy, Birmingham KASABIAN, The NIA, Birmingham BLUE ROSES, The Glee Club, Birmingham LEIGH MARY STOKES, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath BUGGIRL, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham FRIDAY NOV 20 PALOMA FAITH, JOSH WELLER, 02 Academy, Birmingham ARCTIC MONKEYS, The NIA, Birmingham

CITY HERO, The Station, Kings Heath SWAMPMEAT, The Victoria, Birmingham SATURDAY NOV 21 THE SOUNDS, 02 Academy, Birmingham DATAROCK, 02 Academy, Birmingham JENIUS, The Flapper, Birmingham SIXADAY SOBER, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham SUNDAY NOV 22 UK SUBS, 02 Academy, Birmingham INGRID MICHAELSON, 02 Academy, Birmingham VIJAY KISHORE, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath FAMILY BATTLE SNAKE, The Victoria, Birmingham MIKE BURNEY BAND, The Public, West Bromwich MONDAY NOV 23 WE ARE THE OCEAN, 02 Academy, Birmingham

EXIT 10, The Flapper, Birmingham

HADOUKEN, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton TUESDAY NOV 24 RODRIGO Y GABRIELA, 02 Academy, Birmingham BREED 77, 02 Academy, Birmingham

LILY ALLEN, The NIA, Birmingham LOU RHODES, The Glee Club, Birmingham CHEW LIPS, The Flapper, Birmingham DETACHMENTS, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath DAVID ESSEX, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

WEDNESDAY NOV 25 DIO, 02 Academy, BEVERLEY KNIGHT, Birmingham Symphony Hall, LISA HANNIGAN, 02 Birmingham Academy, Birmingham THE LEISURE BANG BANG SOCIETY, The Glee ECHE, The Flapper, Club, Birmingham Birmingham

SKUNK ANANSIE, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR, Robin 2, Bilston THURSDAY NOV 26 THE ENEMY, 02 Academy, Birmingham THE COMPLETE STONE ROSES, 02 Academy, Birmingham CANTERBURY, The Flapper, Birmingham WRAPPED IN PLASTIC, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham BOHEMIAN JUKEBOX, The Victoria, Birmingham DRAGONFORCE, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton FRIDAY NOV 27 DELIRIOUS?, 02 Academy, Birmingham NEW MODEL ARMY, 02 Academy, Birmingham ALISON MOYET, Symphony Hall, Birmingham STEELEYE SPAN, Town Hall, Birmingham DAN WHITEHOUSE, The Glee Club, Birmingham JONQUIL, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath SCARLET CARMINA, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham POLKA PARTY, The Flapper, Birmingham THE STICKY

LABELS, The Station, Kings Heath SATURDAY NOV 28 THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, 02 Academy, Birmingham THE LEVELLERS, 02 Academy, Birmingham HUGH CORNWELL, Academy, Birmingham JAMES MORRISON, LG Arena, Birmingham THEM IS ME, The Flapper, Birmingham GRAND UNION REVIVAL, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham SUNDAY NOV 29 GOSSIP, 02 Academy, Birmingham A, THIS CITY, SIENNA, 02 Academy, Birmingham THEA GILMORE’S WINTERLUDE SHOW, The Glee Club, Birmingham JEANIE BARTON, The Public, West Bromwich MOTORHEAD, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton THE SAW DOCTORS, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton MONDAY NOV 30 REGINA SPEKTOR, 02 Academy, Birmingham HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, 02 Academy, Birmingham GARY NUMAN, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton