GIGS May Birmingham.qxp_Layout 1 21/04/2022 10:33 Page 2
Gigs
Live music from across the region...
Emeli Sandé The Mill, Birmingham, Thurs 19 May; Birmingham Town Hall, Mon 30 May
Emeli Sandé is one of Britain’s most successful songwriters. Her list of impressive achievements includes: having the UK’s biggest-selling album of 2012 (and the second biggest in 2013), 19 million single listens, three number-one singles, four BRIT Awards and an MBE for services to music. She brings her Brighter Days tour to Birmingham in support of latest album Let’s Say For Instance, which is set for release on the sixth of this month.
Gregory Porter Gregory Porter’s warm baritone vocals and earthy brand of jazz, soul and gospel shot him to stardom more than a decade ago. Now with two Grammy Awards to his name, the Sacramento-born singer will be hoping latest album Still Rising leads to further
accolades. Featuring collaborations with Paloma Faith and Moby, the record boasts five new tracks, two new arrangements, and nine of Gregory’s most popular songs, covers and duets. “This is my music up until now, but it’s not a ‘greatest hits’,” he explains. “They often come at the end of someone’s career, and I still feel new and young in mine.”
Space
Tom Ollendorff Trio
Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Fri 27 May
Pizza Express Live, Birmingham, Fri 27 May
Known for their dark-humoured lyrics think serial killers, failed relationships, social outcasts and mental illness - indie rock band Space came to prominence in the mid-1990s with the release of hit singles Female Of The Species and The Ballad Of Tom Jones (with whom they worked in 1999). Their sound, although inspired by ’60s guitar groups such as The Kinks and The Who, features an imaginative use of electronic instruments and sampling from hip-hop and classic film soundtracks.
Guitarist Tom Ollendorff has worked with some of the leading names in the industry, including Ari Hoenig, Geoff Simkins, Bill McHenry, Jeff Williams and Huw Warren. An outstanding improviser, imaginative composer, and one of the top young voices on the London jazz scene, he released his debut album, A Song For You, on Fresh Sound Records in May last year.
Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, Wed 11 May
Ashe O2 Institute, Birmingham, Mon 30 May
Blending orchestral pop and grandiose ’70s rock with sublimely timeless piano balladry, LA-based Ashe brings her Fault Line tour to Birmingham this month. Talking about her debut album, the singersongwriter explains: “Ashlyn is deeply reflective and honest, full of stories of my experiences with fear and pain and turning those hard things into joy and independence… I think you have to be vulnerable to create something really great, and I believe I did that.”
Bloc Party O2 Academy, Birmingham, Thurs 26 May
Producing music that’s rooted in rock but which also features elements of various other genres, including electronica and house, Bloc Party have scored numerous significant hits, most notably Banquet, Helicopter, Flux and This Modern Love. The band are touring in support of sixth studio album Alpha Games - their first since 2016’s Hymns. whatsonlive.co.uk 17
