Live music from across the region...

Jack Tyson Charles

Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Fri 5 May

The son of actors Craig Charles and Cathy Tyson, London-born Jack Tyson Charles is an artist ploughing a unique furrow, channelling the musical history and energy of his hometown to cultivate his own unique brand of ‘Epic Soul’. A successful album release with producer Lack Of Afro in 2014 proved the catalyst for an explosive series of live concerts, since which time Jack’s career has gone from strength to strength. Appearances at Glastonbury, Soundwave and On Blackheath festivals, and support slots for musical legends Shuggie Otis and Shalamar, have featured among the highlights.

Siv Jakobsen

Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, Fri 26 May

Stunning vocal ability blended with a bold lyricism has catapulted Norwegian singersongwriter Siv Jakobsen into the indie-folk stratosphere. Her first EP, 2015’s widely acclaimed The Lingering, was followed two years later by well-received debut album The Nordic Mellow, an offering which racked up more than 10 million plays on Spotify.

Sophomore album A Temporary Soothing came along in 2020, earning her plenty more praise... She visits Birmingham in support of her recently released third record, Gardening, an album which sees her digging deep into her inner self.

Rhiannon Giddens

Birmingham Town Hall, Sat 13 May Rhiannon Giddens’ eye on the past is providing a success-filled present and promising an even more exciting future. The 46-year-old musician has made it her career-long mission to cast light on the work of artists whose contribution to American musical history has been either unceremoniously erased or simply lost in the dark corners of history. Boasting an opera-trained voice which

Peter Doherty

O2 Institute, Birmingham, Thurs 4 May “They kept telling me in rehab that I had self-esteem problems,” Peter Doherty once revealed, “so I went along with it. It didn’t really register, though - but now I really get it; I don’t really believe people when they tell me that they love the record or they enjoy listening to the songs.”

It is to be hoped that Doherty nowadays has a far better understanding of just how much his enormous talent is admired. And he should certainly feel the love during this Birmingham stop-off, a gig which will see him performing a selection of nuggets from his Libertines and Babyshambles backcatalogue, as well as a smattering of songs from numerous solo projects.

Dead Kennedys

O2 Academy, Birmingham, Sun 7 May

Revolutionary politics and hardcore punk music proved to be a winning combination for Dead Kennedys from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, earning them a level of notoriety confidently embraces the challenges of numerous genres, and singing songs that cover various aspects of African American history, she performs in Birmingham with multi-instrumentalist and life partner Francesco Turrisi. that ensured their name was never too far away from a headline-making controversy or several. They disbanded for 15 years, lost lead singer Jello Biafra via a huge falling out, and came back together in the early noughties, since which time they’ve performed live but not released any new material. In autumn last year, the band lost drummer DH Peligro (who’d played with them since 1981) following an accidental fall at his Los Angeles home.

The couple recently enjoyed Grammy Awardwinning success with their album, They’re Calling Me Home, a record which they produced from their home in Ireland during lockdown.

Support on the night comes from Yorkshirebased singer-songwriter Philippa Zawe.

Roger Waters

Utilita Arena Birmingham, Wed 31 May

“This Is Not A Drill is a groundbreaking new rock & roll/cinematic extravaganza,” explains Roger Waters in talking about his current touring show. “Performed in the round, it is a stunning indictment of the corporate dystopia in which we all struggle to survive, and a call to action to love, protect and share our precious and precarious planet home.

“The show includes a dozen great songs from Pink Floyd’s golden era alongside several new ones. Don’t miss it!”