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October 11, 2017

BPREVIEW: 5 Soldiers – The Body is the Frontline @ 48 Signal Squadron Army Reserve Centre 13-14.10.17

Words by Lucy Mounfield / Production pics by Tim Cross

On Friday 13^th and Saturday 14^th October, Rosie Kay Dance Company will bring their acclaimed 5 Soldiers – The Body is the Frontline back to Birmingham for two performances. 5 Soldiers has been previously performed at the REP – but this time, interestingly, the show will be hosted by the 48 Signal Squadron Army Reserve Centre in Sparkbrook, as part of the REP’s autumn programme.

5 Soldiers is produced and performed by Rosie Kay Dance Company, a West Midlands based organisation headed by the eponymous Rosie Kay. Rosie Kay Dance Company was established in 2004 and has a number of productions in its repertoire, including The Wild Party, Supernova and MK Ultra – the latter recently toured the UK, which Charlotte Heap covered for Birmingham Review in March 2017. To read Helen Knott’s interview with Rosie Kay, ahead of the MK Ultra performance, click here.

5 Soldiers is production through contemporary dance, that focuses on the everyday life and challenges a soldier faces. The piece is split into three parts and represents the three major evolutionary stages that a person must take to become a soldier: the first depicts training, the second the camaraderie and relationship between the soldiers, and the third explores combat. In the course of preparing for the piece, Kay and her dancers spent time with a rifle battalion and this was an influence on the choreography itself.

5 Soldiers portrays the lives of individual soldiers from both a male and female perspective; four men and one woman depict the varying roles of three riflemen, one sergeant and one officer, alongside the challenges that an army career can incur. Interestingly Rosie Kay has chosen to focus on the human element of army life, rather than the mechanical and technological advances of urban warfare. This was a deliberate decision, according to Kay, who explained her approach in a 2015 interview with Sophie Neal at Redbrick:

‘It’s divided into three parts. The first demonstrates how repetitive training can be and how it continually pushes the body to the limits. The second shows the soldiers letting off steam and how their training has affected their relationships with each other. The final section is called ‘on the ground’ and this is what it’s like to be on patrol. The most dancing is in this section and it really does look like they are in combat.’

Using a tripartite narrative, the choreographer is able to focus on the importance of the soldier and the physicality and human strength within the armed forces. Whilst having an ensemble cast follow the same three key moments at the same time allows emphasis on the collective aspect of being a soldier.

Hopefully 5 Soldiers will further re-focus and humanise the depiction of war, perhaps moving away from the more long-held theatrical stereotypes of the army and armed forces. But Rosie Kay Dance Company must tread a fine line with 5 Soldiers – while the show depicts combat, the focus is on the subjective experience of the soldiers and the physicality of their bodies, with the REP’s promotional material stating the production ‘offers no moral judgment on war’.

The difficulty is that with an issue as charged as war, and the protagonists who feature in it from the front line, it’s hard not to at least solicit a viewpoint of some form – be it from the audience, or more subconsciously from the ensemble and company themselves.

Setting the performance at an army base brings this all the closer to home, and it’s hard not to think of all those fallen in battle and those that continue to serve. The further challenge for 5 Soldiers, and for Rosie Kay Dance Company, will be whether the production can focus on the subjective experience of a battalion of soldiers and offer no stance on war without being restrained by its neutrality.

The performances will take place on Friday 13^th and Saturday 14^th October at the 48 Signal Squadron Army Reserve Centre on Golden Hillock Road in Sparkbrook, within easy access of Small Heath train station and bus routes.

5 Soldiers – The Body is the Frontline / Rosie Kay Dance Company

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I93cQr9LtlY

For more on 5 Soldiers: The Body is the Frontline, visit www.rosiekay.co.uk/5-soldiers

For more on Rosie Kay Dance Company, visit www.rosiekay.co.uk

For further details on the 48 Signal Squadron Army Reserve Centre (Golden Hillock Road, Sparkbrook, B11 2QG), visit www.army.mod.uk/signals/25765.aspx

For more from the Birmingham REP, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

October 10, 2017

BREVIEW: Absurdly Fabulous: The Improvised Episode @ mac 29.09.17

Words by Charlotte Heap

As an ardent Absolutely Fabulous fan I was apprehensive at how Foghorn Unscripted would reimagine the beloved sitcom in their feature length show, Absurdly Fabulous. Such familiar and favourite characters can be tricky to emulate whilst bringing new laughs, and shows using such well loved source material can depend as much on the audience’s appetite for absurdity as the actors’ talent.

Foghorn Unscripted, a company of local improv comedians and professional actors established in 2011, bases all of its performances on audience suggestion and their own imaginations. Having worked with University of Birmingham’s student improv groups in the past, I hoped that Foghorn Unscripted’s experience would bring a slickness to their show – especially as this particular production had been performed at least once before at mac.

Billed as the ‘episode that was never made’, five actors appeared on the Hexagon’s small stage to present Absurdly Fabulous; with so few female leading comedic roles, having the main characters played by men was an interesting choice. Eddie was excellent, as Foghorn’s Aaron Twitchen brought controlled chaos and quick comedy to the part. Less successful in drag was Patsy, with a focus on her gruff voice and lecherous ways but not enough effort given to the character’s familiar physicality and wit.

The show’s more minor roles were played with varying levels of success by the other troupe members. Saffy suffered somewhat, as Kit Murdoch (Foghorn Unscripted’s founder) played her slightly too saccharine for my taste, with not enough withering sarcasm. Murdoch’s energy was essential to keeping the show moving, but I felt her portrayal of Boris Johnson also missed the mark.

Claire Corfield played Bubbles brilliantly but was underused, whilst Ciaron Allanson-Campbell, noticeably lacking in confidence, was much better cast as the robotic Marshall than as Mother. I was hoping Absurdly Fabulous would elevate the satirical sitcom’s most famous characters, but instead the production delivered caricatures. And whilst Absolutely Fabulous’ trademark catchphrases featured heavily, Foghorn Unscripted were unable to recreate the razor sharp wit of Jennifer Saunders’ writing.

I felt the audience participation element was also more minimal than the Absurdly Fabulous promo material had promised. Scribbled suggestions from some attendees were placed in jars on the stage and incorporated into the show’s framework in a slightly clunky fashion, whilst pictures of audience members were brought into the show after the interval, with a gentle ‘roast’ going down a storm with certain members of the audience. However if you weren’t part of this, and didn’t know what people had been asked to suggest, the participation element was a little confusing and excluding.

The more scripted elements of Absurdly Fabulous landed, again, with varying levels of success. An ‘Alexa’ joke (using pre-recorded responses) was initially inventive and funny, but then felt prolonged and, at points, badly timed. In fact, timing, sound and blocking were all constant issues; the raucous nature of the source material demands a certain level of chaos, but the troupe struggled with minimal props (wig swapping led to awkward delays) and an overdressed set.

A clothes rail collapsed as too many characters made an overzealous entrance, and whilst Eddie made a joke from this mishap, the moment encapsulated the production’s failure to make good use of mac‘s Hexagon Theatre – an intimate space which can be wonderfully manipulated, but one that leaves little room for error. Costume changes in full view of the audience, and occasional difficulties in hearing what was being said, simply added to the unexpected amateurishness. However, the friendly local audience laughed loudly and a lot. But on a Friday evening, with an £8 ticket price, this Ab Fab purist was left a little disappointed. I laughed a little but I cringed more.

Perhaps my fondness for Absolutely Fabulous (alongside my familiarity with improv in my own professional context) led to especially high expectations, but Foghorn Unscripted promised ‘debauchery, fashion and celebrity’ with Absurdly Fabulous and this wasn’t quite delivered. Billed as the ‘episode that was never made’, I felt the improv troupe found the easy laughs but failed to fully explore the humour and potential inherent in such rich source material.

For more on Foghorn Unscripted, visit www.foghornunscripted.com

For more from mac, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.macbirmingham.co.uk

October 9, 2017October 8, 2017

THE GALLERY: New Found Glory @ O2 Academy 30.09.17

Words & pics by Aatish Ramchurn

The thing with the days now getting shorter is that the moment it starts turning dark, you feel like you’re running late.

At least, that’s how I felt as I was making my way to the O2 Academy – heading out to see long-time pop punk band, New Found Glory, as they arrive in Birmingham for their 20 Years of Pop Punk tour. Turns out I wasn’t late at all, but rather ten minutes early.

Each date of New Found Glory’s UK 20 Years of Pop Punk tour features tracks from two of their nine albums, plus songs from their new album, Makes Me Sick.

Birmingham’s set list would include tracks from Sticks and Stones and the self titled New Found Glory, albums which contained the more popular songs that propelled them to fame in the early 2000s.

Opening the night is Eastbourne’s five-piece, ROAM – the only support act. Soon to be releasing their second album on Hopeless Records, Great Height & Nosedives, ROAM grace the stage with an energetic set of heavy, pop punk anthems, at times encouraging circle pits. Judging from the people singing at the front ROAM have been built quite a fanbase in Birmingham and, after this set, have probably gained some new ones.

On to New Found Glory, who began their career as a quintet until guitarist Steve Klein left the band in 2014. The stage darkens, and the ‘Happy Anniversary’ melody from an episode of The Flintstones plays before they storm onto the stage, opening with ‘Understatement’.

I’m fairly certain that from the start there were four photographers in the photo pit. But that number appears to have doubled about one minute later, as if we have multiplied like Mr. Meeseeks from Rick and Morty. All of us are scrambling across the photo pit as Jordan Pundik, Ian Grushka and Chad Gilbert pace across the stage, showing no signs of ever slowing down.

As well as having to watch myself not bumping into other photographers, security has to look after the flurry of oncoming crowd surfers. I guess the ‘No Crowdsurfing’ sign, usually seen in both the O2 Institute and O2 Academy, is being ignored for tonight. Needless to say, this was probably the most intense photo pit experiences I’ve had (or so I thought before KRS-One).

Although the 20 Years of Pop Punk wasn’t a sell out show tonight there is still a decent turn out, with voices from the front to the back of the room singing along in pop punk unity to ’My Friends Over You’ at the end of the set. But New Found Glory’s night in Birmingham didn’t end at the O2 Academy, as they made a brief appearance at Subside, in Digbeth, to play DJ set and take photos with some of their fans.

New Found Glory @ O2 Academy 30.09.17 / Aatish Ramchurn – Birmingham Review

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ROAM – supporting New Found Glory @ O2 Academy 30.09.17 / Aatish Ramchurn – Birmingham Review

October 9, 2017October 8, 2017

THE GALLERY: KRS-One @ Hawker Yard 01.10.19

Words & pics by Aatish Ramchurn

Hip hop veteran, KRS-One, arrives in Birmingham to close his six date UK tour, for what’s been described as an exclusive and ‘intimate’ show at Hawker Yard.

When it comes to gigs, I’ve always taken the term ‘intimate’ to mean ‘artist playing in smaller setting than they normally would’. But as I look at Hawker Yard for the first time – with it’s tiny, wooden stage and tented roof covering a pebble-floored area no bigger than a local pub – I realise that intimate, in this case, really does mean intimate.

The evening has been warming up with DJs from the monthly Feel the Vibe nights at Hawker Yard, with kids break dancing in the middle of the floor, reminiscent of hip hop in the 1980s, only with a boombox missing.

(It would have been great to have had some photos of the break dancers, but I did not bring my flash with me and the environment was way too dark to capture anything. In fact, I was feeling like this whole night was going to be a challenge, in terms of lighting)

The live sets start at around 9pm – kicking off with Omen, then followed up by Maxi Zee from Germany. They had 15 minutes of stage time each, but it was enough time for both acts to make an impression on the Hawker Yard crowd. At this point in the night, I had enough room by the stage to take photographs, but the moment Trademark Blud came on stage I knew that things would get even more difficult for me when KRS-One shows up.

Trademark Blud, supported by his beat maker and DJ, Tricksta, captivates minds with his hard hitting, politically conscious brand of hip hop. I restrict my photography by retreating away from the stage as more people are towards it. Whilst watching Trademark Blud rapping frenetically, I strategise just how I’m going to take photos of KRS-One in a closed setting like this.

The moment Trademark Blud leaves the stage, I make my way forwards and occupy the small gap left between the audience and the front of stage by squatting there. This spot is mine. And whilst I may make this sound uncomfortable, the truth is that it feels very relaxed; Hawker Yard just has a really friendly vibe, much like a community where you are simply made to feel welcome.

The man of the night, KRS-One, takes to the stage. Wildly glaring at the audience, and looking to make this a big night as Birmingham is the city he is closing his UK tour with. I take as many shots as I can before he even begins his first song, as I know it’s going to get rowdy as the night progresses.

KRS-One points to the area I’m occupying and says “It’s empty here” encouraging the audience to move closer to him, which they do with little hesitation. I spring up like a meerkat to avoid being trampled on, but I’m very much stuck in between people, all with their phones held high, capturing the moment that they were all standing right next to KRS-One.

I’m smiling throughout all this, mainly because I’ve never had this experience as a photographer; as if the low light wasn’t challenging enough, try getting any clear shots of an artist when squeezed in between so many fervent fans.

Wanting to get a few more crowd shots I retreat from the front, checking at the images at the back of my camera to make sure I’m happy with what I’ve got, as once I’m out there will be no return. And I had expected ‘Sound of Da Police’ (taken from KRS-One’s first album, Return of the Boom Bap) to be left until last, but fortunately for me it wasn’t so I could take my leave from the front after that.

But the whole idea of being a concert photographer is capturing these moments as they are. And that’s what these photos from KRS-One at Hawker Yard represent – a night where there is no stage, or status barrier between artist and audience, but one where a venue is simply united by hip hop.

KRS-One @ Hawker Yard 01.10.19 / Aatish Ramchurn – Birmingham Review

For more on KRS-One, visit www.krs-one.com

For more on Trademark Blud, visit www.trademarkblud.bandcamp.com

For more on Tricksta, visit www.facebook.com/TRICKSTA

For more on Hawker Yard, including full event listings, visit www.hawkeryard.com

For more on Mostly Jazz, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.mostlyjazz.co.uk

October 4, 2017October 6, 2017

BPREVIEW: Rews + The Hungry Ghosts + Ed Geater @ Actress & Bishop 25.11.17

Words by Ed King / Live pics by Rob Hadley & Paul Reynolds

On Saturday 25^th November, Birmingham Review presents its winter showcase at the Actress & Bishop – a live gig, with Rews + The Hungry Ghosts as joint headliners, alongside Ed Geater in support.

Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at £8 (advance) and £10 (on the door) plus the relevant booking fee if you buy through a ticket agent. Tickets can be bought via See Tickets, Eventbrite and Music Glue – click on the name/logo of each outlet for a direct link.

Tickets are also available through the individual artists’ websites: Rews, The Hungry Ghosts, Ed Geater. Or you can buy tickets direct from Birmingham Review – contact us on info@birminghamreview.net to arrange physical ticket sales (p&p may apply).

So that’s what, where and how much sorted. Now a little more on who… Birmingham Review is lucky enough to have covered a whole smorgasbord of music across 2017, from the lava lamp delights of The Mother’s Earth Experiment to the eclectic ensembles of the Post Paradise showcases at Centrala. But there are always those that stick in our ears for a little longer, or to quote one of our headliners: “Like a little Tequila worm that crawls in, gets drunk, and stays in there forever.”

To show how much we love what we love, we’ve invited a few of our new(ish) friends to come and play at what is, in effect, our (non-denominational) Christmas party. And we’re inviting you, for the mere price of a ticket, to come and see a few of the horses we’re backing in the New Year.

You know that friend that always goes on about having seen (INSERT NAME OF BIG BAND) when they played (INSERT NAME OF SMALL VENUE)… well this is your chance to do one better. Three better, in fact. Check out the below for a sneaky peak at the Pyramid Stage headliners of tomorrow. Or even better, come down to the Actress & Bishop on Saturday November 25th and seem then a bit more close and personal… well, up close at least.

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Rews

First spotted playing at The Flapper back in February, where I got to interview the two women who are increasingly being referred to a ‘the next Royal Blood’ and Damien got to cover the gig. Seldom do you get such a good first impression, both on stage and off.

Since then Rews have gone on to storm Glastonbury (one of Mark Radcliffe’s festival highlights), nudge their way onto various national radio stations, be the first UK band signed to Marshall Records and line up an album, the actually eagerly awaited Pyro – out in November. Just don’t tell them I used an adverb. Infectious, awesome and will kick the teeth out of our Christmas party.

‘Shine’ – Rews (taken from their forthcoming debut album, Pyro)

For more on Rews, visit www.rewsmusic.com

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The Hungry Ghosts

It’s no surprise that WE LOVE THE HUNGRY GHOSTS at Birmingham Review. And to prove it, we’ve covered them here, here, here, and of course here. I have even had to stop myself from writing about their gigs, as my sycophantic rhetoric is in danger of repeating itself. Plus, there’s no better metaphor than a Joe Joseph metaphor and I’m tired of being outdone (I should learn the guitar to balance things out).

But all their praise is deserved; to quote Larry Love from Alabama 3, whom ‘the ghosts’ supported back in 2015, “they’re a rock band. A real fucking rock band”. Which indeed, they are. The next 24 months could be the pivotal point for a band who, and I mean this, could well land somewhere between The Rolling Stones and The White Stripes in both sound and success. All aboard the Slaughterhouse Blues Express, next stop ‘Amerika’…

‘Amerika’ – The Hungry Ghosts

For more on The Hungry Ghosts, visit www.thehungryghosts.co.uk

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Ed Geater

I first saw Ed Geater at a showcase presented by Call Me Unique (who sadly couldn’t join us on stage, but has promised to make up for it at the bar) – but his name has been buzzing around the Birmingham circuit and beyond for a while. I have never met someone who didn’t enjoy an Ed Geater gig – seriously, if you’re out there get in touch we need to emboss you in bronze.

Master of the loop pedal, a seriously talent songwriter and an overall lovely fella, if some savvy subsidiary doesn’t snap him up soon we’ll eat all the hats. Check out Giles Logan’s great interview with Mr. Geater too, ahead of his headline show Hare & Hounds homecoming hoedown…. and breathe, that we covered back in March.

‘Symmetry’ – Ed Geater

For more on Ed Geater, visit www.edgeater.co.uk/

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Birmingham Review presents its winter showcase at the Actress & Bishop on Saturday 25^th November, with Rews, The Hungry Ghosts, Ed Geater. For tickets email info@birminghamreview.net, or click on the following outlets: See Tickets, Eventbrite, Music Glue

For more from the Actress & Bishop, including venue details and links to event, visit www.facebook.com/Actressandbishop/

For more from Birmingham Promoters, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.birminghampromoters.com