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October 17, 2016October 17, 2016

BPREVIEW: Séance @ Centenary Square 18-29.10.16

Words by Ed King / Lead pic of Medium Eva Carrière taken from the book Phenomena of Materialisation – first published by Baron Von Schrenck-Notzing (1913)

On Tuesday 18^th October, Séance comes to Birmingham – held inside a shipping container based set on Centenary Square.

Running until Saturday 29^th October, Séance will hold thirteen (but of course) shows every day except the Lord’s Day – each one served up as ‘a 15 minute presentation in total darkness’, between 5pm and 9.45pm.

Tickets are priced at £8 and available through the REP Theatre. For direct event information & ticket sales you can call the REP Box Office on 0121 236 4455 or visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

Séance carries an ‘age recommendation’ of 18+

The latest piece of immersive theatre from David Rosenberg & Glen Neath, along with producer Andrea Salazar, Séance is the first show from Darkfield – a company that uses shipping container based sets to present ‘a series of irrational spaces that are at odds with their physical appearance’.

Previously showcased at this years’ Deralict Contemporary Performance & Live Arts Festival in Preston, and the Overtly Young, Wealthy & Substance Guzzling Latitude Festival in Suffolk, Séance makes its non festival debut in Birmingham on Tuesday 18^th October.

Described by The Guardian’s theatre critic, Lyn Gardner, as ‘Rosenberg and Neath’s best collaboration to date’, Séance is the third ‘total darkness’ theatre piece from the sensory depriving duo that brought you Ring and Fiction – this time using the isolated setting of a shipping container to set their stage.

No doubt evolving the idea from The Boy Who Climbed Out Of His Face, another shipping container based show that Shunt – Rosenberg’s ‘London based performance collective’ – launched in 2014, Séance is seemingly clearer in focus. It’s meant to scare you, whilst manipulating the power of superstition and suggestive empathy. Like a séance.

And as with both Ring and Fiction, Séance is led by a central protagonist whilst the audience members fill in the creative blanks with their own sensory deprived minds. This time it’s Tom Lyall, another Shunt founder and a man with a Twitter feed so restrained and funny I want to use it as wallpaper. But in such a literally confined performance space, with only 20 audience members at any one show, I have a spooky feeling Séance’s narrative will be a lot more… immediate.

Having toe dipped into the pitch black shenanigans of Fiction when it came to mac a couple of years ago (read my Birmingham Review of Fiction here) I can vouch for the darkness of a Messers Rosenberg & Neath production. But I’d be interested to see (or not see) what shakes its way to the surface when their creative mandate is as simple as fear. Although I do suffer from chronic claustrophobia and violent outbursts of panic… is there a form I can fill out? It’ll be fine.

Séance is a standalone theatre production, but runs as an arguable precursor to The Exorcist – the UK’s stage set première of Blatty’s 1971 horror stalwart, opening at the REP on Friday 21^st October. For more on The Exorcist at the REP, click here.

Séance runs in Birmingham from 18^th – 29^th October, held in a special shipping container based set in Centenary Square. For direct info & online ticket sales, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/event/seance

For more on Darkfield, the production company behind Séance, visit www.darkfield.org

For more from the Birmingham REP, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

October 15, 2016October 15, 2016

BREVIEW: Explosions in the Sky @ O2 Institute 10.10.16

Words by Matthew Osborne / Pics by Reuben Penny

I’d almost forgotten about Explosions in the Sky. Back at the turn of the century, post-rock was a formidable genre with bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai and Sigur Rós making music that seemed to wordlessly say something significant about the human condition through cinematic and sometimes apocalyptic music.

With their 2003 release, The World Is Not a Cold Dead Place, Explosions in the Sky (EITS) made something quite beautiful which celebrated what it was to be alive on this planet, full of epic songs with life-affirming titles such as ‘First Breath After a Coma’. Since 2011’s Take Care, Take Care, however, which fell into the category of more-of-the-same, along with the works of many of their contemporaries, EITS fell off my radar.

Coming across them again on a cold Monday night in Birmingham, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Their current record, The Wilderness, whilst adding some electronica to their palette, had underwhelmed me upon first listen.

Arriving at the O2 Institute midway through the opening act, Entrance, we buy beers and immediately look for somewhere to get away from this drab, one-man-and-his-guitar act who is sucking the life out of the room with every reverb heavy chord.

After Entrance finally makes his exit, Explosions in the Sky take to the stage, say a few brief words to the packed room, and then launch into over an hour of uninterrupted music.

The light show is mesmerising, and the first ethereal notes of the title track to the new record gently leak out from the stage, entrancing the assembled throng. The photographers in the pit scurry around taking shots by poking their heads through what looks like shards of heavenly light, trying to get a shot through a dimensional portal.

Then, without warning, the band erupt into a wall of noise, distorted and beautiful, and the five members thrash about the stage, lost in their own music. On the left are Mark Smith and Michael James, head-banging to every beat, and on the right are Munaf Rayani and Carlos Torres (EITS’s fifth member whilst touring) who are writhing, like charmed snakes, to the gentle melodies beneath the powerful drumming of Chris Hrasky.

EITS work their way through a set comprised of old and new material, the oldies getting the bigger round of applause and the occasional clap-along from the audience as the tension builds to the inevitable climaxes dotted throughout each piece. At one point the wedding bands of three of the members glint and catch my eye at the same time, and I contemplate a supposition that these guys are good wholesome folk who understand love in its purest sense. That certainly comes through in their music.

I am also willing to gamble that they are excellent lovers, if their music is anything to go by. They are in no hurry to get to the climax, happy to be suspended in a moment for as long as it needs. The big pay-offs always come, but are sometimes sudden and surprising, especially to newcomers – like my companion this evening who watches enthralled for the whole performance, her body rocking with the band’s every beat.

Sadly, all good things come to an end. Fortunately this is nothing short of spectacular with EITS resurrecting two classics from their much-loved third album, The World is Not a Cold Dead Place. Cheers go up as a familiar riff breaks through the ambient dramatics of ‘The Only Moment We Were Alone’, and for ten minutes we are caught suspended in something magical – a wordless story which slowly unravels, becoming an overwhelming blanket of sound, building and building until it can’t reach any higher and ending in a sudden silence as the lights go down.

Tonight is a truly spectacular piece of musical theatre. EITS show that the apparently tired sounds of the post rock genre can still ring pure and true when played at the right volumes, with the mastery of a talented band of musicians who understand the dynamics of their work.

As we are kicked out of the O2 Institute, into the sharp chill of Monday night in Digbeth, amidst the drunks and the litter, it is hard not to find some sort of beauty inherent in every scene. You just need to approach it with the right pair of eyes, and the right set of ears. Without speaking a word tonight, Explosions in the Sky showed their Birmingham audience that troubles can be overcome and that there is a beauty to life, love and living, that we can forever embrace

For more on Explosions in the Sky, visit www.explosionsinthesky.com

For more from the O2 Institute (Birmingham), visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham

For more from DHP, visit www.dhpfamily.com

October 13, 2016

BREVIEW: Black Honey + Pleasure House, Dream Wife @ Mama Roux’s 10.10.16

Words by Billy Beale

Imagine going back in time and telling somebody that one day a band will win the title of ‘BBC Radio 6 Music Most Blogged About Band’. Even now, it sounds a bit nonsense – like ‘most relatable Tweet’ or whatever Vine is for.

Black Honey won that title from 6 Music in 2015, meaning that last year people were talking about these guys more than any other group, even much bigger names that had been all over the mainstream music press. Time to see if they live up to the hype – as Black Honey play Birmingham’s Mama Roux’s, at the tail end of their eight date UK tour.

Pleasure House, in a homecoming show that marks the end of an up-and-down tour of the nation, duly open tonight’s show. It is a sign of these post-DeMarco times that every band apparently needs at least one member to find the oldest baseball cap they can and never, ever remove it.

Their two opening songs, both on the topic of being “fucked up”, draw heavily on the sound of the slacker pop zeitgeist, but with heavier riffs and strong, prominent vocals from singer and guitarist Alex Heffernan. It is these vocals that prevent Pleasure House from sounding like every other tight and slick indie pop band. Their older songs are more typical 21st Century British indie disco than the openers but lack any real distinctive characteristics beyond a soulful voice and being undeniably well-executed.

Dream Wife look every part the riot grrrl group with the notable exception of singer Rakel Mjöll, who looks more like an 80’s horror movie blonde. In keeping with the movie-cheerleader image, her stage antics include a lot of jumping and chanting between delicate gesticulations from the Mick Jagger and Jarvis Cocker Book of Stagecraft. It’s not dissimilar to the mental image of a very small child on the stage of some awful televised talent competition, surprising everybody by doing a very energetic and enthusiastic rendition of a Blondie song but missing much of the cadence and rhythm. This image is not extinguished when Mjöll has a good go at shouting “I WANNA FUCK YOU UUUUUUP” later in the set.

A strong visual aesthetic is a great asset to a band, and Black Honey have honed and refined theirs to a degree not often seen at their level. The chosen font for the logo, the desert theme to their graphics, the video for ‘Hello Today’ (a three-minute homage to 60’s exploitation movies, much like Tarantino’s Death Proof or Kill Bill: Volume 2) is all very consciously American. Mods-and-rockers might be played out, particularly for a Brighton band like themselves, but Black Honey’s vintage US appearance doesn’t always match their songs.

For most of their set tonight, Black Honey sound like a British indie band with elements of 70’s US Southern rock stirred through. Singer Izzy B Phillips is reminiscent of Metric’s Emily Haines, with enough range to carry the darker, sparse, slower tracks as well as the bouncier pop. Unfazed by a rowdy crowd, Phillips relishes in reaching out over their heads and instructing them not to mosh and fight, but hug and sway. As far as crowd reactions go, Black Honey get nothing but unambiguous adoration from their Birmingham fans. Their music is often formulaic and predictable – verse, chorus, guitar solo with a Whammy effect, coda, repeat – but judging from the response, it seems to be working.

The latter half of Black Honey’s set sees less of the samey structures and more variation of dynamics and genre. ‘Spinning Wheel’ shows more of their American influence in the form of surf rock worthy of a Tarantino soundtrack, contrasting with the anthemic dreamy indie of ‘Corrine’.

There are a lot of sonic influences that make up Black Honey and, while they’re not always completely in balance, the end result is a professional show with flashes of genius. And whether they’re still the most blogged about band in late 2016, whatever’s left that stands between them and bigger things had better watch out because they’re coming.

For more on Black Honey, visit www.facebook.com/BlackHoneyUK

For more from Mama Roux’s, visit www.therainbowvenues.co.uk/venues/mama-rouxs

For more from Birmingham Promoters, visit www.birminghampromoters.com

October 10, 2016

BREVIEW: Club Integral – Dan Wilkins, Howie Reeve, Kamura Obsura, Dorcha @ The Edge 07.10.16

Words by Lucy Mounfield / Pics stolen from the corners of t’interweb… apologies

From the first look at Club Integral’s poster, I was a bit unsure of what tonight was all about. From the first step into the small warehouse in Digbeth, home to The Edge/Friction Arts, I begin to understand: eclectic furniture scattered around the space, extra-terrestrial drawings on the wall, neon lighting draped over every surface, this space felt more like a relaxed community-centre-cum-wonder-emporium. This evening is certainly going to be different.

The atmosphere is friendly; The Edge has a community feel and this is at the very heart of their manifesto – according to which Friction Arts have been working within the community for 23 years, helping people and translate their thoughts and ideas into artworks. And as I walk into the venue (being greeted by two alien murals on the wall, with flying saucers in vibrant neon glowing colours surrounding them) I immediately relax; there are definitely no stuffy artists in residence here and I need not worry about my lack of knowledge of contemporary art, or indeed of left-field music.

The Edge is home to the unusual, and it is therefore fitting that Club Integral take over the space for the debut of their Midlands ‘branch’ – an evening of niche sounds, bands who might struggle to be heard outside of London. Interestingly though tonight two of the artists playing are local to the Midlands, whilst the others have roots from outside England.

Seikou Susso, a traditional Kora player from Gambia in North West Africa billed as the first act, unfortunately had to pull out at the last minute due to a family death. Dan Wilkins, his student (and the first Birmingham name) instead treats us to some of Susso’s work on the Kora. The stage is a makeshift raised platform at one end of the warehouse; this is not a night to marvel at the technical prowess of the venue, but instead we, the audience, are treated to pared down, intimate moments of musical and emotional expression. Dan Wilkins sits alone, centre-stage, with the Kora.

The first three songs are in the Gambian style of Kora music, the first two being Susso’s and the third a composition of Dan Wilkins’ own. The Kora is a plucked string instrument which I had not heard of before, but it reminds me of Nitin Sawhney’s work with delicate Indian string instruments. I particularly like Wilkins’ composition; his face showing an emotional investment. The sound produced is rich, layered and textured, filling the warehouse and captivating the audience. The fourth and fifth songs depart from the previous three in their style; looser and slower than the previous two, which creates an earthy feel to them. It’s worth noting that there is some constant low level ambient noise, such as the kettle going off, throughout the set. For me this wasn’t a problem, it was all part of the atmosphere and to be expected given the nature of the venue, but others might find it an issue. Symphony Hall it is not.

Next to perform are Kamura Obscura, a three-piece band comprising a violinist (Natalie Mason, who is part of the team who run Club Integral), a guitarist (Robert Story) and a singer (Atsuko Kamura) who also plays keyboard. The first played, ‘Chapel of Atheist’, is a traditional Japanese song with haunting falsetto, both guitarist and violinist picking at their strings to create a stark background to the singing. The second song, ‘Melting’, takes on a political edge, dealing with the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactor in 2011; the band donning headlights and sparkly comic glasses, declaring “we are safe now!” The song mirrors the outfits, comic yet dark, lyrics searing with intent, “The leader said we won’t be affected, the TV said the same”, the instruments scream with anger whilst the singing’s high pitch brakes down back into deep growls.

Each band tonight play for about 30 minutes, and we’re encouraged to drink and eat food from the Ubuntu van outside which sold homemade South African curries. Club Integral seems to be not just about the music but the spirit of trying something different – a culture and style which completely resonates with the locale of Digbeth. Digbeth is an in-between place: abandoned warehouses and patches of wasteland stand next to ‘luxury’ flats, industrial units are next door to independent restaurants, streets lined with pubs and shisha lounges, creative spaces dotted around car parks where buildings used to be, an air of slow dereliction and shadiness yet at the same time a sense of constantly being ‘on the verge’ of redevelopment. Club Integral taps into everything that is weird and wonderful about this fringe of Birmingham; it’s DIY and not shiny or new, but it certainly is expressive.

The next act definitely encompasses this vibe. All the way from Glasgow, Howie Reeve and his bass guitar tell modern day ditties about “Superdrug and children”. Reeve’s bass playing goes from one extreme to another, banging, picking and pulling at the strings. His audience interaction soon becomes part of his act and in a way detracts from his music, as we are sometimes laughing too much at Reeve’s stories to fully listen to his songs.

The dynamics and organisation of a traditional song disappear; Howie Reeve, instead, plays a continuous stream until it abruptly stops; only when he says “done” do we know the song has finally finished. His second to last song about children is my favourite, the quiet glockenspiel keeping the beat whilst Reeve tells the furtive imaginings of three children, with the bass guitar bursting into life when the children get excited or angry. Howie Reeve feels like an overactive mind unable to sleep, one minute he is whispering and the next he is shouting.

The last act to play are Birmingham’s own, Dorcha – normally a five piece band but reduced to three for tonight’s Club Integral. Traditionally Dorcha are loud, a wall of noise, but here they became intimate and inclusive. The paired down band became folkesque – a violin reed organ, a piano, and singer/guitarist; Dorcha sit on a sofa whilst the audience huddle around them.

‘Space Age’ has a rhythm drum beat that runs through the piece like a military parade, but it is the reed organ that acts as the backbone to the song. For me, the best of Dorcha’s songs are the ones the band admits they played the least, ‘Crimson’ being a good example. The guitar gives a darker tone and at times straddles psychedelia, with the reed organ hovering and twisting throughout.

But their last song best epitomises the evening, a cover of Ane Brun’s ‘Do You Remember’. Dorcha tell us they haven’t rehearsed this until today, the day they perform it live for us, but the song is a work in progress – a sharing of influences and ideas in a safe space.

That, for me, is what Club Integral delivers: an exciting and eclectic mix of music for which there needs to be a space. And I think, after tonight, the Midlands have just found another one.

For more on Club Integral, visit www.clubintegral.wordpress.com

For more from The Edge/Friction Arts, visit www.frictionarts.com

For more on Digbeth First Friday, visit www.digbethfirstfriday.com

October 9, 2016October 9, 2016

BPREVIEW: Explosions in the Sky @ O2 Institute 10.10.16

Words by Ed King

On Monday 10^th October, Explosions in the Sky will be performing at the O2 Institute (Birmingham) – coming to the city as part of their pan-Atlantic Wilderness Tour. Support comes from the Guy Blakeslee born, Entrance.

Presented in the UK by DHP, doors will open for the Explosions in the Sky gig at 7pm. Tickets are priced at £25.25 +booking fee – for direct gig info, including online tickets sales, click here.

Born in the post rock Texan shadows of 1999, Explosions in the Sky are a guitar led, four piece, mini orchestra – producing layered, guitar led instrumentals (mainly) that hark back to the ambient rock progression of Spritualized or Mogwai.

Releasing their first LP in 2000, the seven track How Strange, Innocence, the band signed to Baltimore born/Brooklyn based Temporary Residence Ltd to release their sophomore album – Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever (2001).

Under the Bella Union umbrella in the UK since their third album, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003), Explosions in the Sky have been hop-scotching the Atlantic in 2016 – touring The Wilderness, their 7^th studio album (if you include the limited physical release/free download of The Rescue in 2005) following its release in April this year.

Five years after the six track Take Care, Take Care, Take Care saw the light of day, the Explosions in the Sky’s latest LP endevour is an arguably more ‘radio friendly’ affair – stretching across 9 tracks and leaning to the lower end of the one-to-ten minute scale. Known for their uncompromising approach and self-described ‘cathartic mini symphonies’ this is a side step for the Texan rock band, one which could signal a slight change in the prevailing wind or could just be a coincidence. Perhaps a mute point (until we see guest vocals from Fergie) but worth noting none the less.

After their gig at the O2 Institute in Birmingham, Explosions in the Sky will be playing two more UK dates in Gateshead and London respectively. Then it’s over to our (hopefully still) European friends for gigs across October – starting out with three dates in Greece (Oct 14^th – 16^th) and ending their EU adventure in Düsseldorf, Germany (Oct 27^th).

And for a tiny taste of what you might find on any of these stages, check out Explosions in the Sky performing their tour/album’s title track at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. – courtesy of NPR Music.

‘Wilderness’ – Explosions in the Sky

Explosions in the Sky come to the O2 Institute (Birmingham) on Monday 10^th October, as part of the worldwide Wilderness Tour – supported by Entrance. For direct gig info, including online tickets sales, click here.

For more on Explosions in the Sky, visit www.explosionsinthesky.com

For more from the O2 Institute (Birmingham), visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham

For more from DHP, visit www.dhpfamily.com