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September 9, 2016September 11, 2016

ALBUM: Wild World – Bastille

Words by Ed King

I once (half) joked that Bastille wouldn’t be able to release a follow up album until Dan Smith had another relationship break up. After all, the phenomenally successful (and catchy) Bad Blood was a litany of growing pains and heart ache – what could he (now they) pen 10+ more tracks about if not rooted in appropriated teen angst?

Well, the day is here. Festival showcases have been drip feeding the music consumer masses new material, and now, on September 9^th, in the year of our lord 2016, Bastille are back for Act II. Wild World is out on general release, with a string of high profile live dates to ram it further down your oesophagus – starting at Festival No6 and Bestival, ending at Newcastle’s Metro Radio (nee Telewest) Arena in November. And that’s a big fu*king room.

“Our second is about trying to make sense of the world around you, both as you see it and as it’s presented to you through the media,” explains Dan Smith – courtesy of Bastille’s Wild World press release. “It’s also about asking questions of the world and of the people in it. We wanted the album to be a bit disorientating – at times extroverted and introverted, light and dark.”

‘Disorientating’ isn’t how I’d describe Wild World, but it certainly jumps enough from pole to pole to keep your compass spinning. Much of Bad Blood (and I won’t base this review in comparison) began life as a solo endevour, with raw melodies and dairy scribbled lyrics that felt inherently personal – this was part of what made Bastille’s debut LP so endearing. That and crack cocaine melodies.

But from the first few bars (and Kelly LeBrock/Weird Science quote) of ‘Good Grief’, the sophomore’s opening track, you can feel the husky driven horde of production dragging it uncomfortably through snow. Is that funk, pop, soul? Is that a Vanilla Ice bass line? I’m still not sure what it is… and by the time the obnoxiously radio friendly chorus kicks in I’ve stopped caring.

‘The Currents’, track No#2, starts equally as confused – a speed garage rasping bass line, staccato string sample, and lyrics that feel like sloppy copy mélange from the ghost of LPs past. 2 x 3 ½ min rounds in and I’m beginning to get annoyed.

Then a stripped back return to the keyboard ushers in ‘An Act of Kindness’; Smith’s mournful lament over ivory begins simple enough, before reverbed vocals and staggered layers sets up a stormer of a new track. And I mean new in every possible sense – this is not Bad Blood Bastille, this is not a quick fire amalgamation, this is new. New and good, oh so fu*king good. By the time the second chorus kicks in I am driving down the motorway shouting the words at my dashboard.

The rest of the album follows a similar vein – some swings, some misses, some balls knocked out of the park; Wild World is a fourteen track career expansion, with a major label agenda clearly stoking the coals.

‘Warmth’ is an odd attempt to fix political commentary (…hhhmm) over a Casio backing track and 80’s party anthem, whilst ‘Send Them Off!’ is a staggeringly punchy anthem (out as a single on Oct 7^th) which straddles a right hook chorus with pin point body blow verses. All kinds of awesome.

‘Power’ begins as a litigiously brave homage to ‘Friction’ by The XX, before becoming as awful and obvious as you can get with sample rock riffs leading the charge. ‘Blame’ falls into the same electric six string trap; not a bad song or melody, but lost in the confusion of an 80’s production portmanteau.

Then you have the gloriously bluesy ballad ‘Two Evils’, which sticks to its uncompromising steel guitar guns for the full 2mins 46secs. ‘Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith)’ follows the same suit, but more James Bay than Chris Isaak; neither will make Playlist A but they’re both reassuringly mature and well crafted songs.

Overall there are a few too many oh-so-clever cultural reference points in Wild World for my liking, and the overarching complaint is too many cooks – but as follow ups go, this is a pretty successful release. ‘Disorientating’, if you say so… I’ll stick with confused.

But something is clearly clear with Wild World – Dan Smith has more than a debut album to offer the world. And the world should listen.

Bastille needed to move away from the piano led laments and solo screams to become anything bigger than an epitaph to Bad Blood, and their ‘tricky second album’ is a strong move forward. It is a successful return to the public domain, one that will work well live, and with enough creative development and Radio One potential to balance both sides of the music/industry see-saw.

And as far as I can tell, no Valentine’s Day cards were hurt in the process. Job done gents, job done.

‘Send them Off!’ – Bastille

Wild World by Bastille is out now, on general release through Virgin Records.

For more on Bastille, including online sales & full tour details, visit www.bastillebastille.com

September 8, 2016

BREVIEW: The Garden + The Parrots @ Hare & Hounds, 28.08

Words by Jay Dyer / Pics by Rob Hadley (Indie Images)

It’s Bank Holiday Sunday and it seems nature has given us Brits one final fleeting glimpse of what summer should be. It’s hot, it’s muggy and a wave of BBQ smoke lingers on the air.

However the promise of a darkened room filled with sweaty people and loud music is too good to miss. Word reaches me that two of the best local promoters, This is Tmrw and Killer Wave, have teamed up to bring some exciting local and international underground bands to the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath.

The venue’s second, smaller room is host for this evening; its floor is already nice and sticky as I take a quick trip to the bar. The first band up on stage is The Mothers Earth Experiment, a six-piece ensemble who answer the question ‘’what’s up with all these flared jeans?’’.

The Mothers Earth Experiment arrange themselves on stage (which isn’t easy for a six-piece) and begin their set. The word ‘experiment’ within their name is aptly chosen; the band fuses together such a variety of genres that it is both old and fresh simultaneously. A luscious blend of Psychedelia, Jazz and Blues that takes you on a journey through the best parts of the 60’s and 70’s; in parts, they sound like Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd, in others the writing process behind The Beatles Revolver.

Each segment is wonderfully brought together – from the dual percussion, to the slightly overdriven guitars to the Ray Manzarek-esque organ. You get the feeling while watching The Mothers Earth Experiment that they must have so much fun in the rehearsal studio, just their effortless ability to be in complete sync is something to be admired. Arguably some of their instrumental songs go on a bit too long, but overall the set is a good dreamscape to begin the night – even if the room is a little empty this early on.

It appears the Hare & Hounds have their AC on the ‘ARCTIC’ setting too; to warm up I take a brief look outside to see more people have arrived, which is good news. Terror Watts are up next, a band that I’ve been keeping an ear on for some time; the three-piece are highly praised around Birmingham and this will be the third time I have seen them live.

Terror Watts play a form of high paced punk rock with a few more added pop hooks than most similar acts. They seem to have nailed the three-chord-song and maintain the pop melody throughout, which is quite intriguing. The rhythm section is pretty damn brutal and the bass is full of energy, which really compliments the high end distorted guitar and the melodic vocals. The room is much fuller by this point, something that reflects in the Terror Watts’ performance – one which is all about energy.

Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam are up next, as another influx of people come up the narrow winding stairs into the still unnaturally cold Room 2. Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam are another band I have heard quite a lot about, however I’ve not yet had the chance to see them live. Like their predecessors, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam focus upon delivering a fast paced, energetic set with lots of movement both physically and sonically.

They utilise dual vocals extremely well and the two very different tones intertwine wonderfully. The use of over driven, octave effects on the guitar is also worked perfectly. Many bands use this technique to varying success, but the sounds produced tonight are refined and blend well with the raw power of the rhythm section. Although it’s hard to put a finger on the style Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam are making; in some parts I hear Palma Violets, in others I hear some Blink 182 (I apologise).

Table Scraps take to the stage next; the three piece are a punky, gritty mass of noise which comforts my ears. The pace of this band is the fastest tonight, with the tempo seeming to ever rise alongside the thunderous noise. The drums are the heartbeat; they pound and reverberate around the room with much focus upon the toms.

The tortured vocals are exactly what you would wish for with this style of music, cutting through the low end noise and ringing out catchy melodies for the duration of the set. The choruses are great for the crowd to scream back at the band, and there’s a ritualistic chant behind almost every song.

Table Scraps have elements of Ty Segall running through their music (albeit a far sludgier version) with simple songs played in a way you do not hear very often. This band are great for getting the heart race and adrenaline running, which is shown when the first crowd surfers of the evening start occurring in the middle of the room. And thankfully Table Scraps seem to have made the room a little bit hotter to counteract that air conditioner.

The penultimate slot goes to Madrid 3-piece, The Parrots. And I will get the following comparison out of the way, because the band (or their fans) are most likely bored of hearing it… and with my limited knowledge of Madrid’s music scene… The Parrots sound very similar, in terms of style, to Hinds. Absolutely no bad thing, but rather a look into what the Spanish are up to. But I love it, I really do. The harmonic distorted vocals, the jangling guitar lines, the galloping bass and the swinging drums; it all just fits so, so well.

The Parrots also have elements of psyche rock bands such as The Allah-La’s, and their overall sound is just overwhelmingly feel good. Yes, it is simple, but that’s the joy because they make it sound so fun. It’s not over laden with noise and over-experimented on the effects; it is honest and completely to the point, which is right up my street.

The Parrots’ front man, Diego García, is eye catching – running about the stage, ending up on his back whilst screeching out a guitar line. This is the craziest I have seen the Hare & Hounds‘ crowd tonight and it’s a great surprise to discover a band I really, really, want to see again.

But this is it. I have overheard, at various points this evening, how much people are looking forward to tonight’s second headliner The Garden. Somehow I’ve not listened to this band before either, but once again I am looking forward to see what all the fuss is about.

As I stand right next to the stage right speaker, I am shocked to see Trent Reznor (straight from the ‘March of the Pigs’ video set) and a young Dave Gahan wearing French regency makeup walk onto stage. One sits at the drums and the other picks up the bass, as they tear into a set which both confuses me and intrigues me equally.

The Garden are, almost definitely, the most polarising band I have ever witnessed live. I would understand that a lot of people would absolutely hate them, but I am not one of them (…I think). The Garden seem to cross genres nearly every second – starting with cataclysmic death metal style bass lines, then intertwining jazz, electro, new wave and beyond. It is madness, absolute pure unadulterated madness; you have to be completely open-minded and expect nothing.

Inexplicably, midway through a song, The Garden ‘twins’ (brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears) both drop instruments and embark what I can only deem as electro/dubstep karaoke which the crowd absolutely loves. If I were to attempt to define the sound I would suggest beginning with Devo, then imagining that Devo took some really awful acid and spawned some brutal dark Devo baby. Then you’d be close.

But there has been a lot on stage tonight, as The Garden end our Bank Holiday mayhem with simply a really strange set. One which has an incredible reaction from the crowd surfers, but something I was not expecting to witness on a Sunday.

For more on The Garden, visit http://www.thegardenvadavada.com/

For more from The Parrots, visit www.facebook.com/theparrots1

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For more from Killer Wave, visit www.facebook.com/kllrwv

For More from This Is Tmrw, visit www.thisistmrw.co.uk

For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

September 8, 2016

THE GALLERY: The Garden + The Parrots @ Hare & Hounds 28.08

Pics by Rob Hadley (Indie Images)

On Sunday 28^th August, Killer Wave and This Is Tmrw presented a Bank Holiday bonanza of bands – bringing Orange County’s The Garden and Madrid’s The Parrots to the Hare & Hounds as joint headliners.

Bolstering the 5pm line up were enough local luminaries to make the show twice as worth the cover charge, with The Mothers Earth Experiment, Table Scraps, The Terror Watts & Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam filling the Bank Holiday bill.

Rock, roll, punk and pints of Sunday cider… Birmingham Review’s one-man-photo-machine (or Rob Hadley as he is known to his more human compadres) was there to capture an extensive picture spread to go into THE GALLERY.

Also keep an eye out for our full BREVIEW from Jay Dyer – coming to screen near you soon. So here. And later today.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch… here are a couple of tasty pictorial morsels (if you were too ruined by Sunday to see clearly for yourself). To check out the full Flickr of pics click here or on the link above.

The Garden @ Hare & Hounds 28.08

For more from The Garden, visit www.thegardenvadavada.com

The Parrots @ Hare & Hounds 28.08

For more from The Parrots, visit www.facebook.com/theparrots1

The Mothers Earth Experiment @ Hare & Hounds 28.08

For more from The Mothers Earth Experiment, visit www.facebook.com/themothersearthexperiment

Table Scraps @ Hare & Hounds 28.08

For more on Table Scraps, visit www.facebook.com/tablescrapshq

The Terror Watts @ Hare & Hounds 28.08

For more on The Terror Watts, visit www.facebook.com/terrorwatts

Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam @ Hare & Hounds 28.08

For more on Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam, visit www.facebook.com/sunshinefrisbeelaserbeam

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For more from Killer Wave, visit www.facebook.com/kllrwv

For More from This Is Tmrw, visit www.thisistmrw.co.uk

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For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

September 5, 2016

BREVIEW: Whitney @ Hare & Hounds, 23.08

Words by Graeme Elliott

For a band which created such laid back music, Whitney are hard working bunch – touring heavily in support of their debut album Light Upon the Lake. The hard work is definitely paying off though as Hare & Hounds is packed; there is palpable excitement in the room as the audience waits for the band to enter.

Front man and drummer, Julien Ehrlich, is the first one to wander on stage, his baggy shirt tucked into his grey sweat pants and towel draped around his neck; gym chic. He introduces their set by telling us they will be shaking up the order this evening; a way to liven things up on tour, no doubt, although their debut album’s title track, ‘Light Upon the Lake’, is an oddly gentle choice of opening. It almost works too, and the band injects more energy into it as a live version – but it still feels a little lost and timid thrust out up front.

Things soon pick up pace, and the subsequent combo of ‘Polly’ and ‘Red Moon’ prove the highlights of the night. For ‘Polly’ the band provides a grand sweeping backing to the Ehrlich’s falsetto, before the song gives way to its soulful trumpet outro. And live the swing of ‘Red Moon’ is emphasized – with Max Kakacek’s lead guitar and Will Miller’s trumpet trading melodies, playing off each other. It’s only a shame that it ends too soon; it feels like Whitney could have pushed this gentlemanly dual between their two musicians a bit more.

As we move towards the second half, the set sags a little. A passable cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Tonight I’ll be Staying Here With You’ doesn’t help, but the final combo of ‘The Falls’ and ‘No Women’ close out the set on a high; the band pausing to soak up the applause and say goodnight before launching into the final brief outro of ‘No Woman’.

This brings me to a concern I have with Whitney; their songs are skillfully played and arranged, but nothing fully grabs hold of you as you expect it should. ‘No Women’ being a typical example; a fine song, but it never seems to build to the heights it threatens to and ends too suddenly.

Too many times Whitney’s songs seem to stop short and they can seem a little flat because of it. Unarguably a hard working band, filling venues from Chicago to Birmingham, but perhaps Whitney could push themselves a little more – to give their songs more space to build on record, and to improvise with live. This could do a lot more to liven up their gigs than rearranging the set list.

For more on Whitney, visit www.whitneytheband.com

For more from This Is Tmrw, visit www.thisistmrw.co.uk

For more from the Hare & Hounds, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

September 2, 2016

BREVIEW: The Flyover Show 2016 @ Hockley Circus (underneath Hockley Flyover) 20.08

Words by Ed King / Pics by Michelle Martin (Visual Voice Media)

One of the great things about The Flyover Show is the roof. Sounds odd, but as I stare out of my bathroom window at sheets of early morning rain knowing I’ll be spending the rest of the day with the B4100 as an urban canopy is somewhat of a comfort.

Luckily by lunchtime the skies have settled into a dry, battleship grey, with splashes of sun and good humour – archetypal English event weather. And as the background sounds of DJ Winchester welcome us on to the curiously effective event site, the concrete concourse that connects the underpasses of Hockley Circus (underneath the eponymous ‘flyover’) the day begins to take shape.

Soweto Kinch’s ‘one-day festival of music, art & dance’ has been out of action since 2012, when around 6,000 people came through the Maxi Priest headlined line up, and it’s eventual return is both welcome and precarious.

A week is a long time in ‘small p’ politics, and to be off the funded event calendar for nearly half a decade is arguable suicide; the big thing hanging over The Flyover Show 2016 – other than two lanes of asphalt – is if it can win back its supremely supportive crowd.

Since its inaugural event in 2008 The Flyover Show has fostered a safe, friendly and diverse audience – with a clear mandate “challenging the preconceptions surrounding the area, showing that community and culture can thrive in all corners of our city’s heart.” But four years without a sound… if you build it again, will they come back?

The first live performance comes from the six strings and sultry tones of Affie Jam – a local singer/songwriter with more to offer than most. Everyone’s giving it their all, on stage and off; as the line up unfurls The Flyover Show’s curator and creator – Soweto Kinch – parades the open event site with an infectious call to arms, like a mix between the pied piper and Mos Def.

The event doors have just opened and it’s a little thin on the ground, with most of the early birds perched on the slanted cobbles tones that adorn this accidental amphitheatre. Kinch marches on, it’s hard to ignore or resist; The Flyover Show has always relied on more than just bodies to fill out the empty pockets on site.

Black Circle kick start the full band performances, and introduce the first flavours of reggae that will culminate in this year’s headline – the legendary within certain circles guitarist, Ernest Ranglin.

Ranglin has an impressive portfolio, having played with many jazz and reggae greats, alongside running both Studio One and Island Records back in the days when you would really want those jobs. And at 83 the man is on his ‘Farewell Tour’ – playing a litany of high profile events including Glastonbury Festival, The Barbican, Montreux jazz festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival… and now The Flyover Show.

It’s a coup for Birmingham. But to see this artist at a free, community focused event (as opposed to a bank breaking bill at the Symphony Hall) is another feather in The Flyover Show’s cap.

As well as breaking the media myths Handsworth, Lozells and Hockley are so often hung drawn and quartered with, Soweto Kinch set up the annual event to “break down these constraints of culture and class, and brings world renowned acts right into the heart of our community.” With Ernest Ranglin headlining The Flyover Show 2016, this particular arrow has arguably never been closer to its mark.

Call Me Unique is next on stage, performing tracks from her soon to be released Urban Gypsy EP. Strong, confident and engaging, Call Me Unique is a solid performer – with a developed edge coming out in her new material.

The Flyover Show crowd, many of whom have grown up, with and around the Handsworth based singer/songwriter (Call Me Unique lives round the corner, and has done everything from street flyering to broadcast interviews to help promote The Flyover Show) and it’s another of the day’s welcome sights to see her on stage.

Call Me Unique’s set introduces a further series of local artists, including TrueMendous, Trope, RTKal, Deci4life and Juice Aleem – performing mainly hip hop focused sets, with rhyme and verse holding a firm grip over the growing audience (it’s heading into late afternoon and there’s about 700 people here now). Some technical difficulties bring the running order into sharp light, but allow for more on stage banter from the section of the line up with a closer bond to Birmingham. Shout outs are given, given back, and a feeling of warm familiarity flows on and off stage.

Eska Mtungwazi, or Eska for short, ushers in the headline acts – coming on stage as the late August light starts to dip into early evening. A stalwart performer, Eska’s rising balloon saw her as a highlight of the recent Mostly Jazz festival – with her sonorous delivery and rich melodies now rippling across concrete and crowd at The Flyover Show 2016. It’s (she’s) pretty spectacular, and steps up the on stage flair in time for Basil Gabbidon and his band; brass and bright strings washing a wave of Birmingham reggae out across the crowd.

As Gabbidon and company strut through their set, it all gets a little carnival; with a mouth of pipping hot jerk chicken I join the dancing front rows. But as the lights on stage come up, and those above us come down, it’s time for the headline act – Ernest Ranglin has entered the building… well, municipal urban concourse, but you get the adage.

Dub riffs and decades of confidence ooze off stage, as the crowd dutifully drag themselves into the barriers and shoulder drop skank. I didn’t know about Ernest Ranglin before seeing him on the bill for The Flyover Show 2016, but you can tell almost instantly that you’re watching an artist of serious intent and caliber. The rest of the crowd gets this too – and show a reassuring appreciation to the man who agreed to play the event due to the audience it attracts. “I might get too warmed up, but I think I’ll be alright,” Ranglin jokes to the crowd – who have, by this penultimate point, grown to well over 1000.

Ranglin’s set is a joy to watch, and I suspect the people on stage are having just as much fun (maybe more) than those dancing at the front. Soweto Kinch and Alex Wilson have been touring with Ranglin, but still seem in appreciative awe that their on stage with the man.

Then, in a suitably special finale, Basil Gabbidon comes back on stage for a final thank you performance; the atmosphere is thick with pride, respect and camaraderie, and it’s a little hard not to feel like you’re watching something special. And that you’re part of it.

After running a little late (the line up warrants an adventurous approach to on-stage logistics) The Flyover Show hangs up its hat at around 9pm – with the families and friends that made up the day’s crowd standing strong since about 3pm. The champion returns. The Flyover Show 2016 has been a resounding success, with any fears of torrential downpours and apathetic crowds being dispelled by mid afternoon.

Birmingham has seen a recent redaction of events that celebrate black culture, as well as burning a few cultural bridges between potentially disparate communities – The Drum has closed, Simmer Down has folded and Birmingham Carnival is on a sabbatical. So the return of The Flyover Show could not be more box tickingly pertinent – with arts funding and council representatives needing something to show ‘diversity’.

But the success of The Flyover Show, what made it, developed it and what has reintroduced it nearly five years since its last outing, is the crowd. A cliché perhaps, but it’s the people off stage that really make this event – responding to what is being brought on stage with a sense of pride and ownership.

It works, it worked before and it has worked again, and as I pack up to go home – still early enough to have some light to see me up Great Hampton Street, I circle one sentence in thick bold.

‘Proud of our crowd’.

Then I add, ‘already excited about The Flyover Show 2017.’ And I don’t think I’m the only one.

For more on The Flyover Show, visit www.facebook.com/TheFlyoverShow

For more on UPRIZE-CIC, visit www.uprize-cic.com

For more on Soweto Kinch, visit www.soweto-kinch.com