Author: birminghamreview

Writer Jimmy Dougan / Images courtesy of StudioCanal UK

Confession time: I’m a massive wuss. A scaredy-cat. A wimp. Gore makes me gag. Jump scares send me flying. So, imagine my delight when I found out the good folks at Birmingham Review were sending me to an exclusive preview screening of the much-hyped Evil Dead Rise, the newest instalment in the beloved Evil Dead series.

I decided to be brave and diligently watched the original Sam Raimi trilogy clutching my not-very-scary dog for protection. To my absolute shock, I bloody loved them. Scary? Very. But incredibly funny too. They have a scrappy, fuck-you attitude that I found irresistible.

My previous nerves shifted into excitement; I practically waltzed into Digbeth’s Mockingbird Cinema salivating at the prospect of a feast of demonically possessed carnage. And I wasn’t left hungry.

Director Lee Cronin’s much-hyped film starts in familiar territory, before veering ingeniously off-road into areas the franchise has previously avoided. It’s a deliciously twisted portrait of a family unit being flung into hell, effortlessly straddling the fine line between horror and comedy.

It made me laugh out loud, then tense so hard I was discovering muscles I never knew I had. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty damn good.

Cronin’s film homes in on Beth (Lily Sullivan), a guitar technician on tour in a grungy LA bar. First seen staring in horror at a positive pregnancy test, she decides to visit her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) for some guidance and a free place to crash. But Ellie has problems of her own: her partner has up and gone, leaving her alone with three children.

Cronin takes his time setting up a clear family dynamic: youngest daughter Kassie (Nell Fisher) is dismantling her toys to make even cooler ones, middle child Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) is too preoccupied with going to protests to notice Ellie’s struggles, and oldest Danny (Morgan Davis) is too wrapped up in collecting vinyl records to take his earphones off.

When an earthquake exposes a hidden vault under their apartment complex, Danny is first to dive in. The inevitably of what’s to follow is dread-inducing; besides some creepy vinyl records, he also retrieves a suspiciously bound leather tome…

It’s quite a lot to pack in. Previous instalments have generally just leaped to carnage and the film’s startling opening promises real shocks, so it’s jarring to spend half an hour in what occasionally feels like a sitcom.

But when the book is opened, hell well and truly breaks loose. What follows is an experience of genuine breathlessness, an overwhelmingly intense headfirst dive into darkness. Cronin has fine-tuned this beast within an inch of its life; tightly scripted and expertly paced, it chews you up and then spits you out battered and bruised at the other end.

It’s relentless and thrilling, but nail-bitingly tense too because Cronin so carefully establishes the family dynamic. Watching them get torn apart (literally and figuratively) is heart-breaking – not an easy task within a genre that tends to treat people as bags of meat simply to be disembowelled and discarded.

Beth and Ellie each have demons of their own, and it’s a testament to Cronin’s writing that the film manages to make meaningful comments about familial bonds, single-parenthood, and working-class domesticity, without compromising on the intensity of the scares.

Sutherland is a terrifying antagonist. There’s one shot of the demonically possessed Ellie peering through the peephole I just know will be in my nightmares for weeks to come. She moves with a balletic grace which makes the savagery of her attacks even more shocking.

The tension is pushed to boiling point by the apartment block setting. The Evil Dead series has typically favoured isolated woodland cabins for sites of carnage. It’s refreshingly horrible that this newest instalment occurs inside a decaying apartment block condemned to demolition.

Cronin exploits the cramped surroundings for some spine-tingling horror. One nail-biting scrap in the family kitchen makes inventive use of various kitchen implements. You’ll never look at a cheese grater the same way again.

The film isn’t perfect. The story is disappointingly predictable. It takes glee in foreshadowing kills but struggles to blindside us narratively. And although the domestic setting certainly ratchets the tension, the film occasionally feels a bit too small in scale.

Yet these are minor issues within a fantastic cinematic experience. Evil Dead Rise is a no holds barred attack on the audience. The cramped setting and brilliant villain create an unceasingly brutal, blackly funny assault on the senses that leaves you both desperate for more and clamouring for fresh air. It’s a must-watch for any genre fan. I loved it.

Horror? Call me converted.

Evil Dead Rise – official trailer

Evil Dead Rise will be screened at Mockingbird Cinema, at The Custard Factory, until 4 May. For listings and links to online ticket sales visit: www.mockingbirdcinema.com/production/evil-dead-rise

To read more about Mockingbird Cinema go to: www.mockingbirdcinema.com

Writer Ray Vincent-Mills / Photographer Emily Doyle

On Wednesday 19 April, Beckett Kelly-Williams drummer – vocalist, artist and video game enthusiast – will be part of DIY rock night TEETUS DELETUS, held at the Victoria to raise money for his top surgery. He is part of rockabilly outfit The Bitter Lemons, art punk project Exotic Pets, and the political feminist tinted Hey Alamo.

Math-rock trio Luxury Nan Smell will also be on the bill, giving Beck a chance to stretch, headbang, and have a pint at the bar.

Birmingham Review caught up with Beck ahead of the gig, for a quickfire Q&A.

How do you find the brain space to be creatively engaged in three different bands?
“I kind of don’t sometimes. I’m really lucky that each band works slightly differently. So, like with Bitter Lemons, Rich (James, bassist) and Hayley (James, vocalist) are a couple and they live together. So, they create ideas and bring them to rehearsals, which frees up a bit of mental space. Pets is generally just chaos, and then after a while the chaos turns into a song.

“I think it’s only with Hey Alamo that me and Greg (Smith, guitarist and vocalist) start off with an idea then build on it.  It’s not just me in the band, everyone has different ideas so that helps take the stress and strain of it. I can just hit loud things then that’s my bit done really.”

What do you get out of each band, personally and/or in terms of drumming?
“Each one is a different style from a drumming point of view, which helps. Sometimes I think if you’re in more than one band that all do the same thing it can all blur into one. Each band has their own identity because musically they’re all different.

“To be fair all the bands from a personal point of view allow me to have a creative outlet. There’ll be times where I’m slightly more excited about doing something with one band, or writing something new or performing a gig. But at the end of the day it all allows me to be a bit more creative and a bit more crazy.”

How is being trans in the alt music scene?
“You stand out quite a bit. There aren’t that many people – but I think it’s more than there used to be a few years ago. The only person I knew who was openly trans in any sort of alternative music was Dianne (formerly of Sofa King, now performing as DJ Birthday Girl and Lyn Vegas.)

“I suppose it’s good because it gives me an outlet to be a bit angry, make music about happy, political, and angry things. It gets a message across in a way that people wouldn’t engage with otherwise; you know, unless you’re terminally online arguing with people on twitter A lot of people don’t understand how you feel going through the world in this way.”

Do you think attitudes surrounding transness vary amongst different genres?
“Yeah, definitely. I think the more punk/punk adjacent you are the easier it is to talk or make songs about these things. With Bitter Lemons – that is more rockabilly, garage, rock & roll – these aren’t things people really talk about in those genres of music. Certainly not to the same extent in other genres.

I suppose that means that part of my voice is less heard in that genre opposed to Hey Alamo where there’s a whole song about being trans, because certain genres lend themselves to being able to say that. I don’t know if that’s because they’re slightly angrier and that’s how it feels being trans at the minute.

“You want to shout and be angry. It would be nice to change that with Lemons, bring in more thoughts of being trans and queer. It would be good for those people who listen to that kind of music to realise the world isn’t just a middle-aged white man with a quiff…as I sit here, a middle-aged white man with a quiff. Let me just flatten it down a little bit.

If you could add or change one thing to the music scenes you’re in, what would it be?
“Definitely more diversity. It is changing but I still think overall it’s a very straight, white, cis heavy scene. I think that’s across all genres really, there aren’t that many bands that cover all of those things. Particularly transmasculine voices are overall underrepresented quite a lot. Some promoters talk about pushing forward the voices of AFAB people and trans women. But then they never seem to put anything on that has transmasculine people in it. Most of the bands I know, I like or am in are white and cisgender.

“Hopefully it’s changing as more bands who are more diverse become more prominent. For example, Big Joanie and Nova Twins in the last few years have opened up a lot of people’s eyes that you don’t need to be a skinny white lad to make certain genres of music. That can only be a good thing.”

Why do you think there’s more of a push with transfeminine people opposed to transmasculine folks?
“Because we can fly under the radar. You either pass well enough that people don’t know you’re trans, or you don’t and people just think you’re a butch lesbian. A double edged sword really. Which is good ‘cause we don’t get even a fraction of the abuse that transfeminine people get in all aspects of society.

“Not just online but with the government, their attacks are always on transfeminine people not transmasculine people. It just means that it’s difficult to identify and see people like yourself on stage. Hopefully that changes as more people become more visible.”

Do you think your relationship with drumming will change once you get top surgery?
“Mmmm, probably not. It’ll be more comfortable as I won’t need a binder to drum. Being able to breathe helps! It won’t necessarily change that much, I’ve tried not to let anything stop me, or hold me back in that sense. I’m not gonna let me being me, having to wear certain things, stop me from enjoying my life.

“I’m a bit too old and I’ve wasted too much of my life not enjoying it to let anything hold me back.”

What are you going to do with your binders?

“I’m gonna see if anyone wants them. I’ve got friends with transmasc kids who have recently come out. Obviously, binders are expensive, they are very well worn but If it’s someone’s first binder and they don’t wanna splash out to get one, they can have it. I was thinking about doing a ceremonial binder burning but maybe it’ll just be a symbolic one instead.”

What are you most excited about when it comes to the new Zelda game?
(Beck momentarily gasps and flails in excitement.)

“Dear Nintendo, if you are listening, it’s not too late to change that the weapons break all the time. If I like that sword let me repair It, don’t let it smash into a glittery abyss.

“To be honest I’m really excited about having 4 weeks to be able to not work and just game. There’s gonna be a perfect mould of my bum in front of the PlayStation.”

Do you have any music plans post recovery?
“Hayley, the organisational queen of Bitter Lemons has been tryna get gigs from August onwards. She’s got a colour coded spreadsheet and everything.

“I recorded with Hey Alamo about two months ago and that’s in the mixing and mastering stage, so it should be released whilst I’m resting. Then with Bitter Lemons we just recorded four original songs which should be coming out from about June onwards.”

TEETUS DELETUS is hosted at The Victoria on Wednesday 19 April, featuring Hey Alamo, Luxury Nan Smell, Exotic Pets, and The Bitter Lemons. For more details visit: www.facebook.com/events/1260240814859897

For more on Beckett Kelly-Williams visit www.instagram.com/mundane_trans/

For more on The Bitter Lemons visit www.instagram.com/bitterlemonsband
For more on Exotic Pets visit www.ex0ticpets.bandcamp.com/album/hot-boys-on-campus
For more on Luxury Nan Smell visit www.instagram.com/luxurynansmell
For more on Hey Alamo visit www.heyalamo.bandcamp.com/music

For more gigs and events at The Victoria visit www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographer Andrew Roberts

Birmingham to London, it might only take an hour and fifteen on the train, but anyone who has spent time in both cities knows they can be worlds apart. I’m catching up with newly appointed BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ, Kaylee Golding (aka Ya Favourite Gyal From Brum), following her return from the capital and her first week on the job as a daytime presenter for 1Xtra.

Making history as the first regular BBC 1Xtra weekday broadcaster outside of London, I wonder if she’s got the answers. How do we stop all of Brum’s rising musical talent from being dragged down south and what does the return of Kaylee, and the arrival of 1Xtra, mean for the future of Birmingham’s creative scene?

Kaylee is a massively welcoming presence; her big smile and easy conversation makes it feel like you’ve known her for years. “I think London can be such a big place that that sense of community might not always be there,” Kaylee says, considering the differences between London and Brum, as we lounge in Medicine Bakery in the Mailbox.

“It can be in each borough or in each radio station that you’re in, but in Birmingham I do feel like everyone really knows everyone. I also think the music is incredible, there’s so much rising talent.”

Kaylee’s resolute, “home’s home at the end of the day”, and after six years working in London she’s ready to shine some light on the vast array of artistry Birmingham has to offer.

It’s good to note the positives first.

Kaylee praises Charley Valentine in particular, who Kaylee started doing music with when they were “literally in church,” as well as events like “Boxed Out” which she says is an “amazing event with an amazing community.” Kaylee also takes a moment to “plug plug” her own event ‘On Your Gaydar’ which puts on brunches and day events for the LGBTQ+ community.

Moving onto the not-so-positives, Kaylee explains: “I think what’s very difficult in Birmingham is we don’t always have the infrastructure, so when people are living here I’ve seen a lot of them give up on their dreams.

“There’s just so much going on in this city, it’s insane. But I’m just seeing a lot of people still moving to London and I get it… I did the same thing. But it’s about us trying to work together and build.

“In other cities, you can be handed opportunities a little bit more. It’s like an ‘Oh, we have a lot of funding so there’s this internship. Or there’s this, or there’s that. Whereas in Birmingham you have to go and find these hidden gems, these opportunities, and just make the best of us not having everything.”

While we all know Birmingham is struggling to compete with London and other established creative cities like Manchester, with many major artists missing it as a stop on their national tour dates, Kaylee is optimistic about where our local creative scene is moving.

“The infrastructure is definitely growing as the city grows and I see a lot more people wanting to be in the creative industry and wanting to invest in themselves which is wicked.”

However, she goes on to say: “Funding is a massive thing because to be a creative you have to have the money to invest in yourself, you have to have money for equipment, you have to have the money to be able to volunteer and say, ‘I’m going to go to practise my craft with this.’ So without funding people can’t be creative.”

It’s tough out there, especially with the cost of living crisis. Yet, Kaylee’s got plenty of steam to put behind Birmingham, she wants local musicians to back themselves and stick it out with their craft.

Kaylee’s keen to examine Birmingham from every angle, explaining how hard it is to be the first to make movements and build from the ground up. But also how “our creative scene is so much more talented because you have to really graft. The people that hold out do really well, and longevity is a great thing.”

Somewhat hesitantly, Kaylee adds: “Sometimes, when I say sense of community, people sleep on people in Birmingham. By that term I mean, it’s not until people leave the city and make big moves that everyone’s like ‘Oh, hold on one second we love this person’.

“The OG’s that have been doing it in Birmingham for a long time, if we support them more then they’re more than just local Birmingham artists, we have to push them outside of our city as well.”

And I agree, we got a bit of an issue consistently showing up for musicians and creatives as a whole in Brum. And whilst everyone knows everyone, not everyone in the creative community is doing as much as they can to look out for the scene as a whole.

Kaylee continues: “If we’d supported them (musicians) a lot earlier on in their journey, and I’ve seen it with so many people, they wouldn’t have to leave the city… because the city is supporting them.

“If you’re making enough noise in your city, then other people will find you,” says Kaylee confidently. “Whereas in Birmingham we kinda go the other way round, like you go to another city and make a lot of noise and then your city supports you.”

Bands that go the distance rarely do so in isolation. As Kaylee tells us, a bit of noise brings more noise and builds bigger, more sustainable creative communities, allowing individual artists/bands to rise up and be successful.

We’re in complete agreement, collectivity is vital –  but how does this translate into action?

“There’s things that everyone can do,” explains Kaylee, “If you’re just a general consumer you can listen to people’s music more often to make sure they’re getting the streams, you can use word of mouth, when people ask you who you listen to the first people that come to mind could be local artists. It’s little things like that.”

Getting into it, Kaylee stresses: “I understand it’s a cost of living crisis, but if you go out anyways and you go to the same resident clubs all the time, you might as well go to an event, go see some music, go support a different DJ. You just turning up is supporting.

“If you’re putting on an event, make sure you’re booking local guests and performers. If you’re on radio yourself you can make sure you’re trying to play local artists.

“A lot of things come up in conversations that you’re having with people. It could just be having a conversation and someone’s got a project, I could say I really appreciate this artist and then next thing you know they’ve got a collab and they’re doing something.

“It’s about making sure that if you’re in the heart and soul of the community then you’re having these conversations and you’re doing these things.”

Now Kaylee is firmly back in the centre of Birmingham’s music scene, what is she going to be doing to improve the plight of Brummie creatives, and can we expect to see more BBC Radio stations making a move to the Midlands?

Kaylee makes it abundantly clear she’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for local talent to spin and an eye out for gigs to attend. She stresses, “a lot is already happening,” noting the recent (somewhat controversial) move of Radio 1’s Newsbeat to the second city, as well as  “most of the Asian Network” making their home in the Mailbox.

With the BBC set to move its entire Birmingham base to Digbeth by 2026, Kaylee “doesn’t know” if there are plans to move more significant sections of BBC Radio to Birmingham.

For now, Kaylee thinks what’s most important are “the shows that have moved down, it’s for us to really get it right and be successful because then it’s proof to the different broadcasters that Birmingham works.” And work it does.

Kaylee Golding hosts 1Xtra from 1-4 pm Monday to Friday, you can listen live here www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_1xtra

For more from Kaylee Golding to go: www.kayleegolding.com
For more from Medicine Bakery go to: www.medicinebakery.co.uk
For more from The Mailbox go to: www.mailboxlife.com

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographer Connor Pope

For the girlies and enbies especially, alternative gigs can feel like being new kid and trying to sit at the cool kids’ lunch table in an early 2000s coming-of-age film – daunting. They’re hyper-masculine environments where at any moment some ‘true fan’ might demand you name the last 12 albums released by the band whose tee you’re wearing, even though you’re only 16 and weren’t alive for the first six releases.

While ALT BLK ERA, comprised of sister duo Chaya (15) and Nairobi (19), believe metal gigs are actually “notoriously safe space(s)”, it doesn’t stop them from understanding that everyone might not always feel comfortable in an environment where smashing up against a 6ft tall bloke with a leather bondage aesthetic is the norm.

Sitting in the greenroom at Hare and Hounds before their first headline gig in Brum, Nairobi explains, “We’ve been to some metal gigs. It’s been fine, walking in obviously we’ll get a few looks. Some of the older metal heads are a bit like ‘What are you doing here?’ but no one’s ever said anything bad.”

The sisters are confident, and we all note we’ve been readily picked up by good Samaritans after falling in the pit, but it only takes one prestige metalhead with a sneering are-you-sure-you’re-at-the-right-gig look to feel like you’re the wrong kind of weird. Combine that with the raw physicality of mosh pits and it’s enough to send those less confident packing.

So, what are ALT BLK ERA doing to make sure all “misfits” can let loose and express their alternative energy?

“The fact that we are mixing genres as young black women, we find that we’ve started to have more alternative black people coming to our shows,” says Nairobi, “so that feels really special.

“It is safe because we all make sure it is and that’s just the community that it is.”

While you could argue the musical and cultural roots of metal/punk are Black – stemming originally from hard rock and garage rock respectively, thus blues – the punk movement has been historically and culturally whitewashed, and alternative music continues to be predominately white space.

Hence, it’s genuinely ‘special’ for ALT BLK ERA to be reclaiming a significant amount of physical and virtual alternative space.

Nairobi continues: “The fact that we’re mixing rap, electronic, metal, the dark pop vibes, we see people from all different communities and age groups who typically would not be in the same space.”

“Sometimes we’re looking down and we’re like this is amazing because you guys would never have met ever in your lifetime, but in this moment we’re all sharing music and we’re all happy.”

ALT BLK ERA’s ‘SOLAR’ more “high energy” tracks are typically kicked off by Nairobi’s and Chaya brings the more grounded ‘LUNAR’. But they always ended up being an authentic mix of both sisters.

“When we first decided to do music we were just making so many songs,” says Chaya.

“We needed an excuse to put out two songs with the same vibe,” Nairobi adds, laughing.

Chaya continues, “We realised it was a good idea, everyone’s got two sides to them, we’re putting music out for both sides rather than just one.”

“There’s some songs that Chaya will really like,” explains Nairobi, “and she’ll be like ‘we have to record this one, we have to do it, I really love this one’.”

“I’ll be like ‘I’m not really feeling it’, but then she’s so passionate about it that we won’t ignore each other’s feelings. Then, we add something,” finishes Chaya.

I wonder if it ever gets a bit rocky/heavy being sisters and working in high-pressure creative environments. But Nairobi adds: “I don’t think we really argue” and they both shake their heads.

Sam, ALT BLK ERA’s drummer chimes in: “When I’ve worked with you if you’ve both got a conflicting opinion you’ll at least give each other’s opinion a try.”

“To see what’s best,” say Nairobi and Chaya, speaking and nodding in sync.

Since the sisters are resolute about “honesty” and go back and forth until both of them are “passionate and in love with the music,” Nairobi says, “no one can really put a genre on our music,” some of it’s trap metal and other tracks are dark pop.

“We used to be quite fussed about it, asking people ‘What genre is this? Help, we don’t know what we’ve created.’ Now I’m just like it’s an alternative, period.

“Whatever it is, if you think it’s electronic, punk, rap, it’s alternative, it’s ALT BLK ERA.”

And if she’d had a mic, I’m sure Nairobi would’ve dropped it.

For more from ALT BLK ERA go to: www.altblkera.com

For more from Hare and Hounds go to: www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk