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April 6, 2015April 5, 2015

PREVIEW: Bipolar Sunshine + Cape Cub, Shatter Effect @ Institute, 8th April ‘15

On Wed 8th April, Bipolar Sunshine performs at the Birmingham Institute in Digbeth, with support from Cape Cub & Shatter Effect – as presented by Birmingham Promoters.

Doors open at 7:00pm with tickets at £10 (advance), for further gig info & tickets click here.

N.B. This gig was originally scheduled for 8^th October 2014, with all previously purchased tickets still valid for the 8^th April event.

Formally a vocalist/frontman for Kid British – the six member Ska/Indie Rock band from Manchester, Adio Marchant began his solo endeavour in December 2012 under the name Bipolar Sunshine – with ‘his fresh, idiosyncratic sound and conversational vocals’.

Although since releasing his debut Aesthetics EP through Polydor/The Aesthetic Recordings in 2013, Bipolar Sunshine has been arguably a genre crossing complexity to some – with the man himself citing influences including “Prince, Michael Jackson, Kanye, The Smiths, Alex Turner.” The Guardian’s Paul Lester settled on a ‘rapping, singing indie-rocker with a penchant for gospel, soul and pop kind of guy’ in his New Band of the Day column.

However challenging to label, not always bad thing, Marchant’s solo balloon has continued to rise. Following the release of his second EP, Drowning Butterflies, Bipolar Sunshine was invited to collaborate with Rudimental for the first Bacardi Beginnings project – writing and producing an original track, ‘Distance’, in only 24hours.

Bipolar Sunshine’s third EP, Where Did the Love Go, was released in 2014, with his latest single, ‘Daydreamer’ released in January 2015.

Bipolar Sunshine’s next single, ‘Deckchairs on the Moon’, is set for release on 6^th July 2015 – with input from musician/songwriters Kid Harpoon (Florence and the Machine, Jessie Ware), Fraser T Smith (Adele, Lily Allen) and producer Jazz Purple. Bipolar Sunshine is ‘nearing completion’ on his debut album but no release data has yet been set.

Bipolar Sunshine is also booked to play at Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party and the Reading & Leeds festivals this summer.

Bipolar Sunshine comes to the Birmingham Institute on 8^th April, with support from Cape Cub & Shatter Effect. For more gig info & tickets, visit http://theinstitutebirmingham.com/listings/upcoming-events/16598/bipolar-sunshine-2/

For more on Bipolar Sunshine, visit http://bipolarsunshine.com/

For more from the Institute, visit http://theinstitutebirmingham.com/

For more from Birmingham Promoters, visit http://birminghampromoters.com/

March 31, 2015April 1, 2015

ALBUM: The Unified Field Reconstructed – Piano Interrupted

Words by Ed King, pics by Claire Belhassine & Simon Bierwald – courtesy of Denovali Records

If taken literally, the adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ would put the remix community out of business. Or at least some of them. But throwing your debut album out to the wolves on your own label is an arguably safer approach.

Piano Interrupted, aka Franz Kirmann and Tom Hodge, released The Unified Field in October 2013 through Denovali Records. A year and half later, The Unified Field Reconstructed is released – a reworking of seven out of the ten original tracks by some of their label mates. Now you can throw a stone at Denovali’s roster and hit someone worth attention; and with the source material coming from ‘a musical entity in continuous reinvention’ The Unified Field Reconstructed looks genuinely exciting.

And at points it certainly pays off, such as the perky, plucky, jangly Jazz remix of the album’s opening track – ‘Cross Hands’. The piano led original gets coated in a creative flourish from The Hidden Orchestra, that whilst honouring soundbytes and staccato from the first born also manages to make the Reconstructed an exuberantly funky affair.

Likewise, the uplifting keys that lead us through ‘Darkly Shining’ are replaced by a brooding movement of sound once John Lemke sinks his teeth in – transforming the delicately angelic original into a dangerous interloper. It reminds me of the fear I used to keep under the bed as a child; spectacular stuff.

But then there are moments where, perhaps, just maybe, things should have been left as they were. Which, you could argue, defeats the point of having remixes at all? But when your latest album is a reworking of your previous, you’re going to invite a more judgmental comparison.

Second Moon of Winter bring their haunting soprano to ‘Camera Obscura’, which sits beautifully on the waves of glitch and scratch, but we lose any of the ivory that made such a compelling original. Whilst Saffronkeria spends over a minute at the start of ‘Lost Coda’ going nowhere, and another seven and a half bringing not much more than an over itchy blanket to the picnic. And some have been sidestepped altogether, including (oddly) the title track ‘The Unified Field’ and one of the original highlights, ‘Path of Most Resistance’.

So avoiding purple prose; some swings, some misses, some hits. But I applaud the endeavour, and the outcome is definitely worth uploading to anything with earphones and walking round the park a few times.

There’s some significant talent at Denovali, with this and other recent releases (Bersarin Quartet, Poppy Ackroyd) showing the wealth of possibility coming out of the Bochum based imprint.

Tom Hodge and Franz Kirmann are both avant garde (in a good way) and exceptional at what they do, this is clear; The Unified Field was a strong debut that left a keen desire for more. I’m just not sure the reconstructed offering satisfies that.

So my advice, when holding a copy of The Unified Field in one hand and The Unified Field Reconstructed in the other, is just by both. Then pre-order album four which will be with us ‘later this year’.

The Unified Field Reconstructed by Piano Interrupted was released on 27^th March through Denovali Records. For online purchase points, for this and other releases, visit http://denovali.com/mp3shop/

For more on Piano Interrupted, visit https://soundcloud.com/pianointerrupted

For more from Denovali, visit http://denovali.com/

March 31, 2015

BPREVIEW: Wolf Alice @ Institute, 31st March

Tonight – 31st March, Institute Birmingham hosts Wolf Alice. Doors open at 7pm, with tickets at £12 (advance). For further gig info & tickets, click here.

Hailing from North London, Wolf Alice formed in 2010 as a duo with Ellie Rowsell and Joff Oddie. The same year, the original pair released an eponymous three track EP – which included the tracks ‘Every Cloud’, ‘Wednesday’ and ‘Destroy Me’. By 2012 drummer Joel Amey and bassist Theo Ellis had made up the four piece alternative rock group, further releasing ‘Leaving You’ as a free download.

Gaining some attention from Radio 1 and NME, Wolf Alice signed to Chess Club Records, home of Birmingham’s Swim Deep, to release their first physical single, ‘Fluffy’, in February 2013. Later that year Wolf Alice released their first EP as a four piece, Blush, again through Chess Club Records.

Wolf Alice signed to Dirty Hit Records in 2014, releasing a second EP, Creature Songs, in May that year. Further accolades followed in 2014, including being named the ‘Best Breakthrough Artist’ at the UK Festival Awards and ‘Most Blogged Band’ by Radio 6.

Dubbed ‘the lovechild of folk and grunge’ by Clash Magazine, Wolf Alice are now set to release their debut album on 22^nd June – titled My Love Is Cool. The album’s the lead single, ‘Giant Peach’, was released in February this year – click here or on the cover artwork (left) for the official video.

Wolf Alice also carry the (arguably more imaginative) twitter tag line ‘ravaged from the depths of hell they came to reek havoc on mankind or something’

Promoting My Love Is Cool, Wolf Alice have been on a headline tour of the UK – starting in Glasgow and coming to the Birmingham Institute tonight, 31st March.

Wolf Alice come to the Birmingham Institute on March 31st. Doors open at 7pm, with tickets at £12 (advance). For further gig info & tickets, click here.

For more on Wolf Alice, visit http://wolfalice.co.uk/

For more from Dirty Hit Records, http://www.dirtyhit.co.uk/

For more form the Birmingham Institute, visit http://theinstitutebirmingham.com/

March 30, 2015March 30, 2015

ALBUM: Kintsugi – Death Cab for Cutie

Words by Ceri Black, pics courtesy of Atlantic Records

Death Cab for Cutie’s 8^th album Kintsugi is a break up record, there is no doubt about that.

It’s the band’s first album release since the departure of original member Chris Walla and marks frontman Ben Gibbard’s high profile divorce. The album title itself describes the Japanese art of fixing ceramics back together with precious metal; finding beauty in the broken.

DCfC have never been a band to shy away from a certain amount of sensitivity and melancholy but the highly personal feel to Gibbard’s song writing has propelled this album into being something truly beautiful.

Lyrics such as “My love why do you run?” in ‘Hold No Guns’ or “How could something so fair be so cruel?” in ‘Black Sun’ are straight from the heart and only confirm the sadness this whole album appears to be based upon.

Instrumentally, Kintsugi echoes Gibbard’s project band The Postal Service. There is a strong use of rhythmic synth and fantastical guitar riffs that force listeners to realise that DCfC are comfortable and strong in a sound that has now become their signature. ‘No Room in Frame’, for example, is a song that would be happy on any DCfC album.

There’s always a fear that a band so established could start slipping toward creating stadium filling, mass pleasing trash but Kintsugi proves that DCfC are on no such road.

In their 8th studio album, Death Cab for Cutie have a produced a sincere and emotive record that shows us all that being a grown up can sometimes get tough.

‘Little Wanderer’ – from Kintsugi, by Death Cab for Cutie

Kintsugi, Death Cab for Cutie’s 8^th studio album, is out today – 30^th March on Atlantic Records. For more on Death Cab for Cutie, including online purchase points, visit http://deathcabforcutie.com/

For more from Atlantic Records, visit http://www.atlanticrecords.com/

For more from Atlantic Records UK, visit http://atlanticrecords.co.uk/

March 30, 2015March 30, 2015

REVIEW: Lucy Rose @ Institute, Weds 25th March ‘15

Words by Ed King / Pics by Jonathan Morgan

It’s been a busy day. Since 07:02 I have failed to make a cup of tea or eat anything resembling breakfast. From deadlines to traffic jams I have hopscotched the city; finally, eventually, literally walking in behind her, making it into The Temple to see Lucy Rose perform. By the skin of my teeth I order a beer as the first chord is struck, tired but in place.

The last time I saw Lucy Rose was also at the Institute, but downstairs in a packed out Library. Tonight is upstairs in the considerably smaller Temple, where wall to wall shoulders make my route to the back of the room (the bar) a near impossibility.

NO FUSS, as my Grandma used to say, as Lucy Rose opens with ‘Koln’ – a new track from (I assume) her ‘forthcoming sophomore album’, set for release in July. It’s punchy, upbeat, with the signature staccato rhythm that defines much of Like I Used To’s less maudlin moments. I like it, then I kind of forget it, then I wait to warm up. Being so impressed by a debut can be a blessing and a curse

“…you’re not a timid crowd, are?” asks Lucy Rose, as my heart sinks a little at the guilt of audience participation and the restrain a Birmingham crowd can show. She is venerated in this city, the numbers are clear, but when you’re touring 18 of them in 22 days a bit of vocal reassurance is understood. I hear people shout “…no”.

An exchange of electric for acoustic signals two tracks from Like I Use To – the first being ‘Lines’, with its instrumentally laconic intro giving way to a full band punch at the first chorus, followed by a short rock out about thirds in. Lucy Rose can often be penned as ‘folk’, or words to such twee effect, but there is something spectacular when she throws her hair back and stamps. A short silence (not much for garrulous on stage banter) then ‘Place’ brings another soft/rock seesaw, before…

“I’m going to try a piano song,” words that will generally pique my interest, and an ethereal swirl of production fills the room like smoke. Another new song, for sure, but a rich ballad with restrained keys is coming off stage. This is new. Beautiful. A sneak peak at the set list tells me it’s called ‘Nebraska’ and if I don’t get to hear it again I might start breaking things.

The rest of the set jumps, as you’d expect, between established tracks from her debut and showcases of songs on her new album – which the universe (Wikipedia) tells me is called Work It Out. They work confidently together as a set, but there is a difference in sound and feel which could challenge an audience hungry for what they know. As Lucy Rose says halfway through, “I’m not sure what tracks to play,” with fifteen in the main set alone to divvy up. But there is as much love for old as there is for the new tonight – with the two biggest cheers of the evening being equally divided.

As for me, it becomes clear when ‘Shiver’ gets played; possibly my favourite track on an album that was pretty much (along with Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm and If I Leave) a schizophrenically repeated soundtrack of my life, for a few months . I love ‘Shiver’, but it isn’t my favourite song of the set this evening; there is something better going on than a personal karaoke.

I leave the Institute at an ironically languid pace, considering the fervent clock ticking that has peppered my day. It’s cold, starting to drizzle, and twenty minutes until the next bus arrives. I go over the course of the evening.

There are moments, chains of events, outcomes that will last longer than any 721 word appraisal, that seem to work out pretty well in the end – and I smile at the upcoming bell ring for Lucy Rose round two.

Plus, in a helpful twist of good fortune and fate, I get to buy a box of Lucy Rose’s ‘Builder Grey’ tea on my way downstairs. Another cross off the list. Perhaps when album three comes around they could sell all day breakfasts as well.

I’ve got fifteen minutes until the bus arrives. Dear merchandise stall…

Lucy Rose plays The Bodega Social Club (Nottingham) tonight / Mon 30^th March and The Barfly (Camden, London) on Weds 1^st April.

For more on Lucy Rose, including gig tickets links & pre order points for ‘Our Eyes’ – to be released on April 26^th, visit http://www.lucyrosemusic.com/

For further listings from the Birmingham Institute, visit http://theinstitutebirmingham.com/listings/