Author: birminghamreview

Launching her new Urban Gypsy EP, Call Me Unique will hosting a free party at The Yardbird on Monday Jan 27^th.

Showcasing tracks from her 6 song Urban Gypsy EP, Monday’s launch party will be the first outing for Call Me Unique’s new material.

Working with producer Professor F, Call Me Unique’s Urban Gypsy EP was originally planned for release in November 2013. But due to schedule commitments (and there being only seven days in the week) Call Me Unique postponed her Urban Gypsy EP launch until the New Year – available from Monday Jan 27^th as a free download.

Call Me Unique is arguably as her moniker suggests. Combining 6 string melodies with personal lyrics, all delivered by a beautiful range of soft to scarred vocals – whether singing or scatting,  Call Me Unique has been grafting her way up the ladder for some years now. A troubadour with style and finesse (plus a fair crack at the ‘Busiest Singer in Birmingham’ award) Call Me Unique is someone you should really check out; if for no other reason than to remind yourself what surprises can still be found on the live gig circuit.

Joining her at The Yardbird will be a bevy of acts; musicians ranging from acoustic to rap, Reggae to Hip Hop – conveying their message through a mix of rap, verse and song. Or ‘eclectic’, if you’re running out of characters on Twitter.

For a quick introduction to Call Me Unique’s Urban Gypsy EP Launch Party support acts, with links to further info & music, read below:

Elektric
Hoping to ‘educate, excite and embrace’ us, Elektric combines melody and verse to deliver ‘an old school Hip Hop flow (that) meets new school Soul.’  An engaged Birmingham artist with something to say, find out more at http://www.thisiselektric.com or https://soundcloud.com/elektricinmyeyesmusic

Alima Affie Jam
A self taught pianist and guitarist, Alima Affie Jam drips her honey vocals over soft acoustic melodies. A solo performer of quiet grace, hear some of Alima’s original material at https://soundcloud.com/affiejam

Relo
South African born Relo has been performing since she was 9 years old. Rooted in R&B, this British singer/songwriter has a limited online presence – but in the battle of quality Vs quantity, Birmingham Review suggests you visit http://youtu.be/qrNnH0ZQx8c

NT Complex
Aka Natty & Tempz, this Birmingham based duo stretch from acoustic to rap to grime, and probably back again (via Dubstep). But their voices, and tight vocal harmonies, reside throughout – for more visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/NTComplex-UK/195852973791451

4oz of Groove
An ensemble of undisclosed numbers, 4oz of Groove deliver a fusion of Soul, Reggae, Rare Grove & Funk including a seriously sexy & sultry cover of ‘Summertime’. To hear this and more fro 4oz of Groove, visit https://soundcloud.com/4oz-of-groove

But the lady of the hour is Call Me Unique. Returning to “my home” to launch her Urban Gypsy EP, Call Me Unique states The Yardbird is “the first place I was aware of myself as an artist.”

And despite its self titled ‘Jazz Club’ status, the city centre venue has promoted a healthy spread of artists – performing a range of genres and styles. But for Call Me Unique, who has played from the back of a bus to the LG Arena, The Yardbird is “where I first found myself; it would be silly to take it (Urban Gypsy) anywhere else.”

Call Me Unique launches her Urban Gypsy EP at The Yardbird on Monday 27^th January. Entrance is free, with the show running from 7:30pm to 11:30pm.

For more event info, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/270468576439231/?previousaction=join&source=1

For more on Call Me Unique, visit http://callmeunique.co.uk

On Tuesday 21^st January, The Church in Hockley launches a new monthly ‘night of spoken, sung and smugly said words’ – The Giggling Girder Club.

Its debut event this Tuesday will be followed by another outing on 25^th Feb and a third on 25^th March. Entrance is a very accessible £3, or £10 for a ‘meal ticket’ which includes ‘Entry and any Main Course or Burger of the main menu.’

The Church maintains a solid focus on food, with the brains behind the refurbished Hockley boozer holding a strong track record for grub. They’re no stranger to events either.

The Giggling Girder Club’s inaugural event on Tuesday (Jan 21^st) will present a range of performers covering spoken word, poetry, comedy & music.

Performing stand up will be comedians Tom Christian, Graham Milton and Rob Kemp; with performance poetry from Rohit the Poet & Dave Pitt – the latter of whom may/may not be delivering verse sitting down (http://youtu.be/3qs_JYP-fLU).

Music comes from Blues guitarist Karl Merrick.

The Giggling Girder Club launches at The Church in Hockley on Tuesday 21^st January. For more info and links to tickets, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/696371687054525/?ref=notif&notif_t=plan_user_invited

For more on The Church, visit http://www.churchjq.co.uk

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Ed’s note…

Big fan of The Church.  Gregarious staff, great menu – food & drinks, and a considered edition to the gentrification of Hockley. Plus the people behind it have long been running events (and menus) out of other venues, so it’s good to see them with a place they control from top to bottom.

I know nothing about the stand ups, other than seeing Rob Kemp on a poster with Tom Wrigglesworth – and if you’re supporting him you’ve most likely got ‘something’. Whether it’ll be apparent on at The Giggling Girder Club only time (and a few hundred words) will tell.

Spoken word, or poetry as it was once called, is a dicey game – and one that often depends on the equation subject + confidence x delivery ÷ audience. Again we’ll keep an open mind; but it’s good to see The Church throwing some weight and stage time behind the medium.

So it’s very much suck it and see for The Giggling Girder Club, but with a reasonably priced ‘meal ticket’ the worst outcome will be a decent evening meal. And I could quite happily demolish The Church’s menu no matter what else is happening in the room.

Ed King is editor of Birmingham Review. Follow him @EdKing2210

Words by Ed King / Pics by Carlie-Ann Hare

It’s like being punched in the face, a feeling I am all too familiar with; heavy, brash and an odd way to say hello. But at least we know the gig’s started.

Hannah Trigwell opens her set off the back of a very loud kick drum; one that startles most of the room outside the mixing console. Playing five consecutive dates across the UK, with a full band in tow, tonight is the first gig of her debut headline tour and a comfortable crowd has dodged the January rain to come and wish her well. Having built up a large fan base from online posts and performances, there is a cozy camaraderie in the Academy 3. I’m standing next to somebody’s mum and dad.

‘Give it Up’ fades out and Hannah asks “how are you Birmingham?”; a dangerous question in this city and one I’ve seen unanswered by a stadium of Brummies. But her professional segue gains a reassuring response, and the Leeds born singer/songwriter moves deftly into track number two, ‘You’.

Hannah Trigwell’s debut single, ‘Headrush’, is up next, and gets greeted with a resounding cheer of recognition; before an homage to Drake’s double platinum selling ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’, minus Ebony Day.

Hannah Trigwell is a solid songwriter, with each original track showing subtle melody and the simple pleasure of an intrinsically, good, song. Something many more seasoned musicians never achieve. But the band around her seems to be fighting for prominence, speared by a precocious guitarist with a reverb/flange addiction; I’m often distracted by a disjointed delivery. Although as ‘Numbers’ catches its stride (and almost exactly as I write ‘disjointed’ into my notebook) there evolves some unity on stage, as if the four well rehearsed musicians momentarily stop stressing, and just play together. During the crescendo they feel like a band.

The title track from Hannah’s debut 3 Peace Records EP, Pieces, reminds me of Jewel and just how much Ms Trigwell can sing. It’s quite beautiful, especially live. But as she moves straight into ‘Another Broken Heart’ I start to feel the friction again, and catch an arguably deflated look jumping quickly off stage.

What happens next is much more empowering. After a potentially nervous, hopefully earnest, plea for feedback, the main set’s penultimate track begins with a tough, biting intro.

Plotted, low vocals make a clean stance on stage, building to a determined chorus; Hannah Trigwell looks strong and sounds stronger. There’s a darker feel, but one that’s supported by a considered maturity – and although I can’t make out the lyrics I get the impression they’re pertinent; to the writer, to the singer, and to the audience if they want them to be. As ‘Rectify’ gets the hearty applause it deserves, I relax in the aftermath of a track she owns start to finish.

Hannah Trigwell ends her set with ‘Hurricane’ and a two track encore – another new track, ‘Tightrope’, and the seemingly ubiquitous cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. But it’s ‘Rectify’ I leave to room remembering most.

A sample of things to come..? I certain hope so. And I don’t mind having my head knocked back if it going to sound like this.

For more on Hannah Trigwell, including full tour dates and links to her Pieces EP, visit http://www.hannahtrigwell.com

For further listings at the O2 Academy Birmingham, visit http://www.o2academybirmingham.co.uk