Author: birminghamreview

Freestyle at The Bull’s Head has become a solid foundation of Moseley’s Friday nights, due to its reputation for well programmed bills that might not promoted elsewhere in the city.

Friday July 12^th sees a trio of talent in The Bull’s Head‘s upstairs venue.

Keziasoul, a.k.a Kezia Johnson is a young up-and-coming jazz, soul and funk singer who has earned her stripes by touring the UK with the jazz funk and hip-hop group called Genius Collective who introduced her to larger festival audiences.

For more on Keziasoul, visit http://www.keziasoul.co.uk/

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The sultry voiced Phe Phe will be sharing the bill with Kezia, promising to bring some smoky sexy sass to proceedings. Keen to be recognised as an artist in her own right, Phe Phe has made a name for herself working alongside some big names, most notably influential dubstep producer Von D.

Follow Phe Phe at https://twitter.com/phephemusic

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In support, and one we’re keen to keep our eyes on here at Birmingham Review, is another exciting female talent. Call Me Unique combines jazz (and jazz-scat singing) with elements of modern soul, rap, deft acoustic guitar lines and hypnotic melodies.

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

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And of course, Freestyle promoter Sam Redmore will be on the decks to round his night off in his traditional funky style.

For more on Freestyle, visit https://www.facebook.com/freestylebirmingham  

For further listings at The Bull’s Head http://bullsheadmoseley.co.uk

Review by Heather Judge / Pics by Katie Foulkes

Upon arriving at The Glee Club in Birmingham, to review New Yorker Simone Felice for the Birmingham Review, I find myself in the venue’s smaller ‘Studio Room’. Observing the close quarter fan base I come to a conclusion: Red Wine Drinkers. And from the little I know about Simone Felice, I was expecting more bourbon & rye.

Simone navigates his way onto the makeshift stage and acknowledges his crowd of 80. Face hidden by an on trend Trilby hat, he delves into his first track of the night, Dawn Brady’s Son, and flows smoothly into the second and third songs.

The next track is in honour of Simone’s daughter, Pearl, who was born as he recovered from open heart surgery – an emergency procedure that very nearly killed him. It starts off slow and full of emotion, ending in an uplifting and positive beat; a stunning tribute to his 3 year old progeny.

Even though Felice is a born and bred New York Native, his music has a Southern, Country tone that is filled with anguish and passion. And it is parallel with a melancholy and musical character that fits him so well.

Simone Felice carries a rawness, an exposed passion; one that whilst proving his musical poetry, also makes him look as though he was in agony. Sometimes it pained me to watch.

And while this 34 year old reminds me deeply off Bob Dylan, this thought didn’t fully strike until Molly D is played. With the same hidden drug abuse context as Mr. Tambourine Man, Felice’s song held some tale of this New Yorker’s tragic youth.

Eventually Felice talks with his crowd, and it turns out he is flirty and comical enough to entertain tonight’s intimate and mature group, but not to offend. His Folk Country style reflects a life which may not be immediate to the room, but one which they relate to with no implications.

The Glee’s audience listen to Felice intently, and to Felice’s songs with reflection evident in their faces; as though they too suffered alongside him.

Personally, I fell in love with Simone Felice and his theatrical show. And overall, Felice gave Birmingham a personal and insightful performance, regaling his stories through both the power of music and the written word.

For more on Simone Felice, visit http://www.simonefelice.com/

For further gigs at The Glee Club (B’ham), including the venue’s comedy programme, visit http://www.glee.co.uk/GleeClubBirmingham

Preview by Matthew Osborne

You might be forgiven for wanting to go and watch Simone Felice just to be in the presence of a man that has been to the other side, twice.

As a twelve year old boy Simone suffered a brain aneurysm and was pronounced clinically dead for several minutes. Fortune and emergency brain surgery brought him back.

In 2010, following a series of fainting spells, Simone underwent emergency open heart surgery after the calcification of his aorta allowed only 8% of the necessary blood to make it to his brain.

Life’s attempts to hold Simone back with these events, as well as the loss of his first daughter, ultimately failed. Following his aneurysm he started his first band, Eight Body Trunk, at eighteen and from there went on to write poetry. Following the 2001 attacks on New York, he and his brother, Ian, formed The Felice Brothers and recorded several albums to international critical acclaim.

After losing his daughter he retreated to a cabin with his old friend Bird where they began writing and recording songs that would form the repertoire of what would become The Duke and The King.

Most recently, in the wake of his heart operation, Simone began writing and recording the songs that make up his eponymous debut album. The album features players from Mumford & Sons and The Felice Brothers and was released to critical acclaim in 2012.

Now Birmingham gets a chance to hear his music; sometimes uplifting, sometimes mournful, it is a rich sound which carries on a gentle zephyr all of the knowledge that someone who has truly experienced life has to offer.

Simone Felice plays The Glee Club (B’ham) on Friday July 5^th. For more info and tickets, visit http://www.glee.co.uk/performers/simone-felice.htm

For more on Simone Felice, visit http://www.simonefelice.com/

For further gigs at The Glee Club (B’ham), including the venue’s comedy programme, visit http://www.glee.co.uk/GleeClubBirmingham

Review by Katherine Priddy / Pics by Katie Foulkes

It’s a balmy summer’s eve with blue skies and a warm breeze, the first in a while, and as I get ready with the window open I can smell a BBQ coming from somewhere up the road.

It’s a tempting night to be outside, and not to abandon the sunlight and cram yourself into a small, dark room with sweaty strangers.

But that’s exactly what I plan to do, for tonight hails another Hot Club de Swing at the Hare & Hounds; a fairly regular Brum event hosted by the Electric Swing Circus, Birmingham’s very own electro swing band.

What is electro swing, I hear you ask? It’s a blend of 1920s swing music and electronic dance beats, and for those who haven’t experienced it (and for the sceptics) the combination sounds like it shouldn’t work but it really, really does.  So I attach my feathery fascinator to my hair, apply a final coat of red lipstick, slip my notebook into my bag and I’m ready to go.

I arrive embarrassingly early; and, after hiding in the loos for a while until the doors open, I am the first person upstairs in the H&H’s larger room.  However people soon trickle in, and I’m pleased to see have, on the whole, made the most of the 1920’s dress code – with many a moustache, swing dress and pair of braces providing a tell-tale sign of the night to come. 

As more people arrive the speakers begin to play some original 1920’s swing music; a gentle start to the evening. The beauty of this kind of event and genre of music is that it’s got a small but dedicated following, and the people here often embrace the 1920’s in other areas of their lives.

Therefore it is not surprising to see the odd couple taking to the empty dance floor and showing off their skills at 1920’s lindy hop dancing.

I do a little of this dance and it’s not long before I join them. Albeit rather clumsily, it’s a rare opportunity to do some social dancing with other like minded people, and I notice the slowly gathering guests stand by and watch with a certain envy as some of the better dancers twirl and swing.

The combination of the dress code, the dancing and the music creates a very authentic atmosphere; something that makes Hot Club incredibly special. And despite the still small crowd, there’s an undercurrent of excitement and charged energy as the first band take to the stage.

Sam Green & the Midnight Heist are a rather handsome band, consisting of four young men playing a mixture of southern, bluesy, rootsy music, with a double bassist (who looked effortlessly cool), impressive guitar picking and good use of a harmonica.

Halfway through the set there is a noticeable change in the room and the crowd move closer, the pace picks up, and I find myself twirling my feather boa – a sure sign that the night has begun.

As Sam Green draws to a close, I look around and notice the room has filled up considerably and I am struck by the sheer quantity of handsome, bearded blokes.  Hot Club boasts ‘one of the best dressed crowds’ and they aren’t wrong. It’s a mixture of dreadlocks, beards, braces, feathers, swing dresses, fascinators and top hats. 

A male friend, who for his dignity will remain anonymous, is also rather overwhelmed by the glamorous array of top totty, and as the room grows more and more packed, the atmosphere becomes truly outstanding – everywhere I look people dressed up in their 1920’s glad rags are awkwardly dancing in braces and re-sticking fake moustaches.

It’s also worth noting the variety in ages. Hot Club isn’t reserved for 20 something animals, there’s a wide range of ages, all packed together as we take a trip back in time.  And I use the word ‘packed’ literally, as the room is absolutely rammed by the time the first DJ, C@ in the H@, takes to the decks.

The hosts themselves, Electric Swing Circus, are on stage next, and get the crowd even more fired up with their high energy electro swing and clever female close harmony singers.

Tom Hyland, the guitarist for the band and compere for the evening, then makes the unfavourable announcement that this is the last Hot Club before September. There a boo from the crowd, followed by a murmur of genuine consternation. But this is quickly quelled by an encore, and I hear some enthusiastic boys behind me declaring they ‘can’t believe we’ve never come before’ and that it’s ‘absolutely sick’

Tonight’s atmosphere is infectiously electric, and as the alcohol continues to flow and the crowd continues to pulse, I put my notebook into my bag, wrap my feather boa firmly around my neck and get lost in a genuine Hot Club success.

And to be fair, it’s hard not to be swept up in the energy, peculiarity and pure debauchery of this night; with its friendly, eccentric crowd, and music that’s impossible to stand still to.

Tonight’s atmosphere is infectiously electric, and as the alcohol continues to flow and the crowd continues to pulse, I put my notebook into my bag, wrap my feather boa firmly around my neck and get lost in a genuine Hot Club success.

For more on Hot Club de Swing, visit https://www.facebook.com/hotclubdeswing

For more on the Electric Swing Circus, visit http://www.electricswingcircus.com/

For more on Sam Green, visit http://www.samgreenandthemidnightheist.com

For further event listings at the Hare & Hounds, visit http://hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk/

Preview by Matthew Osborne

Last month Swingamajig, ‘the UK’s first one day urban festival dedicated to Electro Swing, Gypsy Folk and vintage mayhem’, hit the streets of Digbeth.

A fairly low profile event, talked about in excitable whispers between fans of electro-swing and dressing up in the weeks leading up to it, Swingamajig was well endorsed – with a lot of subsequent self kicking by those who didn’t attend. Birmingham Review included.

But if you also missed it, don’t fear. The Electric Swing Circus, the collective brains behind Swingamajig, return to their regular Birmingham base (the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath) on Friday 21st for another of their club night – Hot Club de Swing.

The Electric Swing Circus take headlining duties this Friday, with East Devon’s ‘foot stompin’, Harmonica wailin’, Lapslide Guitar Pickin’ Singer-Songwriter’ Sam Green in support.

DJs on the night include Hot Club de Swing residents The C@ in the H@ and Jam Hott 4 Decks, completing a line up that will make you predictive text finally admit defeat.

The Electric Swing Circus have a fondness for the nostalgic romanticised vision of prohibition era America, or even Fitzgerald’s America of parties excess – a time when clubs, liquor and dancing could erupt anywhere, and the right to enjoy oneself was valued above all other freedoms. Anyone who has experienced their live show will know just how much bouncing goes on, with a style that began many years ago with DoopDoop (anybody remember them?), then made cool by the likes of Mr Scruff.

Sam Green brings to mind a more upbeat Mumford & Sons. Stripping back their music to its bare essentials, Mr Green & band have built a reputation for turning venues into hoedowns within minutes of arriving.

Add a couple of DJs, and you’ve got a belly full of a night out.

Although if you’re something of a jeans and T-Shirt wearer, you might do well to get yourself down to a vintage or charity shop to pick out a more appropriate outfit for the night.

Costumes tend to be glamorous, extravagant and exciting.

Hot Club de Swing – Festival Tea Party comes to the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath) on Friday June 21^st. For more information & tickets, visit https://www.facebook.com/hotclubdeswing

For further event listings at the Hare & Hounds, visit http://hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk/

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For more on The Electric Swing Circus, visit http://www.electricswingcircus.com/

For more on Sam Green, visit http://www.samgreenandthemidnightheist.com

For more on Swingamajig, visit http://swingamajig.co.uk/