Author: birminghamreview

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Brighton Based Post-Punks DITZ Inspire Local Artist Lottie Canto

Writer Emily Doyle / Photographer Jess Whitty

We live in heavy times, and so heavy sounds are called for. You want squalling guitars? Sledgehammer drums? Acerbic vocals? A ludicrously noisy cover of Peaches’ opus, ‘Fuck The Pain Away’? You want DITZ.

Well, Lottie Canto did; the local collage artist created this piece as soon as they got home from seeing DITZ at the Hare and Hounds back in March.

“I tried to capture the effortless but dark coolness of the show.”

DITZ’s first LP, The Great Regression, came out last month on Alcopop Records and it’s ten tracks of mangled, fuzzed up post-punk. A twin attack of chunky guitars and primal drums call to mind Fugazi or Sonic Youth, while glitched out processing gives it a hyper-pop tinge. (Lead singer Cal Francis is on record as being a big SOPHIE fan.)

In late March DITZ brought their abrasive sound to the Hare and Hounds. Venue 2 was already packed – on a Monday night as well – when local post-punks Mutes kicked things off, followed by a barrage of high powered grunge from ones to watch Total Luck.

For Canto, DITZ’s performance is riveting: “To hear an album you recently listened to for the first time, played so well, is a real pleasure,” they said, reflecting on the show afterwards.

Canto’s artwork is varied and they undertake everything from electronics to photos and websites. They also regularly self-publish collages under the alias Eliminating Ghosts.

Canto’s collage work is typically black and white, as is the case with their DITZ piece. Yet, strong splashes of colour are still reserved for select pieces with particular moods.

Canto takes analogue and digital pictures of specifically vintage magazines (in the case of the DITZ piece not so vintage mediums) and creates mood provoking collages. They were quick to publish their artwork in relation to DITZ, uploading the collage to their page the next day. Which is unsurprising considering the performance DITZ gave not so long ago.

Frontman Francis spent most of the set turned away from the crowd, secure in the knowledge that DITZ had their undivided attention. Drummer Jack Looker was the real star, holding the whole band together with relentless, math-rock precision.

The band conjured swells of noise from the sea of pedalboards at their feet, and Francis wandered into the crowd every few minutes, piling the microphone lead on top of their head like a crown of thorns. So, it makes sense that inspiration was quick to strike local artist Lottie Canto.

For more of Lottie Canto’s art visit www.lottiecanto.com or their Eliminating Ghosts blog www.instagram.com/eliminatingghosts

Check out DITZ here www.ditzband.com

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

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Birmingham Critical Film Forum ‘Earthly Bodies’ Screens’ At Eastside Projects

Writer Beth Exley / Photographer Dinosaur Kilby – Eastside Projects

I feel a little awkward arriving at Eastside Projects for the ‘Earthly Bodies’ Birmingham Critical Film Forum screening. I’m pretty early and haven’t been to many film screenings before, so I’m not entirely sure what to expect. 

Birmingham Critical Film Forum is a relatively new endeavour which is being supported by the Stuart Croft Foundation Curatorial Award. The project aims to help disseminate and develop the work of artists using film and moving images in the West Midlands. 

April 14’s screening is the first of four film screenings planned, and according to the programme it aims to bring together feminist, multi-vocal, and ecological film-making practices. As a side note, the program has been printed by the Holodeck and is gorgeous – I’m definitely going to be holding onto this after the event finishes.

The gallery space is delightful at Eastside Projects.  It’s a warehouse that is currently filled by a straw, cardboard, and (I think) burlap construction that seems to evoke a prehistoric settlement. I later find out this is a project by Emii Alrai entitled The Courtship of Giants. I clock huge cheese plants growing out of industrial barrels and neon lights overhead – there’s lots to take in whilst I wait for the screening to start.

Taking my seat, more people start filing in, it seems like the typical arty Digbeth crowd, there’s lots of interesting coats and cool haircuts about. I exchange smiles with a few other solo attendees, and begin to feel at ease. 

Once most of the seats are filled, Jessica Piette, a Birmingham based curator responsible for tonight’s programme, provides an overview of the themes, artists, and films involved. The aforementioned neon lights are turned off, and Watershed, a 2020 piece by South African artist Linda Stupart is projected onto the wall.  

A figure wrapped in fabric scraps that obscures their head wades into Birmingham’s River Cole, whilst the artist’s voice instructs me to be aware of the spit in my mouth. I’m immediately confused and intrigued, a feeling that sticks with me throughout the 11-minute piece. Every time I think I know what’s going on, the piece changes tone, from an acapella cover of a Black Sabbath song, to an intense spoken word piece, to the ambient sounds of the river itself. 

The voice of the piece is hard to pin down, but ambiguity is clearly Stupart’s aim. The river becomes a body to be mapped and fiction is mixed with science and history to create a surreal and haunting film. 

As Watershed finishes, Unctuous Between Fingers (2019) begins to play. This 15-minute short by Bryony Gillard uses an archive of pressed seaweeds collected by 19th-century women and held by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery as its starting point. 

It has striking visuals – including one shot of pressed seaweed that reminds me of an anatomical heart – merged with short sections of spoken word and synth music. There are obvious parallels between the first two films; the water, and human interactions are a mutual central feature, but Unctuous feels far calmer and slightly more tangible. 

As Shireen Seno’s 2021 work To Pick a Flower starts, I am immediately grasped by its stripped back display of historic photographs accompanied by a simple narration. The piece explores the relationship between humans and nature in the Philippines during the late colonial period, particularly in the lumber industry. 

Maybe it’s just my inner history nerd speaking, but I am completely engrossed and feel like I’m learning a lot about the topic. I even write down a list of things I want to read more about after the film. 

With the start of the fourth and final film, Seeds (2016) by Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann, I start to get quite sad that the evening is coming to a close. 

As the shortest piece of the night, Seeds also manages to pack the biggest punch. A visual poem that explores the balance of life and death, good and bad, and the interconnectedness of this world, in a mere 4-minutes. Seeds is truly moving.

And, among a group of strong contenders in ‘Earthly Bodies’,  which all speak wonderfully to the theme of feminist ecological film making, it stands out as my favourite.

For more information about the artists and their work please see:

Jessica Piette: www.jessicapiette.com/Earthly-Bodies
Linda Stupart: www.remembertheliquidground.rca.ac.uk/artists/linda-stupart
Bryony Gillard: www.unctuousbetweenfingers.co.uk/
Shireen Seno: www.vimeo.com/629308301
Philippa Ndishi-Herrmann: www.philippandisiherrmann.com

You can also check out Birmingham Critical Film Forum, via @birminghamcriticalfilmforum on Instagram (only) to keep up to date with the project, and find out about their upcoming screenings. 

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Saxophonist Rachael Cohen Talks Birmingham Jazz Culture And Music Education

Writer Henry Hanssen / Photographer Hassan Ul-Haq

It is a sun-kissed evening in Birmingham late March and The Warehouse Café jazz sessions in Digbeth welcomes Royal Birmingham Conservatoire alumnus and formidable alto saxophonist, Rachael Cohen, who graduated from the conservatoire’s jazz course herself in 2010.

Joining Rachael in her new almost-spring trio are two compelling players from the Birmingham jazz scene. On drums is Jim Bashford, a veteran of the local scene; on bass we have Josh Vadiveloo, whose rise as a local name continues to gain momentum.

Rachel continues to make a name for herself, not only through her exciting and progressive sax playing, but also through her skill on piano and her ability to transition from jazz to classical with ease.

Rachael’s gig at The Warehouse Café is a definitive showcase of Rachael’s brilliance on the alto sax. She brings a unique sound which is as melodic as it is linguistic.

I’m lucky enough to interview Rachael some time after her performance, and gain insights into her experiences as a musician in Brum as well as her work after leaving. I also get a chance to discuss her thoughts around being a working jazz musician in 2022.

As we speak, Rachael talks in depth about her shift in musical scenery.

“Well, it’s not like it happened all very quickly, it took place over a long time. Edinburgh, London, and Birmingham are all just very different places. Birmingham’s a very multicultural place, Scotland not so much.”

She says, “It was easy-ish to move to Birmingham because I had lots of friends here. In a way, moving to London was harder for me because I put a record out and then I moved to London.

“Nobody knows who you are, nobody’s going to book you, you need to make some money.”

After leaving the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Rachael reflects on her time as a burgeoning musician.

“The education system, specifically the jazz education system can lull you into thinking that once you’ve got your jazz education certificate, that you’re qualified to be a jazz musician and nothing else.”

Perhaps controversially she claims, “It’s a bit of a trick, because you can then get groups of people that go into the jazz education system not really caring about the music but then feeling qualified to be a jazz musician, and not really accepting that it doesn’t work like that.”

Rachael spends her career trying to strengthen her technical musical prowess, putting the hours into everything she needs to do to survive.

“When I moved here, I’d be teaching at the same time as working in the pub, at the same time as playing piano in theater productions, choirs, playing for people’s kids, looking after people’s kids.”

She continues, “It felt like I had fifteen jobs and all of them have left me with more knowledge than if I hadn’t done them. It is so important to not turn your nose up at college level.

“I’ve paid for my degree; I’ve paid for my cultural role in this music. There’s a lot of people that go into jazz education not really caring about it but knowing they’re going to be qualified to have an opinion on it.”

When discussing Birmingham’s individuality as a jazz hotspot, Rachael is enthusiastic and has a lot to talk about.

“Birmingham operates as a city very differently from somewhere like London. London operates in boroughs. Do you go to Hackney or Brixton or West or Kentish Town?

“Whereas in Birmingham, it’s either City Centre, Digbeth, or Jewellery Quarter. No one is going on a night out in Balsall Heath. But bless the Spotted Dog – I used to be a barmaid there and they’ve done so well to keep that night going.”

Discussing the competitive nature between London and Birmingham, Rachael explains, “I remember when I was there, there would always be people saying, ‘oh, we don’t need those London snobs.’”

She laughs: “Chill out, guys. But it’s because it [Birmingham] was always trying to protect its identity.”

Rachael goes on, “It’s got a really heavy free [jazz] scene.”

Referring to Birmingham legends Paul Dunmall and Tony Levinshe, Rachael says, “That’s probably what is most interesting about the London and Birmingham scene – for me – that’s where the scene has crossed over the best.

“And now Tony’s son (Miles Levin) is a great drummer on the scene too. That’s probably where I connect the two scenes. There are some really excellent and unique writers and players in Birmingham.”

Details on Rachael’s new projects and upcoming gigs can be found on her website: www.rachaelcohenmusic.com

Details about the next Warehouse sessions can be found via The Warehouse Café website: www.thewarehousecafe.com

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Digbeth Community Garden Reopens With More Creative Green Projects

Writer Reece Greenfield / Photographer Kalina Ciok

Digbeth Community Garden is an elusive green space, tucked behind Digbeth’s Warehouse Café and Birmingham Friends of the Earth HQ. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to visit since the pandemic, and events at the Digbeth Community Garden were a regular highlight back in the day so I’m optimistically curious about what’s in store.

On my arrival, I meet-up with Adam McCusker and chat to Jake Williams, two volunteers who have been dedicating their free time to the benefit of the site for almost a decade.

Jake starts off by speaking about how they want to reinvigorate interest in the garden.

“It’d be really interesting to see if we can get a full scale community compost project to work here. If it does, it shows how we can do this in a city.”

The volunteers also express their enthusiasm for the space to return to hosting creative events, which used to occur on the first Friday of the month. They hope to entice a quirky, artistic crowd to the beautiful space.

As we chat casually, Jake makes it clear he’s looking forward to “meeting a couple of artists about a project,” as “there seems to be, over the past two or three years, more [projects] based around nature, green spaces, and ideas about that.”

We discuss past events and what Adam and Jake would like to see happening at the gardens once the weather improves and life returns to (some semblance) of normality.

“We’ve had quite a few different workshops from local artists,” says Jake. “A friend of mine did a pottery workshop with dug out clay, then another friend did a botanical ink workshop, so people were making inks and learning to paint with them.”

The garden also facilitates charcoal pencil making workshops and a hop growing community project. In addition, the volunteers host the 10metre meal where “everything has been grown, prepared and cooked and eaten within 10 metres of where you’ve sat.”

Adam and Jake also enthusiastically inform me that they have hired an employee for one day a week to help coordinate a composting project where residents can be encouraged not to waste… well, their waste.

As they speak and I stand in the peaceful garden, sparrow song in my ear and the smell of wildflowers sown by Jake pervading, I’m struck by the idea that it is spaces like this that are most needed, not just in Birmingham but across the country, to reinvigorate a sense of localism and community spirit in the 21st century.

Providing a means to congregate and get in touch with nature, along with supporting local creatives, is surely something we should all strive to encourage in an increasingly isolating society. As a local artist, I’m convinced and I can’t wait to get involved, get green, and support the local artistic community.

Digbeth Community Garden is currently open on the first and third Saturday of each month for volunteers to grow herbs, maintain the garden, and for visitors to sit and enjoy the space.

For more information on Digbeth Community Garden visit www..digbethcommunitygarden.wordpress.com