BPreviews Archives - Page 2 of 69 -

November 28, 2019November 28, 2019

BPREVIEW: MeMe Detroit + The Pagans S.O.H, The Great Malarkey, HÜDS @ The Sunflower Lounge 30.11.19

Words by Ed King / Pic courtesy of Soul Rock Central

On Saturday 30^th November, MeMe Detroit will be headlining a raspberry blowing jam packed quadruple bill show at The Sunflower Lounge – with The Pagans S.O.H, The Great Malarkey and HÜDS all playing in support.

(N.B. The press release from the MeMe Detroit media machine is very clearly presenting this gig as a ‘triple headline bill’, but for the sake of focus and word counts – in this BPREVIEW we’ve opted to put her more front and centreo offence meant to any artists, egos, or eager PRs.)

Doors (for the gig) open at The Sunflower Lounge from 7:30pm, with tickets priced at £8 – as promoted by Soul Rock Central. For more information and links on online ticket sales, click here.

Seemingly ‘National Single Release Day’ (…trademark, Ed King), Friday 29^th November will see a new addition to the cultural fabric from virtually every band on this bill. But on the top of our playlist pile is MeMe Detroit, who’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Mind’ will be released into the world this weekend – marking the first major release from Ms Detroit with here all new line up.

Rawer, tougher, and perhaps even a little angrier/more defiant than Detroit’s already bolshy back catalogue, ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Mind’ is a very exciting new prospect. Or as the queen of ‘Motor City’ describes it, ‘this latest work would be if Trent Reznor had a baby with Joan Jet whose grandmother was Debbie Harry. A full throttle scuzzy, dirty bass driven force with gritty yet rapturous vocals.’ Erm, yeah… sold-please-and-thank-you.

But produced by Thomas ‘Mitch’ Mitchener, who already has his thumbprints on releases from Asylums, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Futureheads, Hello Operator, Naked Six, Kid Kapichi, Luna Bay, Young Guns, and Gallows, this new release form one of Birmingham’s more innovative rock acts could be the start of something… we’re keen for an album, let’s just leave it at that.

Also touting new stocking fillers on Friday 29^th will be West Brom’s own The Pagans S.O.H, with ‘Black Jesus’ – and from a little further north (Wolverhampton) HÜDs are releasing their latest single, ‘Copicat’.

But don’t worry if this is all a little overwhelming, all you need to do is head over to The Sunflower Lounge on Saturday 30^th November and you’ll get to see this live for under a tenner. Plus you get a bonus set from The Great Malarkey to sweeten the deal, an eight piece London ensemble who wil be squeezing themselves and their fun fueled frenzy of punk folk’ on to The Sunflower’s stage – all brought to you courtesy of MeMe Detroit’s own imprint, Soul Rock Records.

Blimey, there has to be a joke in here somewhere about a religious festival arriving sooner than expected…

MeMe Detroit will be headlining at The Sunflower Lounge on Saturday 30^th November, with The Pagans S.O.H, The Great Malarky and HÜDS all playing in support. For direct event details and online tickets, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com/event/meme-detroit-the-pagans-s-o-h-the-great-malarkey-huds/

For more on MeMe Detroit, visit www.memedetroit.com

For more from The Sunflower Lounge, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com/

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

October 30, 2019November 1, 2019

BPREVIEW: Reginald D. Hunter – Just the Tonic Comedy Club @ Rosies Nightclub 01.11.19

Words by Charlotte Heap / Pic courtesy of Just the Tonic Comedy Club

On Friday 1^st November, Reginald D. Hunter is headlining Just the Tonic Comedy Club special at Rosies Nightclub on Broad Street – with support acts Simon Wozniak, Darius Davies, and Thomas Green completing the line up.

Doors open at 6.30pm, with tickets priced at £15 (£12.50 concessions) – as promoted by the nationwide Just the Tonic Comedy Club. For more event information, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, visit www.justthetonic.com/birmingham-comedy/shows/friday-1-nov-2019/

Just the Tonic Comedy Club was founded in 1994 by Darrell Martin, a stand up in his own right, and has been running at venues across the UK ever since – ‘consistently boasting the most interesting line ups in the country’, according to The Times. According to Just the Tonic’s website. Promoting a show every Saturday at Rosies Birmingham, Just the Tonic has brought some well known faces from the comedy circuit to the second city, including Ross Noble, Milton Jones, and now Reginald D. Hunter – with Stuart Lee describing the club as ‘a really valuable part of the UK comedy scene’ in a 2010 interview.

An American who has made the UK his home for the last two decades, Reginad D. Hunter is known for his acerbic wit delivered in honey tones; tackling subjects like race and sexuality in his sweet smooth South Georgia drawl, his comedy can be controversial but is always cleverly articulated and dispensed with conviction. Hunter is by far one of the most familiar faces, and voices, on the comedy circuit in the UK today.

A television regular, Hunter has become a staple on panel shows such as Have I Got News for You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and QI. He’s also branched out into documentary making: Reginald D. Hunter’s Songs of the South and its equally successful follow up Reginald D. Hunter’s Songs of the Border explored the growth of American music on BBC2.

Having been first nominated for Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer in 2002 for his debut solo show I am What I am, Hunter has enjoyed that comedy rarity of both critical and commercial success – so much so that his stand-up has become almost secondary to his television career, although he still tours regularly.

Just the Tonic Comedy Club brings Birmingham comedy fans the chance to see some of the circuits best loved acts perform in an intimate setting on Broad Street: less arena tour, more old school stand-up show.

Reginal D. Hunter performs at Rosie’s Nightclub on Friday 1^st November, supported by stand up comedians Simon Wozniak, Darius Davies, and Thomas Green – as promoted by Just the Tonic Comedy Club. For more event information, including venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.justthetonic.com/birmingham-comedy/shows/friday-1-nov-2019/

For more on Reginal D. Hunter, visit www.reginalddhunter.co.uk

For more from Just the Tonic Comedy Club (Birmingham), including further event listings and online ticket sales, visitwww.justthetonic.com/birmingham-comedy

For more on Rosies Nightclub (Birmingham), including venue details and further event listings, visit www.rosiesclubs.co.uk/birmingham

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

September 20, 2019September 27, 2019

BPREVIEW: Dragpunk’s Ghoul School Grand Final @ The Nightingale Club 20.09.19

Words by Ed King

On Friday 20^th September, the Grand Finale of Dragpunk’s Ghoul School will be held at The Nightingale Club.

Doors open for this devilish delectation from 8pm, with tickets priced at £5 advance and more on the door. For direct event information, including online ticket sales, click here to visit Dragpunk’s Ghoul School Facebook event page.

Hosting heats 1 & 2 in August, the time has come for the Grand Finale of Dragpunk’s Ghoul School – the celebration competition where fledgling kings and queens get to ‘push the boundaries of drag’ and possibly run home with a huge bag of cosmetics and a ‘giant handmade Dragpunk gothic crown and trophy’. That and a paid up performance slot at Dragpunk’s Halloween Drag Me to Hell Part II at Eden Bar on 11^th October, which ‘aint to be sniffed at no matter how much dried blood you’ve got stuck round your nostrils.

Always inclusive, Dragpunk have emphasised in the application process for Ghoul School that the competition is ‘alternative’ and open to any gender, age, ability or style. You can be political, you can be subversive, you can be a comedy or tragedy – indeed, in their own promotional words Dragpunk ‘believes competitions should be fun and creative, full of learning and guidance… It’s all about the taking part and putting on a show for you the audience.’ And if you’ve ever been to a Dragpunk event before, it’s usually quite a spectacular.

But it is a competition, after all, and battling to out-spook each other on stage will be some impressive acts from the August qualifying heats. Emily Doyle, Birmingham Review’s resident drag writer and illustrator, has been watching the Ghoul School unfold…

“Ghoul School set out to create a platform for Birmingham’s up-and-coming alternative performers,” explains Emily, “and they’ve certainly delivered on that so far. In the heats of Dragpunk’s inaugural talent contest, we’ve seen everything from mime and juggling to facial stapling and microwave lasagna – it’s hard to imagine what the final could look like. It will without a doubt be the place to see the rising stars of Birmingham drag, although it’s worth noting that the first few rows may get wet…

Dragpunk’s Ghoul School Grand Final comes to The Nightingale Club on Friday 20^th September, as promoted by the Dragpunk Collective. For direct event information, including online ticket sales, click here to visit the Dragpunk Facebook Page.

For more on the Dragpunk Collective, visit www.dragpunkcollective.wordpress.com

For more from The Nightingale Club, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.nightingaleclub.co.uk

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‘I pick my way through the dressing room, stepping over debris from previous performances – a toy guitar, a picked-over sheet of stick-on moustaches, and a slowly deflating blow up doll. The front of my shirt is damp from where I tried to sponge out a pale purple stain from the Dark Fruits. I slip on my coat, grab my umbrella, and make for the stage with what I hope is an air of masculine confidence.’

Watch out for Emily Doyle’s Diary of a Short Lived Drag King, a 24 page A4 ‘zine recanting her own experiences of when she manned up and got on stage – with illustrations from Emily and photography from Eleanor Sutcliffe.

Diary of a Short Lived Drag King will be available through Review Publishing from 7^th October, click here for more details and links to online orders.

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019

BPREVIEW: GHUM @ The Sunflower Lounge 14.07.19

Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of Indie Midlands

On Sunday 14^th July, GHUM play at The Sunflower Lounge – with support from Aufbau Principle, P.E.T and Pretty Vile.

Doors open at 7:30pm, with tickets priced at £6 (+bf) – as presented by Indie Midlands. For direct gig info, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, click here.

Out on the road with their new EP, The Coldest Fire, GHUM are stopping off for a Sunday night soirée in Birmingham – playing their second gig in the second city, before up to Manchester and beyond on an eight date UK tour.

Released though the London based Everything Sucks Music on 28^th June – home to Dream Nails, Wolf Girl and Birmingham’s erstwhile Okinawa Picture Show (last seen…?) – The Coldest Fire is a thicker broth than its 2017 predecessor.

Opening with ‘Saturn’, an immediate foundation of frenetic drums and bass (from Vicki Butler and Marina MJ respectively) gives way to Jojo Khor’s piercing guitar lead and Laura Guerrero Lora’s subtle, brooding vocals. Relentless and bold, citing the EP’s title in the second verse, this opening track is a solid introduction to the whole release – which celebrates all the wonderful and dark corners of GHUM’s self-described ‘ghost grunge’.

Produced by Adam Jaffrey, who has worked with acts from Beach Baby to Ekkah to Lucy Rose, the EP’s second half does loosen its grip a bit – with a softer threat to the first two tracks otherwise clear cut knife to the cheek. But don’t be fooled, whilst ‘1000 Men’ and ‘In My Head’ might be a little epinephrine deficient they can still stand up and fight.

Perhaps, however, The Coldest Fire’s brightest moment is in its second track and lead single, ‘Get Up’, with just over four minutes of low menace and rising panic that throw us around the sonic spectrum with frightening control. As a child of the 90’s, who grew up on the foreboding prophecies of early Sup Pop and Swervedriver, this sends me back to the frivolities of my twisted metal youth.

Like an audio ghost train crashing through the walls of a mescaline hall of mirrors; cracking stuff. And God loves a metaphor… at least, that’s what you get in the absence of any Darjeeling railway anecdotes. Out now; enjoy.

‘Get Up’ – GHUM

GHUM play at The Sunflower Lounge on Sunday 14^th July, with support from Aufbau Principle, P.E.T and Pretty Vile – as presented by Indie Midlands. For direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, click here to visit the Facebook event page.

For more on GHUM, visit www.ghum.bandcamp.com

For more Aufbau Principle, visit www.aufbauprinciple.bandcamp.com
For more P.E.T, visit www.facebook.com/petbanduk
For more on Pretty Vile, visit www.soundcloud.com/prettyvile

For more from Indie Midlands, including further event listings and stories from the region’s indie and alternative music scene, visit www.indiemidlands.com

For more on The Sunflower Lounge, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

July 5, 2019July 5, 2019

BPREVIEW: The Assist – single launch party @ The Sunflower Lounge 06.07.19

Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of Hey Honey

On Saturday 6^th July, The Assist celebrate the launch of their new single, ‘It’s Just a Dream Away’, with a special headline show at The Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham – support comes from George Pannell and Flake.

Doors open 7:30pm, with tickets are priced at £7 (+bf) – as presented by Hey Honey. For direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, visit the Facebook event page by clicking here.

It’s been a busy 12months for The Assist. Since launching their debut Lost EP back in August 2018, the self-described ‘council pop-rap-rock’ four piece have been popping up all over the world – from the Made in Chelsea soundtrack to a it six date tour across Russia, it seems everybody wants a piece. Not bad for four lads from Walsall, who once told Clash Magazine they formed because they ‘felt we could do something better than the bands all the girls at school were talking about.’ And so, they did.

But alongside The Assist’s seemingly Faustian pack with the Devil of pop-rock melodies, beginning with the seductively bouncy croon of ‘Tell Her How You Feel’ back in 2016 and cemented with follow up singles ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Give it to Me’, their growing success comes down to graft. I guess being cherry picked by This Feeling to be the king-making promoter’s Band of the Month back in Feb 2017 would have helped add some national attention to the mix, but that kind of industry recognition doesn’t come without some serious groundwork.

Since forming in 2014, The Assist have thrown themselves into a touring schedule that would make many lesser rock-Gods-in-waiting curl up into the foetal position in the middle of the M1 – but one that has seen them appear alongside a staggering line up of luminaries, including the Happy Mondays, Blossoms, Black Honey, Ratboy and The Twang. And whilst most musical bucket lists would be pretty ticked off with those stage sharing credentials, The Assist’s list of accolades are only just beginning.

More on that later, as Birmingham Review will be catching up with The Assist to get all this from the horse’s mouth. Watch this space. But right now, there’s a more pressing matter than a litany of pats on the back and biography soundbites. On Friday 5^th July, The Assist release their latest single – a 3min summer anthem that has FESTIVAL FEVER written all over it, ‘It’s Just a Dream Away’.

Vocalist, Mike Stanton, is arguably on his finest form yet – belting out the titular aspiration with a glorious Midlands twang. But with a tinge of Madchester also lurking in the background, this tempered pop rock power punch could be the ‘breakthrough single’ that every band considers selling a soul for. And with both the great and good of Radio 6 and a growing global fanbase behind them, the world is quite literally becoming more and more their playground.

But there’s still time to catch them without having to spend a month’s rent with Aeroflot (we told you they just toured Russia, right…?) as The Assist will be basking in some closer to home glory with a special launch party gig at The Sunflower Lounge on Saturday 6^th July. Tickets may have sold out, we’re not 100% sure, but they probably will if they haven’t already. We’re suggesting investing in an advance ticket or two, click here for more details.

And if they have gone, gone, gone… then in the words of the late great Mr Bullseye himself, let’s have a look at what you would’ve won.

‘Just a Dream Away’ – The Assist

The Assist comes to The Sunflower Lounge on Saturday 6^th July, celebrating the launch of their new single, ‘It’s Just a Dream Away’, with support from George Pannell and Flake – as presented by Hey Honey. For direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, visit the Facebook event page by clicking here.

For more on The Assist, visit www.facebook.com/TheAssistBand

For more on George Pannell, visit www.facebook.com/georgepann74
For more on Flake, visit www.facebook.com/flakebrum

For more from Hey Honey, visit www.hey-honey.co.uk

For more on The Sunflower Lounge, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.