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May 22, 2017May 22, 2017

BPREVIEW: Birmingham Pride @ Hurst St + various 27/8.05.17

Words by Ed King / Lead & parade pics by Michelle Martin (taken from Birmingham Pride 2015)

On Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th May, Birmingham Pride is back in the city – taking over various venues in Birmingham Gay Village (on and around Hurst Street) for their ‘Big Weekender’.

Tickets will need to be purchased, then exchanged or a wristband allowing you onto the main festival site. Advance tickets will be available from The Nightingale Club (Kent St) on Thursday 25 May from 4pm – 12midnight, then again on Friday 26 May from 12noon until 12midnight.

Wristbands can be bought over the Pride weekend, priced as: Weekend £40, Day £30, Pride by night (9pm onwards) £20. For direct information on tickets/wristbands, including full details on when, where and for how much, click here.

So unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know what Birmingham Pride is. If you don’t, then move you and your stone abode into the new millennium. Seriously, one of Birmingham biggest parties – with a parade that is possibly the only place outside of Shambala where you’ll see more hairy fishnets than… some joke about sailors and a haberdashery shop.

Awesome fun what/whomever your predilections, Birmingham Pride is in its 21^st year – picking up the mantle from previous mirror events to the London Pride, that ran sporadically in Brum from the early 70’s. Birmingham Pride as we know it today is a two day extravaganza, held on five separate festival stages with a deluge of fun and games in pretty much every bar within a stone’s throw of Hurst St.

Plus Birmingham Pride 2017 marks the 50^th anniversary since you can’t get locked up for being homosexual, kinda sorta. As long as you kept yourself behind closed doors. But ten years after the Wolfenden Report was published the Sexual Offences Act finally made it through parliament – repealing the draconian laws against homosexuality, as made by Henry VIII (oh yes, we move that fast…) and the 1885 Labouchere Amendment.

Even whilst being molasses slow, this was the first important step in challenging the discriminatory attitudes… sorry, publicly discriminatory attitudes of Britain’s political class when it came to consensual sex between men. Apparently Lesbians weren’t as threatening to the fabric of a decent, God fearing society.

And whilst 50 years is still not that long a time, the tide had to start somewhere; thank fuck, God bless, and another reason to raise a glass in the air this weekend.

Here’s a maraschino cherry pick from across Birmingham Pride 2017:

Saturday 27^th May

Pride Parade 2017 / Assembling in Victoria Square from 11am, ready to ‘wind its way’ through the city and down to the festival site, the Birmingham Pride Parade is as colouful an explosion as you can get. Celebrating half a century of less nonsense, Birmingham Pride have set the theme of Love & Pride for this year’s show of solidarity.

If you want to get involved or enter a float, you might just have some time too – click here for more info.

Duo Lipa / Headlining the Main Stage, the English born singer/ songwriter and model will be releasing her debut album about a week after Birmingham Pride – with Birmingham Pride of the only chances to see her perform before an international festival season takes her out of England until October.

For more on Duo Lipa performing at Birmingham Pride, click here.

Basement Jaxx – DJ set / Exciting enough even when it’s just Felix, Simon and a box of vinyl (or whatever the kids are spinning these days) Basement Jaxx will be DJing a headline slot on the Main Stage. With a pretty stella discography of club hits and foot stamping dance floor anthems, stretching back to 1994, Basement Jaxx have been purveyors of the Big-Beat-Disco-House sound for longer than there was a name to call it. I could run through a list if you need me to, but I won’t – just Google ‘Red Alert’ then crawl back under your rock.

For more on Basement Jaxx performing at Birmingham Pride, click here.

Other names to watch out for on the Saturday line up are: Rue Jay (Dance Arena), Tanya Hyde (Cabaret Marquee), Amy La Queefa (Women’s Arena), Ellé Robertson (Women’s Arena), Sandi G (Dance Arena), Topping & Butch (Cabaret Arena), Son of a Tutu (Cabaret Marquee), Jonas Blue (Main Stage), Louisa Johnson (Main Stage), RAYE (Main Stage), Pete Graham (Dance Arena), Jamie Duggan (Dance Arena), DJ Lisa Sharred (Women’s Arena).

Sunday 28^th May

Twiggy / Clubland legend and fashion designer for the bastard child of Ziggy Stardust and Tinkerbelle, Twiggy will be performing in the Cabaret Marquee on the weekend’s second day. If you haven’t been hit on or refused entry by this local luminary of lustre and sparkles, then you should have gone out more. Wouldn’t be a proper party without Twiggy’s extravagant headdress bobbing around somewhere in the crowd.

For more on Twiggy performing at Birmingham Pride, click here.

Call Me Unique / The Urban Gypsy comes back to Birmingham Pride, performing a last day live set in the Women’s Arena. Hot on the heels of her new Urban Gypsy II EP, Call Me Unique is touring her new material across the UK and mainland Europe. Always worth a stop, look & listen, you can read more about Call Me Unique as seen through the eyes of Birmingham Review here.

Or for more on Call Me Unique performing at Birmingham Pride 2017, click here.

Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon / Born out of the festival cabaret circuit the Late Night Pop Dungeon is a den of musical iniquity where Wales’ Voice of an Angel gets to dirty her wings one tip at a time. Pop classics to contemporary hits, from MIA to Sufjan Steven, Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon looks hella fun – no pun intended. Now on tour across the UK, it’s hard to think of a better booking for Birmingham Pride’s Sunday crowd.

For more on Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon at Birmingham Pride, click here.

Other names to watch out for on the Saturday line up are: Vicki Vivacious (Marquee Arena), Zara Sykes (Women’s Arena), Gabrielle (Main Stage), Jamelia (Main Stage), Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Main Stage), Boney M (Main Stage), Kissy Sell Out (Dance Arena), Marc Spence (Dance Arena), Tom Shorterz (Dance Arena), Todd Terry (Dance Arena), D.E. Experience (Marquee Arena), Miss Penny (Cabaret Marquee), Madi Saskia (Women’s Arena).

Birmingham Pride takes place from 27-8th May, with the main festival situated on Hurst Street. The Birmingham Pride Parade will leave Victoria Square at 12noon on Saturday 27th May – heading for the festival site on Hurst Street.

For more on Birmingham Pride, including the festival’s full line up and layout, visit www.birminghampride.com

May 22, 2017

BPREVIEW: The Growlers @ O2 Academy 24.05.17

Words by Ed King

On Wednesday 24^th May, The Growlers play at the 02 Academy (B’ham) – with support from Echo Park music men, Mystic Braves.

Doors open at 7pm with tickets priced at £16 (+bf), as presented by DHP Family and This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info, including full venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

In Birmingham for the first of seven UK dates, the Southern California psch-rockers are on the road with album number five – the thirteen track mescaline sponge bath, City Club, that came out on Cult Records in September last year.

And if you’ve not been privy to albums 1-4, The Growlers were born from a peyote collecting lunch break and an old six string acoustic; the band have (or had) a double decker tour bus with ‘California Church Teen Choir’ emblazoned on its side. You know that question, what would Morrison have become if not dead and fat in a bathtub… Although to a boy from the British Isles, I can’t help but think of Alex Turner and the Ozric Tentacles at the dopamine tail end of an August Bank Holiday weekend.

The Growlers also gave us Beach Goth – their self described genre moniker, arguable oxymoron, and the name of their annual two day Orange County festival. As well as being my favourite music ‘label’ ever, linguistically speaking.

And aside from being the center stage poster boys for the highs/lows of recreational drug use, The Growlers have headlined Beach Goth since its inception in 2012 – attracting acts from Tricky to Bon Iver, Patty Smith to The Parcyde, to join them on last year’s October bill. I think I’ve just worked out what to do for my birthday.

But the band mean business, even if it’s scratched out in luminous paint on the side of a headless store mannequin. So get serious, or not, get weird, or not, but with 76 tracks over five studio albums (and I’m guessing a fluid approach to set lists) you’d better get comfortable. Pass ‘the juice’ anyone..?

‘City Club’ – The Growlers (title/opening track from their latest studio album)

The Growlers perform at the 02 Academy on Wednesday 24^th May, with support from Mystic Braves – as presented by DHP and This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

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For more on The Growlers, visit www.thegrowlers.com

For more Mystic Braves, visit www.mysticbraves.com

For more from the 02 Academy (B’ham), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academybirmingham

For more from DHP Family, visit www.dhpfamily.com

For more from This Is Tmrw, visit www.thisistmrw.co.uk

May 21, 2017May 21, 2017

BPREVIEW: The Levelling @ Everyman – The Mailbox 23.05.17

Words by Ed King

On Tuesday 23^rd May, The Levelling (cert 15) gets a showcase screening at Everyman – The Mailbox, as presented by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

Scheduled for 6:30pm, tickets to The Levelling BIFA screening are priced at £10. For direct event info and online booking from BIFA, click here.

The feature length debut from filmmaker Hope Dickson Leach, The Levelling tells the story of Clover Catto (Ellie Kendrick) as she returns to the family farm in Somerset following the death of her younger brother, Harry (Joe Blakemore). Previously estranged from her stoic ex-solider father, Aubrey (David Troughton), Clover battles to make sense of Harry’s accident/suicide whilst chipping away through clipped conversations and repressed family relations.

The Levelling was showcased at the Toronto Film Festival (Sept ’16), London Film Festival (Oct ’16), Les Arcs International Film Festival (Dec ’16) and the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan ’17) and has received widespread praise for its script, cinematography, considered direction and the cast themselves.

Establishing herself with an impressive portfolio of short films, including her award winning thesis film – The Dawn Chorus, Hope Dickson Leach completed her MFA in Filmmaking at Columbia University in upper Manhattan, New York. Dickson Leach assisted Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollshouse, Happiness) whilst still in New York, working on Solondz’s 2004 release – Palindromes, before returning to the UK to continue her own productions. The Levelling is Hope Dickson Leach’s first feature film, which credits her as both writer and director.

The Levelling was out on general release across the UK from 12th May – to check cities and show times, click here (or on the film title highlighted links). The Levelling is also available on demand through the standard online content providers, click here for more details on how to ‘watch at home’. The Levelling will be available on DVD and Blue Ray from 17^th July ’17.

The Levelling was produced by Wellington Films, with the support of BFI, BBC Films and Creative England – through iFeatures.

The Levelling (cert 15)

The Levelling comes to the Everyman cinema in The Mailbox on Tuesday 23^rd May, for a one off screening – as presented by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA). For direct event info and online ticket sales from BIFA, click here.

For more on The Levelling, visit www.thelevelling-film.com

For more on Hope Dickson Leach, visit www.hopedicksonleach.com

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For more from Everyman – The Mailbox, including full show times and online sales, visit www.everymancinema.com/mailbox-birmingham

For more from the British Independent Film Awards, including more details of previews and screenings, visit www.bifa.film

May 13, 2017May 13, 2017

BPREVIEW: My Country; a work in progress @ REP 16-20.05.17

Words by Charlotte Heap / Production shots by Sarah Lee

There’s no way that the REP could have known that My Country; a work in progress would come to Birmingham in the middle of a snap general election campaign. Running from Tuesday 16^th May to Saturday 20^th May, in the REP’s Studio, this new play directed by Rufus Norris promises to hold a mirror up to post-Brexit Britain. The timing could not be better.

In the chaotic days after the referendum, when the country decided whether to ‘Leave’ or ‘Remain’ in the European Union, Rufus Norris – director of the National Theatre, contacted writers and directors all over the country and asked them to start conducting ‘long interviews’ with the public, capturing the feelings of our citizens after the vote. The project had personal resonance for Norris but seems particularly important given his role at the National Theatre – a company that, as Norris recognises, needs to “embrace the creativity and opinion around the UK.”

The fallout from the referendum is ongoing: embroiled as we are in an identity crisis which threatens to change the very fabric of our country; it is clear that our belief systems are dividing us. The Arts has always had a responsibility to reflect what is happening in society and this is what Norris set out to do. The interviews evolved into My Country; a work in progress, written in collaboration with Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and based on more than 80 hours of transcripts containing the thoughts of the spectrum of society. Drawing from the emotional and, at times, extreme views of the community, My Country presents as a timely examination of where we are.

And where are we? According to Rufus Norris the overriding feeling garnered from the interviews was fury. Fury and a rejection of modern politics: worryingly, a selfishness and over confidence in our opinions also shone through the speeches that Norris listened to and transcribed himself before working with Duffy. My Country; a work in progress promises to reflect this reluctance to empathise: “With the death in belief of the great them – whether they are politicians, kings and queens or experts – what do we believe in? We believe in ourselves,” says Norris in an interview with The Guardian. “Cameras now are only used to take photos of ourselves – not of anything around us. We know we are in an age of extreme selfishness.”

The thoughts of the people interviewed will be interwoven with political sound bites, and Duffy’s involvement surely demands the dry humour and droll analysis that she, and perhaps the nation, is known for. It may be needed; Norris has “been incredibly diligent” carefully shaping a play which reflects the outcome of the vote. Individual actors will represent the six regions of the country, with the balance of Leave/Remain opinions represented on stage more in favour of those who voted to Leave. Not only because that was the end result, but because Norris and Duffy acknowledged that theatres can be seen “a liberal echo chamber” and they wanted to ensure “what will inevitably be perceived as our pro-remain bias is properly balanced.”

Perhaps realising that confronting the views of your political opposite may be an exhausting prospect, the play apparently uses Britannia herself to rally (or perhaps referee?) her people. It remains to be seen (no pun intended) whether there will be any light relief in such a seismic topic.

But in asking if there can ever be a United Kingdom, before a general election which is arguably leaving us feeling more at odds than ever, My Country; a work in progress certainly promises to challenge. Let’s hope it also entertains.

My Country; a work in progress – full trailer

Audience reaction to My Country; a work in progress

My Country; a work in progress runs at the Birmingham REP from Tuesday 16^th to Saturday 20^th May, as presented by The National Theatre.

Evening performances will be held daily at 7:45pm, with matinees at 2:45pm on Thursday 18^th and Saturday 20^th May. For direct event info – including full venue details, show times and online tickets sales, click here.

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For more on My Country; a work in progress from the National Theatre, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/my-country

For more from The National Theatre, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

For more from the Birmingham REP, including a full event programme and online ticket sales, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

May 10, 2017May 10, 2017

BPREVIEW: Victories at Sea @ Hare & Hounds 13.05.17

Words by Ed King

On Saturday 13^th May, Victories at Sea play at the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath) – with support from Mutes, Matters + Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam.

Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at £5 (adv) – as presented by This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

Last time Birmingham Review saw Victories at Sea was back at the Hare & Hounds in January 2016, three months after their debut album – Everything Forever – was unleashed on the world. And now it’s back to the familiar Kings Heath venue, this time with a new EP and some absurdly stonking support in tow.

But the masters of maritime (…nice) haven’t been floating around aimlessly (…ok) for the past year and half, with their five track A Place to Stay EP released on Static Caravan Records on 5^th May. And shiver me techno timbers (…the last nautical reference I’m going make) it’s dark twist of brooding electronica meets meaty indie rock; all the goodness you’d expect from a Victories at Sea endevour. Fair to say it’s had its airplay at Birmingham Review HQ – with everything from Swervedriver and Explosions in the Sky to The Cure thrown around for comparison.

It’s a beautifully produced record no matter what your reference point, with some signature/ethereal melodies to send you blissfully out across the waters (accidental metaphor). But with Helen Knott, whose words I trust sometimes more than my own, citing the ‘slick and controlled’ sound from Everything Forever as a frayed edge to the sharpness of a live performance, we shall see what comes off stage on Saturday. Only a fiver an’ all; oddly accessible considering the line up would round off Day One at a small festie.

And as for the supports… Two from the FOMA portfolio: Matters, Mutes – both of whom Birmingham Review last saw at a FOMA showcase in Blotto Studios in mid March; click here for Aatish Ramchurn’s photo led feature in THE GALLERY. Both bands would be worth a fiver each, but with Mutes’ ‘sprawling debut full length album’ waiting in the wings, No Desire – out 2^nd June, this is a good chance to see them polishing the final product.

Then there’s the perennial bridesmaid and winner of the Most Syllables Award, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam. Or as Jeopardy would call them, ‘things that make Cannon Hill Park more fun’. Always worth a stop, look and listen. And whilst we’re on garrulous popular culture references, here’s our Graham with a quick reminder…

‘Sirens’ – Victories at Sea (from the 2016 album Everything Forever)

Victories at Sea perform at the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath) on Saturday 13^th May, with support from Mutes, Matters + Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam – as presented by This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

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For more on Victories at Sea, visit www.victoriesatsea.co.uk

For more on Mutes, visit www.mutesuk.bandcamp.com

For more on Matters, visit www.soundcloud.com/mattersband

For more on Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam, visit www.facebook.com/sunshinefrisbeelaserbeam

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For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

For more from This Is Tmrw, visit www.thisistmrw.co.uk