BPREVIEW: The Hungry Ghosts + Goat Girl @ The Victoria 25.10.16

The Hungry Ghosts + Goat Girl @ The Victoria, Tues 25th October

Words by Ed King 

On Tuesday 25th October, The Hungry Ghosts + Goat Girl share a double headline spot at The Victoria on John Bright St – with The Terror Watts + Apathy in support. This gig is presented by Sonic Gun Concerts.main-with-web-colour-bcg-lr

Doors open at 7:30pm with tickets charged at five and a half English Pound Sterling… or £5.50 as it is known to its friends. For direct gig info & links to online tickets sales, click here.

The Hungry Ghosts… where to begin. Click here, or click here. Or you can always even click here.

In a blood stained dark leather nutshell, The Hungry Ghosts are as seductive and suspect as a devil’s tuxedo (the easiest way to discuss them is often by metaphor). Blues, rock, sordid Americana, The Hungry Ghosts are – right here, right now – one of the most exciting bands in the Midlands’ music scene. “A proper fu*king rock band”, their debut Blood Red Songs EP is something raw and ferocious – a delicious four track explosion of twisted metals and rock drawl.

Billy Ollis is an absurdly solid guitarist, who drags their ‘swamp music’ blues from the dark heart of the black magic bayous with a seemingly Faustian ease. It’s quite something. And if Jodie Laurence and Joe Joseph, The Hungry Ghosts‘ dual vocals and more forward facing faces, haven’t at least sub let their souls I’d be a little surprised. It’s rare to see a band this genuine and exciting. And I’m a cynic.

‘Super King King’ – The Hungry Ghosts

Sharing the headline spot is Goat Girl, the relatively fresh faced London quartet that feels like a David Lynch wet dream. Also turning the rivers of music red with their laconic rock and semi-drowned blues, Goat Girl recently signed to Rough Trade – releasing the dangerous swagger that is their double A side single ‘Country Sleaze/Scum’ on 7th October.

Bold bass lines, a brash rhythm guitar smacking you from cheek to jowl, a splash of dark psycadellia… it makes me think of Hope Sandoval on the last leg of a brown sugar and fury fueled road trip. Viscous, fuzzy, and nudging you over the edge of a very sheer drop. But there’s more than just a warm self destruction at play here, with Goat Girl’s unabashed lyrics making me want to 80‘s fist pump in sardonic social appreciation. Although I suspect they’re a bit smarter than that.

‘Country Sleaze’ – Goat Girl

The Hungry Ghosts + Goat Girl play at The Victoria on Tuesday 25th October, with support from The Terror Watts + Apathy. For direct gig info & links to online ticket sales, click here.

For more on The Hungry Ghosts, visit www.thehungryghosts.co.uk

For more on Goat Girl, visit www.facebook.com/goatgirlofficial

For more from The Victoria, visit www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk

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BPREVIEW: The Exorcist @ REP 21.10 – 05.11.16

The Exorcist @ REP 21.10 – 05.11.16

Words by Ed King 

On Friday 21st October, the UK stage première of The Exorcist opens at the Birmingham REP – as presented by REP in association with Bill Kenwright.main-with-web-colour-bcg-lr

Running until Saturday 5th November, evening performances of The Exorcist will be held every day except Sunday – with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays, excluding 22nd October.

Standard tickets are priced from £15 with a reduced £10 standard charge for the opening two preview nights. N.B. At the time of writing Sat 22nd October is sold out. For direct details on show times and tickets, click here.

So… how are they going to make her head spin round, live on stage? That and other production challenges have been floating around (no pun intended) the Birmingham Review editorial bike shed since we first saw the REP had bagged this UK debut.

the-exorcist-text-webcol-cropJohn Pielmeier, a man with experience bringing evils alive on stage and on screen (spiritual or otherwise), started adapting William Peter Blatty’s 1970’s horror stalwart back in early 2008. The first, and to date only, run of The Exorcist stage play launched at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles four years later – starring Brooke Shields as Chris MacNeil, Richard Chamberlain as Father Merrin, and David Wilson Barnes as Father Damien Karras.

‘Mixed reviews’ was the polite response (along with ‘but the audience enjoyed it’) with director John Doyle telling the LA Times “We can’t do what the movie did. We’re having to find a theatrical storytelling language that helps us — and hopefully the audience — to find a way of inhabiting the world of the play and the novel that doesn’t use the imagery that is now so iconic to people.” So that answers my head spinning question.

Doyle also cast a 23year old UCLA graduate, Emily Yetter, as the 12 year old demonically possessed Regan – reportedly to protect the more sensitive audience members from youthful profanity. This raises another question, why he took the job in the first place considering a tortured adolescence is at the centre of the narrative? John Pielmeier has further stated ‘I did a major re-write, refocusing the script entirely’ for The Exorcist’s sophomore stage production.rep-logo-trans

But with seasoned director Sean Mathias now at the helm, British theatre goers will no doubt be spared such artistic mollycoddling. A credible track record on both stage and screen, Mathias is arguably as a safe pair of hands as any – albeit not steeped in quite so much blood (…gore, searing flesh, projectile vomiting). Alongside a solid cast, The Exorcist‘s reborn on stage presence is a genuinely/potentially quite exciting affair.

And with The Exorcist‘s opening UK run being held in Birmingham, I don’t think a swearing 12 year old will turn too many heads. Again, no pun intended. Well maybe a little.

The Exorcist – Official trailer, UK stage production

Cast: Jenny Seagrove (Chris MacNeil), Peter Bowles (Father Merrin), Adam Garcia (Father Damien Karras), Clare Louise Connolly (Regan MacNeil), Todd Boyce (Doctor Strong), Mitchell Mullen (Doctor Klein), Joseph Wilkins (Father Joe), Tristram Wymark (Burke)

Crew: Sean Mathias (Director). Anna Fleischle (Designer), Tim Mitchell (Lighting Designer), Adam Cork (Composer & Sound Designer), Duncan McLean (Video & Projection Designer), Ben Hart (Illusions).

Accessible Performances: Audio Described Performance – Tues 1st Nov, 7.30pm / Captioned Performance – Weds 2nd Nov, 7.30pm / BSL Interpreted Performance – Thurs 3rd Nov, 7.30pm (Interpreted by Harjit Jagdev)

The Exorcist was written by William James Blatty – adapted for the stage by John Pielmeier.

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For more on The Exorcist at the Birmingham REP, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/the-exorcist

For more from the Birmingham REP, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

For more from Bill Kenwright, visit www.kenwright.com

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BPREVIEW: Séance @ Centenary Square 18-29.10.16

Séance @ Centenary Square 18-29.10.16 / Pic of Medium Eva Carrière taken from the book Phenomena of Materialisation – first published by Baron Von Schrenck-Notzing (1913)

Words by Ed King / Lead pic of Medium Eva Carrière taken from the book Phenomena of Materialisation – first published by Baron Von Schrenck-Notzing (1913)

On Tuesday 18th October, Séance comes to Birmingham – held inside a shipping container based set on Centenary Square.main-with-web-colour-bcg-lr

Running until Saturday 29th October, Séance will hold thirteen (but of course) shows every day except the Lord’s Day – each one served up as ‘a 15 minute presentation in total darkness’, between 5pm and 9.45pm.

Tickets are priced at £8 and available through the REP Theatre. For direct event information & ticket sales you can call the REP Box Office on 0121 236 4455 or visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

Séance carries an ‘age recommendation’ of 18+

The latest piece of immersive theatre from David Rosenberg & Glen Neath, along with producer Andrea Salazar, Séance is the first show from Darkfield – a company that uses shipping container based sets to present ‘a series of irrational spaces that are at odds with their physical appearance’.

Previously showcased at this years’ Deralict Contemporary Performance & Live Arts Festival in Preston, and the Overtly Young, Wealthy & Substance Guzzling Latitude Festival in Suffolk, Séance makes its non festival debut in Birmingham on Tuesday 18th October.

rep-logo-transDescribed by The Guardian’s theatre critic, Lyn Gardner, as ‘Rosenberg and Neath’s best collaboration to date’, Séance is the third ‘total darkness’ theatre piece from the sensory depriving duo that brought you Ring and Fiction – this time using the isolated setting of a shipping container to set their stage.

No doubt evolving the idea from The Boy Who Climbed Out Of His Face, another shipping container based show that Shunt – Rosenberg’s ‘London based performance collective’ – launched in 2014, Séance is seemingly clearer in focus. It’s meant to scare you, whilst manipulating the power of superstition and suggestive empathy. Like a séance.

And as with both Ring and Fiction, Séance is led by a central protagonist whilst the audience members fill in the creative blanks with their own sensory deprived minds. This time it’s Tom Lyall, another Shunt founder and a man with a Twitter feed so restrained and funny I want to use it as wallpaper. But in such a literally confined performance space, with only 20 audience members at any one show, I have a spooky feeling Séance’s narrative will be a lot more… immediate.

Having toe dipped into the pitch black shenanigans of Fiction when it came to mac a couple of years ago (read my Birmingham Review of Fiction here) I can vouch for the darkness of a Messers Rosenberg & Neath production. But I’d be interested to see (or not see) what shakes its way to the surface when their creative mandate is as simple as fear. Although I do suffer from chronic claustrophobia and violent outbursts of panic… is there a form I can fill out? It’ll be fine.the-exorcist-text-webcol-crop

Séance is a standalone theatre production, but runs as an arguable precursor to The Exorcist – the UK’s stage set première of Blatty’s 1971 horror stalwart, opening at the REP on Friday 21st October. For more on The Exorcist at the REP, click here.

Séance runs in Birmingham from 18th – 29th October, held in a special shipping container based set in Centenary Square. For direct info & online ticket sales, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/event/seance

For more on Darkfield, the production company behind Séance, visit www.darkfield.org

For more from the Birmingham REP, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

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BPREVIEW: Explosions in the Sky @ O2 Institute 10.10.16

Explosions in the Sky @ O2 Institute 10.10.16

Words by Ed King

On Monday 10th October, Explosions in the Sky will be performing at the O2 Institute (Birmingham) – coming to the city as part of their pan-Atlantic Wilderness Tour. Support comes from the Guy Blakeslee born, Entrance.main-with-web-colour-bcg-lr

Presented in the UK by DHP, doors will open for the Explosions in the Sky gig at 7pm. Tickets are priced at £25.25 +booking fee – for direct gig info, including online tickets sales, click here.

Born in the post rock Texan shadows of 1999, Explosions in the Sky are a guitar led, four piece, mini orchestra – producing layered, guitar led instrumentals (mainly) that hark back to the ambient rock progression of Spritualized or Mogwai.

Releasing their first LP in 2000, the seven track How Strange, Innocence, the band signed to Baltimore born/Brooklyn based Temporary Residence Ltd to release their sophomore album – Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever (2001).

Under the Bella Union umbrella in the UK since their third album, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003), Explosions in the Sky have been hop-scotching the Atlantic in 2016 – touring The Wilderness, their 7th studio album (if you include the limited physical release/free download of The Rescue in 2005) following its release in April this year.

Five years after the six track Take Care, Take Care, Take Care saw the light of day, the Explosions in the Sky’s latest LP endevour is an arguably more ‘radio friendly’ affair – stretching across 9 tracks and leaning to the lower end of the one-to-ten minute scale. Known for their uncompromising approach and self-described ‘cathartic mini The Wilderness / Explosions in the Skysymphonies’ this is a side step for the Texan rock band, one which could signal a slight change in the prevailing wind or could just be a coincidence. Perhaps a mute point (until we see guest vocals from Fergie) but worth noting none the less.

After their gig at the O2 Institute in Birmingham, Explosions in the Sky will be playing two more UK dates in Gateshead and London respectively. Then it’s over to our (hopefully still) European friends for gigs across October – starting out with three dates in Greece (Oct 14th – 16th) and ending their EU adventure in Düsseldorf, Germany (Oct 27th).

And for a tiny taste of what you might find on any of these stages, check out Explosions in the Sky performing their tour/album’s title track at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. – courtesy of NPR Music.

‘Wilderness’ – Explosions in the Sky

Explosions in the Sky come to the O2 Institute (Birmingham) on Monday 10th October, as part of the worldwide Wilderness Tour – supported by Entrance. For direct gig info, including online tickets sales, click here.

For more on Explosions in the Sky, visit www.explosionsinthesky.com

For more from the O2 Institute (Birmingham), visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham

For more from DHP, visit www.dhpfamily.com

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BPREVIEW: Club Integral – Seikou Susso, Howie Reeve, Kamura Obsura, Dorcha @ The Edge 07.10.16

Club Integral – Seikou Susso, Howie Reeve, Kamura Obsura, Dorcha @ The Edge 07.10.16Words by Ed King

Tonight, on Friday 7th October, Club Integral launches its Birmingham ‘branch’ at The Edge/Friction Arts, 79-81 Cheapside, B12 0QH.

‘Home to the uncategorisable’, Club Integral was has been promoting an eclectic line up of ‘left field music and performance’ since 2010.  With regular club nights, a radio show and their own imprint – Divine Records – the London based collective have celebrated and championed a wide range of acts, many of whom may not be the first on a commercial promoters speed-dial but well worth some attention.main-with-web-colour-bcg-lr

Hosted as part of October’s Digbeth First Friday – the monthly portfolio of events promoting the cultural city fringe – Club Integral launches in Birmingham from 8pm on Friday 7th October.

Tickets are priced at £4 online/advance and £5 on the door, with Ubuntu Food serving ‘the finest South African eats’ at the event.

For direct event info on Club Integral’s Birmingham debut at The Edge, including links to online tickets sales, click here.

Performing at Club Integral (B’ham) will be Seikou Susso, a traditional Kora player from Gambia in North West Africa. Having moved to the UK in 1991, Seikou Susso has found an active place for his performances in the festival and live music scene – playing both as a solo artist and with his own ensemble, the Allah Lake Afro Mandinka band. For more on Seikou Susso, clcik here.

Also performing in Birmingham on Oct 7th will be Howie Reeve, a Glasgow based solo artist who has previously appeared at the Club Integral London showcases. A solo, acoustic bass player… I’ll just let that sink in, Howie Reeve has been taking his original music and astute lyrics across the world – including a recently crowd funded tour of Japan. For more on Howie Reeves, click here.

Next on the bill is Kamura Obsura, another left-of-centre musical artist who has been part of the Club Integral gigs darn sarf. Born from the wonderful brain of Japanese punkster, Atsuko Kamura, Kamura Obscura also features Robert Storey (guitar) and Natalie Mason (Viola, Accordion) – a trio that ‘explores vocal experimentation, composition and improvisation incorporating enka, chanson and Japanese punk into original multi-instrumental music.’ And whilst I consider myself a versatile writer… for more on Kamura Obscura click here.

Rounding off Club Integral’s Birmingham debut is one of our own and one of our best, Dorcha. A self described ‘song experiment’, Dorcha is the Anna Palmer led ensemble that followed her I Am Anushka solo work. Brave, brash, a little like Kristin Hersh meets The Cinematic Orchestra at the bottom of a box of mushrooms, Dorcha are always worth a stop, look, listen.

Down-scaling for the Club Integral Birmingham debut, three of the band will be https://twitter.com/art_on_the_edgeperforming ‘something ever so different from our usual NOISEY show’ in a more ‘stripped back, intimate set; so close, we’ll be sat on your laps’. Better iron my slacks then… For more on Dorcha, click here (for the ‘look’) and here (for the ‘listen’).

Club Integral launches in Birmingham on Friday 7th October at The Edge/Friction Arts, 79-81 Cheapside, Digbeth, B12 0QH – as part of October’s Digbeth First Friday. For direct gig info and links to online tickets, click here.

For more on Club Integral, visit www.clubintegral.wordpress.com

For more from The Edge/Friction Arts, visit www.frictionarts.com

For more on Digbeth First Friday, visit www.digbethfirstfriday.com

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