Category: BPreviews

Rounding off one of the more sensible musical weekends in the city, Sunjay Braye plays at Ort Cafe tonight – with support from Bethan and the Morgans. Doors open at 8:30pm, with admission charged at £5.

A younger man with an older sound, Sunjay Brayne is a solo singer/songwriter – delivering confident vocals behind a Bluesy Folk guitar. With perhaps a touch of Country.

But learning the guitar when most of us were tackling the Etch A Sketch, precocity is no stranger to the 20year old Derby man – who was nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2012, missing out to the traditional Irish five piece, Ioscaid.

Reminiscent of his own declared influences, Buddy Holly and Don McLean, Sunjay Brayne is cited as an exemplary guitarist, with Steve Tilson saying “…I’m going to have to connect jump leads to your fingers.” Although I’m not sure it that’s to harness Brayne’s ‘power’ or in some churlish act of jealousy; either way, that’s not a bad endorsement coming from Steve Tilson.

Currently working on album No3, following Seems So Real (2011) and One Night Only (2013) – the latter a live album recorded on one nig… you get the picture, Sunjay Brayne is showcasing new material over a pretty mammoth 40 dates headline tour. But the man seems sturdy enough, before the year is out Brayne will have clocked up over 100 gigs across the UK; if there’s a Club or Festival with Folk in the title, chances are Sunjay Brayne will play there at some point.

But tonight it’s Ort Café’s turn, with a little taster from Sunjay Brayne performing ‘Sitting on Top of the World’ – click here or on the image below:

For more from Sunjay Brayne, visit http://www.sunjaybrayne.com/

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Staying in the Folk/Country tone, support comes from Bethan and the Morgans – a West Midlands based ensemble and self cited ‘brave sound from the Black County’.

A combination of Americana melodies, the occasional Bluegrass footstomp, and a vocal lead that’s not a million miles away from the Volunteer State’s diminutive first lady, Bethan and the Morgans have a Country flavor that tastes of more than one territory.

Confident and sassy, their sound has graced several stages across the West Midlands. Appearing on a few familiar festival bills too, Bethan and the Morgans recently supported Jasper in the Company of Others at the Severn Sounds Festival in Worcester, over the last May Bank Holiday.

And with their eponymous EP nearly a year old, Bethan and the Morgans are now ‘working towards’ their debut album. We’ve been told to ‘watch this space’. So in the meantime here’s the official video for ‘Go Away’, taken from Bethan and the Morgans‘ four track release last august – click here or on the image below:

For more on Bethan and the Morgans, visit www.facebook.com/BethanAndTheMorgans

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Sunjay Brayne plays at Ort Café tonight, with support from Bethan and the Morgans. Doors open at 8:30pm, with admission charged at £5.

For more info visit http://ortcafe.co.uk/sunjay-brayne-bethan-and-the-morgans/

For more on Ort Café, including directions and full event listings, visit http://ortcafe.co.uk/

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Playing at Ort Café tonight are Hannah Brown + AffieJam – two girl & guitar singer/songwriters with early established local records.

Doors open at 8:30pm, with admission charged at £3.

Hannah Brown is actually from Nottingham, but is ‘currently residing in Birmingham’, studies in the city, and has supported Ruby Turner – so ticks enough boxes for civic appropriation.

On the cusp of her debut album, the simply titled Refuge, Hannah Brown has a portfolio of six sting laments and acoustic heartbreak.

Refuge is cited as an album that ‘speaks of pain, joy, peace and realisation’, with Brown stating her debut album is “a moment in time along the endless path of personal self discovery ex-pressed within music.” So a cheeky Beyoncé cover is probably off the table.

To listen to ‘Refuge from the Rain’ – Hannah Brown’s first single from Refuge, click here or on the image below:

 
 
 
 
 
 
For more from Hannah Brown, visit http://www.accessallmusic.com/news-releases/hannah-brown/
 
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Alima ‘AffieJam’ first came to Birmingham Review’s attention after appearing on the bill for Call Me Unique’s Urban Gypsy EP launch in January.

Performing behind a piano or guitar, and stacked to the finger tips with soul, AffieJam’s honey vocals cover simple acoustic melodies – kicking her seemingly effortless musical footprint off stage.

Often appearing as a solo artist or with simple percussion, AffieJam is a relative regular at some of the more respectable grass root showcases in the city.

But with no releases (yet) to push her name up to the all important CAPITAL LETTER TOP SLOT, this a cycle of support slots could become a comfortable constriction; AffieJam is one of those artists Birmingham Review would like to see (and hear) more from, which apparently we might in August.

But there is an official AffieJam music video – to stop, look & listen, click here or on the image below:


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For more from AffieJam, visit https://soundcloud.com/affiejam
 
 
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Hannah Brown + AffieJam play at Ort Café, in Balsall Heath tonight – click here for more details. Doors open at 8:30pm, with admission charged at £3.

For more from Ort Café, including directions and full event listings, visit http://ortcafe.co.uk/

Playing at Ort Café tonight, Jayne Powell returns after a self confessed & productive hiatus – with support from Rachael and Friend. Doors open at 8:30pm with a £4 entry.

Birmingham based Jayne Powell has played at and played with, a respectable portfolio – but has been off the gig circuit for a few years ‘working on new material’ and ‘setting up her power trio’. Previously surrounded by either more or less, the most pertinent result of this shift is her new Late One EP, whose title track marches out bluesy Americana and steady punch riffs; a solid build, break, keys, confident lament, with invitations to “run away”. Roy Orbison would be proud.

What else is on the Late One EP, we’re not sure – with the sweepingly clandestine approach to online marketing alive and well here. Too. So I guess you’ll have to go to Ort Café tonight and find out.

But we can tell you (or reiterate to you) Jayne Powell ‘returns with a more gutsy edge to her songwriting and live performances’. Plus she sings like Aimee Mann, which is no bad thing. But for something altogether more representative or retrospective there’s enough on Jayne  Powell’s Soundcloud page to keep you busy all lunchtime.

Rachael and Friend support, with their ‘acoustic folk boy girl minimal ukulele Greenville’ as defined by the almighty #. But with a new six track release to play and sell, The One Take, you’ll no doubt get more to sink your lexicon into. Plus they’ve travelled a long way (from South Carolina) to kick of their 15 date UK tour at Ort Café tonight. And if it’s your birthday…

Rachael and Friend are new to Birmingham Review, and a Google search with ‘Rachael’ and ‘Friend’ doesn’t bring up much that’s helpful – other than ‘Rachael Gallman and Jaron Ferrer are the best of friends.’ Sounds like one of the more frustrating outcomes of my formative years. But The One Take is a fruitful endevour; tight with vocals, creatively paced, and lining up enough melodies to keep the cursor hovering over repeat.

Alongside the return of Jayne Powell to a Birmingham stage, tonight at Ort Cafe is not a bad idea for a Friday night live.

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Jayne Powell plays at Ort Café tonight, with support from Rachael and Friend. For more info, on tonight and other events, visit http://ortcafe.co.uk/whats-on/

For more on Jayne Powell, visit http://jaynepowell.co.uk/ or https://soundcloud.com/jayne-powell

For more on Rachael and Friend, visit http://rachaelandfriend.bandcamp.com/