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BPREVIEW: Pepperland @ Birmingham Hippodrome 26-27.03.19

Words by Helen Knott / Production pics by Mat Hayward

Choreographer Mark Morris presents Pepperland, his take on The Beatle’s classic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, at Birmingham Hippodrome on 26th and 27th March.

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Tickets are £15-£29.50 (concessions are available) from Birmingham Hippodrome’s website. For direct show information, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, click here.

Pepperland premiered in Liverpool back in 2017, as part of a festival marking the 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper. Since then, Mark Morris Dance Company has performed the show around the world. It has picked up glowing reviews wherever it goes, with The Telegraph awarding it five stars and gushing that it’s a ‘truly joyous, celebratory work of art… a brilliant homage to one of the great rock albums’.

Indeed, it’s a tough ask to pay ‘homage’ to one of the best-loved albums of all time, while presenting a fresh take on something that is so familiar to so many of us. And Sgt. Pepper is a notoriously eclectic album, juxtaposing songs influenced by India with twee pop and with the pioneering techniques of album closer ‘A Day in the Life’. Some unpicking and careful thought is needed to make a cohesive piece of dance based on these raw materials.

It’s a challenge that Mark Morris, a choreographer often praised for his musicality, is uniquely placed to rise to. The New York Times describes Morris as ‘the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical’, and his long and varied career has seen him choreograph work in a wide range of different styles, including ballet, contemporary and even to accompany country and western music. Morris is an innovative, and sometimes even controversial, figure.

In Pepperland, instead of taking the seemingly straightforward route of creating a piece of dance to accompany the original Beatles tracks, Morris works with long-time collaborator Ethan Iverson to create a score inspired by the album. So, you’ll hear a group of live musicians play new arrangements of songs from the record – including ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’, ‘A Day in the Life’, ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’, ‘Within You Without You’, and ‘Penny Lane’, mixed with some original compositions inspired by the album.

If the glowing reviews are to be believed, Pepperland is set to be a joyful, fun celebration of one of The Beatles’ best albums. How exactly will this masterwork of 1960’s pop spark the imagination of one of the best choreographers of our generation? Birmingham will get it’s chance to find out on at the Hippodrome on the 26th and 27th March.

Pepperland runs the Birmingham Hippodrome on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th March. For more information, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/pepperland

For more on Mark Morris Dance Company and Pepperland, visit www.markmorrisdancegroup.org/the-dance-group/works/2018-2019-Season/Pepperland

For more from Birmingham Hippodrome, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.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 raised in this feature – 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.

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BREVIEW: The Gilded Merkin Burlesque & Cabaret @ The Glee Club (B’ham) 17.03.19

Words & illustrations by Emily Doyle

It’s St Patrick’s Day, and rather than elbowing their way through Digbeth with a Guinness in hand, the patrons of The Glee Club tonight have opted for an altogether more opulent evening. Once again, Scarlett Daggers has assembled a not-too-motley crew for another edition of The Gilded Merkin.

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Since its inception in 2012, The Gilded Merkin has dazzled audiences up and down the country, and tonight is set to be no different. Our host for the evening is Joe Black, dark cabaret performer and musical comedy extraordinaire.

Dripping in sequins and chiffon, he kicks off the evening with a histrionic performance of the Rocky Horror Show’s ‘Sweet Transvestite’. He makes a point of directing some choice lines (“I’ve been making a man/With ginger hair and no tan…”) at Stage Door Johnny, another regular host at the Merkin, who is sat in the front row. By the end, Black is a little out of breath, but jubilant.

“I bet some of you thought, ‘Oooh, we’ll see some nice dancers, and maybe a man in a suit will come out and sing us a song.’ And here I am, dressed as the moon.”

The line-up for the evening offers something for all tastes. Didi Derrière’s blonde bombshell looks lend themselves to classic burlesque, which she performs with a jazzy twist. Her first performance is a smouldering strip-tease to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’, complete with top hat, cigarette holder, and a tribute to that eye-endangering bustier by John Paul Gautier. All duckwalk and motorik arm movements, Derrière’s choreography is precise and full of character. We see her more playful side come through in her second performance of the night, a bejeweled tribute to Marilyn Monroe set to ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’. Rhinestones fly and she shimmies out of a magenta gown – Black is quick to gather them up once she’s left the stage, shouting “MINE NOW” through the curtain and stowing them in his shoe for safekeeping.

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Storm Hooper comes across as one of the night’s more modest performers, in manner if not necessarily in attire. She bills herself as ‘one of the UK’s leading Hula Hoop speciality acts’ on her own website, but apparently when Black asked her how she’s like to be introduced, she just told him she didn’t mind. Black takes this as a challenge, and proceeds to do his impression of a wild cat for what he himself describes as “an awkward amount of time”, pausing only to shout back through the curtain “IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED??” When Hooper makes it onto the stage, it’s clear she needed no introduction. Clad in a neon yellow, leopard print bikini and clutching an array of light up hula hoops, she performs a bombastic routine to ‘Born to Be Wild’, bathed in suitably seventies blacklight. Her second routine, a showcase of her contortion abilities, is a little heavy on the floorwork for the venue, but the front few rows of the audience seem suitably taken aback.

Arran Shurvinton brings a complete change of pace to the evening with his Nosferatu character. Whether he’s wandering on stage before his queue or lurking at the back of the room while the other performers are on stage, his affectionate portrayal of ‘Noss’ is captivating. The unreal makeup plays a big part, the but the core of the character is in his facial expressions, which range from petulance to a shy smile. Some audience members might recognise Noss from a certain viral video, which sees him shimmying through the racks of Brighton vintage shop Beyond Retro – wearing bloomers and a sequined crop top.

Former winner of ‘Best Newcomer’ at the London Cabaret Awards, Lilly Snatchdragon has a lot to live up to. Her neo-burlesque stylings don’t disappoint, as she manages to be sexy, funny, and confrontational. Her first act plays on the character she builds on social media of a SE Asian women on a quest for a British husband and the passport to match.

Snatchdragon climbs out of a laundry bag and explains her plight in a series of Subterranean Homesick Blues-esque signs, before launching into a striptease routine that makes the audience squirm in their seats. It culminates with her removing her dress to reveal a Union Flag, which she proceeds to floss between her legs. Some would argue Snatchdragon gave herself a hard act to follow, but those people obviously didn’t expect her to return for a second performance wearing an Ewok costume. She removes this, piece by piece, to reveal some light up lightsaber nipple tassels, in a routine that’s as entertaining as it is baffling.

Of course, it wouldn’t be The Gilded Merkin without a performance from the evening’s cackling puppetmaster: Scarlett Daggers. She treats the crowd to two routines tonight – the first sees her totter onstage in an oversized gift box; Daggers dismantles the costume panel by panel until she’s stood on stage in nothing but a pair of diamante nipple pasties and matching C-string. Long suffering stage manager Mimi Libertine, the woman who keeps the show running like a well oiled machine, quickly gathers up the discarded props in time for the next act.

Later in the evening, Daggers performs her iconic ‘dragstrip-tease’ to the sounds of Aerosmith. A spin on the classic fan dance routine, Daggers waves two chequered flags coquettishly as she shimmies out of a thoroughly rockabilly get up, complete with gingham shirt and neckerchief. She produces a bright red oil can to ease her way out of her skintight leather pencil skirt, which she pops open with a twitch of the thighs. With the room in the palm of her hand, it’s easy to see why Daggers is the showrunner.

And so, the night comes to an end – though not without a few more musical numbers from our host Joe Black, including a deeply unsettling re-imagining of George Formby’s ‘When I’m Cleaning Windows’. As the lights go down on another night at The Gilded Merkin, it’s a sad thought that there’s a whole seven months to wait until the next one.

For more on The Gilded Merkin, visit www.gildedmerkin.co.uk

For more from The Glee Club venues, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.glee.co.uk

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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 raised in this feature – 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.

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THE GALLERY: YONAKA @ The Castle & Falcon 15.03.19

Words by Lydia Fitzer / Pics by Callum Lees

Welcome to an evening dominated by Badass Blondes, also featuring excellent hairy man-rockers. Why is it that 90% of male musicians have 90% of the hair in the world…? We may never know. 

Enter the first Badass Blonde. Cassyette and her all-female live band take the stage glowing with charisma. This is their first time in Birmingham and they’re here to deliver pop-glam-rock punches. Cassyette herself is a powerhouse of stage presence – all embellished leather and attitude. There’s no doubt that she’s in control for every moment of her set. This woman means business. Her sound is catchy and punky live, although her recorded work so far feels a lot more pop/synth.

Cassyette takes the opportunity to showcase brand new songs which are as-yet unreleased, including ‘Diamond’ and ‘Jean’ from her forthcoming EP. She has a slightly husky, breathy alto voice which is seriously easy to appreciate, and potent but gliding melodies. She dances across the stage like a one-woman party as she sings. ‘Jean’ is the final song of the set, and one that reaches colossal heights. It gives a proper old-school rock intro which peels back into sultry vocals, then builds into the most enticing chorus hook. It’s an instant brainworm. ‘Jean’ ticks all the boxes, right through to an awesome guitar solo. Cassyette might just be one to watch. 

Next up, we have Broken Hands (they of the rocking man-hair). They open with one of their newest songs, ‘Split in Two’, which in my opinion constitutes some of their finest work. It’s packed with intense, intermittent, thrumming guitar riffs, pounding drums and a piercing tenor vocal. Their stage direction is all-encompassing. They seem to face every angle, with Dale Norton (vocals) crouching to stare into your soul.  

Broken Hands also play some old favourites, including their best known song, ‘Meteor’, from their first album Turbulence (2015). It gives everything you’d expect from quality indie rock – it’s catchy, likeable, professional, but with a DIY feel. I’m getting some evil growling from Norton in this one, and I like it. Give me more of this. I want the confident cackle, the crazy eyes, the playfulness. 

They carry some of the quirkiness forward into ‘Watch Out’, which I suspect is a new and unreleased song. They jump and “whoop” – the crowd catches their energy. ‘Watch Out’ shows off Norton’s vocal range with classic heavy rock. Their newer stuff is definitely the best so far. They end with another new one, ‘Friends House’; this is my favourite yet and is delivered incredibly. It’s moody, suspenseful and deep, drumming through the body. Broken Hands are a band on an upwards trajectory, and I’d love to see how far it takes them.

It’s time for the headline, and the most Badass Blonde of the night. The stage is dark. Figures are silhouetted above me. A vocal introduction resonates – this is their latest track, ‘Bad Company’. YONAKA are everything I hoped they’d be.

They’re special because they appeal to almost everyone. YONAKA have effortless dynamism and power. Their music is immersive and soaring, but with real force. Their style is edgy, but still marketable to a mass popular audience. It’s easy to see why they’ve been pegged by some as ‘an absolute fucking gamechanger’. YONAKA describe their sound as ‘Dark Alt Pop with heavy riffs’, and this is absolutely true. Is regular pop just not intoxicating enough for you? Or maybe the heavier genres don’t quite fit your mood? YONAKA are the answer. YONAKA are the ear candy you’ve been searching for.

They go from their newest track straight to their oldest, ‘Ignorance’. The recording of this has a more relaxed tempo and vibe. It all changes live, however. YONAKA perform it with such passion that you can’t help wanting to move. A dance pit forms in the centre of the crowd. People are jumping and crashing. All hands are in the air – it looks like the heartbeat of the greatest nightclub. 

YONAKA follow this with ‘Creature’, which happens to be my personal favourite. It’s difficult to say what makes this song so addictive. I suppose it’s just perfect. The lyrics are witty, heartfelt, and memorable. The melodies are absorbing and textured. The beat is easy to bounce to and easier to remember. Theresa Jarvis’ alto vocal is beautifully showcased, although this is true of all YONAKA’s songs. Her voice is enticing and full of sass, but slightly breathy and almost mellow in tone. She uses a type of stylised vocal which has become fashionable in pop music recently. Usually, I don’t care for it. Most artists tend to overuse this style in a way that’s unskilled and contrived; often matched with poor overall technique, it has, at times, become my pet peeve. (Vocalists who don’t breathe properly or use their diaphragm, I’m looking at you). Jarvis uses it immaculately, however. It feels natural coming from her, and I enjoy it thoroughly. Her voice is a cool glass of Pimm’s in a world of lukewarm cola that’s lost its fizz.

We aren’t just getting the classics tonight, though. YONAKA’s debut album, Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow, is dropping on 31st May (and you don’t need to wait ‘til tomorrow to pre-order it. Just saying). We’re treated to the first ever live performance of ‘Lose Our Heads’, closely followed by ‘Punchbag’. “This song’s a bit of a lairy one”, Jarvis warns us. She isn’t wrong. It wallops you right in the ear holes. YONAKA also play the album’s title track. It encapsulates the thought behind the whole record. As Jarvis explains, the album is about “anyone who’s in a dark place […] you need to know that you’re not alone”. It carries a message that someone will always need to hear.

YONAKA end with a fabulous performance of ‘Fired Up’, and the crowd are certainly that. Somehow the dancing has devolved into a full-blown mosh pit. The energy pulsing through the air is electric. The constant beat galvanises your bones. YONAKA channel strength in every movement. Jarvis performs to her fingertips as the floor trembles with bass. Welcome to your new favourite band.

YONAKA @ The Castle & Falcon 15.03.19 / Callum Lees

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For more on YONAKA, visit www.weareyonaka.com

For more on Broken Hands, visit www.brokenhandsband.com

For more from Cassyette, visit www.cassyette.co.uk

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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 raised in this feature – 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.

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BREVIEW: Kinky Boots the Musical @ Hippodrome 14-23.03.19

Words by Charlotte Heap / Production shots courtesy of the Hippodrome

Before I begin my review of Kinky Boots the Musical, I need to confess: I love shoes and I love drag culture. And so this young musical, written by Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper – launched in 2012, is (on paper) the perfect production for this reviewer who has had, shall we say, mixed experiences with musicals in the past.

Based on the 2005 film featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Joel Edgerton, this musical production is still a tale of British industrial decline and intolerance. Shoe manufacturing heir, Charlie Price, is thrust into a failing factory following the death of his father – but how can a chance encounter with a mysterious drag queen help to save the day? The clue is in the title.

Kinky Boots the Musical has been hugely successful – winning six Tony’s and three Laurence Olivier awards including ‘Best Musical’, despite a slow start in its first season on Broadway (where it was competing with Matilda the Musical, also in debut). I was curious to see how this Broadway magic would translate at Birmingham’s Hippodrome.

Initially, I was sceptical. The staging was as slick as you would expect from a production of this calibre, but I’d not seen a British-based musical before and the contrast between the Northampton setting and the transatlantic vocals in the (so far, fairly forgettable) musical numbers was distracting. Charlie (played by Joel Harper- Jackson) seemed insipid, and his fiancée (played by Helen Ternent) spoilt. Some of the accents were more than suspect too, from Cockney to Black Country and back. And then came Lola.

Kayi Ushe, a graduate of Brunel University Arts Centre, played Lola – a boxer turned drag queen from Clacton and eventual creator of the eponymous Kinky Boots – with aplomb. His vocals and vivacity were stunning and, as Lola’s arrival injected pizzazz into the story, so the stage came alive.

Kinky Boots‘ score is Lauper’s first attempt at a musical, and it is masterful. Reflecting her range, there’s beautiful ballads and fabulous funk that seem to get better as the show progresses. The chorus wasn’t always pitch perfect but the clever choreography, witty writing, and comic timing of standout characters like factory workers Don and Lauren (Demitri Lampra and Paula Lane) had the audience roaring. Lola’s Angels, her drag queen chorus, helped her steal the show with their charm and athleticism.

The cast romped through the tale of industrial revolution and individual redemption to the delight of a full house: the most diverse adult audience I can remember being part of. By the end, the entire auditorium (with the exception of the most elderly) were on their feet. The storyline itself is predictable, and packed with minor plotlines – some of which added to the musical’s message (in particular, the boxing match where secret boxer Lola fights bigoted Don, and challenges him to accept people as they are) and some felt forced (such as Charlie’s cutting cruelty to Lola for a peril-filled finale) and, for a new musical, almost dated.

I’m a fan of the art of drag, having first discovered Ru Paul’s Drag Race nearly a decade ago; since Kinky Boots the Musical launched, Drag Race has become something of a cultural phenomenon. But some of Birmingham’s drag queens were in the audience at the Hippodrome and one of the biggest cheers of the evening came when Lola defiantly states, “Drag is mainstream”. Certainly, with mainstream media co-opting drag culture (Lip Sync Battle, anyone?), Kinky Boots the Musical seemed to be preaching acceptance to the converted. A clever twist emphasises that acceptance should be extended to everyone, not just drag queens.

Kinky Boots the Musical is a campy, clever and funny few hours that I would recommend to anyone. While Lola and her angels thrilled us, British parliament voted against Theresa May’s Brexit deal – a stark reminder, as we left the auditorium, that despite the bubble of love generated by the production’s talented cast our society is still in turmoil. It may be a while still before Kinky Boots’ depiction of a battle against bigotry and industrial decline can be viewed as a bygone snapshot of British society.  

Kinky Boots the Musical – official trailer

Kinky Boots the Musical runs at the Birmingham Hippodrome from Thursday 14th to Saturday 23rd March 2019. Tickets are priced from £26, depending on the day/time of performance and your seating position in the theatre.

For full show details direct from the Hippodrome, including links to online ticket sales with an available seating plan, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/kinky-boots

For more on Kinky Boots the Musical, visit http://www.kinkybootsthemusical.co.uk/

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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 raised in this feature – 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.

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THE GALLERY: Wood and Nails @ The Flapper 02.03.19

Words by Ed King / Pics by Aatish Ramchurn

On Saturday 2nd March, Wood and Nails headlined at The Flapper – with support from Dearist, George Gadd, and Last Light.

Promoted by Surprise You’re Dead, the gig was a raucous celebration of Wood and Nails’ latest single ‘Searching for an Exit’ – which you can wrap your grubby little music-for-free ears around here. Or better still, click here to buy something from the band in question and keep them in diamond crusted plectrums. Or food. Or whatever it is that artistes need to survive these days.

But by all on and offline reports, recollections, fervent cries and night terrors of loss and longing, the evening was a rip-roaring success. So much so, in fact, that the Birmingham Review front line reporter has been missing in action ever since… if found, please return to BRHQ.

Luckily, we had more troops in the crowd – a man who shall now and forever be referred to as ‘photo ninja’, for his Matrixesque ability to weave through a mosh pit whilst messing about with that all important ISO.

And as for the rest of you, indulge yourselves in some glorious gig shots from Saturday 2nd March at The Flapper in THE GALLERY – featuring headliners Wood and Nails, alongside support acts Last Light, George Gadd, and Dearist. There are a few picked cherries to begin with, then the larger mosaic gallery – so viddy below my droogs, such a gromky shoom horrorshow:

Woods and Nails @ The Flapper 02.03.19 / Aatish Ramchurn

For more on Wood and Nails, visit their Spotify artist profile by clicking here – or to visit the Wood and Nails Facebook page for more info and links, click here.

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Dearist – supporting Woods and Nails @ The Flapper 02.03.19 / Aatish Ramchurn

For more on Dearist, visit www.facebook.com/DearistUK

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George Gadd – supporting Woods and Nails @ The Flapper 02.03.19 / Aatish Ramchurn

For more on George Gadd, visit www.georgegadd.bandcamp.com

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Last Light – supporting Woods and Nails @ The Flapper 02.03.19 / Aatish Ramchurn

For more on Last Light, visit www.soundcloud.com/lastlightuk

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All photography by Aatish Ramchurn / Aatish Photography.

For more from Surprise You’re Dead, including further event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.surpriseyouredeadmusic.co.uk

For more on The Flapper, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.theflapper.co.uk

________

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 raised in this feature – 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.