Category: BR Content

Words by Ed King / Pics by Lucy Heath

“Are there any students in tonight..?” I’m honestly not sure if this approach is a parody. After all, the bill is 70% comedy, I don’t know what standard of stand up to expect on Birmingham’s smaller gig circuit, and I’ve paid only £3 to get in. It’s too early to tell; but I guess the continuing puns could be Chris Morris clever.

Nestling into the corner of a confidently busy room we’ve come to check out the first Giggling Girder Club at The Church in Hockley. Pitched as a ‘night of spoken, sung and smugly said words’ we’ve got Blues guitar from Karl Merrick up first, once he circumnavigates the tired jibes about his braces.

Merrick walks us through some rag time standards, or at least I think they’re ‘standards’ (and he told us they were ‘ragtime’) as The Church’s back venue shuffles towards standing room only. All the tables are busy, our burgers are en route, and the fire (well the projection of a fire – oddly warm) burns snugly on the wall; a comfortable chatter mingles with the strains of steel & guitar.

Our compère takes the stage, and after a failed engagement with a table of post grad law students introduces Tom Christian – the first of tonight’s stand ups. Broad, blonde and comfortable, Christian tackles the reticent room with professional good grace.

And he picks up some momentum too, before worrying the borderline audience with some race based material. Not racist, I guess that’s part of the point, but a dangerous dance when we’re not fully on board. I’d like to see him again; if for no other reason than to hear his dead/paedophile routine in front a warmer crowd.

Our compère returns to introduce the second of tonight’s stand ups, Graham Milton, under a growing swell of irritation, groans and people switching off. Milton, a young man with dark intentions, presents himself through short, self deprecating misanthropy. No one here gets out alive I guess.

Excellent material to me; but which, to others, may work better as prose on a page rather than as jokes in the air. Milton, again, wrestles with an unfortunate introduction to win us round, the phrase “vaguely consensual pornography” never sounding so appealing, and by the time he explains “simply nodding as a girl made fun of me cry” I’m fully immersed. But that’s me, and I may have a problem.

The already failed segue returns, and returns, and returns to welcome on Rohit the Poet – an exuberant poet (clue’s in the title) who explores his demons with a rising inflection. It feels like a middle class football chant, and the rhyming couplets compel me to start guessing the… FINISH LINE. Didn’t I do well.

Rohit the Poet is initially a bit weak for me, but his jab at Pseudo Lefty Narcissists is refreshingly appropriate amidst the gentrification of Hockley, and (after a late night Goggle search) more representational of the man’s material. Maybe he’s sticking to safer guns tonight. I wouldn’t blame him.

Another disaster introduces Dave Pitt, a man “who used to do stand up” but is in front of us tonight to deliver spoken word – a term I loathe, finding it patronising and unnecessary.

Working the comedy rule book with precision, Pitt gets us all laughing. Immediately. Honestly. And, for a while, unfortunately at the photographer stage right; who should reconsider his approach to flash photography when in a room of professional comedians.

Pitt reads us a short story about a man and his tragic list of pet fatalities; delivered with a comfortable patience that keeps us quiet and loud in all the right places. I feel the room’s shoulders drop. Ah, together again.

Next is a candid explanation of how Pitt fought depression, his black dog called Burt, and the roles comedy played in both the attached anxieties and continuing cure. Its personal but not dramatized, as talking about mental health experiences should be, and leads us into a reading from his book, ‘Starting out in Stand Up’ – a chronological march through Pitt’s career Gig #1 to #100.

Tonight “you’re getting my erection”, Dave Pitt admits as he reads Gig #98 – performing on a strong Manilla Road bill at The Victoria in Birmingham. The crux is fear. Then the reality of facing fear. With the concluding prose bringing elbows onto the table tops and some salt in our eyes. You can buy Pitt’s book, ‘Starting Out in Stand Up’, from the man himself or though other more modern means of distribution; but if you get a chance to hear him read some of it first, I’d start from there. Dave Pitt and “fuck you Burt”; two things to remember.

The Giggling Girder Club concludes its debut with more stand up from Rob Kemp, more Blues from Karl Merrick, and more puns Vs shallow commentary from the compère; the latter, by now, becoming professionally offensive to the acts either side. By the end of the evening all sympathy, and half the room, is outside waving down taxis.

But I am full (The King Burger) a little merry (Woodford Reserve) and relatively still in pocket (£3 on the door, £10 with a main meal). Plus clearer on a couple of the questions I started the night with.

Birmingham, it seems, does indeed have a healthy stream of stand up comedy; flowing from suburb to city centre and washing round the obvious. I am compelled to wade further, and to stop using metaphors in confirmation of strong material, confident deliveries and professional comedians ‘doing the circuit’.

Excellent entertainment for the price of a bus ticket. Just avoid the puns; they’re not big and they’re certainly not clever.

For more on Dave Pitt, visit http://davethepitt.tumblr.com

For more on Rohit the Poet, visit https://myspace.com/rohitballal

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For more on The Giggling Girder Club, including info and links to tickets, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/696371687054525/?ref=notif&notif_t=plan_user_invited

For more on The Church, visit http://www.churchjq.co.uk

dan le sac Vs Scoobius Pip come to The Institute (Birmingham) on Saturday 25th Jan – supported by Itch & Sarah Williams White

Not actually a fight, but the creative endeavour of musician/producer (le sac) and poet (Scroobius Pip) the duo formed in 2006. Growing up in the same Essex village, it was after the latter (poet) performed at the former’s (musician/producer) gig in Reading that collaboration began – resulting in the moniker dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip and a solid portfolio of performed verse over Hip Hop influenced beats and dark edged Electronica.

Definitely with something to say, dan le sac Vs Scoobius Pip were first plucked into the national arena by John Kennedy on XFM; giving their early days demo some exposure on his, erm, Xposure show.

Two years and a few self releases later, dan le sac Vs Scoobius Pip signed to Rob De Bank’s Sunday Best label – releasing their debut album, Angels, in May 2008. Opening with a minute of live recorded verse, where Scoobius Pip delivers a message against fabrication of popular fashions and his disdain for “soulless music, artless lyrics”, the stage was clearly set for “something new”. Angels’ first single, ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ is a succinct challenge to banality; clearly dan le sac Vs Scoobius Pip were “…not going to take it no more”. And arguably neither should we.

Licensing Angels to Sage Francis’ New England based Strange Famous Records saw further distribution for the debut, around the US – a territory dan le sac Vs Scoobius Pip would continue to release in. ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’ was also reissued in 2009 with additional vocals from De La Soul’s Postdnous.

March 2010 saw the release of The Logic of Chance, the duo’s second album – featuring guest vocals from Kid A on its third single, ‘Cauliflower’. Then in October 2013, after a few years and a some solo projects, dan le sac Vs Scoobius Pip’s third album was released – the 9 track (or 10 if you live in North America) Repent, Replenish, Repeat.

Now touring over 40 dates across Europe with their 3^rd album, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip are joined by Sarah Williams White & Itch across their UK dates.

(Birmingham Review first spoke to London’s original scary kid, Itch. in Feb ’13. For more on Sarah Williams White, visit http://www.iamsww.com)

dan le sac Vs Scoobius Pip play The Institute on Saturday 25^th January – brought to you by Birmingham Promoters. For further info & tickets, visit http://birminghampromoters.com/Events/dan-le-sac-vs-scroobius-pip

For more on dan le sac Vs Scoobius Pip, visit http://www.lesacvspip.co.uk

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For further listings at The Institute, visit http://mamacolive.com/theinstitute

For more gigs from Birmingham Promoters, visit http://birminghampromoters.com

Launching her new Urban Gypsy EP, Call Me Unique will hosting a free party at The Yardbird on Monday Jan 27^th.

Showcasing tracks from her 6 song Urban Gypsy EP, Monday’s launch party will be the first outing for Call Me Unique’s new material.

Working with producer Professor F, Call Me Unique’s Urban Gypsy EP was originally planned for release in November 2013. But due to schedule commitments (and there being only seven days in the week) Call Me Unique postponed her Urban Gypsy EP launch until the New Year – available from Monday Jan 27^th as a free download.

Call Me Unique is arguably as her moniker suggests. Combining 6 string melodies with personal lyrics, all delivered by a beautiful range of soft to scarred vocals – whether singing or scatting,  Call Me Unique has been grafting her way up the ladder for some years now. A troubadour with style and finesse (plus a fair crack at the ‘Busiest Singer in Birmingham’ award) Call Me Unique is someone you should really check out; if for no other reason than to remind yourself what surprises can still be found on the live gig circuit.

Joining her at The Yardbird will be a bevy of acts; musicians ranging from acoustic to rap, Reggae to Hip Hop – conveying their message through a mix of rap, verse and song. Or ‘eclectic’, if you’re running out of characters on Twitter.

For a quick introduction to Call Me Unique’s Urban Gypsy EP Launch Party support acts, with links to further info & music, read below:

Elektric
Hoping to ‘educate, excite and embrace’ us, Elektric combines melody and verse to deliver ‘an old school Hip Hop flow (that) meets new school Soul.’  An engaged Birmingham artist with something to say, find out more at http://www.thisiselektric.com or https://soundcloud.com/elektricinmyeyesmusic

Alima Affie Jam
A self taught pianist and guitarist, Alima Affie Jam drips her honey vocals over soft acoustic melodies. A solo performer of quiet grace, hear some of Alima’s original material at https://soundcloud.com/affiejam

Relo
South African born Relo has been performing since she was 9 years old. Rooted in R&B, this British singer/songwriter has a limited online presence – but in the battle of quality Vs quantity, Birmingham Review suggests you visit http://youtu.be/qrNnH0ZQx8c

NT Complex
Aka Natty & Tempz, this Birmingham based duo stretch from acoustic to rap to grime, and probably back again (via Dubstep). But their voices, and tight vocal harmonies, reside throughout – for more visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/NTComplex-UK/195852973791451

4oz of Groove
An ensemble of undisclosed numbers, 4oz of Groove deliver a fusion of Soul, Reggae, Rare Grove & Funk including a seriously sexy & sultry cover of ‘Summertime’. To hear this and more fro 4oz of Groove, visit https://soundcloud.com/4oz-of-groove

But the lady of the hour is Call Me Unique. Returning to “my home” to launch her Urban Gypsy EP, Call Me Unique states The Yardbird is “the first place I was aware of myself as an artist.”

And despite its self titled ‘Jazz Club’ status, the city centre venue has promoted a healthy spread of artists – performing a range of genres and styles. But for Call Me Unique, who has played from the back of a bus to the LG Arena, The Yardbird is “where I first found myself; it would be silly to take it (Urban Gypsy) anywhere else.”

Call Me Unique launches her Urban Gypsy EP at The Yardbird on Monday 27^th January. Entrance is free, with the show running from 7:30pm to 11:30pm.

For more event info, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/270468576439231/?previousaction=join&source=1

For more on Call Me Unique, visit http://callmeunique.co.uk

On Tuesday 21^st January, The Church in Hockley launches a new monthly ‘night of spoken, sung and smugly said words’ – The Giggling Girder Club.

Its debut event this Tuesday will be followed by another outing on 25^th Feb and a third on 25^th March. Entrance is a very accessible £3, or £10 for a ‘meal ticket’ which includes ‘Entry and any Main Course or Burger of the main menu.’

The Church maintains a solid focus on food, with the brains behind the refurbished Hockley boozer holding a strong track record for grub. They’re no stranger to events either.

The Giggling Girder Club’s inaugural event on Tuesday (Jan 21^st) will present a range of performers covering spoken word, poetry, comedy & music.

Performing stand up will be comedians Tom Christian, Graham Milton and Rob Kemp; with performance poetry from Rohit the Poet & Dave Pitt – the latter of whom may/may not be delivering verse sitting down (http://youtu.be/3qs_JYP-fLU).

Music comes from Blues guitarist Karl Merrick.

The Giggling Girder Club launches at The Church in Hockley on Tuesday 21^st January. For more info and links to tickets, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/696371687054525/?ref=notif&notif_t=plan_user_invited

For more on The Church, visit http://www.churchjq.co.uk

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Ed’s note…

Big fan of The Church.  Gregarious staff, great menu – food & drinks, and a considered edition to the gentrification of Hockley. Plus the people behind it have long been running events (and menus) out of other venues, so it’s good to see them with a place they control from top to bottom.

I know nothing about the stand ups, other than seeing Rob Kemp on a poster with Tom Wrigglesworth – and if you’re supporting him you’ve most likely got ‘something’. Whether it’ll be apparent on at The Giggling Girder Club only time (and a few hundred words) will tell.

Spoken word, or poetry as it was once called, is a dicey game – and one that often depends on the equation subject + confidence x delivery ÷ audience. Again we’ll keep an open mind; but it’s good to see The Church throwing some weight and stage time behind the medium.

So it’s very much suck it and see for The Giggling Girder Club, but with a reasonably priced ‘meal ticket’ the worst outcome will be a decent evening meal. And I could quite happily demolish The Church’s menu no matter what else is happening in the room.

Ed King is editor of Birmingham Review. Follow him @EdKing2210

Words by Ed King / Pics by Carlie-Ann Hare

It’s like being punched in the face, a feeling I am all too familiar with; heavy, brash and an odd way to say hello. But at least we know the gig’s started.

Hannah Trigwell opens her set off the back of a very loud kick drum; one that startles most of the room outside the mixing console. Playing five consecutive dates across the UK, with a full band in tow, tonight is the first gig of her debut headline tour and a comfortable crowd has dodged the January rain to come and wish her well. Having built up a large fan base from online posts and performances, there is a cozy camaraderie in the Academy 3. I’m standing next to somebody’s mum and dad.

‘Give it Up’ fades out and Hannah asks “how are you Birmingham?”; a dangerous question in this city and one I’ve seen unanswered by a stadium of Brummies. But her professional segue gains a reassuring response, and the Leeds born singer/songwriter moves deftly into track number two, ‘You’.

Hannah Trigwell’s debut single, ‘Headrush’, is up next, and gets greeted with a resounding cheer of recognition; before an homage to Drake’s double platinum selling ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’, minus Ebony Day.

Hannah Trigwell is a solid songwriter, with each original track showing subtle melody and the simple pleasure of an intrinsically, good, song. Something many more seasoned musicians never achieve. But the band around her seems to be fighting for prominence, speared by a precocious guitarist with a reverb/flange addiction; I’m often distracted by a disjointed delivery. Although as ‘Numbers’ catches its stride (and almost exactly as I write ‘disjointed’ into my notebook) there evolves some unity on stage, as if the four well rehearsed musicians momentarily stop stressing, and just play together. During the crescendo they feel like a band.

The title track from Hannah’s debut 3 Peace Records EP, Pieces, reminds me of Jewel and just how much Ms Trigwell can sing. It’s quite beautiful, especially live. But as she moves straight into ‘Another Broken Heart’ I start to feel the friction again, and catch an arguably deflated look jumping quickly off stage.

What happens next is much more empowering. After a potentially nervous, hopefully earnest, plea for feedback, the main set’s penultimate track begins with a tough, biting intro.

Plotted, low vocals make a clean stance on stage, building to a determined chorus; Hannah Trigwell looks strong and sounds stronger. There’s a darker feel, but one that’s supported by a considered maturity – and although I can’t make out the lyrics I get the impression they’re pertinent; to the writer, to the singer, and to the audience if they want them to be. As ‘Rectify’ gets the hearty applause it deserves, I relax in the aftermath of a track she owns start to finish.

Hannah Trigwell ends her set with ‘Hurricane’ and a two track encore – another new track, ‘Tightrope’, and the seemingly ubiquitous cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. But it’s ‘Rectify’ I leave to room remembering most.

A sample of things to come..? I certain hope so. And I don’t mind having my head knocked back if it going to sound like this.

For more on Hannah Trigwell, including full tour dates and links to her Pieces EP, visit http://www.hannahtrigwell.com

For further listings at the O2 Academy Birmingham, visit http://www.o2academybirmingham.co.uk