BR Content Archives - Page 17 of 191 -

March 11, 2019March 11, 2019

BPREVIEW: Mutes @ Hare & Hounds 13.03.19

Words by Ed King

On Wednesday 13^th March, Mutes headline at the Hare & Hounds – with support from Robert Craig Oulton. Sofa King were originally scheduled to perform but had to pull out of the gig – so look out for someone possibly filling in.

Doors open at 7:30pm, with tickets available for £6 (advance +booking fee) – as presented by FOMA. For direct gig information, including links to online ticket sales, click here.

There’s probably a music journalist handbook out there that would help me with genres and comparisons, one that is updated every year to keep the lexicon cutting edge. I mean, seriously, who coined ‘trap’ music…?

But one of the joys to this job is the constant evolution, especially when it comes from an arena of intelligence and not some attention/chart grabbing pretender.

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Enter Mutes, closely followed by a list that will include My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, a couple of curveballs and an apologetic recognition as to the list itself. Sprinkle some clever metaphors, make a reference to Sub-Pop, throw in an opiate analogy and – if you’re feeling brave – a joke about revolving doors and band members. Mwah…. we mean it with love.

But it’s been just shy of two years since the James Brown led ghost in the music machine (…stir in some existential philosophy) released No Desire, the somewhat bold and beautiful debut album from Mutes. And now they’re back with Round Two. The as-of-yet unnamed new album (in the public domain at least) is set for release sometime soon, we think, we hope, but there is one single already dangling like the proverbial carrot – check out ‘Swallowing Light’ below, being performed live at the Hare & Hounds back in July 2016.

Now the more observant of you will note this is nearly a year before Mutes’ ‘dichotomy of extremes’ debut album came out, sans ‘Swallowing Light’ – so questions, questions, questions…

Now if we were to jump a gun or two, heaven forbid, it could mean that the ambient swirls and prolonged rabbit holes of No Desire have been set aside for the simple ball kicking grunge rock that Brown & Co can deliver so well. Which would be no bad thing. Or it could mean the sophomore LP is a reworking of some tried, tested, loved and live tracks from the Mutes back catalogue – with some new nuggets thrown in. Or it’s a coincidence, or an accident. Or it’s all a ruse and the rest of album two is a spoken word diatribe about penguins.

But with an album promoting gig at the Hare & Hounds on Wednesday 13^th March, you’ll probably get a sneaky peak and hopefully some clarity soon enough. Or not. But you might. In the meantime, I’m going to dust down my Roget’s Thesaurus and frayed copies of DIY, so I can be rhetoric ready for when the album does arrive.

The rest of you can keep yourselves busy with the link below, or click here to check out what happened when we danced this dance before – including an interview with James Brown about what brought No Desire to the table. Enjoy. And save some mental space for the next Mutes album, coming soon on FOMA Records. TBC…

‘Swallowing Light’ – Mutes

Mutes headline at the Hare & Hounds on Wednesday 13^th March, with support from Robert Craig Oulton. For more direct gig information and links to online ticket sales, click here.

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

For more on Robert Craig Oulton, visit www.facebook.com/RobertCraigOulton

For more from FOMA, visit www.wearefoma.bigcartel.com

For more from the Hare & Hounds, including full event listings and venue details, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.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.

March 9, 2019March 9, 2019

BPREVIEW: YONAKA @ Castle & Falcon 15.03.19

Words by Ed King / Live photography by Eleanor Sutcliffe

On Friday 15^th March, YONAKA headline at the Castle & Falcon – with tour support from their Atlantic Records labelmates, Broken Hands.

Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at £10 (adv) – as presented by Birmingham Promoters. For direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, click here.

Kicking off their European tour in Birmingham, YONAKA come back to the second city before heading up, down, and up the UK, over to mainland Europe, then back for a series of summer dates and festivals in Blighty once again.

On the road promoting their… and I use these words with all the caution and capitals they deserve, EAGERLY AWAITED DEBUT ALBUM – YONAKA are paving the way for that all important first kick in the album charts, when Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow comes out on 31^st May.

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Already having grabbed some serious attention with a series of singles and EPs, including the uber exciting and confident first steps forward ‘Creature’, ‘Fired Up’ and ‘Bubblegum’, YONAKA are – in the opinion of this humble and occasionally jaded music lover – an absolute fucking gamechanger.

Go on to Spotify. Type ‘YONAKA‘. Spend an hour listening. Then tell me I’m wrong.

Birmingham Review first happen chanced across the Brighton born YONAKA when they supported Don Broco on their UK tour in February 2018.

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Having formed in 2015 and already signed to Atlantic Records, after being picked up by the major following their debut releases on Hometown Records, YONAKA were well on their way by the time we caught their coat tails.

But with all the glory of their controlled ferocity, wit, throat grabbing melodies and acerbic lyrics – all thrown at you through a refreshingly unpinpointable fistful of genres – YONAKA are easy to get excited about. And we did. And you should. Again, follow the steps above and tell me I’m wrong.

But Birmingham will get its chance to experience all this for itself, as YONAKA kick off their album promoting tour at the Castle & Falcon on 15^th March.

And whilst I would seriously recommend you check out all of their past EPs, I’m going to stick with two ends of the YONAKA single release rainbow to whet your whistle – ‘Bad Company’ is the first track from their upcoming album Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow, and ‘Bubblegum’ from their debut Heavy EP. Enjoy.

‘Bad Company – Yonaka

‘Bubblegum’ – Yonaka (from Heavy EP)

Yonaka play at the Castle & Falcon on Friday 15^th March, with support from Broken Hands. For more direct gig information and links to online ticket sales, visit www.castleandfalcon.com/event/yonaka-special-guests

For more on Yonaka, visit www.weareyonaka.com

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

For more from Birmingham Promoters, visit www.birminghampromoters.com

For more from the Castle & Falcon, including full event listings and venue details, visit http://castleandfalcon.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.

March 8, 2019April 10, 2019

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

Words by Emily Doyle

It’s that time of year again; The Gilded Merkin is coming to The Glee Club, back in Birmingham on Sunday 17^th March.

Minimum age of entry is 18years old, with doors open at the Arcadian venue from between 6pm and 6:45pm. Advance tickets are £15 +booking free and can be bought directly through The Glee Club, click here.

Last time Birmingham Review headed to Scarlett Daggers’ acclaimed cabaret, we were treated to Chap-Hop, a human blockhead act, and the go-go stylings of Dave the Bear. So, what’s on offer this time around?

Dubbed ‘one of the leading forces in the dark cabaret genre’, Joe Black is sure to make an impression. He’s shared stages with Eddie Izzard, The Tiger Lillies, and is a regular performer at London’s infamous Torture Garden nightclub. To top it off Black puts on a regular revue, the House of Burlesque, in his hometown of Portsmouth, so he knows how to run a show too.

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Character burlesque performer and member of queer performance collective The Family Fierce, Lilly SnatchDragon will also be performing.

SnatchDragon’s performance is informed by controversial South East Asian stereotypes – as she puts it in her press bio, “Lilly discovering she maybe getting more marrying interest if she doing the Burlesque dancing as well. Lilly do so good showing western peoples how silly they looking at S.E Asian women, she win ‘Best Newcomer’ at London Cabaret Awards 2015”.

Known for their disarming makeup skills (and despite a very committed online persona, their entry for the NYX Face Awards 2016 confirms it is makeup), Arran Shurvinton will be performing as their much-loved Nosferatu character – that’s ‘Noss’ for short. It’s certainly an offbeat choice, but Shurvinton is strangely pragmatic about it: “While I was trying to develop my character persona for stage work, my physicality and art deco gothic aesthetic pointed the way to the 1922 Nosferatu by F.W Murnau”, he told Beyond Retro in 2017.

Bringing some classic class to the proceedings is blonde bombshell Didi Derrière. Her cleverly choreographed acts adds a jazzy twist to classic burlesque, and her pin-up looks have seen her featured by vintage lingerie brand What Katie Did.

Storm Hooper will also be taking to the stage, bringing a taste of the circus to The Gilded Merkin. One of the UK’s leading Hula Hoop speciality acts, Hooper was a featured performer at the sell-out internationally touring Evening of Burlesque theatre show – seeing her perform internationally with her hoops to places as varied as Milan, Beirut, Latvia and the Seychelles.

Last but not least… it wouldn’t be The Gilded Merkin without an appearance from the lady behind it all, Scarlett Daggers. A fiery redhead whose looks are only outshadowed by her talent, Daggers’ rockabilly flair makes her a favourite at car shows and tattoo conventions up and down the country. Known for blending traditional striptease acts with fire-eating and fetishes, Daggers is certain to leave you hot under the collar one way or another.

The Gilded Merkin presents a showcase of burlesque and cabaret at The Glee Club on Sunday 17^th March – presented by Scarlett Daggers. For direct show information, including venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.glee.co.uk/performer/gilded-merkin-birmingham

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

March 7, 2019March 7, 2019

EVENT: Readdressing Gender Balance in the Music Industry – Panel & Discussion @ BIMM Birmingham 08.03.19

Words by Ed King

On Friday 8^th March, the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) Birmingham will be hosting a special panel and discussion event – where women from different professional arenas will be ‘discussing the current gender balance in the music industry’.

Free to attend, the event will be held in BIMM Birmingham’s Live Hall from 5:30pm to 7:30pm – to secure your place, click here to visit the Eventbrite page or visit the BIMM Birmingham website for more general information.

Live music will also be performed from BIMM Birmingham’s students, with Alessandra Curle, Eve Pitt, and Julian Bastock playing from 5:15pm until the panel and discussion starts – followed by Renaye & Nandipa, and Lydia Mason playing once the panel and discussion has come to close. There will also be a chance for more informal discussion and networking with those both on the panel and in attendance.

Organised to coincide with International Women’s Day, the panel and discussion at BIMM Birmingham will address the disparity that still occurs between genders in today’s music industry – including why in 2019 is ‘female fronted’ still being referred to as a genre, and the gender imbalance that many still see in the music industries festival and live circuits. The latter is an especially pertinent issue, with festival programmers across the UK and North America being called upon to present line ups with more female artists; a selection of female professionals from within different areas of the industry will look at these pervasive issues of inequality and encourage a group discussion from the other panel members and the audience.

On the panel will be Jo Jeffries, who has a well established carer across the music industry as both a performer in her own right and a songwriter for international pop artists including Holly Valance and Michelle McManus. In 2016 Jeffries founded the local arts and music collective 7LOCO, which works with major brands and broadcasters to promote talent from across the music and entertainment industry. Then in 2017 Jeffries also launched the Birmingham Music Awards, celebrating artists from all genres in both a high profile annual awards ceremony and monthly networking events.

Also on the panel will be Sue Buckler, a long standing radio plugger who has represented artists from Kylie to Britney Spears – achieving airplay for the rosters of major labels and music groups from Sony to Virgin. Buckler is also Head of Radio for the online distributor Ditto Music, working across global territories to promote the music of new and unsigned artists from a catalogue of genres.

Writer Sophie Maughan will offer further insight from the world of music journalism, as a current contributor to publications included Metal Hammer, TeamRock and Distorted Sound Magazine. Whilst Nova Twins (aka Amy Love and Georgia South) will represent current performing artists at the BIMM Birmingham panel event, bringing their worldwide experiences from clubs and concert venues into the discussion.

BIMM Birmingham hosts a free to attend panel and discussion on ‘Readdressing Gender Balance in the Music Industry’ on Friday 8^th March. To secure your place, visit the Eventbrite page and register here.

For more on BIMM Birmingham, visit www.bimm.co.uk/birmingham

March 2, 2019March 2, 2019

EP: Make Way for the Montage – You Dirty Blue 01.03.19

Words by Ed King / Photograph by Eleanor Sutcliffe

On Friday 1^st March, You Dirty Blue released their latest EP – Make Way for the Montage.

Available to stream online or buy for a fiver, all you need to do is visit the You Dirty Blue website and follow the links in the top right hand corner. That and buy them a beer next time you see them, when you’re getting six tracks for under a pound a pop it’s the least you can do.

Make Way for the Montage is well worth a round too, opening with the (dare I say it…) summer spangly feel of ‘Loose Hips’, as a glorious riff from Leon James stomps itself over the legato/staccato rabbit punch percussion from Martin Reynolds. The tandem vocals are back in force too, with the gruff unison delivering banter and the title lyrics, ‘Loose hips sink ships, just the way you like it’ – word play that was previously used by Gone by Tomorrow, although if you can identify any lyrics in that song then you’re probably a bat.

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‘In Other Words’ continues the slight season change feeling, with a riff that makes me think of The Stranglers which is no bad thing. But comparisons aside, this is clearly a You Dirty Blue record even two tracks in. ‘Bimbada’ opens with the obligatory baby sample, at least I think it’s a baby, before some frenetic beats and swirly production and pave the way for an almost The Cure-esque melodic centre of this EP.

‘Paper Moon’ brings the garage rock (and James’ vocals) back to the forefront, whilst ‘Jumped the Gun’ screams North American road trip and gives Reynold’s the mic to call his very own. ‘Unsociable Jon’ then closes off this six track stormer of an EP with a good ol’ acerbic poke in the lyrical ribs.

Make Way for the Montage is a reminder of just how much You Dirty Blue have to offer – it’s been a nudge over a year since their sophomore EP, Tough Crowd, and the Tamworth twosome have evolved their sound just enough to keep it fresh, but maintaining a firm grip on that psychedelic prog/blues rock that we know and love them for. Job done gents, job done. And you know this is all going to be dangerously good when they play it live, which Birmingham will get a chance to see again at The Castle & Falcon on 21^st April.

‘Loose Hips’ – You Dirty Blue

You Dirty Blue released their Make Way for the Montage EP on Friday 1^st March. For more on You Dirty Blue, including links to online streaming and purchase points, visit www.youdirtyblue.com

For full details of the current You Dirty Blue UK tour, visit www.youdirtyblue.com/tour