Category: CULTURE (2022)

Writer Jimmy Dougan / Photographer Maddie Cottam-Allan

The Dark Horse chills contentedly in the centre of Moseley Village, the black and gold frontage giving way to the kind of bar that could easily be slipped into a verse of ‘Fairytale of New York’ without anyone noticing. Tonight it’s bustling, lit by an infinitesimal number of candles and fairy lights.

In the pink-lit upstairs venue, there’s something in the air – the anticipatory, hopeful spark that something very special might be about to happen. Two notes for the unaware.

Firstly, Dimes were formed in mid-2021.

This quartet describes their sound as being no frills, no gimmicks rock ‘n roll. When I first saw Dimes live back in May, I was struck by the startling vein of anger coursing under everything they do, the damning indictment of our cruel and vacuous neoliberal culture in their snappy lyrics.

They ask, time and time again, how did we end up here? What went wrong? Could we not be doing things differently? They demand an answer.

Secondly, Dimes’ drummer, Simon Dunn, works at The Dark Horse.

The home-field advantage is strong, and the crowds come through. Within ten minutes of doors opening the venue is packed, and cries of “up the Dimes!” ring through it.

Two support acts kick us off: first up are Exotic Pets, proving appearances can absolutely be deceiving. Their warm, affable presence quickly gives way to a distinctly low-fi garage punk. One song sees them repeatedly, “I want to drink your blood”.

It’s initially quite funny, then oddly romantic.

Up next it’s Otherless, formerly known as EXHALER. My ears prick up towards the end of their set, which contains their strongest work: guitars become warped and elastic, drums slide towards staccato, words giving way to sounds. It’s challenging, provocative stuff. I’m reminded of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, or maybe even Angelo Badalamenti’s work on Twin Peaks: The Return.

As the tension in the room reaches fever pitch, Dimes finally appear. They’re unpretentious and direct, purposeful and clear. Tom Carwardine on vocals takes a minute. Do the lights catch a glimmer of pride in his eyes, or a smile curling at the corner of his mouth? Perhaps. He’s an excitingly enigmatic presence.

The crowd are losing it – a few of the staff have snuck off the bar too, and gladly add their howls to the chorus – but the band aren’t fazed. As we start off with the now iconic ‘State Run Press’, James paces and gesticulates: Dimes have a point to make, and they’re pissed. You quickly come to realise that Tom isn’t pacing, he’s prowling. He beats his chest, his brow furrows.

As we move into ‘Violent Undertones’ the moshing begins. When I last saw Dimes back in May, I was impressed. Tonight is next level. There’s a polish to this performance that you can’t help but get swept along by, a watertight dramaturgical logic expertly calibrated to get the crowd going. Nothing is superfluous.

The sound is incredible and hits us like a brick wall, props to the venue. Midway through their set when Tom casually thanks us all for coming, our reply is so loud I worry my eardrums might pop.

Watching Dimes is a communal experience – they’ve quickly carved out a real niche in the Birmingham music scene, and their reward has manifested itself as a loyal following which earnestly engages with the politics of the lyrics.

In an age revealing itself to be defined by shallow commercialism and ideological cowardice, it’s thoroughly refreshing to see a band grapple with such unashamedly political themes. Dimes are at their most thrilling when they lean into their sludge metal influences as they do on ‘Crony Capital’ and ‘Coming Down’.

The abrasive harshness of the lyrics melts into the political and aligns itself perfectly with relentlessly heavy drumming and roaring strings. The bass feels like being dragged across concrete.

It’s clear that Dimes aren’t out to seduce the unconverted but are here to galvanise the angry, huddled masses. The image they paint of modern Britain is a grim one, a decaying nation ruled by crony capitalists and scumbag charlatans being dismantled and sold into oblivion. Scrap the railways, let the nurses burn.

Dimes don’t claim to have any solutions, but watching them perform live the possibility of a wholly different society emerges; I am filled, not infrequently, with hope. I genuinely cannot wait to see what’s next for this electric and viscerally engaging quartet.

Up the Dimes indeed.

For more from Dimes go to: www.dimesbhx.com

For more from Otherless go to: www.otherless.bandcamp.com
For more from Exotic Pets go to: www.linktr.ee/exoticpets

For more from The Dark Horse go to: www.darkhorsemoseley.co.uk

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographer Charly Humphreys (Charly Jeane) 

Turning up at Mama Roux’s on yet another wet, rainy evening ahead of Episode 1, the >THEM. (more-than-them) collective’s first event, it’s clear the raw nature of >THEM. live sets isn’t an act, they’re all extremely close, joking at each other and for some reason shouting children’s drinks brands loudly into my mic.

“Fruit Shoot, what you saying?” calls Yonko Leck.

“Nah Bruv!? CaPRI Sun, CaPRI SUN!” yells Ishy.

“Man said CaPRI Sun,” laughs Leck.

Someone breaks a Magnum bottle, and I’m creased over as I realise Leck and Ishy are calling for sponsorship while other members run about looking for paper towels.

The >THEM. collective’s energy is infectious, while their individual beats and flows are also infectious, this interview is about who the >THEM. collective are and what they stand for – an alternative RnB, hip hop, and grime group who performed at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games less than a year after their inception.

All round musician Leck and founding member of >THEM. sets the record straight, explaining that each member is an individual artist in their own right, so all 12 (I’m sitting with the founding four) have got their own followings and projects.

>THEM. is a community whose members are driven to make lasting, positive change in the Birmingham music scene using collaboration and quality as their foundations.

“I wanted to make something that was culture shifting,” states Leck.

He goes on to explain that whilst being new to Brum, Leck had met DJ Ishy at a party and Louis D. Prince and Lord Andrew through mutual friends. In December 2021, the group made it official, laying down their signature track ‘Pull Up’ in a studio together.

Louis D. Prince says: “It’s a shared drive and ambition, everyone’s dedicated to making more of themselves than we currently have in our surroundings.

“Being aware that we’re capable of so much more, but the infrastructure isn’t what it needs to be in our areas. Knowing that the fan culture is there, but there isn’t the medium to channel that through.

“We’re all in the same place, we all believe in our own talent, we all believe in our own growth and potential, and we’ve just got to work.”

Reflecting on his own experiences being supported by the >THEM. community, Ishy says, “If one person has something going on all of us will be there to support.

“For myself as a DJ, which is a solitary job, anytime I say I’ve got a set these guys are always in the crowd, whether it’s to hype me, whether it’s to capture footage, whether it’s to bring awareness to it.

“So everything I do is essentially powered by >THEM..”

With Episode 1 being their first event, Lord Andrew explains that it’s a chance for all of the >THEM. creatives to collaborate and combine their skill sets.

“We wanted to have live music at the heart of it, but we also wanted to bring other elements to the event, so we don’t just have a space that’s catered to people who’ve come to dance.

“Having more of a community space – it’s a chance for everyone to express their ideas and put them in a melting pot, so what we’ve got is very personal.”

Leck makes a final comment that leads us on nicely to what I was hoping to talk about next:

“All the event places are doing great but it’s like, bring something that’s fresh, bring something that’s new. ”

It’s clear that while >THEM., especially Leck not coming from Birmingham, deeply appreciates the love and support of the city because it’s got them where they are today, they also have lots to say about what’s gone wrong and how things need to change if the music scene wants to grow sustainably.

“In certain pockets of the community,” says Prince, “there’s definitely a strong communal feeling of ‘we want to see everyone break through’, and a lot of talent.

“Certain things like the Neighbourhd events which give people a space to do what they want to do and develop while they do it.

“The biggest thing for me is just how much potential there is in Birmingham that’s just waiting to bubble over, but for me I’ve got a lot more criticisms of the Birmingham scene than I do praise.”

Lord Andrew offers up an insightful observation: “There’s this thing where London gets put on a pedestal, but there’s so many different kinds of creatives in Birmingham.

“If we all banded together, what’s the point in thinking I’m going to make my name in Birmingham and then move straight to London. We’re the second biggest city in the UK, and Manchester has more infrastructure than we do.

“It’s crazy to me; there’s little pockets of community but I feel like if all of these communities banded together, and we put the infrastructure in place, then there’s no way people wouldn’t listen to Birmingham.”

Prince comes back in, bringing up a point that gets everyone’s heads nodding: “I think the biggest thing with the Birmingham scene that is creating difficulties is how poorly it was run for so long. And I won’t go into details, but who it was run by.

“The scene was driven into the ground to a point where no one wanted to be involved or associated with it.

“It’s now struggling to rebuild itself because people are in an imaginary competition with each other.”

“Let’s work in a way to elevate and improve and get better together,” begins Ishy, then someone pokes their head round the door for a third time. It’s clear our time is up and the night very much needs its artists back.

“I feel like with more collectives like >THEM. bringing creatives into a space to work we’ll be able to change the scene a little bit,” Ishy finishes.

For me, >THEM. have a clear, collaborative vision of the music scene. And they’re taking accountability by aiming to be the start of some new creative infrastructure.

That being said, Episode 1 will show if it’s just chat or if the >THEM. collective can stand on its own and, in the words of Yonko Leck, “bring something fresh” to Birmingham.

For more from >THEM. collective go to: www.morethandem.com/party

For more from Yonko Leck go to: www.open.spotify.com/artist/
For more from Louis D. Prince go to: www.open.spotify.com/artist/ 
For more from Lord Andrew go to: www.instagram.com/lordandrew_/
For more from Ishy go to: www.instagram.com/bigfootishy/ 

For more from Mama Roux’s go to: www.mamarouxs.co.uk/

Writer Mark Roberts / Photographer Connor Pope

Like 2020 and 2021 were the years of non-stop COVID-19 coverage, 2022 has shaped up to be all about the cost-of-living crisis, with a brief 10 days of wall-to-wall coverage of the queen’s death, and then straight back to it. The cost-of-living crisis has torn a significant hole in the wallets of many of the UK population, and with it a sense of anxiety and worry has swept the nation.

Although the recording music industry was booming in 2021, live music performance suffered significantly throughout the pandemic. In the summer of 2022, inflation hit a peak of 10.1% in the UK, the highest in Europe, and a figure not seen since 1982 under Thatcher’s reign. The implication here being that your money is worth 10% less this year than it was last year.

With inflation causing knock on effects to the economy, what exactly will the impact be on the music scene in Birmingham and across the UK?

The reason behind this rise in inflation, according to the government and the Bank of England, has been Russia’s war with Ukraine impacting supply chains. Although this might not be the whole picture, with quantitative easing reaching high levels over 2020 and 2021 – pumping new money into the economy, but which is inherently inflationary.

And then according to Unite the Union, 60% of inflation in the UK can be related to “corporate profiteering”. A figure that is reflected across tthe pond by the Economic Policy Institute.

But the impact on the music scene can’t be understated, with Russian oil and gas not flowing into western markets the prices of energy and fuel have skyrocketed. The touring band, who rely on petrol and diesel to get around, will find more of their fees being spent on fuel. And with OPEC further cutting the supply of oil we can expect to see a rise in price at the pumps.

Another potential factor that’s recently rocked the UK economy, with warnings from the IMF about its ramification, is recently resigned PM Liz Truss’s (and Kwasi Kwarteng’s) mini budget. Upon its release the pound almost immediately dropped, reaching its lowest level against the dollar since 1985.

Whilst the recording music industry may get away with just having to manage the effects of a raise in energy prices, the greater impact will be felt in the distribution sector – with the cost of vinyl production (already stretched to its limits in terms of capacity for production) rising along with other music merchandise.

This cost will be felt by artists on the front line, with increased prices on their merch desks.

The venues will likely be the worst hit, with sharply increasing prices in alcohol products being felt in the hospitality sector combined with a poorer society, and eye-watering energy bills compounding into a lack of money to spend on nights out, gigs, and drinks. Warnings that thousands of pubs face closure bring these problems into the stark light of day.

Hopefully, with the government’s plan to borrow to help with energy bills now involving businesses this onslaught will be reduced. However, the cost of mortgages are also rising due to the Bank of England’s raising of interest rates, leading to higher rents for the venues at a time when they could use it least.

Then there’s the often less thought of people, those who rely on the creative scene for income and who will also be affected. As venues close, everyone from bartenders to production managers will be out of a job. And with unemployment already at a record low, they will likely find it hard to find new ones.

Promoters will have less money to promote their gigs, and less venues to promote in. Local, evolving artists will find less tours coming through their city to support. Photographers and journalists will have fewer gigs to cover, and if they are paid they likely won’t see a real-terms pay increase.

It’s frequently presented in the mainstream media that wage increases during a time of inflation cause a wage-price spiral, where inflation begins to spiral out of control as businesses repeatedly raise wages year-on-year and raise prices on their goods and services in response.

It’s important to note that there are differing opinions on whether this wage-price spiral is the most realistic outcome, found mainly on ‘the left’ but also in the opinions of Milton Friedman – the pre-eminent neoliberal economist of the late 20th century and advisor to both Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

Whether, therefore, wages rising would impact the music industry negatively (or any other industry) is still up for debate.

The ripple effect of the cost-of-living crisis predicts a dark time for the music industry in Birmingham, and the industries that rely on it. Which means it’s more important now than ever, to rally together, and share the warmth of a sweaty dance floor and a well lit stage, instead of putting the heating on at home.

Heating that is, now, three and a half times more expensive than in 2020.

For help with the cost-of-living crisis please go to: www.gov.uk/cost-of-living

For help finding a warm bank this winter please go to: www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/map-shows-where-to-find-warm-bank-near-you

For help finding a food bank please go to: www.trusselltrust.org

Writer Reece Greenfield / Photographers Maddie Cottam-Allan & Reece Greenfield

On an uncharacteristically bright afternoon, I sit down with Brum singer-songwriter Robert Craig Oulton in the Medicine Bakery for a coffee, and a revelatory mushroom sandwich. After soaking in our surroundings, we get chatting about his latest EP Caught up in the Moment, which was released on the 14 October, as well as his upcoming tour starting Friday 28 October at Muthers Studio.

Rob begins by talking about who recorded the EP: “Mark Gittins is just amazing, he just gets it you know? He really listens, it sounds silly but some [engineers] don’t.”

He then goes on to talk about the process and how recording guitar, drums, and bass together captured a more organic feel which can be heard across the record.

“They’ll be mistakes but it’s a case of, oh we’ll keep that mistake that’s a cool one.”

Rob also recorded his acoustic single ‘Cruel World’ with ‘Wrong’ at Mega Tone, “Which was an accident really, I was moaning about music so [Mark] said ‘Come in and do something and realise why you do it again’.”

He goes on to answer my inquiry about the striking artwork taken by Danny Boyle of Total Luck.

“We only used one roll of film, and then just picked the first two pictures layered together.”

I explain to Rob how much I love the order and the progression of the EP, and want to ask him about each song.

“[The intro] is instrumental, which is not my usual thing. It was the first time I’d put reverb before the distortion in my pedal chain, and all of that echoey roomy sound gets distorted.

“The guitar just sounds very unstable, crashing into itself and if I hadn’t done that the song would never have come about.”

As we move onto the second track, ‘Return Policy’, Rob explains the inspiration for its punky feel: “The song’s about fucking wishing someone would leave you alone.

“It may not sound like that, but it’s about when people are ‘fessing to be there for you, and you’re just like ‘just fuck off’.

“The whole thing is two fingers up to those people.”

Moving onto ‘Secret Garden’, I learn this track went from being the object of ambivalence to Rob’s favourite track on the record, and the most personal one. The song features brass provided by Felicity Evans and Alex Astbury of Diddy Sweg and Heavy Beat Brass Band.

“As the brass comes in really delicately, that moment is my favourite on the record. The song is quite long but I had so much that I wanted to say on that song, that I didn’t want to chop any bits out.”

I’m also keen to hear about the penultimate song and single off the record released 16 September, ‘Wrong’: “That’s another one where the guitar sound completely informed the song itself.

“I bought this guitar pedal that you can hear on my guitar at the start. It’s simple, but it’s just effective, you know?

“It’s more about the sound and trajectory of the song. You could not have English as a language and you’d still get it.”

I can’t help but remark upon the excellent banjo playing by Connor Boyle, before moving onto the final track ‘Cruel world’.

Rob explains how he has been sitting on this song for over five years: “I wrote this at a weird point in my life where I went a bit mental and was overdoing it a bit.

“I knew it was strong, but it had to be the right time.’

The striking guitar tone was achieved with a 1961 Hofner. “It’s humongous, you have to fight with it but it was so worth it, it sounded good from the get-go,” says Rob, grinning as he looks back fondly at this moment.

“There was a lot of really good vibes in the room as everyone was looking at each other when I started tinkering around, I can remember Mark from the control room being like ‘woah, what’s that then?!’”

We move on finally to Birmingham’s venues, its music scene, and his upcoming headline show.

“Hare and Hounds Kings Heath; I’d say is the best sound in Brum, they serve the songs, they serve the artists.

“Brum’s music scene gets a bad rap… people should be looking this way, there’s things that aren’t even my bag that need more attention.

“We are well on our way to getting any unsavoury characters out, and there seems to be a good level of people doing different things. But we’re all aware of each other just being part of that community.”

Rob finishes,  “Good music here is not hard to find.”

Rob’s new EP Caught up in the Moment is available to stream on all platforms, and his next show to kicks off his UK tour is at Muthers Studio on Friday 28 October – with support from Exhaler and Bright Lightning. Entry on the door (no tickets) is £5

In his own words: “We’re all just hanging out… it’s gonna be a bit of a party!”

For more from Robert Oulton visit www.linktr.ee/robertcraigoulton

For more from Medicine Bakery go to: www.medicinebakery.co.uk
For more from Mega Tone go to: www.mega-tone.com
For more The Hare and Hounds go to: hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk
For more from Muthers Studio go to www.muthersstudio.co.uk

Writer Jasmine Khan / Photographs supplied by ARCH FEMMESIS

The Sunflower Lounge is the fourth stop on ARCH FEMMESIS’ first national headline tour, following their recent EP release and support of Lancaster based rock band The Lovely Eggs.

Queering up Birmingham this Friday 28 October is Midlands based avant garde, electro-unk duo ARCH FEMMESIS, with their cacophony of galactic, feminine, punk-rave sounds.

Before sitting down, in virtual space, to catch up with dynamic performance artist ZERA TØNIN and chaotic synthesiser MEDDLA, I take one last listen through their EP Violents. While it’s easy to hear ARCH FEMMESIS (or watch them live) and only process an eccentric storm of colliding noises and sensual sensory experiences, there’s a softness apparent in the music video for ‘Madusa’ that needs exploring.

ZERA TØNIN, musician, muse, and ‘mother of queerlings’ kicks off the conversation, confident above the multitude of background art studio noises.

“Being on the road with The Lovely Eggs, they’ve given us advice, given us pointers. We know what it’s like now, we’ve emotionally prepared, we’ve got our arses in gear and we’re ready,” says ZERA, emphasising the end of each clause with a firm clap.

It’s clear the pair are raring to go, and while talking through their previous touring experiences, both ZERA and MEDDLA express how important it is their support slots hold spaces for queer, “especially fem queer people.”

“You’re slightly anxious that everyone’s going to be better than you, because they’re all fucking amazing,” grins ZERA.

“There’s a universal feeling of being the aunties and uncles of the little queerlings”.

MEDDLA adds, “On our own sets, we’ve enjoyed the new energy of fems and queers at the front…wishing us to get even crazier.”

From seeing them live, I know ARCH FEMMESIS’ sets aren’t just them playing songs, they’re multifaceted, interactive theatrical performances. So, I’m desperate to know what fits and fabrics we can expect now ARCH FEMMESIS have full control of the vibe.

“It’s going to be a sensory feast for the eyes and the ears,” states ZERA in a serious but slightly mystical tone.

“I’m currently in the arts studio, I have a sewing machine, I have the merch station, I’m making outfits, stage decorations…” their dedication to detail is evident.

In terms of the sound, MEDDLA explains – “We’ve been getting a bit more dancy, a bit more housy. Because we’re headlining, we really want people to party and be free to be in the moment.”

ZERA cuts in firmly, eye’s wide, “When we say house, we do not mean short-back-and-sides in a fucking club.”

Given the curated combination of masc and fem punk energy radiating from the duo, I didn’t think it was ‘short-back-and-sides-house’.

“We mean old skool, classic, 80’s, Chicago house – but make it British,” ZERA confirms.

Despite the leather-dom exterior, there’s clearly a glittery-bottom inside ARCH FEMMESIS. From their lyrics, to the settings of their music videos, to the soft wholesomes smiles they get when they talk about being surrounded by creative queerlings.

“There is a brutalism to our performance of femininity. We aren’t just sexy and pretty…” begins ZERA.

“…I’m quite pretty!” pipes up MEDDLA. They are and we all giggle as ZERA tries to catch up with her train of thought.

“There’s a softness with our recent EP Violents, it’s a play on words, on the word violets which is the flower of sapphics, and turning that into violence.”

ZERA describes the religious and mythological iconography – Kali, Salome, Medusa – all “demonised” in “recent Western society and culture” which has become the influential backbone behind their latest releases.

They explain, “Growing up Christian, I was told to think that Kali was a representation of the devil.

“But, growing up around people from the Asian community, they’ve explained she’s a goddess not to be fucked with – in a good way. She’s nurturing, she’s powerful.”

ZERA continues, explaining their musical interpretation of the feminine is “creative destruction”, the balance of two powerful forces. “I wanted to write music from those things which I’ve personally been taught to shun or shame.”

“And our song ‘Madusa’ is written as the background to that story which often doesn’t get told,” finishes MEDDLA.

ARCH FEMMESIS are devoted to creating a space which champions queer oddity and feminine expression. They’re putting their all into this tour, and I want to know what ARCH FEMMESIS are looking to get out of being in Brum.

MEDDLA starts off strong: “Birmingham, it’s one of our favourite cities to perform in. We always have such great gigs in Birmingham.”

“It definitely feels like you have such a sense of community, and you’re down to earth; humble and people will invite you in. We’ve always felt a lot of love from Birmingham.

“Bring your mates and your nan,” adds ZERA, “you might discover something interesting.

“We need queer epeople, fem people, outcasts. We’re tired of middle-aged men with beer guts in the audience; we love them, we love their money.

“But, we want it to be accessible to the people we made our music for. That’s the queer people, the minority genders and POC, people othered by the mainstream, it’s for them.”

ARCH FEMMESIS headline The Sunflower Lounge on Friday 28 October, with support from YNES, Retropxssy, and Greysha – as presented by Indie Midlands. For online ticket sales visit: www.seetickets.com/event/arch-femmesis/the-sunflower-lounge

For more from ARCH FEMMESIS go to: www.linktr.ee/Arch_Femmesis
For their latest EP Violents go to: www.open.spotify.com/album

For more gigs at The Sunflower Lounge go to: www.thesunflowerlounge.com