Music Archives - Page 6 of 16 -

July 11, 2019July 10, 2019

BPREVIEW: Sam Lambeth presents 10 Years on Four Chords @ The Victoria 12.07.19

Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of Sam Lambeth

On Friday 12^th July, Sam Lambeth presents 10 Years on Four Chords – a final gig showcase held at The Victoria on John Bright Street, where he will perform cherry picked tracks from The MonoBloggers, Quinn, My Perfect Summer and Winona. And like that… he’s gone. This really is your last chance to see the boy up on stage. Although as a musical epitaph, Lambeth released a compilation of his decade long back catalogue under the same name back in May this year – to read Abi Whitsance’s Birmingham Review of 10 Years on Four Chords (the album) click here.

Joining Sam Lambeth for the 10 Years on Four Chords last hurrah will be ‘an array of special guests from throughout his career’, standing in as his swansong band mates – extra support comes from further local artists Giant & the Georges, Bryony Williams and Paul Beaumont (Wood and Nails).

Doors open at The Victoria on 12^th July from 7pm, with tickets priced at £5 (+ booking fee) – as promoted by The Future Sound Project. All money raised from the door sales will go to Teenage Cancer Research, a charity Sam Lambeth has supported for several years, with NOT NORMAL NOT OK also invited to have a presence at the event – challenging sexual assault in the music scene, from dancefloor to dressing room. For more direct gig information and links to online ticket sales, click here to visit the 10 Years on Four Chords Facebook event page.

Birmingham Review first saw Sam Lambeth as frontman for/founder of Quinn, when the indie pop three piece were supporting erstwhile Goth rockers, Semantics, back September 2017. Describing their sound as ‘languid melodies disguised by fast paced distortion and an unashamed rock outlook on life’, Quinn’s set was confidently wrapped around their engaging frontman – with Lambeth’s self-deprecation and humour being one of the highlights of a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The line we settled on was: ‘Lambeth is a superstar in the making, with absurd confidence, deft solos and the kind of charisma that you would sign in blood to possess.’

But Mr Quinn had worn several hats before Birmingham Review saw him strut his funky leopard print stuff, having again founded and fronted both The MonoBloggers and My Perfect Summer – the former enjoying some pretty respectable momentum and attention, getting picked by music media such as NME and Radio 6 alongside support slots for The Lemonheads and Little Comets.

Likewise, when the first incarnation of Quinn went the way of the dodo back in 2018 Lambeth sought to re-establish the band with some pretty sold new material – darker than its predecessors, a smattering of tracks were floated around (which Birmingham Review dubbed ‘Evil Quinn’) but despite being pretty exciting evolutions sadly did not pan out as many of us had hoped. No doubt, Sam Lambeth included.

But not one to be easily thwarted or pushed of stage, Lambeth set about redefining his redefinition with a further band – the again exciting but again short-lived Winona. In fact, when we run through it all it’s difficult to pinpoint why Lambeth isn’t now sipping hare of the dog cocktails in the Ivy, kvetching with Noel Gallagher about all the new faces at this year’s Glastonbury. To paraphrase the words of Robert Burns… I guess things just fuck up. But it’s an odd equation gone wrong that ‘Sam Lambeth’ isn’t on the way to being a household name by now. Or at least, to Celebrity Love Island.

Platitudes and prophecy aside, 10 Years on Four Chords will see this decade of highs, lows, fortune and famine played out (literally) on stage at The Victoria on Friday 12^th July – in a portfolio packed showcase that presents ‘choice cuts from every band, resulting in a winning playlist of some of his (Lambeth’s) best tracks spanning his ten-year tenure.’

Expect tears, expect laughter. Expect growing old gracefully to be shoved down the back of the sofa for a night. Come and say well done/goodbye to someone who has been embedded, both on stage and off, in the Midland’s music scene for the last 10 years. Someone should bake a cake, or buy a watch. Do PRS and Birmingham City Council issue a long service award…?

‘All the Best’ – Quinn

On Friday 12^th July, Sam Lambeth and The Future Sounds Project present 10 Years on Four Chords at The Victoria – showcasing tracks from The MonoBloggers, Quinn, My Perfect Summer and Winona. Support comes from Giant & the Georges, Bryony Williams and Paul Beaumont (Wood and Nails). For direct gig information and links to online ticket sales, click here to visit the Facebook Event page.

For more from Sam Lambeth, and for a sneaky peak at what’s coming off stage at 10 Years on Four Chords, visit https://spoti.fi/2G6ANA1

For more on Giant & the Georges, visit www.giantandthegeorges.co.uk
For more on Bryony Williams, visit www.soundcloud.com/bryony-williams
For more on Paul Beaumont (Wood and Nails), visit www.spoti.fi/2IJ1IWc

For more from The Future Sound Project, visit www.seetickets.com/promoter/the-future-sound-project

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

For more on Teenage Cancer Trust, visit www.teenagecancertrust.org

________

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 surrounding sexual violence – 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.

July 5, 2019July 5, 2019

BPREVIEW: The Assist – single launch party @ The Sunflower Lounge 06.07.19

Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of Hey Honey

On Saturday 6^th July, The Assist celebrate the launch of their new single, ‘It’s Just a Dream Away’, with a special headline show at The Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham – support comes from George Pannell and Flake.

Doors open 7:30pm, with tickets are priced at £7 (+bf) – as presented by Hey Honey. For direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, visit the Facebook event page by clicking here.

It’s been a busy 12months for The Assist. Since launching their debut Lost EP back in August 2018, the self-described ‘council pop-rap-rock’ four piece have been popping up all over the world – from the Made in Chelsea soundtrack to a it six date tour across Russia, it seems everybody wants a piece. Not bad for four lads from Walsall, who once told Clash Magazine they formed because they ‘felt we could do something better than the bands all the girls at school were talking about.’ And so, they did.

But alongside The Assist’s seemingly Faustian pack with the Devil of pop-rock melodies, beginning with the seductively bouncy croon of ‘Tell Her How You Feel’ back in 2016 and cemented with follow up singles ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Give it to Me’, their growing success comes down to graft. I guess being cherry picked by This Feeling to be the king-making promoter’s Band of the Month back in Feb 2017 would have helped add some national attention to the mix, but that kind of industry recognition doesn’t come without some serious groundwork.

Since forming in 2014, The Assist have thrown themselves into a touring schedule that would make many lesser rock-Gods-in-waiting curl up into the foetal position in the middle of the M1 – but one that has seen them appear alongside a staggering line up of luminaries, including the Happy Mondays, Blossoms, Black Honey, Ratboy and The Twang. And whilst most musical bucket lists would be pretty ticked off with those stage sharing credentials, The Assist’s list of accolades are only just beginning.

More on that later, as Birmingham Review will be catching up with The Assist to get all this from the horse’s mouth. Watch this space. But right now, there’s a more pressing matter than a litany of pats on the back and biography soundbites. On Friday 5^th July, The Assist release their latest single – a 3min summer anthem that has FESTIVAL FEVER written all over it, ‘It’s Just a Dream Away’.

Vocalist, Mike Stanton, is arguably on his finest form yet – belting out the titular aspiration with a glorious Midlands twang. But with a tinge of Madchester also lurking in the background, this tempered pop rock power punch could be the ‘breakthrough single’ that every band considers selling a soul for. And with both the great and good of Radio 6 and a growing global fanbase behind them, the world is quite literally becoming more and more their playground.

But there’s still time to catch them without having to spend a month’s rent with Aeroflot (we told you they just toured Russia, right…?) as The Assist will be basking in some closer to home glory with a special launch party gig at The Sunflower Lounge on Saturday 6^th July. Tickets may have sold out, we’re not 100% sure, but they probably will if they haven’t already. We’re suggesting investing in an advance ticket or two, click here for more details.

And if they have gone, gone, gone… then in the words of the late great Mr Bullseye himself, let’s have a look at what you would’ve won.

‘Just a Dream Away’ – The Assist

The Assist comes to The Sunflower Lounge on Saturday 6^th July, celebrating the launch of their new single, ‘It’s Just a Dream Away’, with support from George Pannell and Flake – as presented by Hey Honey. For direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, visit the Facebook event page by clicking here.

For more on The Assist, visit www.facebook.com/TheAssistBand

For more on George Pannell, visit www.facebook.com/georgepann74
For more on Flake, visit www.facebook.com/flakebrum

For more from Hey Honey, visit www.hey-honey.co.uk

For more on The Sunflower Lounge, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com

________

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.

July 1, 2019July 5, 2019

BPREVIEW: BE FESTIVAL @ Birmingham REP 02-06.07.19

Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of BE FESTIVAL

BE FESTIVAL returns to the Birmingham REP for it’s 10^th year, presenting a daily programme of workshops, seminars and evening performances from Tuesday 2^nd July to Saturday 6^th July. There will also be the BE FESTIVAL Interval Dinner – hosted on the REP’s main stage each evening, where patrons are invited to enjoy a mid-programme meal alongside the artists preforming and the festival team.

Showcasing work from performers, artists and productions companies from all across Europe, BE FESTIVAL’s main programme begins at 7pm during the week and from 12noon on Saturday 7^th July. Day tickets are priced at £24 (includes both shows and dinner) or £16 (without dinner), with concessions also available. You can also purchase a Week Pass for £60 (without dinner) or £100 (including dinner), or a separate Weekend Pass for £45 which must include dinner.

BE FESTIVAL also run ‘a separate programme of amazing visual arts, exhibitions, talks, workshops and music’ for free, every day of the festival. For more BE FESTIVAL information, including the full programme and links to online ticket sales, click here.

BE FESTIVAL (or Birmingham European Festival, to give it it’s full name) has been hosting its varied programme of theatre, performances and art for a decade now, launching at REP – where it has remained – back in 2010. Spawned from an Arts Council meeting to explore the future of theatre in Birmingham, BE’s founding mother and fathers – Isla Aguilar, Miguel Oyarzun and Mike Tweddle – formulated an event programme inspired by the Spanish ACT Festival, reportedly scribbling down their initial ideas on a napkin in a Birmingham curry house. A festival fable we want to believe so much we won’t even question it.

But film clichés and Birmingham’s cuisine culture aside, BE FESTIVAL had a serious and respectable agenda – namely, to bring the best of independent theatre and performance pieces from across Europe to be celebrated in Birmingham, with ‘the ultimate aim of breaking down borders, that only serve to divide us’. Admirable stuff, especially against the backdrop of an increasingly divisive small and big ‘p’ political mindset about Britain’s place in the wider European community.

Indeed, it seems that BE FESTIVAL has been somewhat ironically placed in the calendar over the past few years – with the regular July event being wrapped around some pretty pertinent political bluster since it all went a little sour back in 2016. But then irony knows no bounds in Whitehall, and I suspect there’s one erstwhile Secretary of Sate for Culture who’s invite might arguably get lost in the post these days.

But BE FESTIVAL is not about politics or propaganda (not directly, at least) – it is a celebration of theatre, a cultural event for Birmingham to be proud of as it opens its doors to a programme of European productions in an annual showcase event. Something that the second city was curiously lacking.

As BE FESTIVAL founders, Aguilar and Oyarzun, told Birmingham Review back in 2017, when they first came to explore Birmingham’s cultural landscape: “…we asked people ‘so when is the Theatre Festival happening? The International Theatre Festival?’ Assuming there was one. And they said ‘no, there’s no theatre festival. There’s a brilliant performance festival, there are festivals of music, festivals of cinema, but there’s no theatre festival.’ We were kind of a bit surprised by that really.” And so BE FESTIVAL was born… cue mood music, dramatic lighting and a shot of an ink stained napkin.

So, what’s on at BE FESTIVAL 2019? Too much to cover in its entirety, but with up to three performances each night ‘transforming the rarely seen backstage areas into a lively festival hub’, we’ve cherry picked a few from the overall programme that looked particularly exciting to us.

On Tuesday 2^nd July, as part of the opening day for BE FESTIVAL 2019, last year’s first prize winner – BE FESTIVAL issues awards to the best performers and productions from each’s year’s line-up – Tom Cassani (UK) performs his latest piece of trickery and deception, I Promise You That Tonight. Challenging ‘those who make extraordinary claims’, Cassini will ‘proselytize, pedal and preach the importance of remaining wary’ about anyone who’s promises seem just that little too good to be true.

Wednesday 3^rd July sees some adventurous physical theatre, as Maxime Dautremont and Foucauld Falguerolles (Belgium) ‘present amazing feats of acrobatics amongst axe throwing and Chinese pole technique’ in their show One Shot. Followed by choreographer Paula Rosolen’s (Germany) exploration of ‘what now remains of ‘punk’’ – using dance to dig into the ‘visual language’ of the punk movement in PUNK‽

On Thursday 4^th July, Ça Marche (Catalonia / Spain) ask ‘how can we dream the best future for our world?’ in their show Silence – answering through the minds of children, ‘free of inhibitions, untainted by imagined reason or ethics.’ Heady stuff… there’s also ‘improvised chaos, snow and giant blow up monsters.’ Then on Friday 5^th July, Anna Biczok (Hungary) ‘mixes memories, imagination, and changes in perspective’ to explore what it means to truly live in the moment – in her solo lecture performance titled, Precedents to a Potential Future.

As part of the final day at BE FESTIVAL 2019, on Saturday 6^th July, the Barcelona based theatre company La Conquesta del Pol Sud (Spain) perform A Land Full of Heroes – a play co-produced by University of Birmingham, that follows the life of Romanian writer Carmen-Francesca Banciu as she ‘remembers her life-changing trip to Berlin in 1990, a year after the fall of the wall and off the back of the Romanian revolution in Bucharest’, asking ‘was Berlin the mirage of a new European vision?’

Then during the Saturday evening’s main programme, Marco D’Agostin (Italy) presents Avalanche – an award winning production where the two protaganists are ‘locked together in the aftermath of Cyclops’s gaze’ and dance to ‘fill their new blasted world with meaning’ in a show that is ‘desperately piecing together meaning in search of an outcome.’

And that’s, quite lietrally, not even half of it – click here for the full festival line up. Birmingham Review will also be publishing updates from each night of the BE FESTIVAL 2019, so watch this space for gentle nudges to go and check the programme out for yourself.

BE FESTIVAL 2019 – Official Trailer

https://vimeo.com/337405508

BE FESTIVAL runs daily at the Birmingham REP from Tuesday 2^nd July to Saturday 6^th July. For direct festival information, including a full line up and links to online ticket sales, visit www.befestival.org/festival

For more on the wider BE FESTIVAL activity, outside of the 2019 programme, visit www.befestival.org

For more from the Birmingham REP, including further event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.birmingham-rep.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.

June 30, 2019June 30, 2019

BPREVIEW: Gaygirl @ The Sunflower Lounge 30.06.19

Words by Ed King

On Sunday 30^th June, Gaygirl come to The Sunflower Lounge – with support from (SKETCH), Modern Comforts, and P.E.T.

Doors open at 7:30pm, with tickets priced at £6 (+bf) – as presented by Indie Midlands. For direct gig info, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, click here.

Performing in Birmingham as part of their 14 date tour, Gaygirl take a Sunday night saunter through the second city before heading up, down, and along the UK – ending up in Portsmouth on 20^th July. On the road since the start of June, Gaygirl have been traversing taverns and music clubs across the county promoting their latest single, ‘Hair’.

Released on 14^th June this year through the Hoxton honed club night turned record label, Permanent Creeps, ‘Hair’ is laconic dark rock pop lament to the delusion of self-love (or the self-love of the deluded). More vocal focused that Gaygirl’s previous 2019 release, the guitar twisting noise fest (and fantastically illustrated) ‘Sick Note’ – ‘Hair’ puts Bex Morrison’s vocals firmly at the helm of this bluesy cry of angst Vs self-analysis.

An indulgent strut through the hallowed halls of our own self-worth, ‘Hair’ is an immediately seductive single – one which Line of Best Fit described as ‘noisy yet delicate, and at once intense and shoegazey’ and lesser journalists would pad out with references to Polly Jean Harvey… damn it.

But considering Morrison’s first ever gig was a Britney Spears concert (and apparently not for the last time either) she’s probably got her own muse in mind. Anyway, always best to check these things out live to be sure – and you’ve a few dates left to choose from until the summer starts to fade. Although if the title of this publcation means anything to you then we’d suggest The Sunflower Lounge on Sunday 30th June.

‘Hair’ – Gaygirl

Gaygirl play at The Sunflower Lounge on Sunday 30^th June, with support from (SKETCH), Modern Comforts, and P.E.T – as presented by Indie Midlands. For direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com/event/gaygirl-sketch-modern-comforts

For more on Gaygirl, visit www.gaygirl.band

For more on (SKETCH), visit www.sketchband.com
For more Modern Comforts, visit www.moderncomforts.co.uk
For more P.E.T, visit www.facebook.com/petbanduk

For more from Indie Midlands, including further event listings and stories from the region’s indie and alternative music scene, visit www.indiemidlands.com

For more on The Sunflower Lounge, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com

________

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.

June 29, 2019

EP: Fighting Our Corner – Black Bear Kiss

Words by Charlie Culverhouse

Fighting Our Corner is the latest EP alt-rock unit Black Bear Kiss, and features 5 new riff-heavy rock songs: ‘Cutting Corners’, ‘Hooks’, ‘Follow Me’, ‘Fighting Our Corner’ and ‘Secret Side’. Throughout the EP it’s as clear as day that the vocalist, Chris Leech, takes hefty inspiration from the likes of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Kasabian – mixing pronunciations similar to those of Anthony Kiedis with the nasal tone of Tom Meighan to create an interesting and easily recognisable sound.

The third song on the EP, ‘Follow Me’, features rapper Leo Golden Child, but I can’t help and feel he’s misplaced in the song. The collaboration comes across as notably forced, at times almost as if they’ve thrown in a rapper just for the sake of it rather than to add any musical value. Listening to this track makes me cringe; a lot like when Maroon 5 collaborated with Cardi B and created ‘Girls Like You’, this song haunts me.

I listened to Fighting Our Corner for three days straight and I still could not tell you a single lyric that has stuck with me. There is no passion behind the words Leech sings, it doesn’t leave me feeling any kind of emotion and it certainly doesn’t make me think deeply about what he’s saying.

And at the end of the day, isn’t that supposed to be the whole point of music in the first place?

There doesn’t seem to be any kind of sentiment at all, everything sounding ice cold. When I listen to music, I want to hear passion behind every part of the song – what’s the point of playing music if it seems like even you, the musicians, don’t enjoy it?

The stand-out song of the EP is ‘Hooks’, which also happens to be the first single they released as a band. The song teases a more powerful vocal and shows off their writing capabilities. The most fleshed out song on this EP, ‘Hooks’ gives you the sense that this is the song that the band spent the most time perfecting (even though the track is still compiled of relatively simple patterns). Yet it pains me to say that delving deeper into the musical components of ‘Hooks’ just led me to dead ends where I find nothing in particular to comment on; it’s easy to listen to and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not what I’m into.

What the band describes as ‘catchy riffs’ do sometimes come off as a little too repetitive, especially in EP opener ‘Cutting Corners’. But you can tell that all the members of Black Bear Kiss are talented; that’s why I want to hear something more from them. I want to see more imagination in their music and hear them challenge themselves musically, using more intricate and powerful sounds rather than the simple chord patterns that dominate their songs.

‘Hooks’ – Black Bear Kiss

Black Bear Kiss released their Fighting Out Corner EP on 1^st March 2019, available online via the usual outlets. For more on Black Bear Kiss, visit www.facebook.com/blackbearkissband

Black Bear Kiss will also be performing on the Fox Stage at Gigfest in Oswestry on Saturday 6^th July – for more on Gigfest, including the full festival line up and links to online ticket sales, visit https://www.facebook.com/gigfestmusicfestival/

________

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.