Category: Opinion

Ahhh November, the dwindling year’s last chance salon for self centred retail. From Hindu to Methodist, no one here gets out alive – fiscally speaking; from now until the end of the year, your God wants you to spend, spend, spend.

But the sugar coating comes in musical form this winter, with a bevy of buck worthy gigs to treat yourself with first.

Kicking off, day one. Bat for Lashes (HMV Institute, Nov 1^st). Natasha Khan returns with a new haircut, album and s#*t hot PR team.

Then the days of rave yesterday get celebrated, again, at ’93 (HMV Institute, Nov 3^rd), before Ingrid Michaelson gets a welcomed stage to herself (Glee Club, Nov 5^th).

Clean cut (at least on the outside) Indie rockers Spector play one side of town (HMV Institute, Nov 7^th), whilst ‘tell me she wasn’t’ near miss Vicar, Jack White, plays the other (O2Academy, Nov 7^th).

Warp’s entire successful rock act rosta, or Maximo Park, stamp and shout (HMV Institute, Nov 9^th), before the oh so talented, young and personification of my jealous rages – Jake Bugg, takes to the same stage a few days later (HMV Institute, Nov 12^th).

Ignoring promotional rhetoric that makes me want to smack someone in the chops, Bugg is one of the best things to come out of the Midlands in years. Google ‘Lightning Bolt’ and tell me I’m wrong.

Jump to the other side of the month and there’s Ben Howard – supported by Willy Mason (O2 Academy, Nov 24^th), followed by the awesome Akala (O2 Academy, Nov 26^th).

Beth Orton raises a new album above the water (Glee Club, Nov 26^th); whilst The Staves (H&H, Nov 28^th) and Elbow (NIA, Nov 28^th) share the city two days later.

Outside of all that you’ve got: The Cribs (HMV Institute, Nov 6^th), Conor Maynard (HMV Institute, Nov 8^th), Mad Dog Mcrea & Cosmo Jarvis (HMV Institute, Nov 15^th), Band of Horses (HMV Institute, Nov 15^th),The Wedding Present (O2 Academy, Nov 15^th), Ezio (Glee Club, Nov 16^th), Speech Debelle (HMV Institute, Nov 17^th), Rizzle Kicks (O2 Academy, Nov 17^th), Mystery Jets (HMV Institute, Nov 19^th), Levellers (O2 Academy, Nov 23^rd), Rodrigo y Gabriela (HMV Institute, Nov 25^th), The Vaccines (O2 Academy, Nov 29^th) and The North Sea Scrolls (Glee Club, Nov 30^th).

And if you really, REALLY want to avoid anything religious – Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson come to Birmingham (NIA, Nov 29^th), on the UK leg of their worldwide ‘Twins of Evil’ tour.

Guaranteed to be both carol and dreidel free, but I’d think twice about the mulled wine. Enjoy.

You can follow Ed King at www.twitter.com/edking2210

 

Blah, blah, blah, October. Loose segue, leaves falling. Harvest reference. Bountiful, thankful, yada yada yada; a cornucopia of concerts.

Starting with you-can-take-the-girl-out-of-Wolves, Carina Round (H&H, 3^rd); touring her new album ‘Tigermending’.

Then the slightly sharper tongued Azealia Banks (HMV Institute, 5^th) raps one end of the rainbow, whilst Vatican wet dream – The Vienna Boys Choir, sing the other (Town Hall, 5^th); before the man with the ever growing mantelpiece, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, comes to town (N.I.A., 7^th).

Pre J-Pop alt rock trio Shonen Knife (Glee Club, 8^th) kitsch it up, a day before We Are Augustines (BBallroom, 9^th) and the only man in rock with meth amphetamine and hair insurance, Slash (N.I.A., 9^th).

Michelle Shocked reminds me of just how old I am (H&H, 10^th) before Waldo’s harbinger of postal love doom, John Cale (HMV Institute, 11^th), is on the road with an autumn release.

Also touring a new L.P. (apologies if you were born post 1990) are UK Hip Hop ‘n’ Dubsteppers, Foreign Beggars (O2 Academy 2, 11^th), whilst the Womble following Katie Melua (Symphony Hall, 12^th) brings the closest thing to boring back to Birmingham.

In a front man fight for your right to (anachronistically) party, we have The Stranglers’ Hugh Cornwell in one corner (O2 Academy, 13^th) and The Kinks‘ Ray Davies in the other (Symphony Hall, 13^th); whilst young contender Bloc Party staggers back from the ropes (O2 Academy, 15^th).

For a few more juicy berries, pick out: Kathryn Williams (Glee Club, 16^th), Newton Faulkner (O2 Academy, 18^th), Rick Astley (O2 Academy 2, 18^th), Toy (HMV Institute, 20^th), Delilah (HMV Institute, 21^st), The Twilight Sad (H&H, 22^nd), Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (HMV Institute, 24^th), Seth Lakeman (Town Hall, 25^th), Joan Armatrading (Symphony Hall, 26^th), Goodnight Lenin – with Arcane Fire & Dry the River (HMV Institute, 30^th), Tyler Hilton (O2 Academy 2, 30^th), Tom McRae (Glee Club, 30^th) & Muse (LG Arena, 30^th).

And just in time for Halloween, we have Toyah – retouring/performing ‘The Changeling’ (BBallroom, 31^st). Plus The Killers, with support from Tegan & Sara (LG Arena, 31^st).

Erm… bright orange hair, Brandon Flowers, something about pumpkins? Enjoy.

You can follow Ed King at www.twitter.com/edking2210

August, the most musically moribund month of the year.

The last ‘summer’ month of festival bills, every artist worth a cover charge is holed up in a camper van green room or VIP marquee (a beer tent with chairs, to the lay person).

Seriously, check the listings. Who? Huh? Why? I thought they were dead..? It’s pitiful; a despondent byproduct of Festival Republic’s monotonous takeover.

But luckily for us, a couple of bright sparks decided THIS was the month to do something special; to bring a bulging bevy bag of brilliance (it exists) to the bleak seats of Birmingham.

And whilst one perches on the zenith of the fiscal rainbow, the other is free. So like Lisa Simpson’s cooking ‘it all balances out’.

The Flyover Show 2012 

Underneath the Hockley Flyover, Aug 18^th

Literally what it says it is; a big sound system party underneath the Hockley Flyover. Which, if you’re not au fait with the underpasses of Birmingham, is the ‘forgotten space’ in the middle of the Hockley Circus roundabout – joining Soho Road and Great Hampton St.

And before you groan under the weight of another ‘creative urban endeavour’, this little beauty has been running consecutively for the past 5 years. And it rocks. My official descriptive.

The next few months are festival fever, i.e. spending HUGE sums of cash.

So to save money, words and comedic tautology (there’s only so many jokes you can make about Group 4 and mud), I’ll be giving you a shortened gigs highlight, followed by some cherry picked festies.

On stage; July pickings in the city are pretty slim. Although, with a summer of field based fun to tempt them across the Atlantic, there’s few imports worth checking out.

Canadian electropoper Lights brings her emo cut, gritted teeth singing to the O2 Academy (July 2^nd), whilst America extradites Sharon Van Etten to The Glee Club (July 11^th), Lera Lynn to the HMV Institute (July 24^th) and Jenny O to the Hare & Hounds (July 31^st); for crimes against six string mediocrity, a federal problem in the U.S.

Elsewhere, check out; Gabrielle Aplin (HMV Institute, July 4^th), Futures (HMV Institute, July 6^th), Junior Marvin (H&H, July 13^th), Goodnight Lenin (H&H, July 14^th), Lady Antebellum (O2 Academy, July 17^th), Boss Caine (Yardbird, July 18^th), Carlou D (H&H, July 19^th), Nanci Griffith (Town Hall, July 24^th), Frankie Rose (O2 Academy, July 25^th) and Deborah Bond (H&H, July 28^th).

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As for festivals this month, have a look at the following:

Larmer Tree Festival (July 11^th to 15^th) – 22 years old, the Larmer Tree Festival has outlived many contemporary rivals.  Inspired by the Bracknell Jazz Festival, back in the 1970’s, the event has grown to 6 stages of music and comedy – attracting some very respectable artists to its five day programme.

Keeping a ‘intimate’ feel (the technical term for a 4,000 capacity), the Larmer Tree Festival has won awards celebrating their family friendly appeal, plus their ‘Best Toilets’ – an important consideration for any seasoned festival goer. Plus there’s a strong environmental message, with the website warning ‘to conserve water we can’t allow paddling pools’.

Music acts for 2012 include: Joss Stone, Rachael Sermanni, Paloma Faith, Amadou & Mariam, Levellers, Roots Manuva, Ragu Dixit, Akala, DJ Derek, Shlomo. For full details visit http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk/

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Kendal Calling (July 27^th to 29^th) – Set in the self professed ‘beautiful lake district’, this 8,000 capacity event won ‘Best Small Festival’ at the UK Festival awards in 2011. Seven years old, 2012 is Kendal Calling’s forth year at the Lowther Deer Park near Penrith – seeing it grow from just a 900 capacity event in 2006. 

Known for its idyllic setting, Kendal Calling is a revered young buck in the festival circuit, pulling in significant headliners and a healthy undercurrent of support.

This year’s main attractions include; Dizzee Rascal, James, Maximo Park and Feeder, alongside DJs Benga, Andy C and Shy FX. For full details visit http://www.kendalcalling.co.uk

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Global Gathering (July 27^th to 28^th) – One of the last two surviving Superclub festivals, and arguably the most successful, Global Gathering started out as a 15,000 capacity ‘rave in a field’.

Original organiser’s humble, and no doubt cost effective, pure DJ/dance music mandate has been replaced with a bevy of Dance and Urban A-listers.

2012 will see acts including; Tinie Temper, Armin Van Buuren, Skrillex, Magnetic Man, Chase & Status, Jamie Jones, Funkagenda, Paul Thomas, Benga, High Contrast and Nero; playing across seven stages on the Long Marston Airfield site in Stratford. For further details visit http://www.globalgathering.com

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Or if you’re determined to stay in Birmingham to hemorrhage money this month, why not see Madonna at the NIA (July 19^th).

Tickets are on sale for; £55, £95, £125 & £175. And whilst I may have run out of jokes about festivals…

You can follow Ed King at www.twitter.com/edking2210