Category: The Cuff

Words by Helen Calcutt / http://helencalcutt.org

I don’t usually stay up until five in the morning. In fact, I usually sleep to this point, get up, and find the morning again; a fresh untainted canvas with nothing but a few stars or a cold sunrise.

On this occasion, however, I found myself going right through. Alternative Dubstep Orchestra (ADO) were releasing their debut vinyl, and celebrating with a rich and diverse catalogue of music, ranging from the simple, to the sublime.

Around eight musicians made the ADO collective that evening, comprising of two percussionists, a bassist, DJ, violinist, vocalist, a small brass section, and a keyboard player. I’m not sure the entire group were present, but the sound was impressive all the same.

Supporting acts provided a comfortable opening, featuring African drumming troupe ‘The Goat Slappers’, Reggae DJ Producer and co-creator of ADO ‘General Riddim’, and a new experimental group JOLT.  A number of the night’s musicians worked across these different groups, and while I’m usually adverse to anything remotely close to ‘my gang’ syndrome, this sense of familiarity and creative unity made for a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

The gig itself was clean, bright and highly professional. The performance, unquestionably thundered by ADO’s leader singer – Mish Maybe; who carried faultless vocals and a presence that seemed almost to outweigh the depth of the music. She didn’t stand still once but somehow remained central. The music moved through her, and, to quote a friend, signaled her as ‘the catalyst’ for both the blood and beat of the performance.

Given this genre bending dubstep style, you might expect every song to gift a similar experience; but it didn’t. There was a singularly different approach to every composition, and whilst I’m unsure as to whether there was a set list or not, everything seemed very much spurred by the presence of spontaneity – or at least, the energy that spontaneity provides.

The lyrics (not surprisingly) were of particular interest; very pared, and simple: stripped back. They rested above the music, almost misting there, without any real purpose but nevertheless utterly vital. They seemed to carry everything, like a wave. And again, this quiet electricity was delivered painlessly, and quite beautifully, by the inspired energies of ADO’s lead singer.

The gig wrapped up around 1am, with the energy of the performance staying long into the night. I didn’t catch any names of the songs; and this is largely down to the fact that ADO create and breathe continuously. And I don’t actually remember stopping at any point, or taking anything in other than the sheer motion of it all; but I know the signature track ‘Power’, an obviously well loved piece, came somewhere towards the end.

There is, I think, total distinction with ADO; there are groups, bands and collectives that are similar – but none the same. And in order to appreciate them fully, I believe you need to see them play live. There’s a hypnotic element to ADO’s sound, one that can only be experienced in the moment; everything is about continuation, evolution and growth. YouTube doesn’t do them justice.

This is, again, music for music’s sake; courageously (and often violently) blending genre and style with artistry and skill. Although one individual implied that this approach might signal a disregard for the cultural origins of the music they blend – not ‘quite’ playing in this key, or not entirely in keeping with the ‘quarter tone traditions’ of that genre.

But to me, ADO are more a celebration of sound and what can be done with it. After all, music is one of the more malleable artistic forms; the very energy and openness of it inspires creative synergy.

And in a multicultural society, what better way to articulate and celebrate our culturally rich and diverse community than through the fearless drive and vision of live, alternative music?

For more on Alternative Dubstep Orchestra, check out their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/AlternativeDubstepOrchestra

Helen Calcutt is a poet, dancer and choreographer. To find out more about her work, visit http://helencalcutt.org

The Staves are coming back to Birmingham, for a headline performance at the Hare & Hounds on November 28^th.

With less than a handful of tickets left, Birmingham Review has secured a pair of passes for one lucky reader. Or writer. Butcher, baker or candlestick maker.

All you have to do is send us a Direct Message via our Facebook page, or email ed@birminghamreview.net, answering the following question:

Q: What well known Welsh singer had The Staves sing on his album?

And if you don’t know, or have an allergic reaction to Google, you might find a clue in our event preview – http://birminghamreview.net/preview-the-staves-hare-hounds-nov-28th

The winner will be announced on Tuesday 27^th Nov.

Competition tickets supplied by Birmingham Promoters.

**ONLY A FEW TICKETS REMAINING. If you want to guarantee entry to The Staves @ H&H on Nov 28th, we’d recommend buying in advance.

The last tickets are on sale through the Birmingham Promoters website – http://birminghampromoters.com/Events/the-staves**

For more on The Staves, visit http://www.thestaves.com

Words by Ed King / Pictures from http://thechurchinnjq.co.uk

I don’t eat mussels. I don’t eat cockles, whelks, oysters or clams. So as the medicine ball sized bowl, full of the hard shelled sea treats, is placed on the table – I cringe. My colour coded companion loves mussels, and I begin to regret our decision to share dishes.

But tonight is about trying new dining experiences, on the table and off.

Carl Finn has been challenging the restaurant status quo for a couple of years now; first with the music centric Soul Food Project, and most recently with his series of ‘pop up’ Secret Dining Society events; many of which I had promised to attend. Although ashamedly, this steaming bowl of possible food poisoning (as I see all shellfish) is my literal first taste of Carl’s cooking.

Recently taking over The Church Inn on Great Hampton Street, an old man boozer of Birmingham yore, Carl has cozily decked out the back room whilst he renovates around it.

There are about 12 covers, it’s reassuringly warm, and the evening’s theme is French Resistance; only gaining entrance after flashing La Croix de Lorraine and saying the password ‘Gestaposlap’. In itself, worth leaving the house for.

Carl – who tonight shares an uncanny resemblance to a young Rene from ‘Allo ‘Allo, dutifully makes us all stand ‘for ze French National Anthem’. Imitating his proud hand across the chest stance, we all adopt the evening’s proxy patriotism; being thrown together for the night whether we like it or not.

A creative mixologist, Carl serves us two Courvoisier V.S.O.P. and egg white based cocktails; a ‘Little England’ – a creamy foam topped fruit affair in a tall stemmed Martini glass, and a ‘Bull Ring Market’ – a punchy mix of brandy, bitters and orange in a Old Fashioned rocks glass. Both are “pokey” and very smooth; but the ‘Bull Ring Market’ is clearly going to kick my face in.

Carl recommends the house white; a “cut grass and fruit” Grenache Vementino from Vaucluse, which is excellent – before leaving us with some duck mousse pate and kirsch.

I select the bœuf bourguignon, which requires a shift to Les Volets Malbec; and despite a sporadic toughness to some of the meat, is delicious. The broth is rich and strong, with a slick blend of wine, garlic, onions and juices from the beef. A few hunks of fresh bread later and we stare mournfully at an empty bowl; if it wasn’t the last one available I might be ordering it again.

Skipping dessert, neither my companion nor I are particularly sweet toothed, we move straight onto a delicious array of Fourme d’Ambert, Mont d’or and Comté cheeses; served with the seemingly omnipotent and excellent fresh bread.

I demand “the finest red wine available”, and (after publically disparaging Australian and Californian grapes) get treated to a rich, but dangerously drinkable, bottle of Marciac 2010 – or “duck in a bottle” as Carl initially pitches it. Again, it is excellent. I proceed to drink more than is healthy.

Staying around to chat with the table next to us, my companion and I eventually leave around 11pm; full, happy and about ₤40 a piece lighter.

Carl Finn is a classically trained French chef, and despite the joviality of “hiding from ze sea of Germans” at the market on New Street, delivers an excellent menu.

I am impressed, by the food and the ambiance; and I looked hard for faults all evening – finding only the overstretched talents of the host-chef-bartender a possible future thorn.

But The Church Inn, Carl’s first bricks and mortar adventure, feels like the start of something I’ll be back to explore; with plans to be fully operational next spring.

Plus I ate mussels; which were, in all honesty, fantastic.

‘Vive la resistance!’ continues at The Church Inn until Nov 18^th.

For further details, and reservations, visit http://thechurchinnjq.co.uk

By Cesilia Oriana Trecaquista

I arrive at the Midlands Arts Centre  to find the place busier than I had had seen it in some time; the bar and surrounding areas were full of loud, overzealous drama students that seemed to be fighting to be heard over each other. This continued as we entered into the sold out theatre.

Unsure of what to expect from Tin Box Theatres’ production of ‘Not Known At This Address’; the promotional posters and flyers gave very little away (ED – as well as a frustratingly uninformative video trailer), the initial set consisted of lots of boxes of varying sizes; all laid out on a simply, but effectively, lit stage.

We are introduced to Martin, a post office worker, who quickly reveals himself as a kleptomaniac loner who ‘collects’ handwritten letters in his makeshift sorting office at home.  Martin enjoys the nostalgia of a handwritten letter and romanticises about the content.

The melancholy story retrospectively describes both the sadness of others through their correspondence, and Martin’s lost love. It plays out through a series of monologues given by the cast, who are concealed behind masks and the many boxes on stage.

Live music came from another cast member; who sang and played beautiful, original compositions. Obscured by a box, mask or the darkness of a partially unlit stage, her pitch perfect tones made it hard to decipher whether it was live or pre-recorded.

The story ends rather abruptly and ambiguously, posing questions and leaving myself and the two loud drama students sat beside me wanting more.

But the simplicity of the stage set up, and the small but perfectly sufficient cast (who all added to the production, the collaborator I spoke to having made some of the masks) fully engrossed me in the storytelling; leaving me needing nothing more than what was provided.

Tin Box Theatre tour ‘Not Known At This Address’ later this year. For more information about this production, and the wider company, visit http://www.tinboxtheatre.co.uk/

 For more on MAC, visit http://www.macarts.co.uk/

At the end of this week, the ‘mighty’ Global Gathering is upon us once more.

A big noise in the Midlands, quite literally, most Birmingham DJs are clamouring for a set there. We caught up Godskitchen worldwide resident – Paul Thomas, and Gatecrasher resident – Kris Shaw, to ask what it was like popping their Global cherries.

Paul Thomas

“It was a great feeling,” says Thomas about his first Global Gathering in 2004, “I’d only started Djing for Godskitchen a few months before, so playing for club events was still very new to me.”

Now a Godskitchen worldwide resident, Paul Thomas has returned to “the king of festivals” every year since, as well as playing at Gatherings in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Poland.

“The whole experience was mind blowing,” recalls Thomas about his Stratford debut, “it was the first festival, and by far the biggest event, I’d ever played.”

Arriving on site “about 2 hours early, just to make sure”, Paul Thomas played the 2004 main stage alongside Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren and Fergie.

“The atmosphere was amazing,” says Thomas, “plus the weather so good I got sun burnt while DJing”. And afterwards, got to celebrate his birthday weekend with about 35,000 “crazy, knowledgeable, colourful, happy and loud” people.

“It would’ve been rude not to have stayed and enjoyed the Global Gathering hospitality,” admits Thomas. Quite, job done sir.

Paul Thomas plays the Toolroom Arena on Sat 28^th July (his actual birthday), at Global Gathering 2012.

For more on Paul Thomas, visit www.djpaulthomas.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/djpaulthomas

 

Kris Shaw

Kris Shaw graced the Global Gathering decks “playing the VIP room last year”, as part of the Secret Party Project. But despite “playing last, so I was there well before my set”, Shaw arrived at Long Marston “in completely the wrong car park, and had to walk the full site to find the VIP area where I was playing”.

Well it’s not a dance festival first without getting lost in a sea of neon and fluff, as long as no one freaks out… “The guy running our room was the most frantic person there” tells Shaw, “I’m sure the bouncers tried to kick him out at one point.” 

Promoters privilege, as long as the punters were happy? “It was awesome” says Shaw, “I was playing in a wooden hut in a wooded area and it was full when I started my set.”

But how was playing to a room of VIP peers, “I was last, so had freedom to play whatever and try out some different tracks, and they went off. It was a great party”.

So you came, you saw, you conquered; what did you get up after the last record? “I finished, shook a few hands, gave out some CDs, grabbed a burger and went home as the party had finished”.

Ahhh, the jet set DJ lifestyle. So who’s your main contender to this year’s dance festie crown? “Well, as I’m from Birmingham I’m going with Global Gathering,” confirms Shaw, “I had an awesome time there last year.”

Kris Shaw is resident at Gatecrasher Birmingham, and half of Dache & Shaw.

For more on Kris Shaw, visit www.soundcloud.com/djkrisshaw or follow him at www.twitter.com/djkrisshaw

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Global Gathering 2012 takes place on Fri 27th & Sat 28th July, at Long Marston Airfield (near Stratford).

For full details & tickets, visit http://www.globalgathering.com/