Ed’s… Highlights, Sept ’12

September comes but once a year; bringing Indian summers, a new school term and offensively early rhetoric about ‘…shopping days left’.

But it’s also the start of another seasonal tour circuit, where labels and lucky independents try and get you to spend, spend, spend – encouraging the smashing of piggy banks as the C Word approaches.

But perhaps worth a quick squeal are Irish Indie three piece, pop rock flop hair mob, Two Door Cinema Club (HMV, 4th). The MySpace dropouts are set to UK release their second album, ‘Beacon’, on September 3rd. See paragraph one.

The charmingly titled Espirtito Brum (meaning the spirit of Birmingham), appears in several venues from 11th to 16th‘bringing together artists from Brazil, Birmingham and the wider UK’.

DMC champion DJ Switch, the Munchbreak collective, Mark ‘Magoo’ Robertson and Overproof Soundsystem represent the home team; batting basslines and beats to Brazil’s Dea Trancoso, Luiz Gabriel Lopes and Dragoes De Komodo – São Paulo’s 6 piece emcee collective. For more info visit www.espiritobrum.org

The in-no-way-whatsoever-dubiously-titled Dexy’s play the Symphony Hall on the 12th; allowing 24hrs for the nauseating musical tinnitus (or ‘Come on Eileen’ as it’s better known) to subside, before the ambitiously titled ‘Planet Earth in Concert’ (Symphony Hall, 13th).

A ludicrously low £5 door charge will get you to see Roachford (Jam House, 13th) on the same day, whilst a more respectfully priced £12.50 will show you Geno Washington (yep – as in the Ram Jam Band / H&H, 15th) a couple of days later.

But my September Highlight’s highlight is Rachel Sermanni (Glee Club, 27th), bizarrely playing the smaller Studio Room at the city centre comedy/music venue.

Ms Sermanni is on the ‘paragraph one’ as well, with her first studio album ‘Under Mountains’ released on Sept 17th; but I’ll be happily hammer handed to get my mitts on this long awaited debut. For more on Rachel Sermanni, if you don’t know by now, visit www.rachelsermanni.net

Elsewhere you’ve got: Dave Stewart (Symphony Hall, 4th), Sue Denim (O2 Academy, 12th), Cate Le Bon (H&H, 13th), George Michael (LG Arena, 16/17th), Jesca Hoop (Glee Club, 19th), The Maine (O2 Academy, 20th), Richard Hawley (HMV Institute, 22nd), Anneke van Giersbergen (O2 Academy, 23rd), Smoke Fairies (H&H, 26th), Alexander O’Neal (Jam House, 26th), Ultavox (Symphony Hall, 26th), Marc Almond (Symphony Hall, 28th), Tom Baxter (HMV Institute, 29th), Maverick Sabre (O2 Academy, 29th) and Battleship Potemkin by Michael Nyman (Symphony Hall, 30th).

Also worth checking out is Cheek Mountain Thief (H&H, 13th); the ‘alter ego’ of Tunng front man, Matt Lindsey.

One of only 4 UK shows, this is a quarter chance to catch his new project – recorded in solitude on the eponymous North Icelandic mountain.

Which if anyone mentions reindeers or resolutions, is precisely where I’m heading.

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