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March 16, 2016March 17, 2016

BPREVIEW: MCM Comic Con Birmingham @ NEC 19-21.03.16

MCM Comic Con Birmingham 2016 will be hosted at the NEC between 18-21st March. For direct event details, including online ticket sales, click here.

And while I am unconvinced that a two day jamboree calling itself the MCM Comic Con Birmingham, at which comics and comic book creators have a minimal presence, is truly a comics focused convention – it is nonetheless a great celebration of all things geek inspired.

And it draws a crowd. If Anime’s your thing, they’ve got it covered. American candy? Ditto. Cool collectibles (or are they really toys for grownups, I wonder?) yep, covered. Comics..? I’ll refer you to my previous statement on that matter.

But there are a lot of indie creators at MCM Comic Con Birmingham this March that will thank you for taking the time to read their self published comics. So look out for local talents such as Sammy Borras – creator of Giant Rhinos In Space and Coventry’s own GeeBees comic series, and support your local artistic talent in the same way we’re often asked to support our local independent stores.

MCM Comic Con Birmingham takes up its two-day NEC spring residency with a high level of TV, film and gaming celebrities (both past and present) in attendance. MCM favourites, Red Dwarf’s Robert Llewellyn and Danny John-Jules, will be there – along with anyone who may have played a Stormtrooper, Jawa, or even farted in Star Wars offering to autograph your photos, collectibles and whatever else you may have with you. For a price, of course.

But the big guest attraction this time round, and trying to top Lee (The Bionic Man) Majors’ appearance back in November, is Lindsay Wagner – TV’s The Bionic Woman. And for the younger audience at MCM Comic Con Birmingham, who might be scratching their head at this point and asking themselves ‘…who?’, there’s also the pull of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate voice star Paul Amos, who lends his voice to Jacob Frye in the game.

The main pull however, for me and for other guests I’ve witnessed, are the cosplayers and their amazing costumes. And watching from afar it is clear they tend to know each other; I have certainly seen the same masked men and maidens doing the rounds up and down the country when covering different comic conventions in the past.

But there is no doubt that the cosplayers add an essential element to the MCM Comic Con Birmingham, one that elevates the event to something more than just a cash cow for the bigger exhibitors. Although, it is debatable how much they spend when there. I mean to say, where would Spider-man or Harley Quinn keep their money? Those costumes are tighter than Scrooge.

So bring your camera (do people still have these, or just phones?) but always ask politely for a snap. And be careful, many of these costumes can be very fragile and could well represent many months of hard work (and financial expense) from the cosplayer for it to look so good.

But overall, my advice would be to go to MCM Comic Con Birmingham on Sunday 21st March if you want to avoid the throngs. It’s also the best time to grab a bargain too.

MCM Comic Con Birmingham comes to the NEC between 19-21^st March. For direct event details, including online ticket sales, visit http://www.mcmcomiccon.com/birmingham/

For more from the NEC Group, including links to full event listings across all venues, visit https://www.necgroup.co.uk/

March 8, 2016

BPREVIEW: Howl feat. Casey Bailey, Heather Wastie, Sean Colletti @ The Dark Horse 10.02.16

Words by Ed King

On Wednesday 9^th March, Howl returns for Round II at The Dark Horse in Moseley – presenting spoken word & performed poetry/prose from Casey Bailey, Heather Wastie, Sean Colletti + various open mics slots to be announced on the day.

Howl is a Sansho event, co-promoted & presented by Leon Priestnall. Doors open at 7:30pm with entry charged at £3 – for direct event info, click here.

Starting off their new monthly run at The Dark Horse in Feb this year, after having been previously fed & watered at The Sun at the Station for one turn round the sun, Howl began in pretty fine fettle. A full room, some cracking open mic spots (including a gherkin/felt tip pen/the frivolity of youth analogy… oh yes) and three different but solid headline slots – Howl once again avoided the uncomfortable self-congratulation that this genre can survive on. Genuine, funny, intelligent, endearing. Give it red hair and a piano, and I’ll walk it down the aisle.

March’s line up at Howl looks similarly eclectic, with three more headline performers who come from very different sides of the ring. For more info on each have a look at the Written Word below:

Casey Bailey / A Birmingham poet. A Birmingham rapper. Casey Bailey has a standalone, calm approach – writing and performing material about the more visceral end of the human endevour. He also teaches rap and poetry in workshops and classrooms, using his craft as a vehicle of expression for those who so badly need to express. Check out Casey Bailey delivering his personal ode to our city, performing ‘Dear Birmingham’ – click here. For more on Casey Bailey, visit http://baileysrapandpoetry.com/

Heather Wastie / Worcestershire’s Poet Laureate across 2015/16, Heather Wastie performs as a ‘poet, singer/songwriter, keyboard/accordion player, actor, humourist and facilitator.’ She promotes too, running/comparing the monthly Mouth and Music night at The Boars Head in Kidderminster – where Howl host, Leon Priestnall, performed last October. Also a published poet & oral historian, Heather Wastie has compiled four poetry collections – with her last, Weaving Yarns, regaling ‘a unique infectious cocktail of assorted snippets and stories about the carpet industry’ in Kidderminster. For more on Heather Wastie, visit http://www.wastiesspace.co.uk/

Sean Colletti / Born and raised in California (not the one near Quinton), Sean Colletti came to the UK to read Creative Writing at Birmingham University (BA) and the Universtity of East Anglia (MA). Choosing the lesser of two evils, Colletti returned to Birmingham for his PhD and to write his first novel – whilst performing ‘his first love’ at poetry events across the city. And if we’ve found the right Sean Colletti on Twitter, he also enjoys sci-fi, whiskey and losing at poker… sounds like a Friday night in to me. For more on Sean Colletti, visit https://www.facebook.com/sean.colletti

Howl feat. Casey Bailey, Heather Wastie, Sean Colletti returns to The Dark Horse on Wednesday 9^th March. For direct event info, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/842848142527054/

For more from The Dark Horse, visit http://www.darkhorsemoseley.co.uk/

March 7, 2016March 7, 2016

BPREVIEW: Ringo Deathstarr @ The Sunflower Lounge 09.03.16

Words by Helen Knott

On Wednesday 9th March, Ringo Deathstarr performs at The Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham. Doors open at 8pm, with tickets priced at £12 (advance). For direct gig info and online ticket sales, click here.

This Sunflower Lounge gig is the first of a five-date UK tour in support of the band’s third studio album Pure Mood, which was released on 20^th November through Club AC30.

The brilliantly/badly named Ringo Deathstarr, from Texas, was originally formed by singer and guitarist Elliott Frazier in 2007. After a string of singles and international tours (apparently the band is big in Japan) Ringo Deathstarr released their first album Colour Trip in 2011, followed by Mauve in 2012.

Their latest album, Pure Mood is a continuation of Ringo Deathstarr’s shoegaze sound – heavily influenced by bands like Ride, The Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. Crucially, Ringo Deathstarr incorporates enough stylistic surprises, including hints of grunge and heavy metal, to keep things interesting.

And as for the band’s live show, expect Ringo Deathstarr to be loud. Maybe not My Bloody Valentine or Sunn O))) loud, but loud enough to make you worry the ceiling is about to cave in.

Until now Ringo Deathstarr’s most high profile was probably a support slot for The Smashing Pumpkins, back in 2012. But a resurgence in popularity of the shoegaze sound over recent years, through bands such as Cheatahs, Echo Lake and DIIV (along with the release of Ringo Deathstarr’s arguably best album to date) may mean it’s time for this hard working band to finally emerge as a force to be reckoned with.

…I think that’s enough bad Star Wars puns for one BPREVIEW.

Released in November 2015, ‘Guilt’ was the first taster of Pure Mood. Check it out below:

‘Guilt’ by Ringo Deathstarr

Ringo Deathstarr perform at The Sunflower Lounge on Wednesday 9th March. For direct gig info & online tickets, visit http://thesunflowerlounge.com/event/ringo-deathstarr/

For more on Ringo Deathstarr, visit http://ringodeathstarr.org

For more from The Sunflower Lounge, visit http://thesunflowerlounge.com

March 2, 2016March 2, 2016

BREVIEW: British Sea Power @ Town Hall 27.02.16

Words by Helen Knott / Pics by Michelle Martin

There have been some weird and wonderful musical collaborations over the years. Kylie and Nick Cave, Aerosmith and Run DMC, Tom Jones and… well, take your pick. Sometimes they result in a timeless classic, sometimes we get something unbelievably abysmal.

Tonight’s match up between art rockers British Sea Power and brass orchestra Jaguar Land Rover Band lies somewhere between the two. British Sea Power’s most recent album Sea of Brass saw the band collaborate with arranger Peter Wraight to re-work songs from their 12 year career. They performed these new arrangements with a number of different brass ensembles during a 2014 UK tour and this Town Hall gig is a one-off reprisal of the indie/brass pairing.

I’m not sure if it’s the one-off nature of the gig that’s to blame, but the evening starts very awkwardly. The first track is ‘Heavenly Waters’, which in its recorded form is a Mogwai-esque instrumental B-side that provides a dramatic and filmic opening to Sea of Brass. It sounds messy and under-rehearsed on stage. On the record, complex brass motifs weave with melodic guitar lines to create a cohesive whole. Here it just sounds like a song that’s really difficult to play.

A traditional brass band like Jaguar Land Rover doesn’t feature any trumpet or saxophone, so this isn’t the sexy jazz sound of a Big Band; it’s more traditional and mellow. Not a problem, but if the brass isn’t being used to create drama, like in Radiohead’s ‘The National Anthem’ say, it needs to sound totally gorgeous. It never quite does – the tone is dull and flat, when it should be rich and resonant.

It’s not like the raw materials aren’t there to work with – British Sea Power have some gorgeous songs. The two tracks that close their debut album The Decline of British Sea Power, ‘A Wooden Horse’ and ‘Lately’, are both performed tonight. Weirdly, considering how many instruments are on stage, both lack the dynamic range of the album versions. ‘Lately’s frantic guitars and screeching vocals are lost, along with much of its emotional impact.

Things do improve as the gig goes along. The two bands seem to relax a little in each other’s company, carried by the enthusiasm of the crowd. By the encore, audience members are wedding reception-style dancing in the aisles, much to the displeasure of a steward. She makes them sit down again. “Dad dancing? Not on my watch.”

This is a rather middle aged affair. The bite, mayhem and eccentricity of past British Sea Power gigs is very much missed. Even the famous British Sea Power foliage, which they haphazardly decorated stages with at the start of their career, has been prettied up with twinkly fairy lights. The extra instrumentation should be making the songs soar, but instead the brass, and maybe even the elegant, all-seater venue, actually seems to subdue and restrain the performance.

Perhaps I’m being harsh – the show was warmly received by the audience, reviews of the original 2014 tour were largely positive and the album itself has some wonderful moments.

Maybe the bands were just having a bit of an off night. But, on tonight’s evidence, this is one pop collaboration that I don’t need to hear more of.

For more on British Sea Power visit http://www.britishseapower.co.uk

For more from Town Hall Symphony Hall, visit http://www.thsh.co.uk/

February 25, 2016

BPREVIEW: British Sea Power @ Town Hall 27.02.16

Words by Helen Knott

On Saturday 27th February, British Sea Power appear at the Town Hall. The band is on stage at 8pm with tickets priced at £19.50 – for direct gig info and online ticket sales, click here.

British Sea Power will be accompanied by Jaguar Land Rover Band, a prize-winning full brass orchestra, performing songs from their latest album Sea of Brass. With only two other gigs currently in the diary, the Birmingham Town Hall gig is likely to be a rare chance to see British Sea Power live in 2016 – as the band focuses on writing songs for their ninth studio album.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 13 years since British Sea Power burst onto the music scene with The Decline of British Sea Power; I loved the screechy, post punk, literary weirdness of their debut album.

You could argue that British Sea Power have never quite reached the heights of their first LP. But still, the band have continued to attract critical acclaim and a cult following – becoming well known for their odd, slightly gimmicky live performances, featuring props like animal costumes, stuffed birds and artificial plants.

The idea of reimagining their back catalogue with the help of one of music’s most unfashionable ensembles – a brass band – is a pretty unusual one; indie bands tend to lay on the strings when trying to fatten up their sound. The seeds of Sea of Brass grew from an Arts Council funded project, one that British Sea Power developed in to a UK tour in 2014.

The resulting 2015 album, ambitious and filmic in its scope, fits well with British Sea Power’s most recent output – which has included a number of film soundtracks. Check out the lead track from Sea of Brass below:

‘Heavenly Waters’ by British Sea Power

British Sea Power come to the Town Hall (Birmingham) on Saturday 27 February. For direct gig info and online sales, visit http://www.thsh.co.uk/event/british-sea-power-sea-of-brass/

For more on British Sea Power visit http://www.britishseapower.co.uk

For more from Town Hall Symphony Hall, visit http://www.thsh.co.uk/