Anna Whittaker Archives -

Words by Eleanor Sutcliffe

Slam Dunk Festival 2018 (Midlands) comes to the NEC in Birmingham on 28^th May. For a direct event information, including venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.gentingarena.co.uk/whats-on/slam-dunk-festival

As one of the most anticipated dates in the UK pop punk calendar, it’s safe to say Slam Dunk Festival are taking no prisoners with this year’s line up. With a bevy of bands and artists descending upon the NEC in just under a week’s time, I took it upon myself to comb through the roster and select a number that I personally love.

Holding Absence / Rock Sound Breakout Stage

Birmingham favourites, Holding Absence, are set to make their Slam Dunk debut this year on the Rock Sound Breakout Stage. Having recently announced the departure of guitarist Feisal El-Khazragi, it will be one of their first performances without him in their line up. But with Holding Absence recently nominated for Best British Breakthrough Band at the 2018 Heavy Metal Awards, plus playing a string of dates supporting Being as an Ocean across Europe in June, they’re certainly not letting El-Khazragi’s departure slow them down.

Represented by Sharptone Records – who bought us the likes of Don Broco, Miss May I and We Came As Romans – the Cardiff based band also recently toured and released a co-EP with Loathe titled This Is As One, which earned them numerous positive reviews from critics for tracks such as ‘Saint Cecilia’.

Holding Absence perform at 3:30pm on the Rock Sound Breakout Stage. For more on Holding Absence, visit www.holdingabsence.com

‘Saint Cecilia’ – Holding Absence

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PVRIS / Jägermeister Main Stage

Having recently performed at Coachella, PVRIS will be returning to Birmingham hot off the heels of the American leg of their All We Know of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell tour – promoting their latest album of the same name.

Lynn Gunn’s dreamy vocals, combined with the band’s heavy rock influences, have earned them a dedicated fanbase and won them Rock Sound’s Artist of the Year Award back in 2017. Here’s hoping PVRIS also perform some tracks from their debut album, White Noise, with songs such as ‘St. Patrick’ and ‘My House’ being on my personal wish list.

PVRIS perform at 8:15 pm on the Jägermeister Main Stage. For more on PVRIS, visit www.pvris.com

‘Anyone Else’ – PVRIS

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Taking Back Sunday / Monster Energy Main Stage

Returning to Slam Dunk for the 3^rd time, Taking Back Sunday were in the first wave of bands to be confirmed to at perform this year’s festival.

Having released their 7^th album, Tidal Waves, in September 2016, and parting ways with their original guitarist Eddie Rayes last month, it will be interesting to see if we get to hear any new material from the group. Although I’m hoping to hear classic tracks such as ‘You’re So Last Summer’ and ‘MakeDamnSure’ as well as songs such as ‘You Can’t Look Back’ from their latest album live.

Taking Back Sunday perform at 8:05pm on the Monster Energy Main Stage. For more on Taking Back Sunday, visit www.takingbacksunday.com

‘You’re So Last Summer’ – Taking Back Sunday

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Astroid Boys / Impericon Stage

The Impericon stage will be hosting hardcore grime band Astroid Boys, who have always delivered impressive shows in Birmingham. Growing steadily since their formation back in 2012, they were bought to my attention after being featured in BBC Radio 4’s documentary Operation Grime, which tailed them on a tour across the UK.

Astroid Boys‘ music is not for the faint hearted – expect brutal lyrics addressing issues such as racism, mashed with hardcore and grime influences to create a sound you probably have never heard before… but will just as probably want to listen to again.

Astroid Boys perform at 2:20 pm on the Impericon Stage. For more on Astroid Boys, visit www.astroid-boys.com

‘Foreigners’ – Astroid Boys

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As It Is / Signature Brew Stage

Announcing the August release of their latest album, The Great Depression, only a few days ago, Brighton based As It Is will be headlining the Signature Brew stage this year.

A band who’ve amassed a dedicated fan base with tracks such as ‘Dial Tones’ and ‘Hey Rachel’, their material is catchy, easy to listen to and fun – however it’s unfair to assume they lack a more serious side. Their latest release, ‘The Wounded World’, delves into a much darker side of their ever-expanding noise, having been cited by the band as a ‘new era’ of their music which expands on ‘the societal romanticisation of depression’ and ‘the disrepair of present-day human connection’.

As ever with this band, though, As It Is approach their subject with the respect and sensitivity it warrants – referencing their new material as a means for them to work to create a positive change for mental health.

As It Is perform at 8:30pm on the Signature Brew Stage. For more from As It Is, visit www.asitisofficial.bandcamp.com

‘The Wounded World’ – As It Is

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Luke Rainsford / The Key Club Acoustic Stage

The Key Club Acoustic Stage is hosting a stellar line up of bands and artists, including Birmingham’s Luke Rainsford – combining upbeat guitar with gut wrenching vocals, making music that is hard hitting but a real treat to listen to.

Having toured the UK extensively since the release of I Feel At Home With You in February 2017, and having recently released his latest EP, I Just Don’t Deserve To Be Loved, in April 2018, Rainsford’s music deals with difficult issues such as loss, bereavement, low self esteem and mental health. Good, honest stuff.

Luke Rainsford performs at 4:15 pm on The Key Club Acoustic Stage. For more on Luke Rainsford, visit www.lukerainsford.bandcamp.com

‘Home Safe’ – Luke Rainsford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltnvyxgWovs

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Stand Atlantic / Rock Sound Breakout Stage

Australian trio, Stand Atlantic, will also be making their Slam Dunk debut this year, having recently toured with other performers such as ROAM and Knuckle Puck. With their latest EP, Sidewinder, reaching an impressive #10 on Rock Sound’s Top 50 Albums of 2017, and having been cited by Kerrang! as one of the hottest bands of 2018, Stand Atlantic are proving they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Claiming influences from Blink-182 to The 1975, they’re certainly considered a mixed bag musically too – but in the best possible way. Trust me. Go and listen to ‘Coffee at Midnight’. You can thank me later.

Stand Atlantic perform at 6:00 pm on the Rock Sound Breakout Stage. For more on Stand Atlantic, visit www.facebook.com/StandAtlantic

‘Coffee at Midnight’ – Stand Atlantic

Slam Dunk Festival 2018 (Midlands) comes to the NEC in Birmingham on 28^th May. For direct information on Slam Dunk Festival 2018, including details on all the events happening across the UK, visit www.slamdunkmusic.com

For a direct info and online ticket sales for Slam Dunk Festival 2018 (Midlands), visit www.gentingarena.co.uk/whats-on/slam-dunk-festival

For more from the Genting Arena, including full events listing and venue details, visit www.gentingarena.co.uk

Words by Anna Whittaker

Eastside Jazz Club is a new venue inside Birmingham Royal Conservatoire at Birmingham City University. Given the gig started at 6.30pm and was set in a university building, I was prepared to feel like I was still at work and be horrified by the lack of alcohol.

In fact, there is a cafe bar, from which you can take your drinks through to the venue, and they even do a little bit of food. Actually with the lighting and seating, it feels less like a lecture theatre-cum-practice room and less like a typical jazz club replete with sticky floor, general trodden in smell and dingy bar in the corner. The band gets loads more room than you see at most places, and the acoustics are great. Get here early for a seat.

Trampette, the support band of students at the Conservatoire, come on stage at 6.30pm. They’ve only been playing together since the summer but Tom Harris, Tommy Fuller, Josh Savage and Kai Chareunsy have a funky sound with songs based on your typical student things like a game of Jenga that went horribly wrong. It’s an interesting combo of keyboard/grand piano and bass guitar, with a drum kit and percussion section featuring bongos and a beat box to modernise the sound. Guest singer, Rebekah Wilkins, brings another dimension, and sounds beautifully like Melody Gardot. The best thing is they are definitely enjoying themselves. Trampette are also joined by a tenor sax player Harry Lear, for ‘Chickpea Mash’ they regularly stay with a slow rhythm then switch on the offbeat to more upbeat with impeccable timing on those pauses.

Talented saxophonist and composer, Trish Clowes, tours with her new quartet, My Iris. Clowes plays tenor and soprano sax with the accompaniment of Chris Montague on guitar, Ross Stanley on piano and Hammond Organ, and James Maddren on drums. Evocative and dreamy, Trish Clowes and My Iris build up slowly to an entrancing wall of sound as an intro to a much funkier guitar-led beat. There’s quite a lot of instrument switching going on but it’s smooth. The improv is fast but coordinated, reminding me a little bit of Ken Peplowski as there is a lot of doodle-oodle going on but it then fades into what seems to be her classic style on this album which sounds like the end of a rain storm. The puddles of sound keep coming, and actually this isn’t quite like any other jazz; with plenty of tempo switches. Clowes mixes in new material to the album My Iris released last year.

Next up is a ballad that makes the most of the gorgeous sounding grand piano. If you had to sum up the style of this set, perhaps ‘dreamy’ and ‘echoes’ would be the sort of words you would use. The piano solo in this piece is stunning to the point where the audience barely dare breathe; it’s reminiscent of Debussy. ‘Lightning Les’ finishes the first set and sounds like a barge coming through with discordant tones; you could be forgiven for thinking that the main chords were being played by an inexperienced clarinetist, blowing too hard and aiming at setting your teeth on edge, but it’s certainly a unique sound.

James Maddren’s drum solo provides some relief. But for some this might prove a little bit too experimental although it’s certainly not derivative in any way, and each musician is clearly highly talented; they meld together well, but it’s not relaxing listening. It would be nice to hear a few more solos from Clowes herself, amongst the bridges and twirls of the other artists, and we get a bit more of that towards the end of this piece on her tenor sax.

The start of the second set is more moody with just sax and piano before getting more boisterous. They’ve got sheet music in front of them, but I’d love to know how the ensemble get what they play from a mere couple of pages of scribble. This is more of a foot tapper and intriguing in its melodies. The older chairs in the audience all sit forward and start nodding in their seats, ‘Eric’s Tune’ is hitting the jazz nerve. Tap Dance (for Baby Dodds) is next, continuing the drum theme. This tune indeed has a tap dancing undercurrent throughout, with lead solo on tenor sax; it’s jumpy, it’s rhythmic while somehow mellow at the same time.

There is definitely something special about the weird wobbly sound of a Hammond organ that introduces the next piece, but what we didn’t expect was Clowes to do vocals rather than sax, in a sort of sound poem. This is really different, and such a contrasting intro to what comes next – an up tempo syncopation with echoes of the sax followed through on the piano. Tuning up the sustain on the guitar it’s very atmospheric; the moody ending is what makes them unmistakable.

Finally, ‘A Cat Called Behemoth’: the organ and guitar are the rhythm of its giant paws, the sax it’s swaggering walk, and the drums are fizzing the sound of each tensed muscle and especially every hair in his fluffed out tail. The students are amazingly attentive, by now mine are out on Sports Night ten sheets to the wind and don’t know what they’re missing.

My Iris is a completely unique sound, inspired by Clowes’ grandmother and messenger from Roman and Greek mythology (as well as a song called ‘Iris’). But as Trish Clowes says, Iris kept coming up from all directions as inspiration, like the many colours from the instruments her band.

For more on Trish Clowes’ My Iris, visit www.trishclowes.com

For more on Trampette, visit www.facebook.com/trampetteband

For more from Jazzlines, visit www.thsh.co.uk/whats-on/org/jazzlines

For more events from Eastside Jazz Club and Birmingham Conservatoire, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, visit www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/events-calendar

Tag: Anna Whittaker

ELEANOR’S PICK: Slam Dunk Festival 2018 (Midlands) @ NEC 28.05.18

BREVIEW: Trish Clowes – My Iris @ Eastside Jazz Club 25.01.18