Tag: Birmingham Preview

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BPREVIEW: Grandpa’s Great Escape Live @ Arena Birmingham 23-6.12.19

Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of Arena Birmingham

Running from 23rd to 26th December (withstanding Christmas Day), Grandpa’s Great Escape Live gets it’s first on stage outing at Arena Birmingham this Christmas.

Tickets are on sale from £29.50 to £52.25, depending on seating position with Arena Birmingham, with two performances daily – doors opening at 12noon (show at 1pm) and 3pm (show starts at 4pm). There is a further evening performance at 7pm on 23rd December. For direct information, including venue details and online bookings, visit www.arenabham.co.uk/whats-on/grandpas-great-escape

After finishing at Arena Birmingham, Grandpa’s Great Escape Live will be touring the UK until 4th January 2020 – with dates in London, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Liverpool. For more on Grandpa’s Great Escape Live, including full tour details and online ticket sales, visit www.grandpasgreatescapelive.co.uk

Since being released in 2015, David Walliams’ children’s story Grandpa’s Great Escape has gone on to sell over 2million copies worldwide. Now, in its live production adaptation, the story of Jack and his titular Grandpa (and escape) come to life on stage – opening at Arena Birmingham this Christmas.

The story is simple: Grandpa is getting older and his behaviour becomes increasingly odd and erratic, to the point where one night he must be coaxed down from the local church roof. Grandpa is suffering with dementia and flits between the present day and his time flying Spitfires in World War II.

Eventually, his family reach their wits’ end and make the decision to send Grandpa off to the appropriately titled old people’s home, Twilight Towers. Alone and confused, Grandpa’s world is ebbing away, both the one in his head and the one at his fingertips. But Jack and Grandpa can still connect and armed with imagination (and the ability to fly a plane) they embark on a final ‘great escape’ – breaking free from Twilight Towers and the self-serving staff at the horrible nursing home.

Since turning his hand to children’s fiction in 2013, David Walliams has released 13 novels – alongside a selection of picture books and short stories. But compared more than once to another great children’s writer, who again could balance the marvellous and macabre, Walliams’ fairy-tales are more than a childish play in the park.

His first book, The Boy in the Dress, addresses gender identity (in both young people and adults) – whilst his second and third books, Mr Stink and Billionaire Boy respectively, tackle the adage that money can’t buy you love. Well, not real love anyway. Grandpa’s Great Escape, Walliams’ eighth children’s book, tackles the issues surrounding dementia and our perceived care for the elderly.

But with fun firmly at their hearts, Walliams’ stories have been embraced by families the world over – with near constant adaptations onto stage and/or screen since his debut back in 2008. Grandpa’s Great Escape was first taken to the small screen – aired on BBC One on New Year’s Day 2018, with Tom Courtney as Grandpa, Kit Connor as Jack, and Jennifer Saunders as Miss Dandy.

This Christmas, Arena Birmingham will welcome the first stage production of Grandpa’s Great Escape Live – before it’s chocks away across the country, with subsequent dates in London, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Liverpool.

Nigel Planner will be starring as Grandpa, with Tom Cawte as Jack, and Siobhan Redmond as both Miss Dandy/Reverend Fine.

David Walliams talks about Grandpa’s Great Escape Live

Grandpa’s Great Escape Live comes to Arena Birmingham this Christmas, with shows on 23rd, 24th and 26th December – as presented by Phil McIntyre Entertainments. For direct show information, including venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.arenabham.co.uk/whats-on/grandpas-great-escape

For more on Grandpa’s Great Escape Live, including full tour details and online ticket sales, visit www.grandpasgreatescapelive.co.uk

For more on Arena Birmingham, including further event listings, visit www.arenabham.co.uk

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

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BPREVIEW: Peter Pan @ Birmingham REP – running until 19.01.20

Words by Ed King / Pics by Johan Persson

Running throughout Christmas and up to 19th January 2020, a new production of Peter Pan comes to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre – offering a “brand new re-imagined version” of the J.M Barrie classic, one that has been adapted “specifically for Birmingham audiences.”

A production that is accessible for both children (aged 7 plus) and adults, and those that sit resolute between the two, tickets for Peter Pan range from £15 – £39.50 – depending on date/time of the show and seating position within the theatre.

For more direct information, including the full production schedule and links to online ticket sales, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/peter-pan

**Peter Pan will be presenting a relaxed matinee performance on Sunday 5th January 2020, at 2:15pm – with a special evening show interpreted by British sign language on Tuesday 7th January 2020, at 7:15pm. Click here for more details.**

There is the old adage, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. And Peter Pan is a classic. But Liam Steel and Georgia Christou are unperturbed, taking the J.M. Barrie fairy tale from the tight lipped turn of the century and dragging it into modernity – replacing London’s ‘seen and not heard’ cast of children with the yute and yoofs of millennial Birmingham. The characters have been shaken up, gender bent, and the coy copy on the show’s press release promises ‘surprise twists in the casting.’ That and a man eating crocodile, so I guess some things are still status quo in Neverland.

But there are some pretty strong credentials at the helm of ‘Peter Pan in Birmingham’ (say it out loud), with Georgia Christou’s debut play, Yous Two, being shortlisted for a Verity Bargate Award in 2015 – paving the way for a solid portfolio on both stage and screen.

Her co-adapter and Peter Pan director, Liam Steel, also has a pretty gleaming CV across musical theatre and film – riding the success from his adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, which ran with aplomb at the Birmingham REP this time last year. Well, The Guardian called it a ‘thrilling Oz of racial diversity, gender reversal and voguing androgyny… more current – and vibrant – than the MGM musical.’ Sorry Judy.

“All the beloved characters will be there,” explains Liam Steel – talking about his and Christou’s adaptation, “but we have transposed it from London 1904 to Birmingham 2019 and made the characters much more relatable and relevant for a modern day audience. For children encountering the story for the first time, I want them to feel this was how the characters were originally written, and for those who know the story well, then I want them to experience it with the joy of re-discovery, as though they are hearing it for the very first time all over again. 

With spectacular flying, incredible sets on a huge scale, ingenious puppetry, out of this world costumes and of course a giant man eating crocodile, audiences can expect to see one of the most visually spectacular Christmas shows ever to grace The REP’s stage.”

Danke schön, Herr Direktor. But there’s another old adage: ‘the first bite is with the eye’. So, here’s a sneaky peak of Steel and Christou’s Peter Pan (…in Birmingham) – courtesy of Costume Designer, Laura Jane Stanfield.

Peter Pan runs at the Birmingham REP until 19th January 2020 – adapted by Liam Steel and Georgia Christou. For direct show information, including a full production schedule and links to online ticket sales, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/peter-pan

For more on the Birmingham REP, including venue details and further listings, visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

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BPREVIEW: The Taboo Club + Sofa King – free entry gig @ The Prince of Wales (Cambridge St) 30.11.19

Words by Ed King / Pics courtesy of The Taboo Club & The Prince of Wales

On Saturday 30th November, The Taboo Club headline a free gig at The Prince of Wales (Cambridge St) – with support from Sofa King.

Doors to the venue, situated at the back of the ICC/REP Theatre, will be open all day – with the free entry live gig taking place from 8pm. For more information, visit the Facebook event page by clicking here.

What’s better than a Black Friday weekend bargain…? Well, many things. In fact, most things. But something that appeals to the carnivorous consumer is FREE STUFF – so in the true spirit of Christmas, The Taboo Club are celebrating the start of Yuletide with a FREE ENTRY GIG at The Prince of Wales on Cambridge St (that’s the proper boozer with beautiful lights, nestled at the back of the ICC/REP Theatre – a stones throw from The Flapper).

Prepping for their debut album, The Taboo Club have been feverishly recording, mixing, mastering and sitting around nodding their heads in satisfied unison. The rumour mill has this magnum opus set for release in sprint 2020, but to keep us hooked on the morphine music that this eclectic ensemble has been hocking since they formed in 2018.

Plus, Saturday is not just about free music on stage, as The Taboo Club will be releasing their new single, ‘I Wish There Was A Way’, on the same day. Again, for free. Lord only knows how these gents find money for rent, or the suave ‘kings of cool’ dapper dress that they seem to wear so effortlessly.

But a true rough diamond in Birmingham’s music scene, The Taboo Club are doubtlessly set for bigger and brighter things when the album lands – so a free gig seems like a fair enough trade for impending stardom. The band’s previously released singles, ‘Bible John’ and ‘Strangers’, have been piquing the interest of the great and good form the music media fraternity – with tension/excitement growing to see what this polymath ensemble will do with a longer track listing to play with. Time will tell, but to hear The Taboo Club’s singles, new and old, visit the band’s Bandcamp page by clicking here.

Plus, The Prince of Wales is a venue steeped in Midlands musical history – with pictures of artists from Black Sabbath to Ruby Turner to The Special adorning the walls, and people sitting around them who have firsthand stories to tell. And in the darkness of winter, with a few reasonably priced ales and the occasional pie and chips to scoff, I can’t think of many better ways to say goodbye to your November.

Actually, I can. As the always awesome and worth a stop, look, listen Sofa King will be joining The Taboo Club – playing, again for gratis, at this full throttle winter warmer. Bit of a no brainer really.

On Saturday 30th November, The Taboo Club headline a free gig at The Prince of Wales (Cambridge St) – with support from Sofa King. For more information, visit the Facebook event page by clicking here.

For more on The Taboo Club, visit www.facebook.com/TheTabooClubUK/

For more on Sofa King, visit www.sofakingqueen.bandcamp.com/

For more on The Prince of Wales (Cambridge St), including full event listings and venue details, visit www.facebook.com/thepowcambridgestreet/

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

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SINGLE: ‘How Much Do You Want It?’ – T8PES (feat Mike 110) 29.11.19

Words by Matthew Robinson / Photo by Matt Wilson Photography

It’s a wet, dreary morning in late November. I could have been on my way back from Amsterdam, however I had to turn the trip down to stay at home and let some builders start work on the house. DAMN YOU SPONTANEOUS GETAWAYS. I need something to ease my head, and in his latest single Birmingham artist T8PES asks the question ‘How Much Do You Want It?’ So, I’ll guess I’ll find out.

The first bar whisks me from my dark, rain-battered Stratford living room and plonks me straight into the lights and madness of an Ibiza rave pool party. It’s warming and contagious. I find that typically in most cases of ‘crossover hip hop’, lyrics are all too often forgotten. It seems the art of lyricism is getting harder to find in hip hop enthused genres – however this song simply takes that allegation and throws it with a ‘boom bap’ straight back into my face. The lyric, “as I channel the spirit of John Lennon at the Caver,” just warms me. These are clearly students of the game; T8PES and Mike 110 love music, and it’s easy to hear in this single.

The beat continues to fuel the song as I find myself skanking just listening to it. After the first hook I force myself to pause the track so I can go and get my speaker, to play this louder. I think perhaps more emphasis could be placed on the hook of the piece from a production point of view, as the volume is fairly one dimensional (taking into account that is typical of rave music), but it feels T8PES has more than enough ability to adapt this song into his own fusion genre of rave and hip hop. It’s clear that homage is being paid to old school rave culture and the breakdown of the piece shows T8PES donning his cap to perhaps my favourite element of classic hip hop… disk scratching. The scratching perfectly delivers the samples used into the track and it sounds effortless.

‘Howe Much Do You Want It?’ is a track with so much inspiration, it’s almost like looking through a photo album, picking out your favourites, and creating a collage of memories (or in this case a symphony of sounds). It’s a stamp on hip hop culture saying classic still exists, and that’s a beautiful thing.

‘How Much Do You Want It?’ – T8PES (feat Mike 110)

‘How Much Do You Want It?’ by T8PES is out on general release from Friday 29th November. For more on T8PES, visit www.t8pes.com

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

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BPREVIEW: MeMe Detroit + The Pagans S.O.H, The Great Malarkey, HÜDS @ The Sunflower Lounge 30.11.19

Words by Ed King / Pic courtesy of Soul Rock Central

On Saturday 30th November, MeMe Detroit will be headlining a raspberry blowing jam packed quadruple bill show at The Sunflower Lounge – with The Pagans S.O.H, The Great Malarkey and HÜDS all playing in support.

(N.B. The press release from the MeMe Detroit media machine is very clearly presenting this gig as a ‘triple headline bill’, but for the sake of focus and word counts – in this BPREVIEW we’ve opted to put her more front and centreo offence meant to any artists, egos, or eager PRs.)

Doors (for the gig) open at The Sunflower Lounge from 7:30pm, with tickets priced at £8 – as promoted by Soul Rock Central. For more information and links on online ticket sales, click here.

Seemingly ‘National Single Release Day’ (…trademark, Ed King), Friday 29th November will see a new addition to the cultural fabric from virtually every band on this bill. But on the top of our playlist pile is MeMe Detroit, who’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Mind’ will be released into the world this weekend – marking the first major release from Ms Detroit with here all new line up.

Rawer, tougher, and perhaps even a little angrier/more defiant than Detroit’s already bolshy back catalogue, ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Mind’ is a very exciting new prospect. Or as the queen of ‘Motor City’ describes it, ‘this latest work would be if Trent Reznor had a baby with Joan Jet whose grandmother was Debbie Harry. A full throttle scuzzy, dirty bass driven force with gritty yet rapturous vocals.’ Erm, yeah… sold-please-and-thank-you.

But produced by Thomas ‘Mitch’ Mitchener, who already has his thumbprints on releases from Asylums, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Futureheads, Hello Operator, Naked Six, Kid Kapichi, Luna Bay, Young Guns, and Gallows, this new release form one of Birmingham’s more innovative rock acts could be the start of something… we’re keen for an album, let’s just leave it at that.

Also touting new stocking fillers on Friday 29th will be West Brom’s own The Pagans S.O.H, with ‘Black Jesus’ – and from a little further north (Wolverhampton) HÜDs are releasing their latest single, ‘Copicat’.

But don’t worry if this is all a little overwhelming, all you need to do is head over to The Sunflower Lounge on Saturday 30th November and you’ll get to see this live for under a tenner. Plus you get a bonus set from The Great Malarkey to sweeten the deal, an eight piece London ensemble who wil be squeezing themselves and their fun fueled frenzy of punk folk’ on to The Sunflower’s stage – all brought to you courtesy of MeMe Detroit’s own imprint, Soul Rock Records.

Blimey, there has to be a joke in here somewhere about a religious festival arriving sooner than expected…

MeMe Detroit will be headlining at The Sunflower Lounge on Saturday 30th November, with The Pagans S.O.H, The Great Malarky and HÜDS all playing in support. For direct event details and online tickets, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com/event/meme-detroit-the-pagans-s-o-h-the-great-malarkey-huds/

For more on MeMe Detroit, visit www.memedetroit.com

For more from The Sunflower Lounge, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com/

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.