Tag: Birmingham Review

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EP: Brain Food – Brain Food 13.03.20

Words by Ed King / Pics by Radek Kubiszyn (Psychedelic Eye)

‘According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day, making it the most feared day and date in history.’

I was Googling ‘Friday the 13th’ to come up with some witty framing technique, as Birmingham’s psych rockers, Brain Food, have ear marked this notorious end of the week to release their self-titled sophomore EP. But in the wake of a bulbous buffoon with his finger on the button and the grip of fear the world’s most popular sneeze has on half the planet…

A five track kaleidoscope of echoing psychedelia, Brain Food EP by Brain Food is indeed a tasty cranium treat – opening with ‘Poseidon’ and a surprisingly dirty riff, which had me fish hooked from the off, Liam McKeown’s perfectly lost vocals soon slide across the track.

An almost perfect front man for a band covered in the glow of a hyperactive lava lamp, McKeown sets the tone perfectly on the EP’s opener – sitting somewhere between a rock star joie de vivre and an introspective blotter acid trip in the dark corners of a Velvet Underground after party. Works for me.

But this is prog-something-psych-something-rock-something else… so, a small noodling siren is sounded as ‘Canyon Crawler’ sends seven minutes of blissed out guitar waves over a slowly marching tempo. It drags a little, to me. Today. If I was a younger man with a bit more mind left I’d probably be finding ways to lose it in this, but after about five minutes I’ll admit I’m swimming to the shore.

Then, as if my silent selfish prayer was answered, ‘That Feeling’ draws a sweet line down the middle of this Brain Food EP – in a surprisingly short (under four minutes??) foray into a more melody led track. It might be a bit too accessible for the prog purists, and you could be forgiven for thinking if psych rock was ever going to be radio friendly this is probably the closest it is going to get, but it’s still a damn fine few minutes.

‘Cosmic Jones’ takes us down the other side of the hill – opening with a cheeky little wah wah and keeping us cheerily on our toes for just over five minutes of soft crescendos and pretty nifty fretwork. Before the swan song of ‘Forbidden Tongue’ closes the show, which you can check out below instead of reading me try to be funny.

Which reminds me, where was I with that framing technique…

I’m not sure how many registered voters this EP will keep safe on its auspicious release day, but the idea (and to quote another LSD soaked ensemble) of encouraging the hope barren masses to ‘feed your head’ instead of panic buying toilet paper couldn’t be better placed.

And Brain Food by Brain Food seems to sum it up quite nicely this Friday the 13th… so, put that in your literary trope and smoke it.

‘Forbidden Tongue’ – by Brain Food

On Friday 13th March 2020, Brain Food release their self-titled second EP, Brain Food. For more on Brain Food, both the band and the extended play, visit www.facebook.com/brainfoodofficial

Brain Food are also hosting an EP launch party at The Night Owl on Saturday 14th March, with Cave Girl and Exhaler supporting. For more gig info and links to online ticket sales, click here to visit the Facebook event page.

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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 aggression in the music industry and beyond – from dance floor to dressing room, everyone deserves a safe place to play.

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 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: GETRZ @ The Sunflower Lounge 11.03.20

Words by Ed King

On Wednesday 11th March, GETRZ come to The Sunflower Lounge – performing against a stacked support line up including Gen & the Degenerates, Spit, and Sedated Society.

Doors open at 7:30pm with tickets priced at £6, as promoted by Indie Midlands. For more direct gig info and links to online ticket sales, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com/event/getrz-gen-and-the-degenerates-spit-sedated-society

Last seen in Birmingham back at the Hare & Hounds, pretty much two years ago to the day, GETRZ have been keeping busy. Swindon’s hot alt rock potato (to expand a metaphor past any reasonable level…) have been accumulating festival dates and accolades across the country – stamping their authority and arguable shift in sound with the release of their debut EP, Think of the Future, in August last year.

Now, following a brief sojourn in Liverpool, Leeds, and Manchester, GETRZ are back on the road – coming to The Sunflower Lounge on Wednesday 11th March, before heading down to Bristol the day after and ending up back in Swindon for the tour’s home town swan song on Saturday 14th March.

Joining GETRZ as tour support are self-declared ‘gate crashers’ of the North West, Gen & the Degenerates – with Stourbridge’s Sonic Youth inspired four piece, Spit, and Worcester’s experimental pop psych rockers, Sedated Society, making up the more local line up.

Although relatively fresh faced, Spit have carved a confident curve for themselves on Birmingham’s live music circuit – playing regular support slots at The Sunflower Lounge, alongside more established acts such as Bad Girlfriend, MeMe Detroit, and A Void, when the latter came to the city in February. And with some line-up changes and song writing pencilled into the 2020 diary, this could be an defining year for a band already building up some noticeable Midlands momentum.

Sedated Society are another addition to the fuck-you-and-your-genre strata of the modern music scene, taking influences from across the audio spectrum and self-declaring to ‘bleed an expansive combination of stoner rock, blues, grunge, R&B, jazz, shoegaze and pop music…’ Stick that in your HMV shop assistant and smoke it.

…and not bad for £6. Well, what else are you going to do for the safer side of a tenner?

‘Annie’ – GETRZ 

GETRZ play at The Sunflower Lounge on Wednesday 11th March, with support from Gen and the Degenerates, Spit, and Sedated Society – as presented by Indie Midlands. For direct gig information and links to online tickets, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com/event/getrz-gen-and-the-degenerates-spit-sedated-society 

For more on GETRZ, visit www.facebook.com/GETRZBAND

For more on Gen & the Degenerates, visit www.open.spotify.com/artist/7oEVPoHXaj73ddUCTNlO9E
For more on Spit, visit www.facebook.com/spit.banddd
For more on Sedated Society, visit www.facebook.com/SedateddSocietyy

For more from Indie Midlands, including further event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.indiemidlands.co.uk

For more on The Sunflower Lounge, including venue details and further event listings, 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 aggression in the music industry and beyond – from dance floor to dressing room, everyone deserves a safe place to play.

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 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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TICKET GIVEAWAY: REWS + NOVACUB, [SKETCH] @ O2 Institute 3 – 21.03.20

Words by Ed King

To celebrate International Women’s Day, and to help keep the aims, objectives, and principles of this single day alive throughout the other 365 (…calm down, it’s a leap year) Birmingham Review is giving away a handful of tickets to see REWS + NOVACUB, [SKETCH] at the O2 Institute 3 on Saturday 21st March. Minimum age of entry to the gig is 14years+ with doors opening from 6pm.

But there is a snag… we’re only giving them to women.

And before anyone gets tangled in testosterone, we crunched the numbers and felt that after centuries of gender oppression a couple of free gig tickets are not going to rob any men of their rights. I wouldn’t worry about your perceived ‘manhood’. You’ll be OK.

So, yeah, back to the free stuff.

On Saturday 21st March, REWS come back to Birmingham – Shauna Tohill’s alt rock powerhouse are bringing The Phoenix Tour to the O2 Institute 3, with a renewed line up and some of their best new material to date. Don’t believe us, check out the link to ‘Monsters’ below.

Joining REWS as tour support will be NOVACUB, a four piece indie/pop fledgling – fronted and founded by Louise Bartle, who is also the drummer for Bloc Party. You know, just ‘cos there are still some hours in the day when she isn’t working (Birmingham Review also snagged a quick Q&A with Louise Bartle ahead of the O2 Institute show, click here to read… whole lotta fun).

And the show would not be complete without a hat tip to Birmingham’s own tartan clad rock/punksters, [SKETCH]. But being all men, even being lovely humans who respect and value all people… we’re still crazy excited to have them at the gig though. For more gig info and links to online tickets, for any gender, click here to visit the Facebook event page**.

Sufficed to say, we have landed an awesome line up with two female fronted bands who are fully committed to music and ferociously inspiring to anyone (especially if you share gender identity) who might want to get up on stage themselves one day. Or even if you just respect the hell out of a cracking live gig.

So, we want to celebrate and share this by giving away a few freebies to the show.

TICKET GIVEAWAY: If you are female or identify as female, all you have to do is share this post via whatever social media you prefer – then send an email to info@birminghamreview.net with your name and the name of your guest, putting ‘Free Tickets Please’ in the subject box. Then we’ll send you FREE TICKETS TO SEE REWS + NOVACUB, [SKETCH] AT THE O2 INSTITUTE ON SAY 21ST MARCH. First come first served. Couldn’t be simpler.

But if you still need a little nudge, here’s a sneaky peak of what’s coming to the O2 Institute 3 on Saturday 21st March. Enjoy.

‘Monsters’ – REWS

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‘Wait Up’ – NOVACUB

Ed’s note…

I’m all for debate. I encourage people with all opinions to engage in conversation, because I believe it’s how we create change. Healthy, non-oppressive change – where everyone is on board and the differences we want to make stand a chance of lasting.

But there are some arguments that test this. So, whilst we on the whole ‘but what about the blokes thing…’ if you genuinely feel that there is a disparagement in days such as International Women’s Day, I want to run through a couple of facts and figures that might get you thinking.

Then we can start talking:

  • It took until 1928 (and World War One) for women  over the age of 21 to be allowed to vote in the UK
  • Up to the 1970’s, and with absurdly slow reform, women were not allowed to buy property in their own right – needing the signature of their husband or father
  • The same went for credit cards
  • Until 1991, a man could rape his wife and be legally exempt from prosecution
  • Until 1992, a man could physically assault his wife and be legally exempt from prosecution
  • Until 1999, there was no statutory right for maternity leave – with UK Employment law forcing many women out of their jobs if they became pregnant
  • In 2020, the UK’s gender pay gap UK stands between 15-25% – meaning on average women spend two months a year working for ‘free’, in comparison to their male counterparts

REWS perform at the O2 Institute 3 on Saturday 21st March, with support from NOVACUB and [SKETCH] – as promoted by Metropolis Music and Birmingham Review. For more gig info and links to online ticket sales, click here to visit the Facebook event page.

Or for a direct link to online ticket sales, visit www.reviewpublishing.net/product/rews-novacub-sketch-o2-institute-21-03-20

**£1 from all tickets sold through Review Publishing will get donated to the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, challenging sexual violence in our music scene – from dance floor to dressing room, everyone deserves a safe place to play. For more on NOT NORMAL NOT OK, visit www.notnormalnotok.com

For more on REWS, visit www.rewsmusic.com
For more on Novacub, visit www.wearenovacub.com
For more on [SKETCH], visit www.sketchband.com

For more on the O2 Institute, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham/

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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 aggression in the music industry and beyond – from dance floor to dressing room, everyone deserves a safe place to play.

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 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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Q&A: NOVACUB – Louise Bartle

Words by Ed King & Louise Bartle – NOVACUB / Pics courtesy of K2 Agency

On Saturday 21st March, NOVACUB will be coming back to Birmingham – joining alt-rock powerhouse REWS on their Phoenix Tour, and playing alongside Birmingham’s own tartan clad rock/punksters [SKETCH] at the O2 Institute 3.

Minimum age of entry to gig is 14 years old, with doors open from 6pm. Tickets are priced at £10 (+ booking fee) – as promoted by Metropolis Music and Birmingham Review. For more gig info and links to online ticket sales, click here to visit the Facebook event page.

Or for a direct link to online ticket sales, visit: www.reviewpublishing.net/product/rews-novacub-sketch-o2-institute-21-03-20/**
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Having formed just over a year ago by Bloc Party drummer Louise Bartle (who also brought Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack into the fold) it’s been a pretty non-stop first dance around the sun for NOVACUB – playing some heavyweight support slots, releasing a series of singles and their debut EP.

Now coming back to Birmingham, joining REWS and [SKETCH] at the O2 Institute 3 on Saturday 21st March, Birmingham Review snagged a cheeky Q&A with NOVACUB founder and frontwoman Louise Bartle:

BR: Hello NOVACUB, thanks for letting us pick your brains ahead of the O2 Institute gig – very excited to have you back in Birmingham. You came to the Castle and Falcon in April 2019 with The Xcerts, any drunken/late night (mis)adventures from the last time you were in the city?

NOVACUB: HEY! Haha well I think we were pretty boring actually as we’re always paranoid about the safety of our instruments etc – there’s a lot of packing and unpacking when you’re in your own cars/van. It was a great show last time we were there though!!

BR: And this time last year you were also sandwiched by tour dates with the Kaiser Chiefs – how does it feel to be now heading out on the road with REWS?

NOVACUB: Yeah, it feels really exciting! It always does! We love playing our music to anyone who wants to listen haha!

We’re really excited to be playing shows!! We love playing live, it’s such a cathartic experience! Really looking forward to meeting REWS and making new memories together!

BR: As individuals you have a wealth of talent and experience already under your belts, from working with Selena Gomez to Birmingham’s own Laura Mvula. But as band, NOVACUB are relatively newborn – how have the past 12months+ learning to walk been?

NOVACUB: It’s been really exciting for us – we’ve already been through so much together! We still feel that it’s early days for us and can’t wait for people to get to know us more! We love putting music out so we’re going to focus on that this year.

BR: ‘I Still Need It’ debuted in Jan 2019, with ‘Strike’ and ‘Wait Up’ coming out in April and July respectively. How were the singles received?

NOVACUB: Yeah they went down well! It’s nice when people start to discover the band – it’s a new feeling for us and really exciting honestly.

BR: Then, with a couple of extra cherries on the cake, your Future Echoes EP came out in October 2019 – how was it to see a larger slice of NOVACUB get served up?

NOVACUB: Really special – it’s our first body of work! We have so much more to come and are dying to serve you up some more madness!!

BR: Then ‘November’ came out in, well, November 2019 – releasing your first track not featured on the Future Echoes EP. You can probably guess what we’re building up to… is there an album on its way?

NOVACUB: Hehe well… We are working on something really exciting. We have over two albums worth of music honestly but we want to pace ourselves! I will say we are going to put more music out later this year..

BR: And where did the hat tip to early rave and piano house in ‘Strike’ come from – elements of production that followed into ‘November’? Not that we’re complaining… takes us back… but it’s a little shift from the clear guitar riffs of other tracks.

NOVACUB: Well firstly we all love different styles of music so it feeds into the band. Secondly, Russell our guitarist likes to play his guitar so it doesn’t sound like one (sometimes) and this is an example of him demonstrating his skills in that regard. When he first sent the song to me (Louise) I absolutely loved it and wanted to top what he’d written somehow haha!!

BR: We love a good game of guess the genre, and we’ve seen variations of the rock-pop-indie holy trinity next to your name. But set us all straight – how would you describe NOVACUB’s sound?

NOVACUB: Anything and everything, haha, but for real probably mainly indie pop/rock – we write whatever we want though which is why I love being in the band!

BR: We also love a good democracy, and you look very warm and cuddly on your promo shots. But NOVACUB is the brainchild of Bartle – is that reflected in the songwriting or studio?

NOVACUB: I’d say that in the studio I (Louise) am more controlling. The only other way I could be considered the ‘brainchild’ of NOVACUB is that I brought us together as I knew everyone separately first! I feel we are all pretty hands on in different ways though! You all have to be a team in a band so that everyone knows how important they are!

BR: And is it still all love and hugs with Bloc Party, or is there now some silent/healthy competition…?

NOVACUB: Well it depends how you look it at… I’ve never viewed music as a competition and I don’t see any other band or artist as competition so it’s all love from me!

BR: All that’s left is for us to wish you the very best with the REWS tour – especially (selfishly) the gig at the O2 Institute on Saturday 21st March.

NOVACUB: Thank you!!

‘I Still Need It’ – NOVACUB

NOVACUB come to the O2 Institute 3 on Saturday 21st March, supporting REWS and playing alongside Birmingham’s own tartan clad rock/pinksters [SKETCH]. For more gig info and links to online ticket sales, click here to visit the Facebook event page. 

**£1 from all tickets sold through Review Publishing will be donated to the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign – click here for a direct link to online ticket sales: www.reviewpublishing.net/product/rews-novacub-sketch-o2-institute-21-03-20

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For more on NOVACUB, visit www.wearenovacub.com

For more on REWS, visit www.rewsmusic.com
For more on [SKETCH], visit www.sketchband.com

For more on the O2 Institute, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham

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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 aggression in the music industry and beyond – from dance floor to dressing room, everyone deserves a safe place to play.

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 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: Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers @ Midlands Arts Centre 21-22.02.20


Words by Ed King

Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers comes to the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February – with shows in the MAC theatre at 2pm on both days, alongside an 11am show on the Saturday.

Aimed at children 6 years and older, tickets for Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers are priced from £8.50 – £10.50 for children and £8.50 – £15 for adults, depending on the day/time of performance and position within the theatre. Further concessions are available – click here for more direct show information, including full ticket details and links to online sales.

“Snozzcumber… who ever heard of a snozzcumber…?”

Roald Dahl needs little introduction. Responsible for some of the most prolific and wide reaching children’s stories (alongside some pretty dark tales for adults), Dahl’s work has become the contemporary benchmark for young fiction across the world – the highest accolade in this literary genre, it seems, is to be cited as following in the man’s giant footsteps. Just ask Walliams.

But when your portfolio boasts titles including Charlies and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Twits, The Witches, The BFG, Danny the Campion of the Word, James and the Giant Peach, and Fantastic Mr Fox… well, fair enough I suppose.

Get Lost & Found theatre company are still worried though, fearing that ‘all around the world Roald Dahl’s words are disappearing’ and the only way to save these foundations of fantasy is through an ‘ancient guild of tale tenders’ determined to keep Dahl’s stories alive. And although this creative dystopia may be contested by some (Neilsen Holdings, Tim Burton, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and Tim Minchin) why risk it?

So, with a special commission from Puffin Books, Dahl’s publisher, and a thumbs up from the writer’s literary estate, Roald Dahl and the Imaginations Seekers will be touring the UK until the end of March – coming to MAC with their ‘thrilling story delivered through performance, games and creative play’ at the tail end of February’s half term holiday.

And whilst the world beats with subjective hearts, and a man’s opinions do not necessarily reflect his work, as Ehrmann once wrote love ‘is as perennial as the grass’. So, to expand the metaphor, Dahl’s stories are a lush country estate lawn for children across the globe to play upon.

Sowed with empathy, empowerment, mischief, a smidge of anarchy and dollop of love, there are seldom better stories to prepare young minds for all the wonders and peril the world has to offer. You just have to be kind, resolute, and most of all to believe.

For as a wiser man than I once responded, to the snarled face of petulance and precocity, “…we are the music makers. And we are the dreamers of the dreams.”

Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers – official trailer 

Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers comes to the Midlands Arts Centre on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February. For more direct information and links to online ticket sales, visit www.macbirmingham.co.uk/event/roald-dahl-the-imagination-seekers

For more from the Midlands Arts Centre, including further event listings** and online ticket sales, visit www.macbirmingham.co.uk

For more on Get Lost and Found, visit www.getlostandfound.com
For more on Roald Dahl, visit www.roalddahl.com

**If you like the look of this, why not check out some more family friendly shows at MAC:

Sarah & Duck’s Big Top Birthday (4th to 6th Apr), visit www.macbirmingham.co.uk/event/sarah-ducks-big-top-birthday
Through Time (17th Apr), visit www.macbirmingham.co.uk/event/the-noise-next-door-through-time

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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 aggression in the music industry and beyond – from dance floor to dressing room, everyone deserves a safe place to play.

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 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.