BPREVIEW: Victories at Sea @ Hare & Hounds 13.05.17

Words by Ed King

On Saturday 13th May, Victories at Sea play at the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath) – with support from Mutes, Matters + Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam.

Doors open at 7pm, with tickets priced at £5 (adv) – as presented by This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

Last time Birmingham Review saw Victories at Sea was back at the Hare & Hounds in January 2016, three months after their debut album – Everything Forever – was unleashed on the world. And now it’s back to the familiar Kings Heath venue, this time with a new EP and some absurdly stonking support in tow.

But the masters of maritime (…nice) haven’t been floating around aimlessly (…ok) for the past year and half, with their five track A Place to Stay EP released on Static Caravan Records on 5th May.  And shiver me techno timbers (…the last nautical reference I’m going make) it’s dark twist of brooding electronica meets meaty indie rock; all the goodness you’d expect from a Victories at Sea endevour. Fair to say it’s had its airplay at Birmingham Review HQ – with everything from Swervedriver and Explosions in the Sky to The Cure thrown around for comparison.

It’s a beautifully produced record no matter what your reference point, with some signature/ethereal melodies to send you blissfully out across the waters (accidental metaphor). But with Helen Knott, whose words I trust sometimes more than my own, citing the ‘slick and controlled’ sound from Everything Forever as a frayed edge to the sharpness of a live performance, we shall see what comes off stage on Saturday. Only a fiver an’ all; oddly accessible considering the line up would round off Day One at a small festie.

And as for the supports… Two from the FOMA portfolio: Matters, Mutes – both of whom Birmingham Review last saw at a FOMA showcase in Blotto Studios in mid March; click here for Aatish Ramchurn’s photo led feature in THE GALLERY. Both bands would be worth a fiver each, but with Mutes’ ‘sprawling debut full length album’ waiting in the wings, No Desire – out 2nd June, this is a good chance to see them polishing the final product.

Then there’s the perennial bridesmaid and winner of the Most Syllables Award, Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam. Or as Jeopardy would call them, ‘things that make Cannon Hill Park more fun’. Always worth a stop, look and listen. And whilst we’re on garrulous popular culture references, here’s our Graham with a quick reminder…

‘Sirens’ – Victories at Sea (from the 2016 album Everything Forever)

Victories at Sea perform at the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath) on Saturday 13th May, with support from Mutes, Matters + Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam – as presented by This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

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For more on Victories at Sea, visit www.victoriesatsea.co.uk

For more on Mutes, visit www.mutesuk.bandcamp.com

For more on Matters, visit www.soundcloud.com/mattersband

For more on Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam, visit www.facebook.com/sunshinefrisbeelaserbeam

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For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

For more from This Is Tmrw, visit www.thisistmrw.co.uk

THE GALLERY: Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17

THE GALLERY: Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

 

 

 

*Ed’s note… To catch Ed Geater on stage again, he will performing with Call Me Unique on Friday 5th May – as part of her Urban Gypsy II EP launch party at Mama Roux’s. For direct gig info, click here.

To read our Birmingham Review of ‘Shoulda’, the debut single from Urban Gypsy II produced by Ed Geater, click here.

Words by Ed King / Pics by Rob Hadley

On March 24th, Ed Geater brought the final show of his UK tour to the Hare & Hounds – playing to a packed out Venue 2. On stage support (there was a fair amount off stage too) came from Amy Louise Ellis, Dee Ajayi and Bear – aka Gordon Begard and Faye Smith. Guest appearances were not in short supply either, with Lady Sanity and even Ed Geater’s brother, Charlie, joining him on stage.

Birmingham Review had caught up with Ed Geater before he set our across the UK; to read Giles Logan’s interview click here.

A high octane local love in, with a range of genres covered and crossed over, it was a fitting end to Ed Geater’s first multi date headline endevour. Or ‘tour’, as it’s known in the trade. Well supported by the music scene he constantly champions, the Hare & Hounds homecoming was a well endorsed affair; a strong start to a promising year.

But 2017 is not all about the live circuit, a place talented troubadours can get lost in, with Ed Geater popping up on a few credit notes – on 5th May Call Me Unique’s Urban Gypsy II EP is released, as produced by Ed Geater. Then on 16th June Ed Geater and Lady Sanity release their collaborative single, ‘Found a Place’, two weeks after a showcase gig featuring both artists at mac on 2nd June.

“I’m so excited to be releasing ‘Found A Place’ with Lady Sanity,” explains Ed Geater. She really is one of Birmingham’s most exciting talents right now, and the combination of our different styles has sparked something original and fresh. I’m looking forward to what will be a special night at mac. I remember going there as a child and seeing all sorts of creative, exciting things going on, so to be playing a headline show there with great support gives me a very warm feeling.” A rising balloon, both on stage and behind the glass; this could be a big year for Team Geater.

For direct gig info & tickets for Ed Geater, Lady Sanity and Andrew Souter at mac on 2nd June, click here.

But first things first; Rob Hadley was at Ed Geater’s homecoming show at the Hare & Hounds – shooting an extended photo feature to go into THE GALLERY, for Birmingham Review. See a selection of Rob Hadley’s shots below or click on the Full Flickr of Pics links. Check out the Birmingham Review Instagram page too.

N.B. Rob also shot a series of profile pics with Ed Geater, to run alongside his interview with Giles Logan. There’s a triptych of portrait shots at the end of this GALLERY, but to view the Full Flickr of Ed Geater Profile Pics click here.

A special thanks to the Hare & Hounds for letting us take over their top office for the interview shoot – awesome setting too, loving the records.

Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ed & Charlie Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ed & Charlie Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ed Geater with Lady Sanity @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

 

For more on Ed Geater, visit www.edgeater.co.uk

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Bear – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Bear – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Bear – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Bear – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

For more on Bear, visit www.soundcloud.com/bearmusic1

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Dee Ajayi – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Dee Ajayi – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Dee Ajayi – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Dee Ajayi – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

For more on Dee Ajayi, visit www.soundcloud.com/dee_ajayi

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Amy Louise Ellis – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Amy Louise Ellis – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Amy Louise Ellis – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Amy Louise Ellis – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

For more on Amy Louise Ellis, visit www.facebook.com/AmyLouiseElliis

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Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds  / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ed Geater – profile @ Hare & Hounds / Rob Hadley - Birmingham ReviewTHE GALLERY: Ed Geater – profile @ Hare & Hounds / Rob Hadley - Birmingham ReviewTHE GALLERY: Ed Geater – profile @ Hare & Hounds / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

To see the Full Flickr of Profile Pics, click hereFor more on Ed Geater, visit www.edgeater.co.uk

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For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), including a full events programme and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

For more from Birmingham Promoters, visit www.birminghampromoters.com

https://flic.kr/s/aHskW7Sa7d

BREVIEW: Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17

BREVIEW: Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

 

 

 

*Ed’s note… due to some appalling diary manoeuvres on my part, our post-gig Ed Geater content is woefully late. Apologies to all involved, on stage and off. But if you want to check Ed Geater out live he’ll be performing with Call Me Unique on Friday 5th May – as part of her Urban Gypsy II EP launch party at Mama Roux’s. For direct gig info, click here

Ed Geater produced Call Me Unique’s latest release; to read our Birmingham Review of ‘Shoulda’, the debut single from Urban Gypsy II, click here.

Ed Geater will also be performing at mac for the first time on June 2nd, joined by Lady Sanity and Andrew Souter. For direct gig info, including full venue details and online ticket sales, click here. Ed Geater and Lady Sanity release ‘Found a Place’ on 16th June, click here for direct news and online orders.

Words by Damien Russell / Pics by Rob Hadley

With a background in rock and blues, I walk into the Hare and Hounds on Friday night with little to no idea what to expect. I’ve read a few bits about Ed Geater, and having been about a bit I’ve seen singer/songwriters with loop pedals before and even the odd beatboxer. That said it’s still a rare thing to see anyone using a loop pedal, singing, playing guitar and beatboxing all at once. Definitely intriguing.

I head upstairs to the soft strains of Amy Louise Ellis, a gentle welcome to the venue. Walking in there’s a reasonable sized crowd, listening intently, quietly and they kindly part ways to let me and my friend get to the bar. Ellis (and her guitarist) has a soft breathy voice that reminds me in some way of the theatre; something about the tone, I think, and the way she applies her range. She moves through her set in a slightly shy, understated way and leaves to a strong applause.

BREVIEW: Amy Louise Ellis – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham ReviewAfter a short break, we are treated to a set from Dee Ajayi; a dynamic performer. Ajayi (and her guitarist, albeit no relation to the previous one) has a presence and smile that you can’t help but smile back at, performing with animation and enthusiasm. She touches on Soul, R‘n’B, Funk and treats us to the odd story of a past breakup, an unrequited love, and memories of her father. These glimpses into the personal moments that have inspired her music makes me feel we, as an audience, are being given a intimate peek into the life of Dee Ajayi.

BREVIEW: Dee Ajayi – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review(Side-tracking slightly, about halfway through Dee Ajayi’s performance a large group of people come in to the Hare and Hounds’ Venue 2 and make a racket an elephant would be proud of, yacking away and shouting bar orders. From this point on significant numbers of people were talking and generally being inconsiderate; all the performers did admirably to ignore them and put on the show they did. Kudos to those on stage. Taking inspiration from Dee Ajayi, I try to ignore them too.)

The next act on tonight, and final support, is Bear – another duo, but this time guitarist and beatboxer Gordon Begard and singer/rapper, Faye Smith. Standing at the back of the room as Bear start their set, I have no idea where all of the sounds are coming from. I’m sure there are only two of them on stage, but I could swear there was a whole band up there. Bear perform with great energy and make an impressive sound, performing with skill, passion and a whole lot BREVIEW: Bear – supporting Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Reviewof power. As they close their set, a bigger and more hyped up audience see them off with another strong reception.

Our headliner takes the stage now, and I’m reminded that I still don’t know what to expect from Ed Geater. I’ve seen soft acoustic, funky soulful acoustic, heavy rap/hip hop acoustic… tonight could be leading up to just about anything.

As Ed Geater begins to play, a flood of influences run through my mind; all massive names. I can hear Massive Attack in the chilled out trippy vibe and steady pace. That leads me to thinking about Newton Faulkner, which I hear in the flowing intricate guitarBREVIEW: Ed Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review work (fantastic guitar work, I was very jealous). Then I start thinking about vocals and how there’s a little bit of Passenger in there, alongside some more mainstream sounds. All in all the mix is a deep, rich harmony that’s a little mesmeric, wrapping itself around you like a warm blanket.

The songs start in the way that a lot of performers using loop effects songs start, and there is a bit of time ‘building’ before we really get into it. But from there Geater shows he’s at the top of his game as everything flows smoothly from section to section, making, as with Bear, a sound that far outweighs the rather understated figure on stage.

BREVIEW: Ed & Charlie Geater @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham ReviewYou can tell it’s a hometown show as Ed Geater gets his brother, Charlie, to join him on backing vocals for a song. There are a few other guest spots throughout his set including a collaboration with Lady Sanity, with each new sound on stage complimenting the often solo performer; it makes me wonder what Ed Geater would be like with a full group behind him. Geater’s sound is well developed and his songs are strong, but with the limits of the technology he’s using you could fall into traps at the start and end of each song, in turn losing some of the impact they bring.

But for tonight, with the set highlights for me coming in the form of ‘Gracia’ and ‘Symmetry’, I don’t feel like any of us in this Hare and Hounds crowd could ask for a better Friday night vibe.

For more on Ed Geater, visit www.edgeater.co.ukBREVIEW: Ed Geater with Lady Sanity @ Hare & Hounds 24.03.17 / Rob Hadley - Birmingham Review

For more on Amy Louise Ellis, visit www.facebook.com/AmyLouiseElliis

For more on Dee Ajayi, visit www.soundcloud.com/dee_ajayi

For more on Bear, visit www.soundcloud.com/fayesound

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For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), including a full events programme and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

For more from Birmingham Promoters, visit www.birminghampromoters.com

BREVIEW: Table Scraps + Black Mekon @ Hare & Hounds 27.04.17

BREVIEW: Table Scraps + Black Mekon @ Hare & Hounds 27.04.17 / James ThomasWords by Ed King / Pics by James Thomas / Video by Trapeze Film

*Birmingham Review caught up with Table Scraps just before the doors opened. To watch our interview with the band click here, or on the YouTube window at the end of this BREVIEW*

There are more qualified people here tonight, than I. As the evening rolls out conversations about blues, rock, blues rock, punk, rockabilly and the hangover of Ozzy Osbourne (figuratively), I stand on the periphery looking in. My extensive knowledge of the Tori Amos back catalogue won’t help me here.

Luckily, I have Damien Russell: drinking companion, back up wordsmith and the Cyrano de Bergerac of American blues and pan Atlantic punk. All the informed references come from him. The visceral reactions (which you could argue are just as punk as punk) and tired metaphors, they come from me.

A packed room cut in half, the Hare & Hounds Venue 2 (minus the back bar..?) is comfortably crowded as Black Mekon take the stage – and I mean take, jumping more than any men in matching jackets and Kato masks may have ever jumped before. A searing harmonica cuts over a steady, kick, drum… in a barrage of twisted blues. Strings break, shoulder straps break, speaker stacks hiss; the bouncing boy to my left is told politely “…ok, ok.” Reds, greens and dry ice take us into a double jab at “the welfare state” as short blast songs punch their way around an eagerly complicit crowd. “You’ve got to understand, Black Mekon can’t die.” The room continues to fill.BREVIEW: Table Scraps + Black Mekon @ Hare & Hounds 27.04.17 / James Thomas

As Round One comes to a close we make a short trip through doors not meant for us, past a cigarette, then into a curiously quiet downstairs bar; maybe amphetamine is making a comeback. “Do you get the feeling if Nick Cage was to start a punk band…” offers Damien, as I write down perhaps the only intelligent part of my summary.

Some more conversations about Americana, blues and the relevance of territory and skin colour, then back up stairs for Round Two – or Table Scraps, as the bill poster presents them. I feel somewhat more confident as I do know some, not BREVIEW: Table Scraps + Black Mekon @ Hare & Hounds 27.04.17 / James Thomasall, but enough Table Scraps songs to confidently chip in from this point, and no one is in this room by mistake. But I have ears, the Internet and not just red headed piano players in my iTunes account. And like all artificial intelligence, I too can learn.

But when the immediately faster tempo throws itself on our mercy, or perhaps the other way around, I don’t really care. See, I used an adverb, that’s how reckless I’ve become. Table Scraps on record sound gloriously DIY, but live there an added sheen. I heard ‘Motorcycle’ in the soundcheck (one of my repeated Table Scraps endevours, if not only for the lyrics) and had been “surprised at how clean the sound was”. But being neither musician nor sound engineer, this was the first of my potentially garrulous assumptions.

On stage, tonight, hidden by a sea of frenetic heads, Table Scraps sound raw, low, deep, punchy and all the other adjectives a fucking rock band should be. Or punk, or whatever the appropriate genre moniker may be here (please refer to line one). By the time ‘Electricity’ is basking in a frenetic but tight guitar solo, I’m fully on board. This is fun.

BREVIEW: Table Scraps + Black Mekon @ Hare & Hounds 27.04.17 / James ThomasThe song of the hour is up next, ‘My Obsession’, as the Table Scraps half of the latest 45 Consortium 7” gets drop kicked off stage; fierce and threatening, in a good way, like some clever simile involving Christian Slater and a Magnum .44. Then an elongated misstep proves DIY is still DIY, and a well natured “…fucking drummers man,” from Scott Abbott take us into a track the set list calls ‘Teeth’. God bless garage rock, a repeated chorus and ‘belched out’ harmonies – it’s good to see something so tight yet so confident, even in its fuck ups. It makes me like them more.

The addition of Tim Mobbs seems to have helped bolster the bolshy two piece into a more well rounded trio, with the band themselves citing the added freedom they now enjoy – on stage and in the logistic that get BREVIEW: Table Scraps + Black Mekon @ Hare & Hounds 27.04.17 / James Thomasthem there. Mobbs also has a Theremin, which he plays sporadically (is there any other way..?) by using the head of his bass guitar. It adds some extra colour and twist, no pun intended, and for some reason makes me think of the child’s chemistry set I used to own. No idea why, but warm and fuzzy is the end result.

There are moments in the rest of the set where the rapid punches move to more obvious body blows, as elements of grunge and stadium rock wrestle each other on stage. And there is some similarity to a band whose name suggests a violent approach to large seeded fruit… But the tag team vocals and unashamed solos bring a fresh edge. It is perhaps also worth pointing out that being 5ft 7” on a good day I can’t see much of what’s going on at the front of the room; I write and record this evening relying on my more audible senses.

“You know this one…” yells Abbot, before ‘Motorcycle’ stands as the penultimate track of the night – with no pretence of an encore strutting itself to the wings and back. It’s a big sound to get right in a small room, but Table Scraps have delivered their set with aplomb and I am itching with something to see them on a large outdoor stage. Roll on September 16th.

But for now it’s back downstairs for more cider, by-partisan backslapping and reference points I will have to note down and research. Now what exactly is a ‘Black, Flag..?’

INTERVIEW: Table Scraps @ Hare & Hounds – 27.04.17

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For more on Table Scraps, visit www.table-scraps.bandcamp.com

For more on Black Mekon, visit www.blackmekon.com

For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

BREVIEW: The Moonlandingz @ Hare & Hounds 28.03.17

BREVIEW: Goat Girl – supporting The Moonlandingz @ Hare & Hounds 28.03.17 / Denise Wilson - Birmingham Review

 

 

 

Words by Steve Crawford / Pics by Denise Wilson

Tonight’s support, Goat Girl, are a four piece South London band from an emerging DIY indie scene. Signed to Rough Trade last year, they’ve been getting great reviews whenever they play live. Songs that build slowly with quiet-loud sections, repeating guitar riffs with a twang played against a tribal, Cramps like drum beat. Spleen is vented in songs like ‘Creep’ and ‘Country Sleaze’ – delivered in nonchalant, laid back vocals from singer/guitarist Lottie. An album is due out later this year which possibly means Goat Girl will return to Birmingham at some point as a headline act?

After a comprehensive sound check from a roadie searching for the troublesome “mix 6” which has disappeared from the monitors, The Moonlandingz finally take to the stage. What we’re all wondering is what exactly will Valhalla Dale’s most infamous resident, Johnny Rocket (aka Lias Saoudi), be wearing this season? The wait is over as – heeeeeere’s Johnny – in (it has to be said disappointingly) normal brown shoes and trousers.

BREVIEW: The Moonlandingz @ Hare & Hounds 28.03.17 / Denise Wilson – Birmingham ReviewBut it’s the topper-most half of the outfit that gets the fashionistas from Vogue scrambling for their notepads: cling film wrapped around a naked torso, worn coquettishly and daringly below the nipples, holding within pictures of a beaming Kriss Akabusi and two chocolate digestives. It takes some doing to make an entrance at the Hare and Hounds, lack of access to the stage via wings means performers have the indignity of wading through the throng from the back of the venue, but Johnny/Lias pulls it off with aplomb.

‘Vessels’, the first track off the debut album Interplanetary Class Classics, is the set opener and what’s immediately apparent is that The Moonlandingz like to crank it up when playing live. It’s LOUD. Somewhere in-between Saturn 5 rocket launch loud and Motorhead loud; the bass pummels and re-jigs internal organs and the fluid in the cranium starts to swirl and eddy. Looks like “mix 6” found its way BREVIEW: The Moonlandingz @ Hare & Hounds 28.03.17 / Denise Wilson – Birmingham Reviewback with a vengeance. Volume does mean a lot of the subtleties of the album are drowned out tonight, but then the recorded LP will always exist for such things. The band keeps up the pace with a “greatest hits” section as ‘Black Hanz’ and ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’ get belted out; pools of the audience bounce and semi-pogo along in the sold out, sweaty Hare and Hounds.

A lot is made of Lias Saoudi as a front-man, and rightly so. Adrian Flanagan considered him to be the best in Europe. Tonight as alter-ego Johnny Rocket he gives it his all in a delightful sleazy, louche and salacious performance, with a whiff of danger that never really becomes more than a threat – although at one point a mike stand is dropped into the crowd, nearly clattering into the photographers below. Refreshed by cans of draught Guinness which aren’t even poured into a glass, let alone left to settle (the man’s an animal) he doesn’t let up and keeps his foot on the pedal throughout.

BREVIEW: The Moonlandingz @ Hare & Hounds 28.03.17 / Denise Wilson – Birmingham ReviewBut this isn’t just the Johnny Rocket show. Rebecca Taylor, glorious in fake fur coat, is more than a match for Johnny/Lias in the band-fronting stakes; it is very much duel effort fronting The Moonlandingz. The foil and counter-foil between Taylor and Johnny/Lias is nicely highlighted during the latest single, ‘The Strangle of Anna’, which sees them as a latter day Serge Gainsborough and Jane Birkin.

Joining in the carinivalesque on stage there’s some fine swagger and posturing from bass player Manfredo, whereas guitarist Mairead O’Conner is the epitome of serene tranquility. The calm at the eye of the storm she is totally unfazed by her wayward bandmates antics and holds a sure and steady course. Watching over it all from behind his keyboard is the band’s avuncular leader, Adrian Flanagan, in a gone-fishing hat and shades. The only member who really engages the crowd between songs (although I can’t make out what he says) Flanagan looks both amused and delighted at times with his creation, diving beneath a towel at one point to reappear moments later, BREVIEW: The Moonlandingz @ Hare & Hounds 28.03.17 / Denise Wilson – Birmingham Reviewpossibly to confirm that this fictional band are indeed punching holes in reality tonight.

All tracks from Interplanetary Class Classics are played plus ‘Drop It Fauntleroy’ from the Black Hanz EP, but the band finish up with ‘Man In My Lyfe’ from The Eccentronic Research Council’s Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine… I’m Your Biggest Fan album – which is where all this began, giving birth to the fictional Johnny Rocket and his band The Moonlandingz.

As the final track fades Adrian Flanagan announces “That’s yer lot”. And so it is. No encore. The spectacle that is The Moonlandingz exit stage front, back through the cheering throng once again.

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For more on The Moonlandingz, visit www.themoonlandingz.com

Form more on Goat Girl, visit www.facebook.com/goatgirlofficial

For more from the Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

For more from This Is Tmrw, visit www.thisistmrw.co.uk