Tag: Review Publishing

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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.

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BREVIEW: Reginald D. Hunter – Just the Tonic Comedy Club @ Rosies Nightclub 01.11.19

Words by Charlotte Heap / Pic courtesy of Just the Tonic Comedy Club

Reginald D. Hunter headlined Just the Tonic Comedy Club special on Friday 1st November at Rosies Nightclub on Broad Street, with support acts Simon Wozniak and Darius Davies – ably compared by regular host, Thomas Green.

Just the Tonic Comedy Club was founded in 1994 and has been running at venues across the UK ever since. Firstly, I must grumble. Doors closed for the show at 7.15pm, for an 8 o’clock start: arriving after work, this reviewer was hungry. I was surprised that only Chicago Town pizzas were on offer which were pretty pricey considering they are essentially frozen pizzas (and no crisps! – criminal). It’s a generous line-up too, meaning the show lasted nearly three hours: I soon decided to splash out on a pizza and was a little cranky to discover they’d sold out. The place was busy but not packed: this peckish punter would have appreciated better preparedness from the Friday night organisers. The scarcity of sustenance, however, did mean the lubricated audience lent a lively spirit to the show.

Rosies Nightclub is an intimate venue, a real old school comedy club with long tables (imagine the darts but much more ‘date night’) and large leather booths. Every seat has a good view and they even set out a free front row for the fearless or foolish, a foot from the stage: a chance we leapt at (I’d had four gins in quick succession on an empty stomach). Thomas Green (an acerbic, bearded Aussie who, like most Australians, makes liberal use of the C-bomb) worked the crowd well and deftly dealt with drunken hecklers. His quick banter built an audience bond which the acts bounced off. Spooky Halloween spiderwebs (and skulls which initially blocked the stage lights) stuck to each act and it was great to see how they each improvised to capitalise on the physical comedy.

As to the acts: Darius Davies (an Anglo-Iranian from London) was a decent warm up, funny if a little predictable (to be fair, I was ‘hangry’ at this point and he made the typical ‘Birmingham is shit’ joke, which nearly pushed me over the edge). Simon Wozniak’s set was better, slick self-deprecation delivered dripping in snark, which had the audience roaring. By the time Reginald D. Hunter arrived, his familiar large frame dominating the small stage as his grey dreads caught up in the cobwebs, the crowd was pleasantly pissed and well warmed up.

An American who has made the UK his home for the last two decades, Hunter is by far one of the most familiar faces on the comedy circuit in the UK today. Known for his acerbic wit delivered in honey tones: I’m most familiar with his tackling of subjects like race and sexuality on TV in his smooth South Georgia drawl.

Having enjoyed that comedy rarity of both critical and commercial success, his stand-up has become almost secondary to his television career, although he does tour regularly. His shortish set (around half an hour) seemed somewhat patched together from a longer show; he touched on race (the N-word), politics (the B-word) but then swung to love/sex/relationships jokes. Hunter is a seasoned pro: being given a glimpse into his personal life humanised him, but with richness in the political landscape right now it would have been great to see him riff more on the ridiculousness of both his adopted and home nation’s hubris. This is a niggle, however, Hunter was entertaining, showing a different string to his bow and we spilled out onto Broad Street happy, if very hungry.

Just the Tonic Comedy Club gives Brummies the chance to see comedy in a cosy setting: three quality acts and a compere for fifteen quid is a bargain night of entertainment in the centre of Broad Street. Be prepared, however: pack some snacks.

For more on Reginal D. Hunter, visit www.reginalddhunter.co.uk

For more from Just the Tonic Comedy Club (Birmingham), including further event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.justthetonic.com/birmingham-comedy

For more on Rosies Nightclub (Birmingham), including venue details and further event listings, visit www.rosiesclubs.co.uk/birmingham

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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: Reginald D. Hunter – Just the Tonic Comedy Club @ Rosies Nightclub 01.11.19

Reginal D Hunter / Courtesy of Just the Tonic Comedy Club

Words by Charlotte Heap / Pic courtesy of Just the Tonic Comedy Club

On Friday 1st November, Reginald D. Hunter is headlining Just the Tonic Comedy Club special at Rosies Nightclub on Broad Street – with support acts Simon Wozniak, Darius Davies, and Thomas Green completing the line up.

Doors open at 6.30pm, with tickets priced at £15 (£12.50 concessions) – as promoted by the nationwide Just the Tonic Comedy Club. For more event information, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, visit www.justthetonic.com/birmingham-comedy/shows/friday-1-nov-2019/

Just the Tonic Comedy Club was founded in 1994 by Darrell Martin, a stand up in his own right, and has been running at venues across the UK ever since – ‘consistently boasting the most interesting line ups in the country’, according to The Times. According to Just the Tonic’s website. Promoting a show every Saturday at Rosies Birmingham, Just the Tonic has brought some well known faces from the comedy circuit to the second city, including Ross Noble, Milton Jones, and now Reginald D. Hunter – with Stuart Lee describing the club as ‘a really valuable part of the UK comedy scene’ in a 2010 interview.

An American who has made the UK his home for the last two decades, Reginad D. Hunter is known for his acerbic wit delivered in honey tones; tackling subjects like race and sexuality in his sweet smooth South Georgia drawl, his comedy can be controversial but is always cleverly articulated and dispensed with conviction. Hunter is by far one of the most familiar faces, and voices, on the comedy circuit in the UK today.

A television regular, Hunter has become a staple on panel shows such as Have I Got News for You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and QI. He’s also branched out into documentary making: Reginald D. Hunter’s Songs of the South and its equally successful follow up Reginald D. Hunter’s Songs of the Border explored the growth of American music on BBC2.

Having been first nominated for Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer in 2002 for his debut solo show I am What I am, Hunter has enjoyed that comedy rarity of both critical and commercial success –  so much so that his stand-up has become almost secondary to his television career, although he still tours regularly.

Just the Tonic Comedy Club brings Birmingham comedy fans the chance to see some of the circuits best loved acts perform in an intimate setting on Broad Street: less arena tour, more old school stand-up show.

Reginal D. Hunter performs at Rosie’s Nightclub on Friday 1st November, supported by stand up comedians Simon Wozniak, Darius Davies, and Thomas Green – as promoted by Just the Tonic Comedy Club. For more event information, including venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.justthetonic.com/birmingham-comedy/shows/friday-1-nov-2019/

For more on Reginal D. Hunter, visit www.reginalddhunter.co.uk 

For more from Just the Tonic Comedy Club (Birmingham), including further event listings and online ticket sales, visitwww.justthetonic.com/birmingham-comedy

For more on Rosies Nightclub (Birmingham), including venue details and further event listings, visit www.rosiesclubs.co.uk/birmingham

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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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BREVIEW: Fantasia – Rosie Kay Dance Company @ The Patrick Studio 25.09.19

Words by Charlotte Heap / Pics courtesy of Rosie Kay Dance Company

What is it that makes dance beautiful to watch? The choreography, the costumes, the lighting, the music?

Rosie Kay’s Dance Company’s new show, Fantasia, which premiered at Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio on 25th September, promised to use art and science to ‘make a work of pure joy.’

Rosie Kay Dance Company is a West Midlands based organisation headed by the eponymous Rosie Kay, a Birmingham Hippodrome Associate, and established in 2004. The company has a number of acclaimed productions in its repertoire, including MK Ultra, (which I’ve reviewed during its original run in 2017 and after its revamp in 2018), The Wild Party, Supernova and 5 Soldiers – the latter of which was performed in a real barracks. More recently, Kay was a Commonwealth Games Handover Ceremony choreographer.

Rosie Kay has developed a reputation for developing shows which challenge the audience on complex issues, without compromising on the dance experience. In researching for her new piece, Fantasia, Kay worked with neuroscientists at Denmark’s Center for Music in the Brain to explore how dance can trigger pleasure and fulfilment in the cerebrum. Kay fine-tuned her choreography for Fantasia, using this knowledge, in an attempt maximise the audience experience.

Fantasia is a performance in three parts: three female dancers explore emotions, from love to loss, through linked group and solo dances representing the sun, the moon and the earth. Composer Annie Mahtani and Kay worked with familiar pieces including Purcell, Beethoven and Bach for the show, delivering a clever contrast between classical music and modern choreography.

Dancers Shanelle Clemenson, Harriet Ellis, and Carina Howard were, at times, breath-taking: performing barefoot ballet with power, athleticism and raw emotion. The composition coupled with the intimacy of The Patrick Studio meant we could hear the dancers breathe emotional exhalations, a deliberate choice by Mahtani and Kay which added to the immersive feel of Fantasia.

The most joyful moments were enhanced by clever staging; Louis Price and Sasha Kier brought the tutu back, but exaggerated the form and added tribal prints. Under the bright light of the ‘sun’, the pirouetting dancers resembled spinning parasols on a windswept beach.

Fully-fringed silver catsuits swished and shone hypnotically in the ‘moonlight’, although a nitpicker may say that the costume change here was a few seconds too long – an empty, unlit stage does not spark joy. It was for the merest of moments, however, and Mike Gunning (Lighting Director) otherwise created dreamy reflections and shadows on the studio stage, replicating and twisting the dancers’ moves like a hall of mirrors.

The dancers weaved through a range of feelings for the audience; modern moves, frantic and frenetic, confronted us and induced discomfort as well as delight. Irreverence in dance may not please the purist – but some endearing and even cheeky moments (literally, as each dancer playfully lifts their dress to flash their bottom during the final act) brought levity and laughter from this opening night audience. Occasionally, a size disparity between the dancers caused synchronicity to slip and this dampened the fantasy – but only slightly.

Fantasia sets out to be ‘an exquisite performance of pleasure, beauty and finesse’, subverting conventional ballet to reach the audience scientifically as well aesthetically. Kay has used her signature innovation to bring ballet into the 21st century’; Fantasia isn’t pure joy but more a reminder of the scope of human emotion, and that in itself is joyful to watch.

Fantasia – Rosie Kay Dance Company

Rosie Kay Dance Company is currently touring Fantasia across the UK, running until 21st November. For more on Fantasia, visit www.rosiekay.co.uk/project/fantasia

For more from the Rosie Kay Dance Company, including further event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.rosiekay.co.uk

For more on the Birmingham Hippodrome and The Patrick Studio, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com/about-us/the-patrick-studio

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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.