robhadley

July 28, 2017July 29, 2017

THE GALLERY: The Hungry Ghosts – ‘Amerika/Lazaro’ single launch @ Centrala 22.07.17

Words by Ed King / Original pics by Rob Hadley

On Saturday 22^nd July, those slaughter house siblings let another one of their scaly offspring slither out unguarded across the plains… or if you’ve not read me write about them before, The Hungry Ghosts released a new single – their double a-side of ‘Amerika/Lazaro’.

Celebrating their latest twisted blues debauchery, The Hungry Ghosts had themselves a fine little single release shindig at Centrala – taking over the upstairs room (which we never knew existed until this event) for a smoke filled DIY affair on the banks of the Birmingham canal network. There was laughter, tears, mother’s ruin drunk straight from the bottle, probably a lost shoe or fractured corpse floating somewhere in the waters, plus a feast of friends coming from all across Albion for some superlative support. ‘Aint alliteration ace, anyway…

The acts that came to play at The Hungry Ghosts‘ ‘Amerika/Lazaro’ single launch are (almost) all represented in glorious Technicolor below, but if you need a chronological roll call: You Dirty Blue, Charlie Boyer, Average Sex, The Lizards.

But honestly, I was having too much fun to seriously comment. Or commit. Or converse, rationally, at points. Although I’ll tell you this for nowt – The Hungry Ghosts have been embedding a new line up this year and the results are blisteringly promising, both on stage and off. I saw the five piece first at The Sunflower Lounge for Counteract’s 7^th Birthday bash in April, with a fresh edge that had been somewhat needed. The fire was back. And their Centrala single launch was another notch above, so as trajectories go there’s something of a second attempt Icarus happening here.

Joe Joseph is fast becoming the front man of legends, whilst Billy Ollis seems to have tapped a little further into that dark spring that wells so wonderfully within him. Flanking the founders now are Jay Dyer and Emily Doyle, who feel like they have always been there, with Rich Burman proving that you can actually keep hold of a percussionist. He’s a keeper; they’re all keepers. This is the band The Hungry Ghosts should be.

So, blah blah blah. Adulation/opinion. Told you… having too much fun. But ‘Amerika’ rocks in every sense of the description so it’s all quite simple really:

1) Read my BPREVIEW here
2) Watch the official ‘Amerika’ trailer video via the link below
3) Buy a copy here – out on August 4th. This band needs to eat

‘Amerika’ – The Hungry Ghosts

Outside of all that, Rob Hadley had a more professional hat on at Centrala and there’s some smokey sex shots for you to skewer you’re way through – a few cherry picked below, or (heartily recommended) for the Full Flickr of Pics click here or on the relevant links.

And if you still need a guiding voice in your ear, you crazed bastard child of Bateman, then simply grab your leather bound Roget, flick those fingers to the words ‘sinister’, ‘gold’ and ‘vociferous’, then start to fill in the blanks. ‘Awesome’ might be worth a look too.

N.B. The Hungry Ghosts are back out on the road in August (tour poster above) so you’ll be able to see this for yourself. Diaries at the ready… Crofters Right (Bristol) 12^th August, Shambala Festival (Northamptonshire) 26^th August, Hare & Hounds (Kings Heath, B’ham) 27^th August.

The Hungry Ghosts @ Centrala 22.07.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

For more on The Hungry Ghosts, visit www.thehungryghosts.co.uk

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You Dirty Blue – supporting The Hungry Ghosts @ Centrala 22.07.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

For more on You Dirty Blue, visit www.facebook.com/youdirtyblue

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Charlie Boyer – supporting The Hungry Ghosts @ Centrala 22.07.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

For more on Charlie Boyer/The Voyers, visit www.soundcloud.com/TheVoyeurs

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Average Sex – supporting The Hungry Ghosts @ Centrala 22.07.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

For more on Average Sex, visit www.facebook.com/averagesex

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The Lizards – supporting The Hungry Ghosts @ Centrala 22.07.17 / Rob Hadley – Birmingham Review

For more on The Lizards, visit www.soundcloud.com/allyourfriendsarelizards

For more from Setting Son Records, visit www.facebook.com/settingsonrecords

For more from Centrala, visit www.centrala-space.org.uk

July 17, 2017July 27, 2017

BPREVIEW: The Hungry Ghosts – ‘Amerika/Lazaro’ single launch @ Centrala 22.07.17

Words by Ed King / Pic by Rob Hadley (Indie Images)

On Saturday 22^nd July, The Hungry Ghosts will be celebrating the upcoming release of their ‘Amerika/Lazaro’ double a-side with a single showcase gig at Centrala (Minerva Works). Support comes from You Dirty Blue, Charlie Boyer (The Voyers), Average Sex, The Lizards.

Doors open at 7pm with tickets prices at £6.50 + booking fee. For direct gig info, including venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

Set for release on 4^th August through Setting Son Records, ‘Amerika/Lazaro’ is the first release for The Hungry Ghosts with their new line up. Adding two new bodies and three new faces, the Redditch born purveyors of slaughterhouse blues are enjoying (we hope) a promising evolution this year – with height, grace, automaton time keeping and the occasional Manchester moshpit brawl now packed into The Mothership (The Hungry Ghosts’ trusty touring steed). Don’t mess with Emily Doyle I think is the message here.

So, any good..? The last time Birmingham Review saw The Hungry Ghosts was at Counteract’s 7^th birthday in April, where the now five piece were supporting The Mother’s Earth Experiment and the world’s worst kept secret. And there was certainly something going on. The new material – still spearheaded by Billy Ollis and Joe Joseph – is a continuation of this curve; fresh yet confidently identifiable, the two snippets we’ve been privy to so far are promising to say the least.

‘Amerika’ opens with swagger, low steel twangs and a guitar riff so addictive it would out twitch a crack baby, before Joe Joseph’s serrated drawl comes to drag us a little further through the grit. Think ‘Super King King’ after the longest sex of its life. Smeared with all the imagery, prophecy and the subtle flavour of gold rush fever you’d expect from a Hungry Ghosts track titled ‘Amerika’, this is a little lighter than their usual brand of twisted metal yet still immediately identifiable. Blood Red Songs is an awesome EP but this is the balance we’ve been waiting two years to hear.

Following the narrative is ‘Lazaro’, a more garage rock affair that introduces the ‘naked as a stranger’ protagonist who will be our resurrected guide through this double a-side. Punched out from the off, this side of the single is more raw and raucous – a hark back to the ‘Hares on the Mountain’ that hooked our cheeks in the first place. Awesome. Again. Double A.

And here’s a sneaky peak into the story of ‘Amerika’ and the dark tendrils that pulled it out from the collective subconscious. Or Joe, for short. The rest you’ll get to figure out on repeat from 4^th August.

‘Amerika’ – The Hungry Ghosts

The Hungry Ghosts are launching their ‘Amerika/Lazaro’ double a-side at Centrala (Minerva Works) on Saturday 22^nd July, with support from You Dirty Blue, Charlie Boyer, Average Sex, The Lizards. For direct event info, including venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

For more on The Hungry Ghosts, visit www.thehungryghosts.co.uk

For more from Setting Son Records, visit www.facebook.com/settingsonrecords

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For more on You Dirty Blue, visit www.facebook.com/youdirtyblue

For more on Charlie Boyer/The Voyers, visit www.soundcloud.com/TheVoyeurs

For more on Average Sex, visit www.facebook.com/averagesex

For more on The Lizards, visit www.soundcloud.com/allyourfriendsarelizards

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For more from Centrala, visit www.centrala-space.org.uk

June 7, 2017June 7, 2017

BREVIEW: The Growlers @ O2 Academy 24.05.17

Words by Giles Logan / Pics by Rob Hadley

A disappointingly half full venue for the first show of The Growlers’ UK tour; what will the laconic extremists from Southern California make of it? No sweat. Lights dim, intro music and the band shuffle on stage in City Club macs (they must be melting) and instantly the dreary functionality of the O2 Academy transforms into what could be a Vegas lounge.

“Let’s do this”, announces front man Brooks Nielsen and the band breeze easily into ‘Big Toe’ from 2014’s Chinese Fountain album – a trademark tune of uplifting misery, the breezy rhythm hosting a pained song of suicidal heartbreak. “She’s got me on the bridge looking down at the old cold river”. Who opens a set with a song about self destruction? This is the dark beauty of The Growlers. Their mischievous lyricism is delivered with a cute self referential nod and a wink; Nielsen has an enormous cheeky glint in his eye with lines such as “she can hex like a crow”. It’s a theme that runs through their music: hey guys, shit happens but we’ve got this.

The Growlers’ approach to set lists is a bit like their approach to genre, happily skitting from surf, rock blues and in the instance of ‘Hiding under The Covers’, from 2013’s Gilded Pleasures album, to a greasy cha-cha-cha through more heartbreak. “It’s hard to choose the right thing to do when you’re so in love”, croons Nielsen in that glorious West Coast drawl of his.

Coming off like a weird hybrid of Jim Morrison and Elvis, snake hipped Nielsen is a great front man. An infectious personality with an inviting smile he welcomes us into The Growlers world with honest warmth. “We’re going to rush through as many songs as we can before curfew, been a long time since we had a curfew”. The whole band posses an addictive enthusiasm and swagger; with major line up changes before last year’s City Club album fans baulked, but there is a collective energy and humour about them, shared smiles and laughter – they’re having fun if we have fun.

‘Naked Kids’ from The Growlers’ third album, Hung At Heart, with its gospel keyboard, is a rousing stab at redemption and enlightenment – “I picked myself above the ground” intones Nielsen with raw Southern pain, now minus his City Club mac and wearing the coolest bowling shirt we’ve ever seen. A rapt and youthful audience with arms aloft share in this sweaty epiphany; there’s even kids on shoulders, “go for it boys” smiles Nielsen.

One of the set highlights is ‘Night Ride’ from The Growlers’ latest album, City Club – a wickedly funky rhythm and a lingering, almost yearning, look back at memories of bacchanalian excess with a deliciously sing-a-long refrain: “over and over and over again, till you can no longer pretend you are sane”. There is a charmingly shambolic nonchalance, as The Growlers enter a hazy reverie in a song that has been suggested is aimed at ex-members of the band.

With such an incredible back catalogue of material spread over five albums, the classics continue with the dreamy psychedelic sprawl of ‘Nobody Owns You’, the downbeat joy of ‘Too Many Times’ and a journey into the sleazy guilt of ‘Feelin’ Good’: “just cause it feels good, doesn’t mean it’s right”. There’s even an up tempo (ish) moment as playful keyboards guide us through ‘One Million Lovers’, as “something strange just takes over you”.

“Well let’s fucking go”, threatens Nielsen as another set highlight growls into life: ‘Vacant Lot’, again from City Club. Harder edged than other tunes, it’s lumbering pile-driving riff joins a swirl of keyboard and tribal drums, really hammering home “like a bullet train”. Cue a mini mosh pit, mass sing-a-long “way down in the valley of the mud”. There’s even time for some human beat boxing, as the whole song is accompanied by epileptic levels of strobe.

Then as if to confuse us with their rampant eclecticism, The Growlers follow this with a disco-lite rendition of ‘Pet Shop Eyes’ and the dub bop happy ‘I’ll Be Around’ – a song that confounds with its major rock out chorus. “Ignorance is complacency”, too right. For those that didn’t catch The Growlers in Birmingham, you missed a classic.

For more on The Growlers, visit www.thegrowlers.com

For more Mystic Braves, visit www.mysticbraves.com

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For more from the 02 Academy (B’ham), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academybirmingham

For more from DHP Family, visit www.dhpfamily.com

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

June 1, 2017

BPREVIEW: Ed Geater + Lady Sanity, Andrew Souter @ mac 02.06.17

Words by Ed King / Pic by Rob Hadley

On Friday 2^nd June, Ed Geater headlines a showcase at mac for his upcoming single with Lady Sanity, ‘Found a Place’. Alongside their collaboration Lady Sanity will be performing a full set of her own material, with further support coming from Andrew Souter who will be opening the evening.

Doors open at 8pm, with tickets priced at £7.50 – as presented by Impact. For direct gig info and online ticket sales, click here.

Coming out on Brox Records, a new Birmingham based label, ‘Found a Place’ will be available to purchase from 16^th June – check online outlets including iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Google Play, Amazon. “I’m so excited,” says Ed Geater, “Lady Sanity is one of Birmingham’s most exciting talents right now, and the combination of our different styles has sparked something original and fresh.”

“When writing the lyrics for ‘Found A Place’ I really wanted to focus on the beauty of the world I see despite how much negativity we see on a daily basis,” adds Lady Sanity. “‘Found a Place’ is really about finding happiness in the small things and appreciating them. In my case that joy and relief comes from music. Ed’s guitar really brings it to life. You can hear the frustration in the track but it also uplifts you.”

‘Found a Place’ was first released into the public domain via Ed Geater’s Soundcloud page, with an audio only version posted on 29^th May. Click on the link below to listen:

‘Found a Place’ – Ed Geater Feat. Lady Sanity

Ed Geater performs in mac’s Theatre on Friday 2^nd June, with support from Lady Sanity and Andrew Soulter – as presented by Impact. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

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

For more on Lady Sanity, visit www.ladysanity.com

For more on Andrew Souter, visit www.andrewsouter.co.uk

For more from mac, including a full programme of events and courses, visit www.macbirmingham.co.uk

May 22, 2017

BPREVIEW: The Growlers @ O2 Academy 24.05.17

Words by Ed King

On Wednesday 24^th May, The Growlers play at the 02 Academy (B’ham) – with support from Echo Park music men, Mystic Braves.

Doors open at 7pm with tickets priced at £16 (+bf), as presented by DHP Family and This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info, including full venue details and online ticket sales, click here.

In Birmingham for the first of seven UK dates, the Southern California psch-rockers are on the road with album number five – the thirteen track mescaline sponge bath, City Club, that came out on Cult Records in September last year.

And if you’ve not been privy to albums 1-4, The Growlers were born from a peyote collecting lunch break and an old six string acoustic; the band have (or had) a double decker tour bus with ‘California Church Teen Choir’ emblazoned on its side. You know that question, what would Morrison have become if not dead and fat in a bathtub… Although to a boy from the British Isles, I can’t help but think of Alex Turner and the Ozric Tentacles at the dopamine tail end of an August Bank Holiday weekend.

The Growlers also gave us Beach Goth – their self described genre moniker, arguable oxymoron, and the name of their annual two day Orange County festival. As well as being my favourite music ‘label’ ever, linguistically speaking.

And aside from being the center stage poster boys for the highs/lows of recreational drug use, The Growlers have headlined Beach Goth since its inception in 2012 – attracting acts from Tricky to Bon Iver, Patty Smith to The Parcyde, to join them on last year’s October bill. I think I’ve just worked out what to do for my birthday.

But the band mean business, even if it’s scratched out in luminous paint on the side of a headless store mannequin. So get serious, or not, get weird, or not, but with 76 tracks over five studio albums (and I’m guessing a fluid approach to set lists) you’d better get comfortable. Pass ‘the juice’ anyone..?

‘City Club’ – The Growlers (title/opening track from their latest studio album)

The Growlers perform at the 02 Academy on Wednesday 24^th May, with support from Mystic Braves – as presented by DHP and This Is Tmrw. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

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For more on The Growlers, visit www.thegrowlers.com

For more Mystic Braves, visit www.mysticbraves.com

For more from the 02 Academy (B’ham), including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2academybirmingham

For more from DHP Family, visit www.dhpfamily.com

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