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July 19, 2018

BREVIEW: The Mothers Earth Experiment @ The Dark Horse 13.07.18

Words & pics by Ed King

I never played at the Whisky a Go Go. I was never in the house band; I was never Morrison. As much I wanted to be, mine was another time, another room. Another stage. Mine was breakbeat, rave, and those pills that had nothing to do with weight loss.

But The Mothers Earth Experiment, tonight, they get close. Close enough for me to start my review with wishes and references. Close enough to make me walk out the door and leave everything behind. Close enough, and what are we if nothing but shallow dreams. But fuck me they rock.

First up tonight though, at this particularly generous free entry Friday night gig at The Dark Horse, is The Taboo Club – the new face of Rob Lilley and Josh Rochelle-Bates, now joined by Jack Ingaglia (guitar), Ben Oerton (sax/keys) and Aiden Price (drums).

Their first live gig together, there are some rehearsal room cobwebs being dusted down tonight, and by the time ‘Bible John’ comes tumbling off stage, led by Lilley’s deep vocals, we are in a red room of sultry intent. Nestled somewhere between the low lit bourbon dive bars of Harlem and an opiate pit of six string destruction that would make the Velvet Underground blush, The Taboo Club are tapestry of genres and influences – driven by guitar, but with tinges of jazz, sax, and keys, giving the wall of sound a deep lustre.

Absurdly promising, even if I am a little biased. The Taboo Club play the next Birmingham Review showcase on Saturday September 29^th at The Victoria and we predict an interesting first time around the sun for this band – a tight ensemble with real depth. So stay alert, you listicles of music press future. More is sure to follow from The Taboo Club.

But back in the present, it’s time for Birmingham’s favourite space cadets to come in for landing. I’ve seen The Mothers Earth Experiment before, and they’re good. They’re tight. Polished psych rock. Musicians who know how to play, and who you get the feeling (I can only observe) really enjoy their time on stage together. At least I love watching their keyboard player.

But there’s something in their set tonight, and the front row, and the bass, and the shoulders that sway in that Nico kinda way. There’s something more. I’m engaged in a different way than before; perhaps it’s the blues rock, for whatever you or I make of that term. But it’s good, and a little ferocious. Two words I’m confident we all understand.

Frontman Mark Roberts pulls his face and eyes out over the crowd, as the band open with ‘Cool Down Mama’ and work backwards through their debut album. The combined exuberance of this six piece, who are probably classically trained (I have no idea but it feels like they could, or should, be) with high ideas and the balls to bring them to life, is unassailable.

I’m a little drunk and lazy as I write this (I recently adopted the stance of penning each review as soon as I get back. You know, whilst it’s ‘still fresh’. The photos on the other hand…) but I have an overwhelming urge to run across the bonnets of parked cars, or laugh. Or actually enjoy myself in public. There’s a deeper edge to The Mothers Earth Experiment tonight that I’m not erudite (sober) enough right now to adequately describe, but it keeps me in the crowd with a half jealous fix on stage. The man next to me agrees. We stop talking and watch. And dance, when the moments of tight self-control allow us.

Donald Trump would not agree. His name is mentioned more than a few times tonight, and not with compassion or without candour. But let’s face it, as we laugh at doom and the absurdity of such a close nuclear winter, the man is indeed “a cunt”. But with balloons and battle cries constantly thrown off stage we are unified at The Dark Horse tonight, on the very day that such monstrosity prepares themselves for dinner with the divine right of kings. And in a further act of general good will, The Mothers Earth Experiment have been passing out NOT NORMAL – NO OK stickers until in the room is adorned with specs of yellow and black. A wonderful sight to see; bless everyone one stage and off. Click here for more on the NOT NORMAL – NO OK campaign.

But we’re nearing the end, my only friend, and the The Mothers Earth Experiment say sayonara with a new track before heading back to the cosmos – ‘Bliss’, which builds, folds, unfolds, and explodes off stage like a grenade wrapped in a cloud. Bliss… For Spaceman 3 playing ‘Revolution’ on a particularly angry day perhaps; the shift from sweet jangles to sonic assault is almost rude… and so much fun. A startling denouement. No encore needed. Although The Mothers Earth Experiment had one planned, as the track listing I stole (it’s usually a journalist) told me was ‘Fortress’.

The rest of my night ends with random friends, strange new faces, stories of pet executions (lack of funds… ouch, you’ve got to love the fluctuating moral compass) and that unpleasant edge in Moseley I’m old enough to reference. Fuck you, I remember when this was all fields…

The Mother’s Earth Experiment at The Dark House, we give you four out of five stars, No one gets five. And I’m sure the letter you send home about this will be the talk of your family Christmas mailout. But I loved it; a great gig. And one that didn’t cost us a bean too.

So to the people of planet Earth, go out and purchase everything on The Mothers Earth Experiment merch stand and keep the world replete with good music. Also, keep Saturday September 29th free for The Taboo Club Showcase Gig with Birmingham Review at The Victoria. That is the judgement of music journalism. It has spoken. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. And considering tonight was a free entry gig, with copies of The Mothers Earth Experiment’s eponymous album being given away, I’d say it’s the very least we can do.

For more on The Mothers Earth Experiment, visit www.themothersearthexperiment.wordpress.com

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

The Taboo Club Showcase Gig with Birmingham Review will be held at The Victoria on Saturday 29^th September. To find out more, and to be on the waiting list for when tickets are released, visit the Facebook Event Page by clicking here.

For more from Sonic Gun, including further event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.facebook.com/sonicgunconcerts

For more on The Dark Horse, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.darkhorsemoseley.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 sign up to NOT NORMAL – NOT OK, click here. To know more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK sticker campaign, click here.

July 18, 2018

BPREVIEW: Opulence Presents: Mother’s Meeting – featuring Virgin Xtravaganzah, Mickey Taylor, Twiggy @ The Nightingale Club 20.07.18

Words by Eleanor Sutcliffe

On Friday 20^th July, Opulence Presents: Mother’s Meeting – featuring Virgin Xtravaganzah, Mickey Taylor, and Twiggy at The Nightingale Club in Birmingham. Doors are open from 9pm, and whilst all Early Bird tickets have sold out you can still get advance tickets for £6 – click here for online ticket sales.

N.B. A limited number of tickets will be also available on the door for £7, but these cannot be reserved and are expected to go early. For direct event information visit the Opulence Presents: Mother’s Meeting Facebook Event Page by clicking here.

Opulence are one of Birmingham’s leading drag collectives, who strive to host fun and safe events for Birmingham’s ever growing drag scene. Their debut Mother’s Meeting at Jesters Bar back in April was a rousing success, and this month’s event looks to be even bigger –with Opulence moving the event to the larger Nightingale Club, and three artists schedules to perform as well as Opulence’s resident drag queens.

First up is Virgin Xtravaganzah, a London based queen who has been coined the ‘Mother of Gawd’. Mixing high fashion imagery, comedy and witty song parodies, Xtravaganzah is no stranger to the stage having performed at The Underbelly Festival and can be found hosting London’s infamous Torture Garden fetish parties.

Not exactly where you’d expect to find the Holy Mother, however Xtravaganzah’s interpretation of the Virgin Mary couldn’t be further from what we’re used to – think latex, leather corsets and towering heels as opposed to linen robes and rosary beads.

Next is Mickey Taylor, a singer songwriter who to date has two solo albums and an international tour under his belt. His music is ethereal, dance type tracks – for fans of artists such as Halsey, Lana Del Ray and Troye Sivan.

Taylor has an impressive fan base, having built his reputation through the adult entertainment industry and scooping numerous awards at the British Prowler Porn Awards. His latest album, Midnight Palace, shows a much more refined style in comparison to his gay-pop debut, Puppets Lament, back in 2016.

Finally, Birmingham’s very own lip-sync darling, Twiggy, will also be featured at Mother’s Meeting; Twiggy is one of the Midlands’ best-known drag artists, having honed their craft as a performer back in the 1980s.

Describing their life as “one long fancy dress party”, Twiggy’s signature outrageous club kid style (and headdress) has made them a cult figure of the UK’s drag scene, whilst also becoming the glamorous face of many Birmingham clubs from Miss Moneypenny’s to S.L.A.G. and Sundissential. Having performed at Birmingham’s very first Pride back in 1982, Twiggy is seen as one of the founding mothers of Brum’s gay village and drag scene.

With three headliners plus Opulence’s very own drag entourage, expect to see the likes of Yshee Black, Nora Virus, Elliot Barnicle, and drag duo Cocktail Sausage (Petite and Pork Pie) also grace the stage throughout the night.

Opulence Presents: Mother’s Meeting at The Nightingale Club on Friday 20^th July – featuring Virgin Xtravaganzah, Mickey Taylor, and Twiggy. For direct information, including links to online ticket sales, click here.

For more on Virgin Xtravaganzah, visit www.virginxtravaganzah.com

For more on Mickey Taylor, visit www.misfitarmy.com

For more on Twiggy, visit www.instagram.com/twiggybirmingham

For more on Opulence, visit www.facebook.com/opulencebirmingham

For more from The Nightingale Club, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.nightingaleclub.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 sign up to NOT NORMAL – NOT OK, click here. To know more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK sticker campaign, click here.

July 12, 2018July 12, 2018

BPREVIEW: The Mothers Earth Experiment @ The Dark Horse 13.07.18

Words by Ed King

On Friday 13^th July, The Mothers Earth Experiment play a free entry gig at The Dark Horse in Moseley – with support from The Taboo Club.

Doors open upstairs at ‘the horse’ from 8pm, with tickets costing NOTHING AT ALL YOU LUCKY MUSIC LOVING BAST*RDS – as presented by Sonic Gun. For direct information, visit the Facebook Event Page by clicking here.

They say Friday 13^th is an auspicious day (“they talk a lot, don’t they…”) and The Mothers Earth Experiment are channelling whatever from wherever to feed the collective unconscious with some musical manna this weekend.

Always worth a stop, look and listen, The Mothers Earth Experiment have been pumping out their jazz, funk, and lava lamp tinged psych rock for a handful of years now. One of the more musically proficient bands we’ve come across on Brum’s live circuit, The Mothers Earth Experiment are a tight and intelligent six piece delivering ‘detailed sonic tapestries of dense psychedelic atmospheres and emotive melodies’ with a social-political message never too far behind. Committed to the cause of music. Plus, they’re lovely people. And the world needs lovely people.

But this weekend, The Mothers Earth Experiment are being extra good to us all. First up, they’re throwing a free gig. So no bank balances will suffer if you want to go out and get your psych rock wiggle on this weekend. Bless you gents.

Second up, The Mothers Earth Experiment are gifting ten free copies of their debut album as part of the promo for the gig – leaving a round of drinks and a lift home as the only acts of generosity left to give. To win a copy, all you’ve got to do is share their Facebook post about it – click here – and the winners will be announced via the band’s social media, with CDs ready for collection at The Dark Horse.

Sounds simple enough. But to celebrate the arrival of POTUS to the UK, The Mothers Earth Experience have tailored their competition to honour the illustrious floppy wig wearing war mongering celebrity obsessed egotistical megalomaniac. In the band’s own words:

‘And if you want a really big chance of winning something, remember I personally will buy something special for the person with the best plaque, t-shirt, sign etc that tells Donald Trump where to fucking go.’

The Mothers Earth Experiment were also quick to get behind the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign, which got launched this week 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.’ In an act of on and off stage solidarity, the band will be handing out NOT NORMAL – NOT OK stickers at their gig on Friday 13^th July, asking people to wear one whilst at the venue and ‘show the perpetrators of sexual assault, violence, and misconduct that their actions will not be tolerated.’

“We at The Mothers Earth Experiment have been angered and horrified to hear of stories of sexual assault in the local scene. We’re getting behind the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign to try and bring light to these horrific abuses of power – from danceflooor to dressing room. On Friday 13th July our gig coincides with Donald Trump arriving in the UK; a physical reminder that the very top echelons of society can still get away with “grabbing them by the pussy”.

We want to end this and although we may not be able to get Trump yet, we can sure as hell sort out our scene with enough support. So to all the people who have ever been taken advantage of, to all the people who have seen the other side of their friends, to all those who’ve been abused by someone with power over them, we can and will make a difference.”

Also appearing on the bill are The Taboo Club, the recently formed phoenix from the flames of the band Semantics – playing their first gig in their fresh new form. The Taboo Club has Joshua Rochelle-Bates and Rob Lilley at the helm, from the aforementioned, but also boasts an eclectic line up of solid sounds and musicians from across the musical spectrum – expect guitar, bass, sax, keys, and soaring walls of sonic bliss from a deluge of influences. But here a quick hello from the band themselves:

“The Taboo Club have a lot of respect for The Mothers Earth Experiment, having known them on the local circuit for some time now, and we couldn’t think of anyone more fitting to support for our first gig. It’s really exciting to be playing live after having worked so hard as a new band.

We can’t wait for people to hear The Taboo Club too. It’s an ensemble of expressive and tight musicians playing amalgamations of different genres – songs that command attention but welcome intimacy. The sound is informed and shaped by our individual contributions, but with a jazz chemistry and other familiar yet strange things.”

It’s pretty stuff awesome too. Birmingham Review was privy to some rehearsals and we liked it so much we’ve booked The Taboo Club to play our next showcase gig – held at The Victoria on Saturday 29th September.

Tickets for The Taboo Club Showcase Gig with Birmingham Review are not on sale yet, but we’ve had a fair few people ask for reserves already (honestly, just shy of a quarter of the room so far) so jump over to the Facebook Event Page and stick your hand in the air.

Meanwhile, back in a warm and fuzzy corner of space somewhere near the third rock from the sun…

‘Cool Down Mama’ – The Mothers Earth Experiment

The Mothers Earth Experiment play a free gig at The Dark Horse on Friday 13^th July, with support from The Taboo Club – as presented by Sonic Gun. For direct gig information, visit the Facebook Event Page by clicking here.

For more on The Mothers Earth Experiment, visit www.themothersearthexperiment.wordpress.com

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

For more from Sonic Gun, including further event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.facebook.com/sonicgunconcerts

For more on The Dark Horse, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.darkhorsemoseley.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 sign up and join the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign, click here. To know more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK sticker campaign, click here.

July 9, 2018

THE GALLERY: P.E.T @ The Sunflower Lounge 01.07.18

Words by Lydia Fizer / Pics by Paul Reynolds

Otherwise known as the Oven of Aural Delights, >1000°C. “Me eyebrows are comin’ off!” – Molly McDonald, P.E.T bassist extraordinaire.

P.E.T. Ah, what can I say about P.E.T? That I’m beyond excited to see them again. That they have the purest punk sound which will pierce you to the core. That they’ve chosen their favourite local bands for the lineup tonight. It’s gonna be a good one. I can feel it in my water.

This gig is special, and not just because the lineup promises greatness. Tonight is the first time that the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign stickers are in action. These are part of a larger campaign working against the cases of sexual assault, violence, and misconduct which are making our local music scene unsafe. Right this moment, P.E.T vocalist Abi Whistance is scouring the venue, slapping a sticker on anyone she can reach.

If you see these stickers at a music event in the future, please wear one. Even better, order some and distribute them. We are all responsible for showing solidarity in the face of sexual aggression, and demonstrating to the perpetrators that their actions will not be tolerated. You can get the stickers and information here, and even more information about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign here. As Whistance would say, “Get your hands off me, I’m not your P.E.T!”

Onwards. The first band to the stage are Flares, a babyfaced bundle of punk realness. They’re only 14/15 years old, but they are not to be underestimated. Their music is more mature than some bands twice their age.

They open with ‘Anywhere, Anywhere’ and bring a sound that hits your chest like a hammer. Their instrumentals are at once grungy and sharp. They move to the music with confidence. Flares are strong enough that covers of iconic songs are vibrant from their mouths. They get the whole room dancing to Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen in Love’, and stamp their own sound into M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes’. The beat keeps rolling right to the end of their final track, ‘Pastime’. They don’t put a note wrong.

Next up are The Butters Aliens. They have electric vocals from Ed Draper and an irresistible sound. The room is a mass of flailing limbs within the first minute of their set.

They smash a cover of FIDLAR’s ‘Stoked and Broke’, and I can’t help thinking that they play with unbelievable accuracy if they’re as baked as they claim. It’s so catchy. So memorable. It’s shoe-throwingly good (no, really. Shoes and hats are cast asunder. You don’t need them in hell). Later they cover FIDLAR’s ‘No Waves’. The old YouTube videos don’t do these covers justice at all; this show is leaving me blissfully broken – as Draper sings in ‘No Waves’, “I need a new body and I need a new soul”.

They set light to another firecracker, ‘Powerslide’. It makes me smile to see drummer Matt Homback briefly swap places with vocalist/guitarist Draper. Bring your drummers to the front and let them feel the love. They follow this with ‘No Name’. I’m left feeling like I need their CD for when I want to bounce around like a monkey on crack (admit it, you know how I feel).

There’s a whole load of gorgeous camaraderie between the bands tonight. They start mosh pits in one another’s honour, they write each other’s initials across their chests. Vocalist/guitarist of Miilkk, Jack Dixon, is called onto stage with The Butters Aliens to lend his exuberance. The Aliens end on an unearthly headbanging beat. Miilkk take to the stage. Drummer Fin Elwell-Jones’ facial glitter twinkles with promise.

I love it. The crowd loves it. I couldn’t have predicted this – Miilkk have a few bits and pieces on YouTube, but not enough to convey their real character. I left their YouTube account thinking The Moldy Peaches. I see them live and they turn the room into a metal party. Dixon has a classic, almost scratchy voice which takes me back to the first time I heard Kurt Cobain sing (‘Lithium’, in case you were wondering. I forget the year).

Miilkk whip out a fantastic cover of FIDLAR’s ‘Cheap Beer’, supercharging the crowd with an incredible hook. This was a cover worth screaming over (and won’t be the last FIDLAR cover of the night. Why so many songs by FIDLAR? I’m beginning to think this is a conspiracy. Maybe all the bands are actually FIDLAR in disguise. We may never know for sure).

There’s a brief moment where I think I hear bassist Harry Snell sneak a beautiful punk falsetto scream. It was so quick I might have imagined it. Snell, is it real or am I dreaming? If it is real, do it again. Bigger.

Elwell-Jones has lost his shirt by this point. He has ‘THICC DADDY’ scrawled across his chest in red. I notice it through a haze of happiness – I’m riding on bass vibrations running from my fingers to my skull. Miilkk are my favourite band so far. I’m not sure what kind of milk these guys are selling, but I bet it’s of the Clockwork Orange variety because I am tripping.

They do a cover of Dead Kennedys’ ‘California Über Alles’, causing one of the most hyperactive mosh pits of all time. The crowd gets down to the floor, thrumming like motors during the buildup. The room leaps – Dixon steps into the crowd with his guitar – they finish with a marching beat and a wail.

Miilkk launch into a string of cracking originals, including ‘Miss Tequila’ and ‘Pilly Willy’ (which is fast and furious – unlike the willy in question, presumably). They end with their newest song ‘Chinese Wine’; the chorus is the stuff that metal dreams are made of. Dixon screams with soul – I feel it in my bones.

Finally, it’s time for P.E.T. I’ve seen them before. I fell in love with them very quickly, and I’m thrilled to see them again as a headline act. Each band member is a powerhouse of sass. They’re fronted by Abi Whistance, the Ultimate Punk Dream Girl. She’s all fishnets and fiery eyes.

They hurl into the first number, ‘Internalised’, with all the force I’d ever hoped for. They have so much confidence, channeling their power and energy in every way possible. I can’t express how happy this makes me. A few months ago, a little confidence was all they needed to become practically perfect. I reckon they’ve now arrived in their most fabulous form, like a fully evolved Pokémon ready to win every battle.

They play ‘Bunnyboiler’, and bassist Rosie Jones grooves like the goddess that she is. Their cover of The Ting Tings’ ‘Shut Up and Let Me Go’ is honestly better than the original. You’d agree if you heard it. It’s hard not to be lured in by Whistance; she has the piercing voice of a punk-rock siren. A mass of crowd members clamber onto stage and stamp out the beat. They move on to ‘TV’, then finally to my favourite song of theirs, ‘P.E.T’. I really want them to record it so that I can listen to it every second of the day forever.

P.E.T are so entertaining on stage. They’re engaging. They’re cool, witty, personable… I can’t praise them enough. They prepare to cover Pixies’ ‘Tame’. Here unfolds my favourite moment so far. McDonald announces, “I went to Poundland and got some prizes. It’s a bit sh*t […] but whoever moshes the best gets a personal prize from me.” We take this challenge very seriously. The three winners each earn a medal and a lifelong invisible badge of honour. Also, glowsticks for everyone.

The whole crowd screams along to ‘Tommy’ – it’s P.E.T’s first recorded track, which you can listen to for free. It was actually written about the antics of The Butters Aliens, which gives the gig an interesting dynamic; I almost feel like I’m at an alt-family reunion/roasting. McDonald is suddenly wearing Draper’s hat, and more shoes are thrown into the air. How does this keep happening? I’m surrounded by hobbits.

They prepare to play their best known cover. McDonald cries, “Does anyone know all the words to ‘Wannabe’? Anybody can get up if they want.” A mass of crowd members get onto the stage. Together, the crowd and P.E.T give a performance The Spice Girls would die for.

For the final song of the night, we are treated to something spectacular. A song they’ve never played before. A song they’ve only rehearsed once. If I thought the energy was high before, this is a whole new level. Introducing: ‘Rich People’.

There are a series of famous names. Whistance growls, fangs bared, “Weinstein […] Morgan Freeman […]”. She comes to the edge of the stage, trembling like a bomb. “Rich people don’t dance in movies. Rich people don’t dance in films”.

I can’t convey the intensity of the performance in words. I’m afraid you’ll just have to go and see P.E.T yourself.

P.E.T @ The Sunflower Lounge 01.07.18 / Paul Reynolds

For more on P.E.T, visit www.facebook.com/petbanduk

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Miilkk – supporting P.E.T @ The Sunflower Lounge 01.07.18 / Paul Reynolds

For more on Miilkk, visit www.facebook.com/MIILKKBand

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The Butters Aliens – supporting P.E.T @ The Sunflower Lounge 01.07.18 / Paul Reynolds

For more on The Butters Alien, visit www.soundcloud.com/buttersaliens

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Flares – supporting P.E.T @ The Sunflower Lounge 01.07.18 / Paul Reynolds

For more on Flares, visit www.facebook.com/Flares

For more on Psych Productions, visit www.psychproductions.co.uk

For more from The Sunflower Lounge, including venue details and full 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 assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To sign up to NOT NORMAL – NOT OK, click here. To know more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK sticker campaign, click here.

July 9, 2018February 27, 2019

OPINION: NOT NORMAL – NOT OK

Words by Ed King

Ed’s note…

I first wrote this back in March, a few days after Shrove Tuesday, in response to stories of sexual assault and misconduct that I had heard about that week. It was born out of frustration – I write to clear my head.

Then more stories came my way, and more, until there were so many that these words weren’t enough. Something needed to happen. So we talked to each other at Birmingham Review, we talked to local musicians and promoters. Then we talked to West Midlands Police, the Rape & Sexual Violence project (RSVP), and some local venues that could help us formulate a plan of action.

NOT NORMAL – NOT OK is our joint response, ‘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 join the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign, click here.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK sticker campaign, click here.

N.B. If you have been affected by sexual assault, misconduct, or any of the issues raised in this article, you can find details for West Midlands Police and RSVP – a regional support agency trained to deal with sexual violence – by clicking here.

The ‘message from West Midlands Police’ mentioned towards the end of this article can now be found on the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK website, click here.

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“Yeah, they’re alright… just be careful if you’re alone with them.”

I was told this in passing, at the tail end of a conversation with a local band about local band stuff. It wasn’t prompted, they weren’t in distress; we weren’t talking about #MeToo, Operation Yewtree or institutionalised abuse in Westminster. We were just talking. And this chilling seed fell into the conversation with an almost as frightening acceptance that it was just ‘one of those things’. That it was normal. Or even worse, that it was OK.

Incredulous, then angry, then curious, I begin to pick at the scab. The story unfolds. It had been at a gig, and after the show the person in question had groped one of the band members – which falls under sexual assault in a court of law. And the feelings left by this situation, to group of friends who just wanted to perform their music on stage, are clear. They felt mistreated, angry and threatened.

This all came at the end of a troubling week too, where a promoter of a popular music venue had posted an absurdly misogynistic comment about the girls that attend their events and pancakes. You can imagine the metaphor. Or hopefully you can’t, because you really don’t want to. But it’s childish, aggressive, potentially incendiary, and beyond sexist at all points on the social spectrum. And now it’s in the public domain as a badge of what this promoter (and this club) feels is either funny or acceptable. Again, of what is normal or OK.

The silver lining from this poorly chosen ‘joke’ was the immediate outcry from many other people via the drum banging platforms of social media. I saw it because someone had reposted it in disgust, asking for some solidarity and shaming of the original author – a backlash that was far more erudite than the disturbed playground rhetoric that spurned it. The promoter in question claimed it was “a joke” that had been “taken out of context”. The public domain told them this wasn’t good enough and everything fell silent.

Then by the end of the week I am hearing about a case of sexual assault. And the more I asked around the more stories came back from our live music scene, in a frightening deluge of stories about sexual harassment, coercion, abuse, and assault happening in venues across Birmingham – from dressing room to dance floor, immediate and widespread.

I know many venue operators and promoters that are committed to the care of everyone in their building – whether they are performing, attending, or working there. And I’d be happier to see support networks in place than a campaign of naming and shaming. But the rules of engagement are quite simple and perhaps some people need a reminder:

No one, of any gender, should ever be objectified, coerced or abused. And no one in a position of power should ever use that power as a bargaining chip for sexual conduct. No one. Ever. At all. Told you it was simple.

So, what do we do? Firstly, I believe we all need to recognise our roles in this – overt and aggressive, or silent and tacit. The fact this problem exists means that none of us are without blame. And that includes me. I don’t want to believe this is a side of people I know, work alongside, or share common interests with. From the fact that it turns my stomach to think it’s happening in Birmingham venues to the cold reality that I need some of these people to support my own endeavours – put quite simply, it would be both personally and professionally easier for me to say nothing at all. I’m not proud of that last sentence but it’s a brutal truth I must own.

I’m not a huge fan of campaigning either, with self-aggrandising so often masquerading as a good cause these days. But maybe here, though, there’s a place for something we can all get behind – a vehicle to promulgate a message and provide support to those who need it, emotional, legal and otherwise. And to educate; to remind people of what is acceptable and what isn’t. A campaign of compassion and care, but also one to redefine what is ‘normal’ or ‘OK’ for those who seem to have forgotten their meanings.

So, this is what we’re doing. Birmingham Review has joined up with West Midlands Police and some key figures in our local entertainment industry to see how we can help shake a little sense into some, and support some others. We will keep you fully updated with this campaign through the Birmingham Review website and social media, and there is a message from West Midlands Police at the bottom of this editorial (this message can now be found on the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK website).

Because after all the bile that’s been seeping into my system after a week of words I never thought I’d be hearing – about a scene and city I love, and the people I love within both – I can land on at least one thing with absolute certainly. I never want to hear them again. Perhaps three things.

This is NOT NORMAL. This is NOT OK.

Ed King is Editor-in-Chief of Review Publishing, which publishes Birmingham Review and other titles.

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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 sign up to NOT NORMAL – NOT OK, click here. To know more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK sticker campaign, click here.

To find out more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign, visit www.notnormalnotok.com