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September 1, 2018September 1, 2018

INTERVIEW: The Taboo Club

Words by Sam Lambeth / Pics by Paul Reynolds

**On Saturday 29th September, The Taboo Club headline the next Birmingham Review live music showcase at The Victoria on John Bright Street – with support from Liquid Cheeks and Lilac Noise. Doors open upstairs at The Victoria from 7pm, with tickets price at £7 (adv) and £10 (otd) – as presented by Birmingham Review.

At the time of writing this event has a third sold out. To buy any of the remaining General Admission advance tickets click here, or to buy tickets direct from The Taboo Club click here. Join the Facebook Event Page by clicking here**

January 2018. If you happened to have frequented one of Birmingham’s more dimly-lit dive bars, you might have seen him there. A man with hair like a raven’s nest, dark and dishevelled, his waiflike physique squeezed into a squalid suit and his hands bulging violently out of his pockets. Josh Rochelle-Bates had a lot on his mind. He had spent several years as the bassist and main creative force behind mercurial Midland miserablists Semantics. Now an uncertain world lay ahead of him. Like OJ Simpson post-trial, he was alone, aloof, and alienated in a world that seemed foreign and unforgiving. The band had announced an indefinite hiatus, and Rochelle-Bates felt adrift as the adulation of the Second City gave way to silence.

Miles away from Birmingham, fellow Semantics stalwart Rob Lilley was feeling similarly sombre. Despite the occasional accusation that Semantics were nothing but ‘Interpoor’, they had a brooding beauty and glacial gracefulness that separated them from the Harborne herd. For Rochelle-Bates and Lilley, they knew they’d return to music, and one word stuck in their heads.

“Collaboration,” says Rochelle-Bates in the July afternoon sun, sipping a bold glass of claret in a Paris eatery. “I think for once I actually suspended expectation and let myself be open to a much wider spectrum of ideas, emotions and ways of articulating them. My hope was to find people who were passionate about creating and expressing themselves, and would be open to working in a collaborative environment.”

As Rochelle-Bates tilts his chair in self-satisfaction, expensive plonk in one hand and a forkful of French fancy in the other, you realise Paris is the perfect place to personify his new band’s sound. They are The Taboo Club, a phenomenal five-piece that are the musical manifestation of buzzing neon signs, decadent derails down depraved alleys, and a sharp eye for smart fashion. Their recent single, ‘Strangers’, exudes gratuitous sax and senseless violins (well, more of the former), brass bursting out of the hi-fi over muscular guitar gristle, Rochelle-Bates’ creamy bass licks and Lilley’s warped howl.

Yes, Lilley is the one who has enjoyed perhaps the biggest transformation. In Semantics, he was quiet, charismatic and concerned. Now he’s gradually turning into a real frontman, coquettishly waving his tambourine and tantalisingly twitching his hedonistic hips. For him, joining The Taboo Club was a revelation. “I immediately wanted to be a part of it,” he says. “The creative freedom and experimentation was one of the first things that stood out to me. I love the fact that it’s enabled me to pull from a wide array of influences, but everyone’s suggestions remain on the table – that’s an enticing draw for any artist.”

Enough about Semantics now. That chapter is closed. The Taboo Club is open for business and the five band members couldn’t be happier. With his tousled and slightly untamed mane, flamboyant shirts and overall quiet demeanour, guitarist Jack Ingaglia is the James May of the gang. “We have a shared goal of creative freedom, but I don’t think we’ve always been on the same page – that’s what makes writing exciting,” he says. “We all pull in slightly different directions.” For ‘Strangers’, Ingaglia’s role was more textural. “There are some jagged guitar chords tucked away in there, which come from my love of funk and soul,” he says. “I also did a lot of guitar doodling in the verses.”

‘Strangers’ has enjoyed considerable success, but The Taboo Club are fast becoming known for their overall aesthetic, which seems to be that of a gang of gangly male models enjoying a snifter of scotch after a long day of posing. “I certainly think it’s accurate based on what we have allowed people to see so far,” nods drummer Aiden Price, slayer of snare and sharp of cheekbone. “The music is, of course, our top priority but we want to give people the complete package – great songs, distinct image and personality. The lot.”

There are many exciting things around the corner. The next single, ‘Bible John’, will be released in the autumn, with the band once again using the services of a certain Ryan Pinson for production (“He has such a good ear and an innate attention to detail,” gushes the band’s multi-instrumentalist Ben Oerton). ‘Bible John’, according to Oerton, is the soundtrack to a “Quentin Tarantino film about a serial killer,” which feels like a very accurate description.

Also coming soon is the band’s big showcase gig at The Victoria in Birmingham, taking place on the 29^th of September. As always, Rochelle-Bates-Kennedy-Onassis advises us to expect the unexpected. “We wanted to do something unique, different and immersive instead of just a headline show,” he reveals. “Expect for it to be really strange.”

Strange it will be, but no doubt like everything The Taboo Club has offered its loyal members so far, it’ll be unforgettable, debauched, and damn right delightful.

On Saturday 29th September, The Taboo Club headline the next live music showcase with Birmingham Review at The Victoria on John Bright Street – with Liquid Cheeks and Lilac Noise in support. For more information visit the Facebook Event Page by clicking here – or click on See Tickets the logo for a direct link to online sales.

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

For more on The Victoria, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.thevictoriabirmingham.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.

August 14, 2018August 14, 2018

BPREVIEW: The Taboo Club + Liquid Cheeks, Lilac Noise @ The Victoria 29.09.18

Words by Ed King

On Saturday 29^th September, The Taboo Club headline the next Birmingham Review live music showcase – at The Victoria on John Bright Street.

Joining The Taboo Club will be Liquid Cheeks, playing their first live set as the newly formed electro/garage two piece – showcasing their current singles ‘He’s a Flower’ and ‘Serendipity’, alongside never before heard new music.

Also appearing will be Lilac Noise, Stoke’s electro melodic four piece who have been building a maelstrom of momentum since May this year – coming to Birmingham for their first show in the city, and riding the trail of their soon to be released debut single ‘Paradox’.

Doors open upstairs at The Victoria from 7pm, with tickets price at £7 (adv) and £10 (otd) – as presented by Birmingham Review. To stay up to day with announcements on our next live music showcase, keep reading Birmingham Review or join the Facebook Event Page by clicking here.

** At the time of writing this event has quarter sold out, to buy any of the remaining General Admission advance tickets click here. Advance tickets are also available through each of the artists performing: to buy tickets from The Taboo Club, click here. To buy tickets from Liquid Cheeks, click here. To buy tickets from Lilac Noise, click here**

The Taboo Club are a newly formed ensemble of longstanding local musicians, delivering a ‘heartbreakingly cathartic’ amalgamation of genres and influences – all tinged with the sultry, low lit vibes of a ‘bourbon lit Harlem dive bar’. Led by rising waves of rhythm guitar, over an identifiable bass backbone, their sounds also embraces strong elements of saxophone and keys, with Rob Lilley’s brooding vocals firmly at the helm.

The Taboo Club released their debut single ‘Strangers’ on 20^th July – an impressive ‘layer cake of crescendos’ produced by Ryan Pinson, and available to stream for free through the band’s Spotify account. You can also read our Birmingham Review of ‘Strangers’ here. But save some pocket money as more releases are set to come from the ensemble in Autumn, with the Birmingham Review live music showcase being the first chance to hear The Taboo Club’s newest material.

Performing as the evening’s local support, Liquid Cheeks will be joining The Taboo Club at The Victoria on Saturday 29^th September. The new project from Ben Ollis Gibbs and Greg Clarke – two core members of the now disbanded Byron Hare – Liquid Cheeks are a glorious mix of electro, indie, and garage rock, delivering absurdly addictive melodies and a confident swagger.

With series of introductory singles in production or the pipeline, Liquid Cheeks have already got two new releases ‘on shelf’ – launching with ‘He’s a Flower’ in July. To read our Birmingham Review of their latest single, ‘Serendipity’, click here. Liquid Cheeks will be showcasing new material at The Victoria on Saturday 29^th September, in the debut live set from this impressive new two piece.

Launched in Stoke earlier this year, Lilac Noise are an electro melodic four piece who have picked up the mantle of bands such as London Grammar – delivering a guitar and keys led sound with husky vocals and classically trained melodies at its heart.

Already creating an avalanche of excitement around The Midlands, Lilac Noise will join the live music showcase bill to play their debut Birmingham show at The Victoria on Saturday 29^th September. Watch out for Lilac Noise’s debut single too, ‘Pardaox’, which is set for release in the next few weeks.

On Saturday 29^th September, The Taboo Club headline the next live music showcase with Birmingham Review at The Victoria on John Bright Street – with Liquid Cheeks and Lilac Noise in support. For more information visit the Facebook Event Page by clicking here – or click on See Tickets the logo for a direct link to online sales.

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

For more on Liquid Cheeks, visit www.facebook.com/liquidcheeks

For more on Lilac Noise, visit www.facebook.com/lilacnoiseuk

For more on The Victoria, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.thevictoriabirmingham.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.

August 13, 2018

SINGLE: ‘Serendipity’ – Liquid Cheeks 13.08.18

Words by Ed King / Pic courtesy of Liquid Cheeks

On Monday 13^th August Liquid Cheeks release their second single – ‘Serendipity’. Available to stream for free though Spotify, click here to listen.

Liquid Cheeks is name you’ll read on our pages again in the coming weeks, as they will be supporting The Taboo Club at our next live music showcase – at The Victoria on Saturday 29^th September. And it’s a name you should remember, as the fledgling project from Ben Ollis Gibbs and Greg Clarke is one of the most promising new musical corners of the Midlands this year.

Releasing a series of introductory singles, Liquid Cheeks launched themselves with ‘He’s a Flower’ in July – a guitar twanging stab at machismo, delivered through gritted teeth and absurd amounts of swagger, burrowing into your brain like a good earworm should. It was a solid start for the new band from two core members of the erstwhile Byron Hare – grabbing us by enough short and curlies to book them for our September showcase, where they will play their debut live set as Liquid Cheeks. Something we’re more than a little excited about. But have you got any more material I could listen to? Yeah, sure, we’ll send it over… ‘Serendipity’ is being released in August.

Remember the first time you heard Foals, or The XX. Or any band who manage to deliver something with that ineffable… whatever it is. That’s Liquid Cheeks. Self-described as ‘electro garage’, their sophomore single, ‘Serendipity’, is a masterclass in effective restraint – opening with an almost twee keyboard riff from Ben Ollis Gibbs, before a gut punch guitar and Greg Clarke’s vocals hook you into the heart of this track within seconds.

This formula stays true until a little six string tweak at around the two minute mark, giving slightly a tougher middle eight, before bringing it back with a sprinkle of the aforementioned keys and the repeated chorus – a simple two line signature that had me singing it around my kitchen after the second play. But ‘Serendipity’ is solid song writing to it’s core – a track that, just, simply, works. And there’s a deep confidence to it all, with a simple chord progression underpinning a major to minor melody that makes me feel like I’m living through the Drive soundtrack. Although not the lift scene.

Liquid Cheeks seem quite laid back about the whole thing too, which is probably where their song writing gets its confidence and strength. I guess when you’ve been working within an ensemble for a while then move into a more self-governed and directed arena, you can take a welcome deep breath.

But with two strong singles on the table and a cluster making their way through the production process, I am anything but relaxed about it all. Birmingham is due another portfolio to be proud of with Liquid Cheeks looking like a solid part of any new attention the Midlands may get. And if there’s an album of this standard in the offing… Jesus, somebody better make up a new acronym because these boys came to play.

On Monday 13^th August Liquid Cheeks release their latest single, ‘Serendipity’, through Default Man Records – available to stream for free through Spotify, click here.

For more on Liquid Cheeks, visit www.facebook.com/liquidcheeks

Liquid Cheeks will be supporting The Taboo Club at The Victoria on Saturday 29th September, as part of the next Birmingham Review live music showcase. Joining them on the bill will also be Stoke’s melodic electro four piece, Lilac Noise – playing their debut Birmingham gig. For direct event information, including links to online ticket sales, click here.

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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 20, 2018

SINGLE: ‘Strangers’ – The Taboo Club 20.07.18

Words & live pics by Ed King

On Friday 20^th July, The Taboo Club release their debut single ‘Strangers’ – a taste of what’s to come, with their next track, ‘Bible John’, already earmarked for release in autumn this year. But first things first.

‘Strangers’ will be available for free download through the standard online steaming sites from Friday 20^th July, with some helpful signposts no doubt on the band’s social media. For more information direct from The Taboo Club just hop, skip and jump over to their Facebook page – click here.

The first track to come from this relatively new band (although each member has been playing in one guise or another for long enough for me to wince at the descriptive) ‘Strangers’ is as perfect an introduction to The Taboo Club as you could get. Having recently seen them pop their live cherry at The Dark Horse – supporting those glorious astral adventurers, The Mothers Earth Experiment – The Taboo Club are hard a little to surmise. But it’s my job to try, and by doing so I will be making a paint by numbers review of ‘Strangers’ itself. Right then, where to begin…

There’s a sax, which is awesome, and keys, which are both wonderfully used (not over) by Ben Oerton. Although this invites the lazy journalist jazz references to come spilling out when I’m not watching the keyboard.

But this is not jazz, even if it reminds me of ‘bourbon lit Harlem dive bars’; the overall ‘tapestry of genres’ from The Taboo Club is very much driven by guitar – a duel attack from Jack Ingaglia (rhythm) and Josh Rochelle-Bates (bass), reminding this writer of the Velvet Underground if they happened across Maceo Parker one night and took a shit load of mushrooms. Then, lurking behind some omnipresent red velvet curtains, is a steady kick drum, heartbeat, and teasing rim tap from Aiden Price – all led by Rob Lilley’s deep, brooding, and yet curiously comforting vocals.

‘Strangers’ works with these jigsaw pieces, creating a surprisingly short layer cake of crescendos; I say surprisingly short as you could quite easily, and happily, see this ensemble rise and freefall for a good 15minutes before pausing for breath. And no doubt, in the aforementioned New Your suburb, someone under some other name is doing just that.

Produced with aplomb by Ryan Pinson, ‘Strangers’ is a touch of red velvet class to come out of the Birmingham music scene – a true musical fusion without the hubris or hangover of years at the Conservatoire. But to be fair, any of The Taboo Club could well be classically trained – they just haven’t felt the need to tell us about it during the first round of drinks. And the second.

But they did have a few words to throw on the table, in a bold declaration from the ‘Strangers’ press statement, that explains: ‘The Taboo Club are entirely of their own, comprising of and expressing the values of its individual members to create something heart-breakingly cathartic’. And I couldn’t have put it better myself.

The Taboo Club release ‘Strangers’ on Friday 20^th July – available for free download through all the usual online steaming sites. 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.

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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 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

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.