BPREVIEW: Brothers of the Moment @ The Flapper 15.07.17

Words by Damien Russell

**This gig has been moved from the Actress & Bishop (14th July) to The Flapper (15th July) – original tickets are still valid**

On Saturday 15th July, Brothers of the Moment are bring their brand of alternative rock to The Flapper – with support from post-hardcore rock band Now We Run, plus Wolverhampton’s punk rockers Mistrusted.

Doors open at 19:30 with tickets priced at £6.00 plus booking fee – as presented by Birmingham Promoters. For direct gig info, including online tickets sales, click here.

Brothers of the Moment are a band I struggle to categorise; they have a timeless guitar driven sound that seems to mix grunge, classic rock, classic metal and more modern alternative rock/metal sounds. Their listed influences include Linkin’ Park, Black Stone Cherry, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Nirvana and Mastodon and I can hear elements of all of these bands in the melting pot, with a side order of Rise Against and Alice in Chains to boot.

Formed of two brothers (Adam/Ryan Liggins) and two friends (Ryan Merrett/Jordan Allen) in 2014, Brothers of the Moment are still making their mark on the music scene but it’s fair to say they haven’t exactly hung around waiting. Under their original name, The Divine, their first Facebook post back in July 2015 was to promote the release of their first single, appropriately named ‘We’re Here’. A quick name change followed and along with it their debut at the Star and Garter’s Garterfest in Stafford

Following this swift start 2016 saw the band perform their first headline show in April at the O2 Academy 3, make it to the semi-finals of the Unreal Festival battle of the bands, and appear on Wolverhampton’s WCR FM in June – returning to the station in July, that time for an interview.

But Brothers of the Moment didn’t stop there and at the start of 2017 the band were featured on Made in Birmingham TV with a live performance and interview. They released their next major music video ‘Forever from Heaven’ shortly after, and now, after dutifully filling their time with more live performances, Brothers of the Moment are bringing their energy to The Flapper.

Musically, Brothers of the Moment are an accessible brand of hard rock/metal, bringing a heavy sound that isn’t too aggressive or overbearing. Their songs have a solid structure and the guitar work is the stuff earworms are made of.

Listening to their recordings I find myself satisfied by the catchy, upbeat nature of the songs but also curious to know what their live performance brings. While the recordings are good (and I have found myself humming bits of ‘Forever from Heaven’ throughout the day) I get the feeling Brothers of the Moment are holding something back; not quite giving us their all. Not uncommon under the pressures of recording and the sterile studio environment; I’m hoping they save that little bit extra for their live shows. I guess Birmingham will find out at The Flapper on Saturday.

‘Forever from Heaven’ – Brothers of the Moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwI0VpyK5cM&feature=youtu.be

Brothers of the Moment play at the Actress & Bishop on Saturday 15th July, with support from Now We Run + Mistrusted – as presented by Birmingham Promoters. For direct event info, including venue details and online ticket sales, click here. 

For more on Brothers of the Moment, click here.

For more on Now We Run, click here.

For more on Mistrusted, click here.

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For more from Birmingham Promoters, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.birminghampromoters.com

For more from The Flapper, visit www.theflapper.co.uk

INTERVIEW: Rews

INTERVIEW: Rews  / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

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Words by Ed King / Pics by Paul Reynolds

“Like a little Tequila worm that crawls in, gets drunk, and stays in there forever.”

Is that them..? No. The problem with meeting strangers is you don’t know what they look like. I’ve sifted through Rews’ website, seen promo pics, videos and alternating styles, but I still couldn’t pick them from a line up.Birmingham Review

Rews’ music however, especially the ‘earworm’ that is their latest single ‘Miss You in the Dark’, has burrowed quickly into my head –  nudging ‘Can You Feel It?’ further down the canal. I’d recognise them if they walked up the stairs. But the only thing I can identify about the two people I’m here to interview, with any certainty, is that there are two of them. Luckily they spot me. I guess one is the loneliest number.

“Rews is inspired by a Dutch surname, spelt Reus,” explains Shauna Tohill – the arguable front woman and lead vocalist in the London based two piece. “It means the tall people or the giant people. Collette (Williams, the ‘vocalising beatrocker’ and other half) and I aspire to be giants in the world of music, so why not call ourselves Rews?” Is it family name, or..? “No, I found the scribbled on the wall of a toilet at Corsica Studios.”

I talk a lot about words, and (irony withstanding) it can be an often self defeating endevour. You are heard less the louder you shout. But the verb that jumps onto the table tonight is ‘fun’; Rews are a punchy, pop punk, rock band who ‘make a lot of noise for two people’. But it’s addictive, powerhouse, ferocious and fun. The F word again. I’ve only just met them and I’m half thinking we should turn off the recorder, go outside and find something to climb.

“We’re experimenting at the minute,” explains Shauna Tohill when I ask for a self description, “it’s getting more rock”. “It’s naturally forming into a heavier sound,” continues Collette Williams, “from the instrumentation and set up, from pedals through to heavier grooves and the sound that we’re trying to create. Especially in a live environment.” Precisely why I’m here; Rews’ music videos were the siren call but I want to see this on stage. “People say we make a lot of noise for two people. But we love that.”

“After we first jammed together, we were deciding about whether to go for a bass player but then thought, you know we can cover this,” continues Tohill. “Also it’s difficult enough to arrange for more people to be in a rehearsal, especially when you’re working a lot. We love playing with other musicians but I think right now it’s good the way it is.” I’ve never understood how most bands stay together; like family board games, table wine and Christmas, the end is inevitable. “Everything’s easier with two,” adds Williams, “we can both fit in a car with all our gear, there’s one less mouth to feed. Plus there are some incredible two piece bands around, like Royal Blood, who make you want to up your game and be creative, to really utilise what you have. Because when it comes to pedals, when it comes to triggers, when it comes to duel vocals we can have this gigantic sound… so why not try and do that.”

INTERVIEW: RewsGigantic’s a good word. On the surface there’s nothing genre shattering about Rews, with the more accessible pop punk (itself an oxymoron) having reared its less than ugly head several times before. And like contemporary classical, I think we need a new term. But Rews are ‘really fucking good’ to quote Ceol Caint’s review of single ‘Death Yawn’. Their sound is gigantic. If they can deliver their infectious foot stamp on stage, live, tonight could be impressive. Plus there’s something brewing on the horizon that we’re only teased with at this stage, but it sounds like a game changer.*

Rews are relatively new to each other too. And whilst both Shauna Tohill and Collette Williams have been serious about their music for a while, as Rews they have only been writing and performing for a few years – finding each other after moving independently to London.

“Both of us had been in bands for years,” tells Tohill, “and I was doing my solo thing for a long time (Silhouette). Then I came across this artist retreat in Cirencester and I moved there for four months to write and decide which direction to go in and I wanted to do with music. That was my first move out of Belfast I guess. This was before I met Collette.” My toes curl at the term ‘Artist Retreat’ and the sneer that is my oldest foe sits clear on my face. I don’t even need to ask the question.

“It was a really amazing experience actually,” continues Tohill – mercifully sidestepping my frown. “I got free accommodation, free food, free studio space, all in exchange for working the land. So I learnt how to grow vegetables and worked on community projects with  alcohol and drug abusers, elderly people. It was really such an eye opening experience.” This sounds better than my assumption, I wonder if they have a room for prose writers. Would you ever go back? “It was really amazing, a great place to go and be away from people and just focus on what you want to do creatively. Collette and I have been talking about going back there to do some writing together as well.”

Shauna Tohil’s also toured with Snow Patrol and Darwin Deez, to add some cherries on the CV, whilst Collette Williams has worked with the respected music director, Kojo Samuels. “That was with Sony,” explains Williams, “trying to find the next massive girl band type thing. I was touring the country, playing drums, and looking for ‘authentic female talent’. Which was fantatsic; I’m a massive advocate for finding inspirational females. That also led to some work with Gabrielle Aplin – appearing on one of her videos where 30 drummers get their kits lit up and everything.” Williams appears on the official video for Aplin’s ‘Sweet Nothing’ – front and centre for a while but hair colour might mislead you. “Then mainly some pop session stuff,” continues Williams, “I worked with the guys from Union J but my background has mainly been session work.  Although at the time I met Shauna I was the front woman for a Surrey based band called Sonder. But that was like chalk and cheese to this.”

INTERVIEW: Rews  / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham ReviewSo jump forward, how did you physically meet? When did the Rews seed get sewn? “We were introduced by a sister of someone I went to university with,” explains Williams, “Shauna had just started going to a new church and met her there. She (Shauna) was looking for a drummer at the time and my friend’s sister, who’s an amazing drummer as well, was kind enough to mention me and thought that Shauna and I might get on.” Might be too late to ask, but do you get on? “Extraordinarily well,” answers Williams, just calm enough to be believed, “especially for two people who a lot of time together.”

“We’re like sisters now,” continues Tohill, “we are so close. We have our sister fights, but we also have our sister love time too… that sounds really weird. We love each other though.” Something going on; in under ten minutes I’ve picked up a clear sense of candor, camaraderie and media savvy. Rews are professional but personal. We began this conversation with toilet humor, jokes about citrus fruit, blue rose references and self deprecation; it’s difficult not to like this kind of company. And when I finally get to see Rews on stage later tonight this partnership manifests into something palpable and honestly endearing.

But a relentless tour schedule can go through brothers like butter, and Rews are in Birmingham for only gig five on a 15 date schedule. Although Williams assures me “even when we’re not gigging, when we’re back home, we’ll hang out and be writing. We’re so close anyway it’s kind of weird if we don’t hang out for a couple of days. It just kind of doesn’t work”. “We’ve kind of grown into each other’s pockets,” adds Tohill, before a final retort from Williams brings the interview to an appropriately tongue in cheek close. “What she means is she steals all my money.”

We take some pics by the pool table. I bitch about gender politics and almost perpetuate a conversation I’m sick of hearing in the first place. The only thing left is to see Rews live, so we drink up and go our separate ways – me to the bar and Rews to the stage.

At this point I’m rooting for them too; I often judge people by how they interview, and having been half on board before I got to The Flapper right now I want Rews to firmly succeed. The world needs credible inspiration, role models and some ‘really fucking good’ music. Plus it’s a ferocious gig and there’s potentially something truly special here.

But time, tour circuits and another festival season will tell. And as Collette Williams patiently established, “people listen to our music, come to see us live, and it speaks for itself. That’s so important.”

‘Can You Feel It?’ – Rews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMAtei5wn4I&list=RDdMAtei5wn4I#t=1

*About a week after this interview, Rews announced they had signed to Marshall Records – the newly set up label from the amp manufacturer and rock retail giants. For more on this, click here and visit our Rews feature in THE GALLERY.

To read Damien Russel’s BREVIEW of Rews at The Flapper, click here.

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For more on Rews, visit www.rewsmusic1.wordpress.com

For more from The Flapper, including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.theflapper.co.uk

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

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THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

For the full Flickr of pics, click here

 

 


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Words by Ed King / Pics by Paul Reynolds

There’s an element of luck attached to most things in life: the lottery, love, moving next door to a Chihuahua stud farm (not always good luck). Then there’s endevour and hard graft.Birmingham Review

Tonight has all three, as my somewhat petulant approach to language drags me halfway across Birmingham to argue adjectives… only to find Rews at the end of it. Theirs is the hard graft, which rains dividends on The Flapper crowd lucky enough to be here. To read Damien Russell’s BREVIEW, click here.

About a week after this gig Rews had a special announcement to make. We’d been tipped off about this during our interview (out later) and been given the clue ‘branding on stage’ before the show. Being a two piece there wasn’t much clutter – with a lone Marshall amp standing testament to a thinly veiled secret. By the end of the gig I’d smugly worked it out. Or at least I thought I had.

THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17Turns out it’s not just free kit. Rews have been signed by Marshall Records – the legendary (not often you get to use that word and mean it) amp manufacturer who have been synonymous with interstellar rock acts since the 60’s.

“The deal with Marshall is focusing on releasing our debut album,” tells Collette Williams – the Animal/Ash Soan that makes up 50% of Rews, “which we are recording with producer Rob Cass between Abbey Road and Tileyard studios. We haven’t got a release date confirmed but it’s looking hopeful for autumn. Thank you to everyone for all of their support and to anyone who is just as excited as us.” 

Marshall announced their new label in summer 2016, making Rews one of their first signings; the best metaphor I can land on is ‘crest of a wave’. Rews have the mustard to make it work too, and the thought of them releasing an album is… exciting times. But in the interim (or summer) my spidey sense says you’ll probably run into Rews somewhere surrounded by sheep.

Until then here’s some pics from Rews at The Flapper, with support from MUTT and Ember Weir – shot by Paul Reynolds for Birmingham Review. 

Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds

THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

THE GALLERY: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

For more on Rews, visit www.rewsmusic1.wordpress.com

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MUTT – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds

THE GALLERY: MUTT – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: MUTT – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: MUTT – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

For more on MUTT, visit www.facebook.com/mutttheband

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Ember Weir – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds

THE GALLERY: Ember Weir – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ember Weir – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

THE GALLERY: Ember Weir – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

For more on Ember Weir, visit www.emberweir.bigcartel.com

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For more on Marshal Records, visit www.facebook.com/MarshallRecordLabel

For more from The Flapper, including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.theflapper.co.uk

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

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BREVIEW: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

BREVIEW: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

For the full Flickr of pics, click here

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Words by Damien Russell / Pics by Paul Reynolds

Birmingham ReviewIsn’t it just always the way that whenever you have something specific to get to, something goes horribly wrong on the journey. Tonight was no exception, and a rush into Birmingham with an eye on the clock made for a bit of a shaky start to my evening. But with whole seconds to spare before ‘curtain up’… I made it.

Being a Wednesday night you never quite know how it’s going to go, but it wasn’t long before ‘propping up the bar’ became ‘standing in the way’. It was a good turnout for a weeknight and a broad-mix demographic too.

BREVIEW: Ember Weir – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham ReviewThe evening was opened by Ember Weir, a three piece with a sound that seemed both heavy and not heavy at the same time, somehow. They hit the stage with an anthemic opener, moved straight into ‘13’ – an indie style rock song, then a total mood shift into a softer piano driven song that reminded me of early Train.

A diverse group whose best song in my opinion is their newly recorded number, ‘Problem’. They won the crowd over well and I look forward to seeing them again.

The melodic grunge/rock band MUTT were next to hit the stage and certainly kept the tempo up. Somewhat heavier in sound than Ember Weir, they built the evening well and their drummer was a real pleasure to watch, making some complicated playing look easy. They reminded me in some ways of a more relaxed X-Ray Spex, being slightly heavy, slightly punky, but MUTT delivered it at a steadier pace. Personally, I would love to see them throw a bit of prog, some tempo changes, and more intricate song structures into the mix.BREVIEW: MUTT – supporting Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham Review

The anticipation grew for Rews to hit the stage. What I knew of their songs had shown a big sound; I was looking forward to seeing this replicated onstage. But I hadn’t been able to work out quite how they would do this.

As headliners for the evening, Rews didn’t disappoint. They came on with a bang and it was remarkable the depth of sound the two of them made. I worked out later that the clever use of a Super Octaver guitar pedal and some fancy finger-work on the guitar itself were the secret, all rounded off by well-placed vocal harmonies.

Their first few songs weren’t ones that I knew but they were very much in keeping with what I was expecting; up-tempo rock meets pop and pop-punk. Accessible, uplifting and extremely well played.

BREVIEW: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham ReviewPersonally, I see a lot of singers and the ones that work for me are where you can see they are putting in some effort as the songs build. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good vocal range and technical ability certainly has its fans.

But for me, that’s nothing to the energy you get off someone really throwing themselves into their music. I absolutely got that vibe from Shauna Tohill and that was a pleasure to behold.

‘Can You Feel It?’ and ‘Shake Shake’ are the highlights of the set, and knowing these songs I was looking forward to hearing them live. Rews recreated them extremely well and ‘Shake Shake’ in particular stands out as having a slightly heavier dose of pop than much of the set. A real earworm.

Singer/guitarist Shauna Tohill has a great informal way of speaking with the audience; the whole evening felt like everybody there was a part of the overall show, not just watching a performance. Singer/drummer BREVIEW: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17 / Paul Reynolds © Birmingham ReviewCollette Williams also put on a well-rehearsed, professional show and I found it hard to believe that it was really Rews’ first ever headline tour.

Rews overall have a knack for writing songs to make your head nod and your feet move. But I would have loved to hear a ballad or a tear-jerker in their set to give it that real dynamic edge; hopefully when they come back to Birmingham (and I certainly hope they do) they might open up their softer side just a little bit.

For more on Rews, visit www.rewsmusic1.wordpress.com

For more from The Flapper, including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.theflapper.co.uk

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

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BPREVIEW: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

BPREVIEW: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17

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Words by Ed King

On Wednesday 15th February, Rews perform at The Flapper – with support from MUTT + Ember Weir.Birm_Prev-logo-MAIN

Doors open at 7:30pm with tickets price at £6 (advance), as presented by Birmingham Promoters. For direct gig info, including online tickets sales, click here.

I’ve never fully landed what ‘sassy’ means, lying somewhere in my mind between a film noir femme fatale and a patronised Pankhurst. Apparently Rews are sassy, and if I was writing their press release I’d probably land on some 50cent word or another. But for the benefit of this introduction I’m going to borrow five words from online magazine Ceol Caint – ‘this is really fucking good’.

The bastard child of ‘songstress Shauna Tohill and vocalising beat-rocker Collette Williams’, Rews have a defiant edge. It’s certainly ‘high energy’ and definitely ‘infectious’, or as Joe Donnelly put next to their name ‘if you’re not instantly foot-tapping then you must be clinically dead’.

BPREVIEW: Rews @ The Flapper 15.02.17Other words that can get banded around band town (often with nothing but wishful thinking behind them) are ‘one to watch’, and Rews have been given this citation more than once. But with an impressive list of festival appearances and on air endorsements to back up the claim, this might well be true. And it certainly looks like Rews haven’t finished yet. Plus the thought of seeing what will come off stage at The Flapper, a fervent venue known for live music, is a suitable punt for a sub-tenner ticket price. So Rews are one to watch until Thursday at least.

But there’s a useful thing about bands, their music. It kind of cuts through the hyperbole, rhetoric, loaded opinion or sponsored content. And to be honest I was switching off from Rews until I clicked on the link to their latest single, ‘Miss You in the Dark’ – which is, to me, not even their best. But fuck me sideways with a cucumber sandwich; Rews
punk-pop-gritted-smile-velvet-glove-punch is… well, refer back to the Ceol Caint appraisal I reckon.

There’s an easier way to do this too…

‘Miss You in the Dark’ – Rews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSkBS8J_qhk

Rews performs at The Flapper on Wednesday 15th February, as presented Birmingham Promoters. For direct gig info and online tickets sales, click here.

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For more on Rews, visit www.rewsmusic1.wordpress.com

For more from The Flapper, including full event listing and online ticket sales, visit www.theflapper.co.uk

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

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