Wide Eyed, Dumb, God Damn, Bad Moon and Laced play a secret gig in a Birmingham living room. No, really.

If you’re under the impression that the whole Birmingham music scene ‘hype’ has been exhausted to its fullest extent with the likes of Swim Deep and Peace making a name for themselves, oh how wrong you are. There is an immense underground scene exploding with undeniable talent. Jack Parker, or DJ Jacky P as he’s better known, was brave (or stupid) enough to invite a bunch of up-for-it music enthusiasts into his house on Friday March 15 2013 for a night of phenomenal live music, fun and frolics.

New kids on the block, Laced, opened the night with great success. They may not have the most live experience, but my god they’ve got potential.

Laced

As everyone squeezed into the living room, complete with decorative rock ‘n’ roll bunting, they listened intently to Gracie and Andy’s dreamy harmonies against the edgy psychedelic backdrop. With just two demos that haven’t even been put online yet, it’s incredibly exciting to imagine where this band will be in months to come.

Bad Moon were up next; another band with immense potential. As the crowd spilled out into the hallway and on top of radiators and poor old sofas (RIP), they enthusiastically nodded along as the band rocked out to their killer tunes.

Bad Moon

The dreamy sounds of their current available demo, ‘Quinton Expressway’ intertwined with heavy guitars and a rocky beat wowed the crowd. Is there no end to Birmingham’s talents?

As soon as Wolverhampton’s very own God Damn started playing, everyone completely lost their shit. Their loud and relentless set of heavy grunge and blues infused tracks shook the room into a state of energetic chaos. With feet in their faces and elbows in their sides, everyone went completely insane and moshed like there was no tomorrow to the band’s heavy rock tunes; especially recent single ‘I’m a Lazer, You’re a Radar.’

God Damn

By the time Dumb came on, blood alcohol levels were on the rise, and everyone was ready to continue rocking out. With vocalist Dylan playing with the front of  his top missing, bass player Adam crowd surfing during their set and Jacky P, the host himself, joining in with a cheese grater and a drumstick (a very worthwhile contribution, may I add), it’s clear that this gig was unique and downright crazy.

Dumb

Risen from the ashes of The Carpels, Dumb proved that they have all the makings of a great indie rock ‘n’ roll band. Their upcoming single Dive received the best reaction and finished their set on a high.

Headliners, Wide Eyed, triumphantly brought the one-of-a-kind gig to an end with their majestic psychedelic rock tracks. With crowd surfers and moshers still on full form, the crowd continued to appreciate the superb live music; so much so that they started to fall on top of the band themselves! Wide Eyed proved once again that they are a phenomenal live band as popular track ‘Bleak’ sent the crowd into a state of frenzied admiration.

Wide Eyed

B-Town, West Madlands, or plain old Birmingham; whatever you want to call us, we’ve got something truly special here which was proven by this legendary house party. Everyone who was lucky enough to be there witnessed something incredible. Musicians, friends, and fans alike came together in Jack’s living room to support and appreciate the talent that just won’t stop erupting from our very own hometown. It’s safe to say that the feelings the next morning were of great pride for Birmingham, along with a banging headache of course.

Photographs by Andy Hughes

Published in Counteract Magazine here

Wolf Alice + Wide Eyed + Hoopla Blue, The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham 23/02/13

Published on February 25, 2013

Wolf Alice

One of Birmingham’s most intimate venues, the Sunflower Lounge, filled to capacity with B-Town music enthusiasts eager to hear the latest in the underground indie music scene.

Local band Hoopla Blue were far from similar to the stereotype of small unheard of support bands; the experimental pubescent teens. Instead, their sound was precise, well refined and moreover interesting and exciting.

Hoopla Blue

Their 80s-esque debut track ‘Holy Ghost’ manages to sound soft and dreamy at the same time as dark and heavy; how masterful! They set the bar high for the other acts that night. There really does seem to be no end to the talents that keep being produced from Birmingham.

The venue soon became crammed with people, including other local bands, ready to show their support for Brummie band Wide Eyed; the next big name to emerge from the vastly growing B-Town music scene.

Wide Eyed

Lead singer Jake Bellwood dressed to impress with his suitably fitting accessory; a sunflower guitar strap. Wide Eyed truly have the whole package; they look and sound like readymade rock stars. Whether it’s the big hair or the psychedelic sounds, a complementary comparison with The Horrors has to be made; A harmonious take on The Horrors though, with a more rock n roll edge.

Wide Eyed

They finished their breathtaking set with their superb debut track, ‘Bleak.’ If Wide Eyed are already capable of stunning an audience with their headline-worthy set at such an early stage in their career, who knows what they’ll achieve in months to come.

Hot new band Wolf Alice, although from London, have been making a name for themselves within the Birmingham music scene and we seem to have adopted them as our own. During their set, front woman Ellie Rowsell joked, “Apparently we’re from here, so it’s good to be home.”

Wolf Alice

Ellie has the ‘rock chick’ persona down to an absolute T. Her soft vocals against the heavy guitars works so perfectly and is almost reminiscent of 90s punk band Elastica. Their jaw dropping set finished with a bang as they played their debut single ‘Fluffy’ – one to really rock out to. Wolf Alice are the band that you’ll be able to brag about seeing and knowing before they made it big, and judging by their performance at the Sunflower Lounge, that won’t take long.

Photographs by Jonathan Morgan

Published in Counteract magazine here

Swim Deep + Jaws live review

Check out this review from the February edition of Brum notes

Live | NME Awards Tour | Birmingham

The annual NME Awards Tour, which felt more like a mini festival, returned to Birmingham to showcase the best indie acts around at the moment.

Local Brummie boys Peace kicked of the show proudly waving the flag for B-Town. They started with some relatively new songs; ‘Higher Than The Sun’ and ‘Scumbag’ which had the crowd enthusiastically swaying. However, as soon as soon as the opening riff of ‘Bloodshake’ was heard, the crowd erupted into a mass of energy. Considering the fact that the last time Peace played in their hometown it was at a significantly smaller venue, it’s not surprising that Harrison was “struggling to get [his] head around it.” Peace looked at home on the big stage and not at all out of place. They looked like true rockstars; so much so that it wasn't hard to imagine them headlining the whole show! Peace have got a great bunch of songs under their belt. From the slower ‘California Daze’ to the more upbeat ‘Follow Baby,’ they were performed with effortless precision and were received exceptionally well. Their short but sweet set proved that Peace are ready some kind of music-world domination.

Palma Violets were next on. After making the front cover of NME twice even before the release of an album, it was easy to assume that this band had been over hyped. However, these four lads lived up to the immensely high expectations. Their set fast, furious, and seriously rock ‘n’ roll. It was impossible not to get caught up in the moment and start fist pumping, moshing or screaming the lyrics to crowd favourite, ‘Best of Friends.’ Palma Violets, heavily influenced by the likes of The Libertines and The Ramones, proved themselves at the show to be everything they were supposed to be and more. Their debut album is set for release later this month and will no doubt be very promising.

Miles Kane kept the energy flowing with his set. Miles’ 60s inspired songs really got the crowd dancing as Miles’ passion and energy was effortlessly transferred onto the audience. Amongst the classic favourites like ‘Inhaler’ and ‘Rearrange,’ Miles performed new songs such as ‘Give Up’ which were received with the same enthusiasm. Judging by the new tracks and the crowd’s reaction, his second album is set to be a corker. Miles finished his lively set with some audience participation. He had the whole room chanting the ‘Woah ahh’ parts from another favourite, ‘Come Closer.’

Django Django had a lot to live up to if they were going to top the previous three acts. Although the crowd dynamic had changed slightly, the band won over the doubters with their innovative sound and captivating live performance. After the last two hours of guitar rock it was refreshing to hear the psychedelic sounds from the band’s critically acclaimed self titled debut album. Django Django are perhaps the most pioneering band on the bill. They set the scene with ‘Hail Bop’ with its intricate beats and Beach Boys-esque sweet harmonies. Although borderline impossible to ‘mosh’ to Django Django just like the crowd had been doing for the previous acts, they were equally engaged by favourites ‘Storm’ and ‘Waveforms.’ Their set finished on a high as the perfect harmonies along with the incredibly catchy riff of ‘WOR’ filled the room.

A congratulations is in order for NME for putting on another spectacular show.

Published in Counteract Magazine here

Swim Deep Interview

I caught up with my favourite brummies, Swim Deep, back in November in a pub in Digbeth just before their gig supporting Mystery Jets. Lucky me also got to have a phone interview with Austin (lead singer) recently to catch up with what they'd been up do. The interview has been published in this month's edition of Brum Notes magazine which can picked up all around Birmingham - have a read of it at the bottom of this post!

It's incredibly exciting that I had the opportunity to meet them and speak to them. I can't wait to see them live again next week! They are such a great band and have so much success ahead of them. Big up Swim Deep

Interview  at a pub in Digbeth. I have a ten minute video of
Higgy eating pizza ... is that weird?

I am now known as the cookie girl

Austin is an absolute babe 

If that doesn't work, feast your eyes upon the normal online version here

Btownstock @ The Rainbow

It's no secret that Birmingham, or B-Town as it's now been named, has become the new hotspot for great indie music. Birmingham is starting to lose its reputation as chav central and is instead becoming an indie kingdom. There are so many phenomenal bands emerging from B-Town, bringing heaps of vintage style straight from the streets of Digbeth and fresh new indie sounds to the current music scene. 

At the Rainbow Warehouse on the 22nd of December, the best of Birmingham's up and coming bands played a show to a bunch of crazy Brummie hipsters. Birmingham promoters and Counteract Magazine presented a gig with Heavy Waves, Wide Eyed, Junnk, Jaws, special guests Swim Deep and headliners Peace. Without trying to sound overly sentimental or cringey, the show really did feel special and will no doubt go down in history. It was a proud moment for all the Brummie fans and the bands who came together to celebrate B-Town's success. 

I was stupid enough to get there late, so I missed the first three bands. However, from the atmosphere of the crowd and the general reaction after the gig it's obvious that they were great. This wasn't any ordinary gig. The bands prior to Peace weren't treated like your average support band; each band received the respect they deserved. The fans weren't there just for Peace, but were there to support each and every local musician. 

I hadn't given Jaws a proper listen previously, but since seeing them at Btownstock (as the gig was rightfully named on twitter) they've really grabbed my attention and now I just can't get enough. Their music is so chilled out. There's a real tropical vibe to their tunes with what I can only describe as a 'whatever' kinda tone to the singer's voice. Their latest single, 'Surround You' is one of my favourites, and is a real 'surfer-dude' type track.



The crowd swayed in a trance-like state to Jaws' trippy tunes. The same can definitely not be said for Swim Deep's performance. In true Brummie style, everyone went absolutely insane. From the moment they came on stage, there were screams in appreciation for each member, an overwhelming sound of people singing along to the chorus' of their favourite tracks, an insane amount of moshing and a crazy amount of crowd surfing. The band themselves seemed overwhelmed by it all, and Austin said "I guess the B-Town hype is real." It certainly is. Almost every lyric of 'Beach Justice,' 'Orange County,' 'King City' and crowd favourite 'Honey' were sung back to the band. 2013 is so gonna be their year.

The crowd was growing bigger in anticipation for Peace. Everyone was getting sweatier and more and more up for it by the second. Eventually, Peace came on sporting some Christmassy attire. Douglas was wrapped in some Christmas tree lights and Harrison was wearing some dangly snowman earrings. Amazingly, they still managed to look ridiculously cool. I have been to an awful lots of gigs, but not once have I been to one where the barriers at the front have been crowd surfed to the back ... What?! The barriers between the manic fans and the band were being trampled on and were eventually lifted and crowd surfed to the back. It goes without saying that everyone vibed SO hard to every single track; even the especially new track that they'd never played live before! 'Bloodshake' was a definite crowd pleaser.

Even though it's a shit-hole, I'm so proud to be from Birmingham. Btownstock has made me genuinely excited about what 2013 will bring. I have no doubt at all that we'll be hearing so much more from everyone on the bill of this very special gig, especially Swim Deep and Peace.

Gigs, gigs, gigs

There is absolutely nothing I love more than going to concerts. Since the last update i've seen

• The Vaccines (see below)
  
  
• Boat to RowA lovely and remarkably talented band, but I couldn't help but feel that their music was more 'background music.' Brum Notes (one of the magazines I write for) hosted the gig so I felt like it would be wrong for me to miss out. Their music would be perfect if you're on a comfy armchair with a good classic novel and a glass of red wine, not standing in hot cramped room.
  

• Admiral Fallow
  
  This was a last minute thing because Counteract didn't have a reviewer. I knew their first support act, Cannon Street because I'd seen them at the Oxjam festival. They are truly unbelievably talented.
  
  
  
  
  Admiral Fallow were great too. Spontaneity is always a good thing!
  

• Jake Bugg
  I'll be getting my review of Jake published in Brum Notes, yay! 

• Peace + Swim deep + more (aka Btownstock)
  THE BEST GIG EVER
  I am so proud of Birmingham. Everyone went absolutely insane!

The Vaccines + DIIV live in Birmingham

It’s been an immensely successful year for The Vaccines. The band didn’t succumb to the inevitable pressures surrounding the dreaded second album, and instead produced a second work of indie art. The rightfully titled ‘Coming of Age’ appropriately reflects the bands own growth in maturity musically. Birmingham welcomed them with opened arms when they played at the O2 academy nearing the end of their UK tour.

New Yorkers, DIIV were the last to support The Vaccines in an attempt to warm up the continuously growing crowd. They successfully eliminated any aggravating boredom that was taking over the fans as they anxiously awaited their teenage icons. DIIV’s 70s psychedelic and 80s new wave sounds infused with a generous helping of 90s grunge echoed throughout the academy, grabbing the attention of the audience.

Chaos ensued as soon as The Vaccines took to the stage. To say ‘the crowd went wild’ would be a gross understatement.  From the word go, the crowd were fist pumping to ‘No Hope’ and going downright crazy for ‘Wreckin’ Bar.’ The sing-alongs to the slower songs, ‘Wetsuit’ and ‘A Lack of Understanding’ wouldn’t have been out of place in a football stadium! As if the crowd weren’t sweating and bruised enough, after emphatic screams of ‘The Vaccines,’ they came back for an incredible encore where favourites ‘Bad Mood,’ ‘Wolf Pack’ and ‘Norgaard’ caused even more enjoyable havoc.

The Vaccines are such a timeless rock ‘n’ roll band; it’s borderline impossible not to let the infectious rhythms of their indie anthems take over your body. Like the rock and roll stars they are, their whole set was energetic from start to finish and they performed with effortless style. Boys, you may be no Frankie Avalon, but you are without doubt somebody’s hero.

Front man, Justin Young, interrupted the set to tell us how the last time they’d played in the main room at Birmingham’s O2 academy they were the first of four support bands. This just amplifies how much they’ve grown as a band in just two years. With an arena tour announced for spring next year, The Vaccines are only going to get bigger and better.

Published in Counteract Magazine 

Backstage at the Vaccines

Last night was pretty surreal!

I met Jack, the organiser of Chazzstock, after the Vaccines gig, and he'd amazingly sorted me out with a back stage pass. Ever since Chazzstock things have been really crazy and it's thanks to Jack that I've been able to do all of this. Thank you so much!

A couple of years ago, I'd be the crazed fan waiting in the freezing cold at the stage door for hours after a gig. Now, I get to chat with fantastic musicians and have intelligent conversations with them, rather than just melt and awkwardly ask for photos (although I couldn't resist getting a photo with the guitarist, Freddie).

I look pretty dishelved from moshing all night!
Freiddie (left) Jack (right)

I met Charlie's mum which was really special. It was really moving to hear that this gig was the first she'd been to since he passed away, and the last concert she saw him play was at the o2 in Birmingham when Ou Est Le Swimming Pool supported La Roux. It's weird to think that I was at that gig too. She seemed so genuinely grateful that I went to Chazzstock and she thanked me for my review of the festival too. What a really brave and lovely lady. 

All in all, it was a really amazing night. The gig itself was, as always, phenomenal. The Vaccines still remain in my top 5 live band ever. I'm still bruised, battered and aching but at least I'm not covered in my own and other people's sweat any more.  That's what gigging is all about! I'll be writing a review of it for Counteract Magazine so stay tuned. 

Peace - Wraith

I just can't get enough of Peace's upcoming single. It's music like this that makes me proud to be from Birmingham. Every part of this well written track just seems to work perfectly; from the outrageously catchy intro to the familiar screeching guitar sounds typical of Peace, it makes my ears feel satisfied! Whenever that chorus comes on, I just have an overwhelming urge to scream the lyrics, turn it up to full volume and dance the night away, repeating it over and over again. Any song that can do that is quite simply a gem.

Peace are a really incredible band and possibly even revolutionary. Their headline show on the 22nd of December could not come sooner. They'll be playing a special Christmas show at the rainbow with all of the B-Town buddies; it's definitely going to be a night to remember.

Interview: The Traps

Counteract were fortunate enough to catch up with Jamie Berry, front man of the relatively local indie band, The Traps, after their show at Birmingham’s trusty ‘ole favourite pub, The Flapper. The Flapper has been a local to this indie four piece for a while and Jamie went as far as calling the venue a “stalwart of the Birmingham music scene.”

I quizzed Jamie about the band. “We’ve been together for about ten years actually but in different guises. We’re all from Shropshire originally. We met at school and we’ve just gone from there and have been together ever since.” It was clear to see from their incredibly tight performance that this band has been together for a while. This gig was the official launch for their latest track, ‘Moving Pictures.’ With an undeniably catchy guitar riff along with Jamie’s oxymoronically soft yet edgy vocals, it’s no wonder why it had such a great reaction from the crowd. “We’ve released stuff in different bands before but as The Traps, this is our first official release. About a year and a half ago we just decided we were going to make a record. Moving Pictures was the second track that we wrote for it. We wrote it together just in the rehearsal room; I wrote the melody and the lyrics.”

I asked Jamie about specific influences behind the track. “At the time we were really into Phoenix. We were listening to their ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ record a lot and we just liked how they seemed like an indie band making a pop album with big songs on it. It didn’t seem like there were many bands around at the time doing the same thing. The production of it is really great. We felt that this fitted with what we were trying to do so that was a big influence.” The Traps can definitely be seen as a band making big songs. Their music can be described as ‘grown-up’ indie as their tracks seem to have a carefully thought out structure as well as being performed professionally. I felt as though as I was watching a fully fledged rock band in the midst of their world domination tour rather than an up and coming band in the basement of a local pub.

It’s inevitable that four musically aware guys are going to have different tastes. “We like all sorts of different. I think that’s important because it makes everyone think differently. We don’t get stuck in one way of doing things necessarily. I think that’s important for any creative process really. You should take influences from all kinds of creative projects.”

Not only have these guys got a great set of music, but they’ve also got their own record label where they’re humbly helping up and coming bands make it. “It’s called Speech Fewapy records. We’ve got a couple of bands singed to it at the moment and we’re releasing our own stuff via the label as well. Tom Peel’s on the label.” Tom peel was The Traps’ first support act of the night. We laughed together as we reminisced about his set, however not in a mocking way, but with a general sense of awe. The only words we could muster were “unique” and “cool.” Tom Peel; singer songwriter/musician/comedian. He’s pretty much indescribable; you most certainly need to check him out. “His second EP will be out soon,” Jamie informed me. “We’ve also got a guy called Greg Bird and Flamingo Flame who has an album out now off the label which is really exciting. A band from Birmingham called The Bombergs is also on the label and we’ve worked with a band called Black Heart Generator from Birmingham too. We just wanted to help make stuff happen for artists we really liked; artists that we feel want to do something out of the ordinary.”

I righty assumed that releasing their own stuff from their own record label would have an impact on how things happened. Jamie told me the pros and cons. “It gives you a lot more independence I suppose. I mean, obviously money is always a problem when you‘re releasing stuff yourself but in terms of creative freedom it’s superb. I don’t have any experience of being in a band that’s been signed to another label so I don’t know what the flipside of it is.” February will see the release of their debut album, produced by Rob Jones; the man behind The Voluntary Butler Scheme who were coincidentally The Traps’ second support act. “We’ve done a lot of jamming together; we’re like Kindred spirits. He’s superb.” The Voluntary Butler Scheme, complete with saxophones and trumpets really caught the attention of the crowd with the jazzy yet indie-pop sounds. Rob and his trumpet even made an appearance during The Traps’ set.

Seeing as though they’re a pretty local band, I chatted to Jamie about the current indisputable B-Town hype. “I really like Peace and Swim Deep; they’re really good bands. I think it’s nice that there’s a focus on Birmingham if that’s the case. From my time of playing in this city, there’s always been a really rich vein of great bands. I’m quite surprised that it’s taken so long for the focus to come on to this city. A lot of bands who I know and thought would really do something kind of slipped away and haven’t really done much. In particular those two bands are great; I don’t know a great many others, although I did hear a band called Jaws and thought they were really good.” Although astonishingly different from Swim Deep, Peace and the like, in the sense that they are so much mature in style, sound and lyrics, perhaps The Traps can jump on the B-Town bandwagon and finally get the recognition they deserve.

Is this truly The Traps’ time to shine after being together for so long? “It’s hard to say really. It’s always hard to tell if it’s your moment to shine. The thing for the four of us is just that we really love playing the music that we’ve created. We’re immensely proud of the album and we’ve had a great experience making it. We just want to do it justice as much as possible.”

This is such an exciting time for The Traps as they’ve got a lot lined up! “They’ll be a new single called Calypso, which is the title track of the album, which comes out in January and will get national radio coverage and that sort of thing which is exciting. We’ve actually started making the second album which has about 13 or 14 tracks already written. The plan is to just get in and record it as soon as possible.”

With a new single, a debut album and another album in the pipeline, we’ve got a lot to look forward to from this promising band. I wish them all the very best!

Check out the published article in Counteract Magazine

Live: The Ghosts at The End, Birmingham

The Ghosts’ first UK tour came to an end at one of Birmingham’s smaller venues, The End, after their release of their critically acclaimed debut album, titled ‘The End;’ what a suitably fitting turn of fate! The indie-electro-pop five piece performed at one of Birmingham’s more intimate venues to a crowd much smaller than they deserve, although this was somewhat of a homecoming for local Midlands man, Ian Palmer; the drummer of the band.

The Ghosts are made up of Alex Starling, former member of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool and lead vocalist, New York trained jazz drummer Ian Palmer, Canadian Keys and Violin player Rayna Ferner with Dan Whiffin on guitar and Alex Sharman also on keys. Together, they have created atmospheric synth-pop at its very finest. The band was flawless and extremely professional and immensely captivating in their performance.

Alex dedicated one track to Guns and Roses’ Duff McKagan as they’d met him earlier in the day. Alex introduced it by saying “This one’s for Duff … I’ve always wanted to say that” which prompted laughter from the crowd!

There wasn’t one person who couldn’t be seen singing along, dancing or at the very least tapping a foot to the band’s singles, ‘Ghosts’ ‘Enough Time’ and latest single ‘Underrated.’ With Alex’s unique vocals over a driving dance beat and a generous helping of electronics, these brooding synth pop hits could get anyone dancing!

Following such a high quality performance, it’s not hard to imagine The Ghosts playing gigs at much larger venues in the not too distant future. This band are destined for greater success.

Photographs by Jonathan Morgan.

View the published article at Counteract Magazine

Live: Dog is Dead, Birmingham

No one can describe Dog is Dead as well as they can themselves. The indie pop five piece from Nottingham explain their music to be “an original blend of harmonious, indie-pop in the disco, with a cheeky jazz hint.” After the recent release of their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘All Our Favourite Stories,’ Dog is Dead took to the road on their UK headline tour. The second night saw some of Birmingham’s indie-lovers treated to a real party of a show.

The support act, singer songwriter Beans on Toast, definitely succeeding in warming up the crowd. Everyone listened intently to his refreshingly honest lyrics about politics, current affairs, love and drugs, accompanied by his acoustic guitar. As well as being very Frank Turner-esque, Beans on Toast had a lot more humour in his lyrics and the stories he told between songs. Beans on Toast was very memorable, and truly amazing (or should I say ‘MDMAmazing’).

From the moment Dog is Dead took to the stage, the crowd were energetically dancing along to incredibly indie guitar riffs and infectious baselines. One of the best things about Dog is Dead is their flawless harmonies. During one of their slower songs, ‘The Well’ the bad gathered together and sung out to the crowd accompanied only by an acoustic guitar; it was a beautiful moment! In the inevitable encore, the crowd went wild for ‘Glockenspiel Song’ as they chorused almost every lyric and riff with passion. There were even shouts of “Trev” in appreciation for the saxophonist. There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout as the fans enjoyed every great indie-pop anthem.

All in all, Dog is Dead are a terrifically fun and young band with tonnes of energy, which made for a really fun night. Birmingham definitely enjoyed the party.

Photograph by Andy Hughes.

I've had my first review published in Counteract Magazine wooooo. Have a look here

Update

With applications to Universities on the go along with an obscene amount of gigging, things have been pretty crazy recently; hence the lack of activity on here.

I’ve had a pretty amazing month or two though! At the last update I did, I’d just interviewed the Ghosts. Since then I’ve seen:

• Dry the River
• The Killers
• The Traps

 I also got to interview The Traps which was beyond cool (another famous-ish contact to add the list haha). After their gig downstairs, I interviewed the lead singer outside in the beer garden (although it wasn't much of a garden). It was such an amazing interview and I’m unbelievably happy with how it went. I recorded it on my phone so it would be easier to transcribe but oh my god it’s SO embarrassing listening back to myself. I sound annoyingly obnoxious and I’m like ‘ha yar totally cool’ every few minutes. The venue was so cool, I loved the Flapper. After the interview, I celebrated with copious amounts of vodka and a good dance to Nirvana and System of a Down – what a great fucking pub.

• Spector (best gig ever)
• Mystery Jets

 I’ve saved the best news till last. Last week, I interviewed Swim effing Deep OMG. Before their gig supporting Mystery Jets at the HMV I got to meet Austin and Higgy. I left sixth form early to go to Town because I had a plan of getting them all individual presents. Luckily I changed my mind because I realised that was kind of weird. Instead, I got them one of those cute iced hearts from the German Market with ‘Birmingham’ written on it. It’s funny because while I was at the German Market, I walked past Austin and Higgy who of course had no idea who I was (yet) but nevertheless I smiled at them like some crazed fan girl. I don’t think they recognised me later on … or maybe they did and were like why is that weird Cheshire cat interviewing us.

After a bit of an issue with phone malfunctions, I finally met Max the tour manager, who was interestingly French and looked a bit like Hagrid, and he led me and Nicola (the blonde girl in all the photos aka my best friend and assistant) to the Old Crown pub in Digbeth. By that point I was at the brink of fainting with nerves/excitement. There was no need to be nervous at all; it was all so amazing. Austin, Higgy and their friend were eating pizza just being cool. Nicola videoed it all so I technically have a video of Higgy eating haha … creepy but kinda cool. The whole situation was really surreal because I love their music so much. They've clearly got personalities worth loving too. I can't believe how genuine, funny and intelligent they were. Incredible band, incredible interview. I love what I do so much - I get to meet amazing people without coming across as a crazed stalker - fucking brilliant. 

Gig season has started!!

So the infamous gig season has started. I've already been to three and i'm worn out! I've got so many more which means MANY reviews will be coming your way.

Bastille were absolutely amazing last week. I'd been looking forward to their gig for ages and I was definitely not left disapointed; especially as I got to meet half of the amazing Swiss Lips (fantastic support act) and Dan from Bastille himself.

Remember The Carpels? Well, they supported Reverend at the Makers at the o2 academy last week. I was looking forward more to The Carpels than I was for Reverend and the Makers, but I was pleasantly surprised; I enjoyed The Revs way more than I thought I would, despite the fact I looked completely out of place in a sea of 'proper' men (they all looked like they were members in Bikers groups - tattoos, the hair, the piercings, the leather jackets etc).
Ian McClure did an impromptu gig outside the academy once the main show was over. It was such a special moment, and he didn't get nicked (major bonus seeing as though we were surrounded by riot vans). Watch this video (it's not mine - all credit to 'I am Birmingham').

On Wednesday, I saw Dog is Dead - great band with loads of energy! I'm not as in to their music as a lot of the people there were, but it was still a great gig nonetheless. A highlight was one of their support acts, Beans on Toast (yes, the act is really called Beans on Toast). Beans on Toast is made up on one witty, talented, amazing man (or should I say MDMAmazing)...

NB - It's always the same two faces in these pictures, so just to let you know, I'm the Brunette.

Thanks for reading to the end! That was a long one

Stay tuned as reviews of ALL these gigs will be uploaded and published asap x

November 7th - Birmingham

I've got a tonne of gigs planned for the upcoming concert season, but there's one that I'm particularly looking forward to.

When you see your favourite band, it's usually the case that you stand there bored shitless while the support bands play seemingly endless sets. Well, on November 7th, Spector are being supported by not just one amazingly indie band, but two; Swim Deep and Splashh.

I discovered Spector at Chazzstock. They've got a really cool and quirky personality which really radiates when they perform. 

I cannot contain my excitement about seeing my Brummie favourites, Swim Deep! 

Splashh - the love child of the Stone Roses and The Jesus and Mary Chain

Introducing: Get Cubs

Everyone needs that innocently happy generic indie band for when they’ve had enough of listening to the deeper stuff. Get Cubs consists of four young lads ready to have fun.

When you thought the music scene couldn’t get anymore indie, Get Cubs were seen performing with true indie spirit in Birmingham’s more alternative venue The Flapper, which is essentially a cave-like bar, as part of the Birmingham Artsfest. Their joyful energy was incredibly contagious as they performed; forcing even the unsuspecting listeners to bob along to the catchy jingly tunes. The video for their latest single, ‘Plastic Parade’ reflects the band’s fun nature as they mess around in front of a changing multi-coloured backdrop; not caring about looking ridiculous.

After spending three years together as a band, in which a name change as well as lots of gigging took place, Get Cubs are ready to share their debut album with the world. The release date is in just two months. They may not have revolutionised music, but you can’t deny their raw talent infused with lots of light-hearted fun.

See the published version: http://www.danceyrselfclean.com/introducing/introducing-get-cubs

Birmingham Music

Birmingham is starting to lose its reputation as Chav City and is instead becoming Indie Kingdom. Being a Brummie girl myself, I'm so proud of the new bands emerging from B-town. The Carpels, Peace and Swim Deep are all phenomenal bands in their own right; bringing heaps of vintage style, straight from the streets of Digbeth, with fresh new indie sounds to the current music scene. You'll be missing out if you don't give these boys a listen.

King Charles - Live at the o2 academy 3, Birmingham

It came with no surprise to learn that King Charles was crowned international songwriter of the year in 2009 by unanimous vote. Each track on the debut album, ‘LoveBlood’contains extremely clever lyrics that are instantly remembered against a simple yet catchy tune. His unique sound of glam-folk along with his unique style complete with wild hair, opened shirts (revealing a somewhat sexy carpet of chest hair) and a cummerbund in true monarch style are sure to be enough to secure his position as the new King of pop.

The extremely intimate venue was filled with hardcore fans of King Charles with the majority fashioning stick-on moustaches that were being sold at the merchandise stand. The whole ambience of the gig reminded me of why I love music so much; the power of King Charles’ tunes had united an extreme variation of people that would otherwise not be congregated together.

After what can only be described as an ‘interesting’ performance from the support bands, the small mismatched crowd awaited their King’s arrival. First support act, King of Cats consisted of one very angry man and his guitar. His falsetto voice carried notes of rage across the small room with a questionable hint of ironic humour. Second support act, Beta Blocker and the Body Clock played a more forgettable set with a chilled surfer-dude kind of feel.

As soon as King Charles took to the stage, I just couldn’t stop smiling. As unfortunately cheesy as that sounds, it’s true! From the folk-dance style of ‘Bam Bam’ to the more glam-rock ‘Polar Bear,’ the whole crowd enthusiastically wiggled their hips and sang along. Charles seemed truly overwhelmed at how his fans were singing back all the lyrics from his album after just three weeks of it being released! King Charles performed almost every song from the album and even specially dedicated ‘Coco Chitty’ to all the ladies. Not only did the crowd sing and dance, but they energetically clapped along to the calypso beat of ‘Lady Percy’ too. They again showed their appreciation as they shouted lyrics and chorused ‘we want more!’ in anticipation of the inevitable encore where we were treated to a beautiful solo acoustic of ‘Love is the Cure’ and his own rendition of Billy Joel’s political song ‘we didn’t start the fire.’ King Charles used his song writing talent to bring the song up to date with lyrics more fitting to this era.

With the dedicated cult following that King Charles has already obtained within such a short time of the release of his first album, I think it’s fair to say that he really is the next big thing. 

See the published version: http://www.danceyrselfclean.com/live/king-charles-live-at-the-o2-academy-3-birmingham