Nov 26
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Having been hustled and bustled from one queue to the next outside the LG ARENA I arrived just in time to hear the last half of the Heart Wrenching Pixie Lott's opening rendition of ‘Mama Do’. |
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Nov 03
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Winter has truly got underway in Birmingham and promoters Moseley Folk present their monthly night The Lunar Society that brings singer songwriters to the cosy candlelit second room of the Hare and Hounds. |
Oct 13
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John Foxx is now known as the man who started Ultravox in 1974, way before the early 80’s chart successes enjoyed by the band’s later incarnation. By 1979, Ultravox! (with or without exclamation mark) had released 3 critically acclaimed albums (a major influence on a subsequent generation of electronic musicians) on the Island record label, but not received the chart success the label required, so were dropped by Island. |
Sep 28
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Support for the evening comes from Leicester band We Three And The Death Rattle. A three-piece consisting of a guitarist, drummer and a lead vocalist (armed with a theremin). This band wear their influences...literally. Sporting a George Jones baseball hat (from the official country star George Jones' website) the guitarist and co offer up their Midlands take on the country/blues inspired music that has illuminated the masses for as long as we care to remember. |
Jul 22
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Birmingham heavy metal band Judas Priest have been present for the best of 40 years, producing a loyal fan base and the name for putting a lot of effort into the live performance and producing rock mega hits. Although the size of venue’s seem to differ between tour’s, tonight’s it’s the turn of Wolverhampton Civic Hall to present the latest Epitaph tour, which is being cited as the last the band may ever undertake. For that though, we’ll just have to wait and see. |
Jul 13
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Murdoch’s shafted BSkyB bid hubris is a joy to behold and the Parliamentary select committee have reason to believe that Plod’s comedic selective recall is little short of bollocks. Now then, where’s that Red Top witch hiding? There’s a humid moody bad full moon rising over Kings Heath High Street and the Weatherspoons’ bus-shelter’s already heaving with grunting couples: it’s their gesture towards protected sex and goes down well with the clientele - as do the clientele. |
Jul 09
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James Taylor, the award winning 63 year old was in Birmingham, an old destination that he and his band visited many years ago. James Taylor, the troublemaker from the 70s charmed the audience from the moment he stepped on stage with his jokes and stories. His stories consisted of memories and the inspiration behind each song on his two part set and made the audience feel as if James Taylor was an old friend. |
Jun 16
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A wet and rainy evening in Birmingham, dodging the showers to get to the Academy, as it’s time to be cheered up and blast the rain away, with a bit of rowdy back-to-basics rock n roll meets punk attitude with up and coming garage band The Jim Jones Revue. |
May 17
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"I look at The Robin as my spiritual home" Joanne Shaw Taylor, Wednesbury born and now Detroit resident kicked off her UK tour at the Robin 2 to a packed venue and nothing was going to upset the remarkable singer and guitarist tonight. |
Feb 25
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The queue’s chock around the block and the 6.30 p.m. doors open is not forthcoming. I learn later that all manner of sound-check nightmares have occurred which sadly do impact on the main set’s opening but what of mere trifles? Tonight’s audience is as a diverse palette of young and older, trans-ethnic lads and girly smolder you could ever wish to be in company of. And, we’re all here to witness the incandescent dream-weaving, Soul-healing, bad ass funky diva sass of Janelle Monae. |
Feb 07
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Tonight it’s a small and intimate gig to see Joan Wasser AKA Joan as a Policewoman at Birmingham Glee Club. I receive a very warm (missing you already) welcome as I arrive and another really pleasant and helpful person upstairs to show me where the free seats are (they’ve turned the light down earlier - it’s pretty dark in here and warm and cosy!). Brownie points on the old ‘customer care’ to The Glee! The audience tonight is seated and polite - it’s nearly sold out, and unlike other reviews I’ve seen, there wasn’t any talking over the support or the main act. |
Jan 24
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Firstly, hats off to Jim Moray! Despite the Glee Club announcer asking for audience quiet while performers are on stage, at least half of the crowd talk loudly through his whole set. Still, whether he is unaware or just thick-skinned, Jim still belts out some traditional folk songs that even had me stroking my beard and swinging my pants in appreciation. |
