Out From Animals @ Scruffy Murphy’s, Birmingham – 23rd June 2008
I first heard of Out From Animals after following their progress on the Channel 4 T4 programme Mobile Act Unsigned, and when I found out the guys where heading to Brum, I just had to see them perform.
Their Birmingham gig was the final show of their 15 leg UK tour, and would also be their most eventful. The guys were booked to play at Bar Academy, a fitting venue for any upcoming band, but at around 4pm up popped an email from their management explaining that Bar Acad had pulled the gig, but the show would happen at Scruffy Murphy’s. Straight away I was expecting the worst. An electronica indie band playing a gig in Birmingham’s most notorious metal pub… this was going to be interesting.
The room is pretty sparsely populated – a couple of pockets of people dotted around. No fault of their own, but you can’t help but feel they were hoping for a larger turn out, but all things considered, they seem happy enough as they make there way to the tiny staged area.
From the off, the guys were jumping around the stage, but with little room to move, Andy (vocals, guitar, samples) spent a large proportion of the gig running around the bar, getting the 20 or so people dancing along to their funky electronic sounds.
Despite the band consisting of just three members (Andy, Paul — Bass and Sean — Drums), the sound they are able to create is full and hard hitting, and they must have done something right as the room slowly became a little more full. A group of girls begin to dance as if they were at a school disco, looking like they are genuinely enjoying themselves, and, with a look over my shoulder, I can even see some hardcore metallers tapping their feet to catchy pop tunes.
The fact that the gig was dropped from Bar Academy and that they were performing to a small handful of people in a metal bar didn’t seem to put OFA off one little bit. They played very tight together and with soooo much energy in their performance, they are definitely a band to keep an eye out for.
Review & Photos – Keith West