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Sound-check done, Birmingham Live repairs to the Rainbow bar, sans punters, for a jolly good goss with Colour Scene frontman, Simon ‘Foxy’ Fowler. The tape recorder’s running, yes, we still do things analogue at BL to placate the typesetters, when in comes manager/dad, Chris Craddock asking for the set list. 'Set list? Christ I still don’t know half the words to the new songs,’ chirps Fowler... |
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In the month leading up to the celebrations commemorating the 10th birthday of Brum promoters par excellence Capsule, numerous superlatives are likely to be thrown their way over the next few weeks, so mine shall remain under wraps for the time being. In the buildup to Decembers festivities we have possibly the quintessential Capsule lineup to enjoy – namely an internationally respected, cutting edge and challenging headliner, with the bill fleshed out by the best of the local underground |
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Achingly cool French label Kitsuné hit the Rainbow with a double header of two of their latest discoveries ably supported by local dubby dance psych legends Old School Tie. What’s not to like eh? I suppose the gig could be on a tropical island populated by nymphomaniac porn stars and an endless supply of Weston’s Old Rosie but we can’t have everything can we? Squint a little and that forlorn looking plant in the corner of the room could almost be a palm tree and I reckon one of the security guards on the door would be up for a quick fumble if you fancied it… |
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Perhaps a torrential downpour is not exactly what you would wish for on your way to a gig in a garden! Thankfully the garden in question belongs to The Rainbow pub in Digbeth with its marquee-style courtyard and I am here to see what I would term a line-up of bands with a neo-punk persuasion – not so much emulating the good old punk of yore but certainly a genre of music having its roots firmly planted there. |
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A quiet Monday night in a small suburb of Birmingham, in a pub full of football fans doesn't necessarily evoke images of a great rock n roll evening. It was here however - in the Rainbow Digbeth - that Jersey Budd, Leicester's fresh new talent, hit the stage to treat the largely Antipodian audience to a bagful of great new tunes. |
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Tunng as a group are something of a paradox, mixing traditional-sounding acoustic folk with the beeps, whirs and buzzes of ambient electronica and a palette of makeshift percussive instruments. This usually makes any gig of theirs an intriguingly eclectic affair. So I was even more intrigued to hear about their new collaboration with African 'desert blues' group Tinariwen. As I watched the rag-tag groups of vaguely hippy-ish, vaguely 'alternative' punters enter the graffiti-plastered warehouse, I thought, would this be an eclecticism too far? |
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This gig was supposed to be in the Barfly, but due to refurbishment it had to be moved to the Rainbow, which in my opinion was for the best as the crowd were very passionate about the local bands... |
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444 Club are known for putting on the best of Birmingham's bands at The Rainbow, a smallish, nicely scuffed pub/music venue in Digbeth. So when the message started circulating that Joss Stone would be playing there the most common reaction was an entirely understandable 'What? THE Joss Stone?' |
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It's Friday night, and I'm at the 444 Club to see Toronto band The Coast. Minor glee ensues when I spot some familiar names on the bill - Tom Peel, and the Heathers, last encountered in a crowded Christmas gig plagued with wobbly sound and illness. All in all shaping up to be a good night then! |
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Envy and Other Sins' Christmas gig at the Rainbow in Digbeth promised to be a good one, with outstanding support being provided by local artists The Heathers, Mr Bones & The Dreamers, and Tom Peel. The Rainbow, incidentally, has the dubious distinction of being the only venue in Birmingham where you can get rained on more inside than outside. A word to the wise: avoid the spot in front of the sound desk with the puddle... |
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I'm slightly ashamed to admit that this was my first gig at The Rainbow but it was a fine way to kick things off. The promoters here are promoting a good spread of local bands, have created a decent atmosphere and you can get a kebab at the back of the room - what more could you want? First up were The Abbots, who didn't particularly convert me to their cause but whose pub rock was competent enough not to deserve a complete shoeing. There was nothing you hadn't heard several times already and songs like 'Fire' and 'Outertowners' sounded like exercises in cramming in as many cliches and obvious rhymes as possible. But for a first band on the bill they were fine. |
