The Black Keys @ Birmingham Academy

With the release of The Black Keys new album ‘Attack and Release’ comes another tour from the Akron duo. With numerous dates already behind them, Dan and Pat landed in Birmingham to play brummie fans a mixture of old and new. ‘Attack and Release’ is the 5th Album (6th if you want to count Chulahoma) from the consistently raw blues/rock pair.

Being a huge Black Keys fan I met this gig with an idea that ‘They’ve made it big now’ and expected an event with a slightly less intimate feel. The Birmingham Academy isn’t the biggest venue in the world and considering the popularity of the band, their radio 1 air play and newly produced album by Dangermouse of Gnarls Barkley, I expected both floors of the venue to be open and full. In fact, the area open wasn’t sold to full capacity? Why? Such talented musicians, quality songs, stunning back catalogue and effin awesome live performances…?

This oddly enough is the beauty of The Black Keys, they are musicians. Stripped of “band” bravado and absent of media antics, The Black Keys have effortlessly stuck to the business of making music. Music they love and music they love to play. And this was evident on Wednesday night. The fans knew the songs old and new, engaged with the band and had a really good time.
Avoiding the “next big thing” trap has created a band that people seem to honestly respect and enjoy. As always the two-piece made more noise than some four-pieces and sounded insanely gritty and full.

The pair even managed to give some credit to the tired and cringe worthy ritual of encores. We’ve all seen them… “Thanks and goodnight” then the band walk behind a speaker until someone yelps “more” to which they reappear… “Oh, ok, one more”. It’s ridiculous. The guys left the stage after the unusually chirpy Dan told everyone to “get home safely” and managed to stay off the stage until the crowd were genuinely hollering for more of their two-piece magic.

If you’ve never seen this band live, get a ticket! If you’ve never heard of them, at least buy ‘Thickfreakness’ – you won’t regret it!

Set List:
Girl is on My Mind
Set You Free
Thickfreakness
10am Automatic
Same Old Thing
Stack Shot Billy
Busted
You’re The One
Strange Times
Your Touch
I’m Glad

Review – Cherry Barrett
Photos – Bianca Barrett