Jul 05

The Black Keys + The Features @ The O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK – 5th July 2010

The Black Keys I love this time of year. Hot sunny days, long warm nights, shorts and BBQs… And if you’re a music lover or Gig Junkie it means music festivals going off up and down the country every weekend. Of course there’s the biggie, the one every band wants to play – Glastonbury. By far the greatest asset of Glastonbury is it’s sheer power in bringing some of the worlds greatest bands to these shores. And whilst here why not turn one festival appearance into a mini tour and play a small handful of gigs in the few minutes you have spare. Taking this into account means that London, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham get the chance to see alternative Blues / Rock duo ‘The Black Keys’ before embarking on a full US tour.


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Jun 04

The Destroyers + Urban Voodoo Machine @ The Crossing, Birmingham, UK – 4 June 2010

The Destroyers So it's the "The Summer Gypsy Ball" and first on Urban Voodoo Machine... They lived up to their "bourbon soaked gypsy blues bop 'n' stroll" moniker during their performance initially but really came alive during the on stage antics later on in the performance. Most notable was a dynamic double drumming display by the green bearded Booshesque lead drummer and his sidekick. Other delights of their ensemble included the intermittent appearance of a sort of 1920s ‘gong girl’ dressed in a minuscule eastern inspired costume along with Valentinoesque headdress. Her image reminiscent of an old black and white movie still.


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May 27

Dan Sartain + The Rivers Presley Set @ The Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, 27 May 2010

Dan Sartain Man, that’s some powerful voodoo going on there. How else could you explain the sudden transportation of the Hare and Hounds from humble ol’ Kings Heath to the darkest depths of the Mississippi delta eh? Yep, shut your eyes tonight and you can almost hear the ‘gators a snappin’ at yer heels (if they hadn’t all been poisoned by several trillions of gallons of oil that is).


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Apr 19

Boy George @ The Town Hall, Birmingham, UK – 19 April 2010

Boy George It’s hard to appreciate just what a big deal Boy George was back in the early 80’s. First of all the ‘is he a she debate?’ was, I recall, something of a national obsession, helping to catapult Culture Club into the big time all over the world. Then the drugs took hold and George was all over the papers again, this time literally fighting for life (at one point he was even outed by his own brother who claimed George had just days to live...looking at footage of the time he had a point). In recent years it’s been all about his battles with the law, culminating with what he tonight called his ‘holiday’ at her majesty’s pleasure last year. The fact that he’s arguably better known for all this other stuff right now than he is for his music is a real shame. Strip away the fuck ups (and boy, George has made his fair share) and there’s a lusciously rich vein of classic pop and dance anthems to get stuck into. Tonight, happily, George decided to do just that, covering all bases from early Culture Club through to his early solo stuff on to Jesus Loves You and right up to date with current single ‘Amazing Grace’.


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Apr 01

Bad Company @ LG Arena Birmingham, UK – 01 April 2010

Bad Company On approaching the LG Arena (NEC as it was formerly known) I couldn't work out whether it was the adverse weather conditions or the general age of the audience that was accounting for the copious amount of wrinkles at the Bad Company gig on Thursday night... ...On closer inspection, and much like the Fleetwood Mac gig that GJ covered last year, it was the average age of the blues bands fan base which accounted for the odd crows foot or two, not surprising when you consider that the band - the brain child of former Free front man Paul Rodgers, started plying their trade in the year I was born (1973 in case you didn't know) and had many of their hits throughout the 70s.


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Jan 19

John Mayer @ Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, UK – 19 January 2010

John Mayer Being a big John Mayer fan for a long time it was a great pleasure to be able to finally get to one of his gigs. The anticipation had set in earlier in the day and I was "up for it". Awesome seats, 3rd row middle balcony gave a great view of the stage. I've never sat down at a gig but I was liking the feeling of a Roman Emperor at the Colosseum (in my strange fantasy world). A great night was to be had.


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Dec 11

Scott Matthews + Jo Hamilton + James Summerfield @ Town Hall, Birmingham – 11 December 2009

Scott Matthews Do you ever wonder why some experiences stay with you for a long time yet others are forgotten the very moment they end? Well I’m still pondering that very question since attending Town Hall, Birmingham to see Scott Matthews play on Sunday night. For me I’d been looking forward to the gig for a while, and yet with some quite high expectations I was niggled; niggled that the live performance might not live up to his two recorded albums ‘Passing Stranger’ and this year’s release ‘Elsewhere’. Or that his live persona would be haunted by comparisons to the likes of Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley.


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Dec 03

Paloma Faith + Josh Weller @ O2 Academy 2, Birmingham UK – 03 December 2009

Paloma Faith Retro pop anyone? Yes, tonight had a distinctly retro feel. Hop in your Tardis (other time travelling devices are available), flash back 30 years or so ago and Josh Weller’s brand of quirky New Wave would be perfectly at home. Hop back in and go back a further 40 years and you can just see Paloma doing her thing in some swanky Manhattan club. Tonight we were in the slightly less swanky (but still rather nice… boy is this an improvement on the ‘old’ Academy) Academy 2 as part of sell out crowd that literally ranged from 6 to 65.


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Nov 27

The Heavy + At The Zoo + Smiley Mic @ The Rainbow, Birmingham, UK – 27 November 2009

The Heavy After fighting off a dubious complaint about noise and fitting a new super roof that’s capable of muffling the sound of a nuclear explosion (probably) The Rainbow, arguably Digbeth’s jewel in the crown, continues to put on some darn fine gigs.


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Jan 29

Seasick Steve + Joe Gideon and the Shark @ Wolverhampton Civic Hall – 29th January 2009

Seasick Steve "I started out with nothing and I still got most of it left" is the self proclamation which has become Seasick Steve's catch phrase. It pretty much sums up everything about the bearded musical 'hobo'. What the man can do with a cardboard box guitar (the Diddly Bo) and a tin box drum simulator that he stamps on repeatedly (the Mississippi Drum Machine) borders on genius and the fact that he does it dressed in dungarees and a checked shirt makes him all the more endearing.


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