Jul 19

Nas & Damian Marley @ The 02 Academy, Birmingham, UK – 19th July 2010

Nas & Damian Marley The front of the o2 Academy has a different feeling outside it than usual, 3 metal detectors, snarling steroid injected dogs being held back by fat coppers, 4 x more security than normal and an extremely chilled mixed crowed queuing to get in to see Nas & Damien Marley. This is the first time since the smoking ban has been put into place, that I have walked into a venue to see a slight fog. The opening song "As We Enter" has Nas spitting "I got the guns" Mr Marley... "and I got the ganja”... which it then appeared, so did half the audience, as the weed was burning well tonight.


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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 15

LaBrassBanda + Fistful of Dynamite + Gurdan Thomas @ The Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, UK – 15 April 2010

LaBrassBanda Whilst the rest of the nation is witnessing the first historical (or should that be hysterical?) debate between our three ‘glorious’ ‘political’ ‘leaders’ the Hare & Hounds is playing host to a different (and much more enjoyable) brand of insanity in the form of Bavaria’s number one brass/dance/euro pop/mariachi band. Okay, admittedly there aren’t that many Bavarian brass/dance/euro pop/mariachi bands, but even if there were I think you’d have to go some to beat the sheer joyful exuberance of LaBrassBanda.


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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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Nov 13

Mr Hudson @ The Royal, Derby UK – 13 November 2009

Mr Hudson Despite his throat being “technically f****ed” as he put it, Mr Hudson’s performance in Derby on Friday the 13th was a confident and relaxed one. It was a thing of wonder witnessing one guy flirt with so many women in one go. I say women… The average age of the girls packed along the barrier couldn’t have been more than 17.


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Oct 14

The Slits + The Courtesy Group @ The Rainbow, Birmingham UK – 14 October 2009

The Slits They may be less well known than The Pistols (Sex), The Spex (X-Ray) or…er…The John (Jilted) but The Slits richly deserve their place in punk history, not least of which for being one of the few mainly female punk bands (a good 20 years before an altogether more commercial brand of girl power).


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Aug 23

V Festival @ Weston Park Stafford UK – Sunday 23 August 2009

V Festival 09 Leaning on the barrier at the front row of a Mcfly concert is not somewhere I ever pictured I would be, but there I was and as the trio ventured out to the tones of YMCA it was clear that I was going to enjoy it. For me Mcfly epitomise everything great about festivals. They are there to enjoy it and more to the point you’re gonna enjoy it. “Who got laid last night?” asked their bass player…


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