Mar 11
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Tonight’s night of Metal comes from the “best of a bad bunch of Birmingham venues”, the basement of The Barfly. Conditions seem to differ at The Barfly from gig to gig, so let’s see what’s in store... |
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Mar 11
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Tonight’s gig at the Town Hall, billed as Curzonora, was the opening night in Birmingham’s Flatpack Festival. Now in its third year the film festival delivers a mix of rare and interesting films and live events such as tonight’s performance by Birmingham’s own, The Destroyers, providing the music for a series of short films from the early 1900’s. |
Mar 10
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After walking past the vast queue waiting to see T-Pain in the O2 Academy, I entered Bar Academy only to be met by a handful of people and unfortunately this tiny crowd did not grow much as the night progressed. First on was Ché, a 5-piece band from Worcester... |
Mar 09
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Love him or loathe him Justin Hawkins can’t be dismissed, and appearing at Birmingham's Academy 2 with a “Hello Wembley” was not entirely unexpected... |
Mar 09
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First up tonight were ‘Christian Metalcore’ band Gwen Stacey. Hailing from Illinois (as they constantly reminded the crowd), they seemed an unlikely choice of opening act, and judging by the faces in the audience, I wasn’t the only one who thought it. To be honest I can’t tell you what they played in their set as all their songs are very similar, and unfortunately for them, there are many bands out there doing the same as them but better... |
Mar 05
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The Robin 2 has to be one of the hidden gems for live music in the Midlands. It’s easy to get to, nearby bus and metro station, and if you drive the car park is next door and free. For those who travel there is even a hotel within the venue and a room with breakfast starts at £35. Can it get any better? Well yes it can, you can add some cracking music, and the list of future gigs offers more than the usual tribute bands you’d expect from a venue like this... |
Mar 03
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The support act for tonight's gig is a local band called The Toy Hearts. They are essentially a family band who play a mixture of Bluegrass and Swing, and have a monthly residency at The Kitchen Garden Cafe in King's Heath. It isn't often that I enjoy a support act, but this is one of those rare events... |
Feb 26
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Rise Against are well known for their strong stance on a number of important issues, from the Iraq war to animal welfare; so it’s no surprise that tonight’s show is loaded with politics and morals. The fact that the Academy is almost at its capacity tonight shows just how influential the music of band like Rise Against and Anti-Flag can be; their message reaching thousands every night of the tour... |
Feb 26
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Ahhh nearly the weekend, which means the week's already on its downward slope to Friday and things can sometimes get a bit sleepy. Fortunately I have the perfect antidote - Fight Like Apes at the Barfly, with a set of supporting bands who were, to say the very least, a little bit good... |
Feb 24
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It's the first time I've been back to the Town Hall since the renovations and I'm well impressed. The seats are comfortable and I've never had so much leg room in a theatre before -- they seem to have taken out every other row! The theatre was about two-thirds full, and the age of the audience reflected Tom Paxton's age, with very few people under 50. |
Feb 24
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I don’t know if I’m the first person to struggle to spot The Victoria, nestled snugly in its alleyway next to the Alexandra Theatre. However, finally stumbling across it I felt like I’d been let in on a special secret; the place practically glows with warmth and its blending of the traditional with ironic pop culture touches gives it a unique charm. Upstairs, fairly lights and a disco ball set a slightly incongruous but nonetheless magical scene for the ‘Colour Presents’ evening. |
Feb 22
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In a rather unassuming terraced house in Kings Heath, something very special is happening. Instead of the usual TV in the corner polluting the room with fake talent contests, there is a real singer and a real guitar player: and I don’t mean they are on the tele, no, they are right there in the room... this is infinitely more exciting than anything HD or HD ready can give you.. |
Feb 21
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The Patrick Kavanagh upstairs room is a pleasant and intimate space; 50 people filled it comfortably. The pub itself was crowded and noisy and the audience for this folk concert had to push their way through the din to reach the stairs. Once upstairs, however, little noise could be heard from the bar, although the noisy fridges at the back of the room meant that the music had to be amplified... |
Feb 21
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It’s the first time in a while that the barfly has been sold out so the room is absolutely rammed. It makes a nice change to be warm in there, but the long wait for Azriel gets rather tedious. However their tactics clearly paid off, with a big 2-step pit opening up as soon as the boys walk on stage... |
