Brum Notes Magazine - April 2011

April 2011 1February 2011 1

www.brumnotes.com free

april 2011

music and lifestyle for the west midlands

Also inside:Clare Maguire

Lee FossEvil Alien

The Carpels

Plus:Dan Clark

Imran Yusuf

And don’t miss: Your comprehensive guide to live music, clubbing and comedy throughout April and where to celebrate or avoid the Royal Wedding in style

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April 2011 3

CONTENTSBrum Notes Magazine120 The GreenhouseThe Custard FactoryDigbethBirminghamB9 4AA

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Editor: Chris MoriartyContributorsWords: Jon Pritchard, David Vincent, Saima Razzaq, Lyle Bignon, Daron Billings, Clare Savage, Alex JukesPictures: Wayne Fox, Sander Jurkiewicz, Richard Shakespeare, Tamsin MaeDesign: Sleepy.me.uk, Andy Aitken

All content © Brum Notes Magazine. Views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Brum Notes Magazine.

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REGULARS:NEWSLIVE REVIEWSCLUB WATCHFOOD & DRINKWHAT’S ON - your comprehensive guide to music, clubs and comedy across the West Midlands this month

FEATURES:COMEDY: Imran YusufCOMEDY: Dan ClarkCOMEDY: Isy SuttieMUSIC: The Carpels MUSIC: Evil AlienCLUBBING: Lee FossMUSIC: Clare MaguireMUSIC: Guillemots

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INTERNATIONAL JAZZ STARS TO RETURN TO BIRMINGHAMMore than 200 performances will take place across 50 venues when a renowned jazz festival returns to Birmingham.

The 27th Birmingham International Jazz & Blues Festival will take place from July 1 to 10 with a host of free concerts at locations ranging from city streets and squares to zoos, stately homes and canals, as well as at traditional live venues, bars and cafes throughout Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.

Among those confirmed to play are living blues legend Chick Willis, the Teens Jazzband Velke Losiny from Czech Republic and Germany’s Bourbon Street Stompers who return after a successful stint in 2009.

It will be one of two jazz festivals taking place in the city in July, with the Mostly Jazz Festival also returning for its second year in the leafy surrounds of Moseley Park. Running from July 1 to 3, it boasts an eclectic line-up of classic and contemporary jazz alongside modern soul and funk with live performances and DJ sets from the likes of Booker T, The Cinematic Orchestra, Pigbag and Gilles Peterson. www.birminghamjazzfestival.com www.mostlyjazz.co.uk

DJ EMMA SCOTT PENS BOOK FOR WANNABE STARS Former Kerrang! Radio DJ Emma Scott has published her first book aimed at helping bands to get their music played on the radio.

Break Your Band – A Guide to Getting Radio Airplay boasts trade secrets and inside info aimed at giving new musicians the best

chance of getting valuable radio airplay and draws on Emma’s 23 years of experience as both a presenter and a gig promoter.

The 86-page book includes information on how to put together the perfect press pack and details of which presenters play unsigned bands. There’s also a section on radio rules, a guide on which tracks to send, how to get on a station playlist, and advice on whether you need management or a radio plugger.

Emma, who also hosts regular Emma Scott Presents gigs in Birmingham and Wolverhampton as well as her recently launched series of Break Your Band music industry seminars, is also planning a further two books covering more topics to help bands including getting gigs and making money from their music.

She said: “I guarantee any band who read the book and who follow my guidelines will get radio airplay – as long as their music is good, that is. ”We spoke to Emma to find out her top five tips for new bands and aspiring stars...

Emma Scott’s Top 5 tips for bands: “From the very start you need to ask yourselves - are all the members pulling in the same direction? Do you all want the same thing? Make sure you’re all reading from the same sheet as they say, and this will help the band move forward, rather than having one member holding you back.

“Once you have your three best songs, get yourself booked into a studio to record them to a high standard. Get the tracks mixed and mastered to stand a much better chance of getting radio airplay.

“Make the best press pack that you can and send to as many radio stations as possible. Tell the recipient everything about your band and enclose a CD that plays. Make sure you label your CD as well as the CD inlay as they often get separated.

“When applying for gigs or writing to DJs for radio airplay, treat your email or letter like a job application. Your band’s press pack is like your CV. Include band history, highlights of your career and references.

“Remember, you’re in the music business, and you have to treat your band as your business. You need to run the band as you would a proper business and delegate each member their ‘role”’ in the band. Maybe one person is best at social media and administration, another is best at booking gigs, the drummer is best with finances and the singer is best at radio interviews. Each must do their bit. “These five tips will start any band off nicely. Oh, and that reminds me - be nice to people on the way up. Manners cost nothing!”

Break Your Band - A Guide to Getting Radio Airplay by Emma Scott is available now through Amazon.

April 2011 5

PARTIES GALORE FOR ROYAL WEDDINGWhat’s the best thing about the forthcoming royal wedding? An extra bank holiday of course. And the chance for an extra lie-in also means the perfect excuse for a right royal knees-up. Sandwiched in between Easter and a May bank holiday, Kate and Wills have also given us two four-day weekends in a row, bless ‘em, so enjoy it.

The Flapper will be celebrating in its own unique, trash-glam way, hosting a free Royal Wedding Fancy Dress Party, inviting revellers to get dolled up as tarts, vicars, brides or grooms. Expect not-your-usual-wedding-band live music and DJs keeping the party going into the early hours, plus quirky British treats from cupcakes to punishment stocks. Uber-cool bar family, The Victoria, Island, Bodega and The Jekyll & Hyde will be getting patriotic with a special offer across all four bars to help raise a toast to the wedding, the Queen’s birthday and St George’s Day. Buy any three of their bespoke British ingredient cocktails between April 18 and May 1 and get a fourth free. The Wagon & Horses in Digbeth is going for a less civilised approach to the princely occasion, with the subtly-named F*ck the Royal Wedding Party. This free entry bash boasts live music and chaos from the likes of female-fronted London dub punks Headjam and ska outfit Alcohol Licks in the Shed, with Shuddervision Soundsystem leading the DJ antics in the FunKtion Room, plus Twisted Disco in the Wah Bar. Keeping things alternative, underground noise-makers Capsule will host their own honeymoon with a twist in the shape of Wedlock! at the Hare & Hounds on April 30 with a nice-and-sleazy line-up of music from Stinky Wizzleteat, Bargepole, Doom Patrol, Backwards and Fickle Twin, plus DJs and stalls. At just £5 a ticket, don’t be surprised if Willy and his little princess make an appearance either, they love a bargain. Blowing away the honeymoon cobwebs the next day and throwing another special occasion into the mix, bi-monthly club night Reverb marks its own third birthday on May 1 with a headline appearance from acid house and techno pioneer Justin Robertson, at the Bulls Head in Moseley from 9pm until 2am the following morning. And yes the following morning is a bank holiday too. Phew.

EARLY LINE-UP ANNOUNCED FOR THIS YEAR’S OFF THE CUFF FESTIVALBrum Notes Magazine can reveal the first acts on the bill for this year’s Off the Cuff festival. The summertime city centre showpiece takes place at The Flapper in Birmingham from July 22 to 24, boasting the finest in alternative rock, indie, post-hardcore and general noisy merriment.

Fight-pop sextet Dananananaykroyd (pictured)make a long-awaited return to the stage for a headline slot on Sunday, while hotly-tipped Canadians DD/MM/YYYY will make a mad dash from ATP on the same day to top Saturday’s bill. Other notable names include alternative math rockers Tubelord who headline the opening night, alongside performances from Shoes and Socks Off and Pandas and People. Saturday sees Romans, Blacklisters, Shapes, Ok Pilot, &U&I and Hawk Eyes all tearing up the stage, while Sunday’s sweatfest also includes Flashguns and Tall Ships.

With more names due to be announced over the coming weeks it promises to be the best as well as the biggest year yet for the festival, with the stage being set up in the main bar upstairs for a bigger capacity. Hot and spicy food fiends Soul Food Project will be keeping festival-goers energy levels up with BBQs and food throughout the weekend, while revellers will also be able to chill out and enjoy the summer air with acoustic music in the courtyard during the day. And to top it all Brum Notes Magazine has teamed up exclusively with OTC to provide you with comprehensive build up and coverage of the festival before, during and after.

Early bird tickets are now sold out but day and weekend tickets are now available priced as follows: Friday £7, Saturday £12.50, Sunday £12.50, weekend tickets £23 and three day passes £27.

Visit www.offthecuffbirmingham.co.uk to book and to keep an eye out for the latest additions to the line-up. See you there!

IN BRIEFCity centre music venue Sound Bar has been forced to close down after being hit by financial difficulties in the economic climate. The nightspot in Corporation Street closed its doors last month, having hosted more than three years of gigs, club nights and parties since taking over the former Hawkins Wine Bar in 2007. Tributes have been paid to the venue on social networking sites since the announcement was made.

Music-inspired concept kitchen Soul Food Project will take over food duties at Birmingham pub and hotspot The Victoria from this month. The team, which will also continue to provide its Cajun-inspired menu at Kings Heath music hub the Hare & Hounds, launches its Deep South Diner at The Victoria in John Bright Street from April 26 promising classic diner fare with a deep south twist. Join them for tunes and freebies at the official launch party on April 29.

Digbeth nightspot The Rainbow will resurrect its urban beach for a one-off bank holiday event next month. The Beach will be restored under the railway arches on Adderley Street on Sunday, May 1, for a 15-hour day and night party stretching into the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday. See www.facebook.com/rainbowvenues for details.


As far as comparisons go, no one seems to have yet nailed Dan Clark. “Some people say I’m a lot like Noel Fielding, who I’m really good friends with, but he just talks about random things,” he says. “I guess you could say we’re both surreal, but I’m more observational.”

His strange mix of observation, surrealism and music has also led to comparisons with Rik Mayall, although Dan admits this is probably largely down to his TV work.

What fi rst got him into acting was, strangely, Grange Hill. “When I was about eight or nine, I was obsessed with Grange Hill. Then one day, someone said to me: ‘You know that’s not real don’t you? They’re just acting.’

“That blew me away. Straight away I knew I wanted to act, and by the time I’d reached my teens I was pretty interested in comedy too. After my fi rst few acting jobs, it was a natural progression for me to get into comedy.”

His fi rst acting job was, amazingly, as one of the robbers in the famous Only Fools and Horses scene, where Del Boy and Rodney are dressed as Batman and Robin. At just 19, it’s not a bad place to start.

He has since moved on to write and star in his own BBC3 sit-com How Not to Live Your Life, based around 29-year-old Don Danbury, a neurotic bachelor, struggling to fi nd his way in life.

It’s a common point of interest as to whether actors are actually like their characters in real life or not, but Dan hopes there is one key distinction between him and his comic persona. “The main difference between me and Don is I’m not quite as much of a dickhead,” he insists.

As for his stand-up career, he has staged three shows since debuting in 2003 with 57 Minutes, which he says was warmly received by the four people a night who saw it, while he admits

his next outing, Erotic Neurotic, was “okay” at best.

It was at 2006’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival that Dan made his stand up breakthrough, with his show The Day I Lost my iPod, which enjoyed a sell-out run, including extra shows. It was clear he had now found his comedy voice and styling, impressing again with the follow up Unfangled.

After taking time out from stand-up to create How Not to Live Your Life he now returns to the stage with the more simply ti-tled Dan Clark Live tour, but it still begs the question as to why has he had such a long break from the live arena.

“I just get bored easily,” he explains. “After a while standing in front of a camera, I want to interact with an audience. It works the other way around too, so it’s probably a good job the Bir-mingham gig is towards the start of the tour — I won’t be too bored then.”

He promises the show to be like nothing he’s done before, a bit warmer and more surreal than his previous efforts, com-plete with a band. Almost.

“Well, it’s not really a band,” he says. “Its one bloke with a lot of instruments, but it sounds good. The fi rst half of the show will be straight up comedy; the second half will be a mix of comedy and songs.”

Ever since his fi rst appearance on the TV screen, Dan has wormed his way into writing, directing and producing, as well as sketch and stand up comedy. So how would he describe himself?

“I’m not sure really. Put me down as ‘comedy athlete’.”

Dan Clark Live is at the Town Hall, Birmingham, on April 8.

DAN CLARK, star and writer of off-the-wall sitcom How Not to Live Your Life, brings his mix of surreal yet observational comedy to Birmingham this month, promising to throw a few comic songs into the mix as well. Jon Pritchard caught up with the dapper Londoner to see how he found his way onto the stage, via Grange Hill and Only Fools…

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THE COMEDY ATHLETE

Imran Yusuf has had an eventful life, to put it lightly.At the tender age for a comedian of just 31, he has got himself a great job in the gaming industry, quit said job, spent his life savings on a pilgrimage, battled depression, and become one of Britain’s brightest comedy stars.But his latest vocation as a comic is still one to be taken se-riously. In fact he is fi rm in his belief that the serious topics are best left to comedians, not politicians.

“Comedians look at the serious stuff from the right angle, and fi nd the funny bits, instead of getting people bogged down,” he says.

Yusuf knows a lot about getting bogged down. In his mid-20s he suffered from depression and decided to quit his job, go on a pilgrim-age and focus on comedy.He spent six weeks visiting Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina in Saudi Arabia where he had the chance to clear his head and relieve his stress. Once home, he got back on the road to stardom.

“I decided to just gig every day,” he explains. “There were points where I felt like I was driving up and down the country for noth-ing, but my hard work has paid off.”

While appreciating that his hard work has got him to a place where he can be comfortable and try new things, he also ad-mits that his work is far from over.

“I’ve got to work harder now, the rewards are bigger. I want to prove I’m not just a gimmick, I want to be in this for life.”

He describes his comedy as exploring paradigms and con-cepts, as well as being very personal.“My stand-up comes from a place of sincerity and I really want that to come across to the people who come and see my show.”

It certainly seems to be getting across to most people as he was the fi rst person ever to be nominated for Best Newcomer at Edinburgh Fringe Festival when appearing in a free show. “That was amazing,” he says. “I was basically going up there to learn how to fi ll an hour; it’s so much different to just doing 20-minute club sets.”

Despite being one of British comedy’s hot-test prospects, the fellow comics Imran most admires are both Americans, understandable as he spent time at school on the other side of the Atlantic.“The comedians I look up to are Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle,” he says. “Chris is incred-ible; he did his fi rst tour and left his mark on comedy straight away. And Dave was just so affable on stage. He never walked on and shouted: ‘Welcome to my show!’ to the crowd, he was more like, ‘hey, how you doin?’ Watch-ing Dave Chapelle is like hanging out with him.”

Yusuf will have plenty of time to hone his own stage craft, with a 42-date tour lined up starting on April 1 and taking in appear-ances in West Bromwich this month, as well as Birmingham and Wolverhampton next month. The lengthy series of dates was booked as a direct response to his followers on the in-ternet who wanted to see his Edinburgh show on the road, as well as his success on the career-changing Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. So what made it so appealing?

“It’s a very personal show, that’s why it’s just called An Audi-ence with Imran Yusuf. The world has an obsession with fi nding a box for people to belong in. I’ll talk a lot about my life experi-ences and pick them apart.”

An Audience With Imran Yusuf takes place at The Public, West Bromwich, on April 16

MARATHON MAN

IMRAN YUSUF’s energetic style has earned him intriguing descriptions as ‘the Eminem of comedy’ and secured him a growing band of followers thanks in no small part to rave reviews from Edinburgh and his stint on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. He talks to Jon Pritchard ahead of a marathon 42-date tour.

“My stand-up comes from a place

of sincerity and I really want that to

come across to the people who come and see my show.”

April 2011 7

As far as comparisons go, no one seems to have yet nailed Dan Clark. “Some people say I’m a lot like Noel Fielding, who I’m really good friends with, but he just talks about random things,” he says. “I guess you could say we’re both surreal, but I’m more observational.”

His strange mix of observation, surrealism and music has also led to comparisons with Rik Mayall, although Dan admits this is probably largely down to his TV work.

What fi rst got him into acting was, strangely, Grange Hill. “When I was about eight or nine, I was obsessed with Grange Hill. Then one day, someone said to me: ‘You know that’s not real don’t you? They’re just acting.’

“That blew me away. Straight away I knew I wanted to act, and by the time I’d reached my teens I was pretty interested in comedy too. After my fi rst few acting jobs, it was a natural progression for me to get into comedy.”

His fi rst acting job was, amazingly, as one of the robbers in the famous Only Fools and Horses scene, where Del Boy and Rodney are dressed as Batman and Robin. At just 19, it’s not a bad place to start.

He has since moved on to write and star in his own BBC3 sit-com How Not to Live Your Life, based around 29-year-old Don Danbury, a neurotic bachelor, struggling to fi nd his way in life.

It’s a common point of interest as to whether actors are actually like their characters in real life or not, but Dan hopes there is one key distinction between him and his comic persona. “The main difference between me and Don is I’m not quite as much of a dickhead,” he insists.

As for his stand-up career, he has staged three shows since debuting in 2003 with 57 Minutes, which he says was warmly received by the four people a night who saw it, while he admits

his next outing, Erotic Neurotic, was “okay” at best.

It was at 2006’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival that Dan made his stand up breakthrough, with his show The Day I Lost my iPod, which enjoyed a sell-out run, including extra shows. It was clear he had now found his comedy voice and styling, impressing again with the follow up Unfangled.

After taking time out from stand-up to create How Not to Live Your Life he now returns to the stage with the more simply ti-tled Dan Clark Live tour, but it still begs the question as to why has he had such a long break from the live arena.

“I just get bored easily,” he explains. “After a while standing in front of a camera, I want to interact with an audience. It works the other way around too, so it’s probably a good job the Bir-mingham gig is towards the start of the tour — I won’t be too bored then.”

He promises the show to be like nothing he’s done before, a bit warmer and more surreal than his previous efforts, com-plete with a band. Almost.

“Well, it’s not really a band,” he says. “Its one bloke with a lot of instruments, but it sounds good. The fi rst half of the show will be straight up comedy; the second half will be a mix of comedy and songs.”

Ever since his fi rst appearance on the TV screen, Dan has wormed his way into writing, directing and producing, as well as sketch and stand up comedy. So how would he describe himself?

“I’m not sure really. Put me down as ‘comedy athlete’.”

Dan Clark Live is at the Town Hall, Birmingham, on April 8.

DAN CLARK, star and writer of off-the-wall sitcom How Not to Live Your Life, brings his mix of surreal yet observational comedy to Birmingham this month, promising to throw a few comic songs into the mix as well. Jon Pritchard caught up with the dapper Londoner to see how he found his way onto the stage, via Grange Hill and Only Fools…

Wor

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THE COMEDY ATHLETE

Imran Yusuf has had an eventful life, to put it lightly.At the tender age for a comedian of just 31, he has got himself a great job in the gaming industry, quit said job, spent his life savings on a pilgrimage, battled depression, and become one of Britain’s brightest comedy stars.But his latest vocation as a comic is still one to be taken se-riously. In fact he is fi rm in his belief that the serious topics are best left to comedians, not politicians.

“Comedians look at the serious stuff from the right angle, and fi nd the funny bits, instead of getting people bogged down,” he says.

Yusuf knows a lot about getting bogged down. In his mid-20s he suffered from depression and decided to quit his job, go on a pilgrim-age and focus on comedy.He spent six weeks visiting Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina in Saudi Arabia where he had the chance to clear his head and relieve his stress. Once home, he got back on the road to stardom.

“I decided to just gig every day,” he explains. “There were points where I felt like I was driving up and down the country for noth-ing, but my hard work has paid off.”

While appreciating that his hard work has got him to a place where he can be comfortable and try new things, he also ad-mits that his work is far from over.

“I’ve got to work harder now, the rewards are bigger. I want to prove I’m not just a gimmick, I want to be in this for life.”

He describes his comedy as exploring paradigms and con-cepts, as well as being very personal.“My stand-up comes from a place of sincerity and I really want that to come across to the people who come and see my show.”

It certainly seems to be getting across to most people as he was the fi rst person ever to be nominated for Best Newcomer at Edinburgh Fringe Festival when appearing in a free show. “That was amazing,” he says. “I was basically going up there to learn how to fi ll an hour; it’s so much different to just doing 20-minute club sets.”

Despite being one of British comedy’s hot-test prospects, the fellow comics Imran most admires are both Americans, understandable as he spent time at school on the other side of the Atlantic.“The comedians I look up to are Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle,” he says. “Chris is incred-ible; he did his fi rst tour and left his mark on comedy straight away. And Dave was just so affable on stage. He never walked on and shouted: ‘Welcome to my show!’ to the crowd, he was more like, ‘hey, how you doin?’ Watch-ing Dave Chapelle is like hanging out with him.”

Yusuf will have plenty of time to hone his own stage craft, with a 42-date tour lined up starting on April 1 and taking in appear-ances in West Bromwich this month, as well as Birmingham and Wolverhampton next month. The lengthy series of dates was booked as a direct response to his followers on the in-ternet who wanted to see his Edinburgh show on the road, as well as his success on the career-changing Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. So what made it so appealing?

“It’s a very personal show, that’s why it’s just called An Audi-ence with Imran Yusuf. The world has an obsession with fi nding a box for people to belong in. I’ll talk a lot about my life experi-ences and pick them apart.”

An Audience With Imran Yusuf takes place at The Public, West Bromwich, on April 16

MARATHON MAN

IMRAN YUSUF’s energetic style has earned him intriguing descriptions as ‘the Eminem of comedy’ and secured him a growing band of followers thanks in no small part to rave reviews from Edinburgh and his stint on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. He talks to Jon Pritchard ahead of a marathon 42-date tour.

“My stand-up comes from a place

of sincerity and I really want that to

come across to the people who come and see my show.”


Isy Suttie is busy. Very busy, in fact. “There are lots of differ-ent things going on – I wake up in the morning and have to look at my diary and see what I have to do that day there’s so much happening. And then I discover I have to be in Glasgow in half-an-hour.”

Her diary this month takes her back on the road with her live solo show Love Lost In The British Retail Industry, a gritty yet warm tale of modern romance set among the aisles of a regular(ish) supermarket.

“I worked in Somerfi eld in Matlock and Sainsbury’s in Guildford when I was a student, as well as a corner shop,” says Isy. “I got to know everyone, all the people who came into the corner shop in their slippers. And I ate a lot of sweets there. It was by a motorway and I’d sit under the underpass and eat the sweets. It was like something out of a Mike Leigh fi lm. I was defi nitely informed by that experience.”

From that experience, Isy initially penned just one tune, centred around “something simple like boy meets girl, it goes wrong, it goes right.”

“I had a song about a guy asking a girl to dance in a supermar-ket aisle which was a kind of ‘up yours’ to the man. I was do-ing a gig with Russell Howard when I did this song for the fi rst time. It was the only thing that went well that I did that night and afterwards Russell said I should write a show around it — so I have Russell Howard to thank.”

An accomplished stand-up comedian, writer, musician and ac-tress, Isy is not someone who likes to be pigeonholed.

“I try not to put all my eggs in one basket, so if I break two, then there’s still one egg left,” she says. “But I don’t think of myself as just an actor or just a comedian or just a writer or just a mu-sician. I went to drama school and always wanted to act and write. I guess I started comedy songs at 11, but not seriously. People used to laugh, and it was really fun. Then I did a play and some sketches and people laughed, and around 2003, I got the bug for stand-up comedy.

“One day I can be doing the acting thing. I like doing telly, which can be very mathematical, you have to stand in a par-ticular place for the lights and camera, which I like. The next day I could be writing on my own, writing a pilot or sitting in a cafe with someone else thinking about a sitcom, and the next day I’ll be using a different part of my brain, writing a song.”

The daughter of an East Midlands music teacher, former Young Jazz Award winner Isy clearly inherited some musical pedigree, despite denying being ‘classically trained’.

“I play a lot of instruments to Grade 1, but not much better than that. The only instrument I stuck with is the piano. Music is a big part of what I do, it always has been.”

Despite her varied talents, it’s her skill as a comedy actress for which she is best known, in particular as IT geek and Mark’s love interest Dobby in Peep Show.

“Peep Show is great. When I started, in series fi ve, I was quite shy and quiet, I was the new girl at school. Everyone was love-ly, but I did feel like someone who’d moved to town and just started sixth form, but I do feel part of the gang now,” she says, adding that two more seasons have been commissioned. “We’ll probably start fi lming next year.”

She’s also been busy with a comedy rap pilot, penning a new touring show and slotting in a few extra British Retail Industry dates including a forthcoming double-bill appearance along-side triple Perrier Award nominee Dan Antopolski.

“We complement each other. He doesn’t do music, he uses words very, very creatively, he surprises people. If we were bee-tles we’d both have hard shells, but have a different number of legs. If you know what I mean.”

Isy Suttie: Love Lost In The British Retail Industry, a double headline show alongside Dan Antopolski: Turn of the Century, takes place at The Glee Club, Birmingham, on April 15.

Best known to many as Dobby from Peep Show, ISY SUTTIE has plenty of strings to her bow. Now as she prepares to bring her supermarket-inspired comedy show to Birmingham, the writer, musician, actress and stand-up comic tells David Vincent why she likes to keep so busy.

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SUTTIE’S SUPERMARKET SWEEP

April 2011 9


Evil AlienGet used to the name as you may well be hearing a lot more of EVIL ALIEN over the coming months. With barely a live show to their name, this Birmingham trip hop outfit have already created quite a stir, earning high praise in Q Magazine and are being quietly tipped for greatness. With their full debut live gig in Birmingham this month, get down there or kick yourself later. So could Evil Alien be out of this world?

The musical explorers, merged from a variety of previous projects, have already announced their arrival in some style with the release of their euphoric debut track Higher Than the Sun, the perfect showcase of their haunting electronica and soaring melodies, laced with a hypnotic swirl of trip hop.

The CarpelsAfter impressing with their high octane performances and ballsy math rock, Moseley five-piece THE CARPELS were whisked away to The Charlatans’ studio in Cheshire to record their debut EP, packed with energy and tunes to boot. With the school days when they met behind them, industry showcases, new releases and live dates await. Get ready for the coming of age of The Carpels.

The Carpels are the first to admit they were surprised when they were approached by The Charlatans’ drummer Jon Brookes following a gig at the Sound Bar. “We were playing like a gig a week for seven or eight months and it felt like we weren’t really getting anywhere and then Jon and Ian turned up,” explains guitarist Tom. They were quickly taken under the wing of the management team and label co-run by Brookes and business partner Ian Light and a week of recording in the top-spec studio soon followed.

“We’d been looking forward to recording in someone’s bedroom and now we’re in The Charlatans’ private studio,” says drummer Jacob. “It’s only a one-off that they even let other bands come in here so it’s a real privilege,” adds frontman Dylan. Following in the

footsteps of local contemporaries such as Scarlet Harlots and Tantrums while drawing on cult classics such as Talking Heads, the result is a hybrid of bass lines, electronica, punchy guitars and spirited vocals. But see the songs performed on stage and The Carpels really come alive.

The Carpels play at Zombie Prom at The Rainbow Warehouse, Digbeth, on April 30, followed by The Rainbow on May 11, supporting The Kabeedies

For a free download of debut song Sand, available from April 30, ‘Like’ them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thecarpels

Having so far concentrated their efforts in the studio, the band are now set to take their sound live this month at the Hare & Hounds for a show hosted by Birmingham Promoters and Miss Perry Presents on April 27. Be warned, get your tickets early.

“Evil Alien has been created at a time where artists and musicians are expected to perform, record and even give their work away for free,” explains frontman Glenn Smyth. “A time where society demands nothing more from music than disposable, ‘talent show’ pop and wants to see nothing more than people having their 20 minutes of fortune on reality TV.

“We reject this blasé attitude and strive to achieve excellence in a world where there is a demand for only mediocrity. We are following great people who we count as influences in creating real music that will sustain and thrive through these fickle times.

“This is the start and it begins now.”

It only takes one listen to Higher Than the Sun for that confidence to sound justified.

Evil Alien make their full debut live at the Hare & Hounds on April 27

Higher Than The Sun is available for free download now at www.evilalien.co.uk

Photo by Sander Jurkiewicz

April 2011 11

Dance label Hot Creations has quickly established itself as one of the most talked about brands on the underground club scene in little more than a year. The brainchild of Jamie Jones and Lee Foss, the pair teamed up to unleash their unique blend of RnB-infused, disco-sprinkled future retro and pop-referencing-house to devastating effect. Ahead of his headline set at Digbeth club night Face, we talk to Lee Foss about his progression from underground DJ to fully-fledged dance pioneer.

“For me personally I have a strong sense that I need to do things on my own in the industry, I personally have never wanted to owe anyone anything or be forced to compromise my product out of obligation to a bigger label or someone who gave me my career or start,” says Lee, explaining his motivation for starting a label. “I kind of always knew I wanted to do things my own way from the ground up. I never aspired to release on the big labels because what does that really get me but less money, and less creative control with people who don’t really share my vision anyway. I can’t speak

LeeFoss

specifically for Jamie but I know he’d wanted to create his own brand for a long time as well, and I know that we work well together.”

While he admits he and label partner Jamie Jones, won’t always agree on everything musically, they certainly trust each other’s tastes and maintain a certain feel to the label - the same influences which inspire Los Angeles-based Foss’s own DJ sets.

“As DJs we have a huge spectrum of influences, but we all agree on having strong elements of funk, deep house, classic house and deeper shades of techno as essential. It has to have warmth and some soul, it has to be fun and slightly unpredictable – sort of like LA itself.

“It’s just got to grab me or Jamie. . . I mean there are some things I look for, I mean the song needs to be in key, I usually want an interesting bassline. I wouldn’t recommend submitting a drum track with a canned Latin vocal and no melody or bassline for example.

“I love music, it’s my whole life at this time so I’m looking for music that moves me, that gives me an emotion or motivation that just gives me that buzz where I’m excited about that track and life in general.”

Lee Foss plays at Face at The Rainbow, Birmingham, on April 9, with support from Lewis Oxley and more


It’s a walk Clare Maguire has done plenty of times before, get-ting off the train and heading towards the Bullring. But today it’s slightly different. Instead of going into town for some shop-ping or to meet friends, she is due at HMV to perform for fans and sign copies of her debut album Light After Dark.

As far as gigs go, it is relatively small scale these days for the Birmingham-born starlet who returns to her native city as part of her headline solo tour this month, while other recent perfor-mances have included support slots at national arenas for the likes of Hurts, Plan B and The Script.

But today’s HMV in-store is just another sign of how far things have come for the 23-year-old, who just a few years ago was working in Topshop in Solihull by day and uploading demos to Myspace by night.

“I just got off the train at New Street and was walking towards the Bullring and HMV just thinking ‘this is really weird,’ going to play and sign here when it feels like I’m just walking through my home town just going to buy CDs, it is just really weird,” she says. “It’s amazing though, amazing, amazing, amazing and really exciting.”

It is not the fi rst “weird” experience that has greeted the former St Martin’s School pupil since her music career began taking shape, dinner with Jay-Z, being invited to watch Leonard Cohen rehearse and not to mention a raft of appearances on televi-sion, radio stations and in print, all aimed fi rmly at establishing her in the mainstream echelons of the charts. From having one of her songs played for a routine on Dancing on Ice to making

an early morning appearance on BBC Breakfast news it is fair to say Clare Maguire is making herself heard.

“BBC Breakfast was good, a bit hectic though,” she laughs. “They came into the dressing room saying ‘you have to get on now,’ and I was literally not ready so actually on the TV my shoes weren’t done up and my dress wasn’t done up at the back be-cause they literally just threw me on the sofa.”

While not quite an old hand yet, she insists she is getting more and more used to the media attention and the regular interviews. “At fi rst I was really nervous about it. I love music and performing but talking is not my strong point but you get used to it. Some-body told me just to treat each interview like a conversation.”

Despite the pressures of the hype and a machine-like pro-motion campaign going on behind the scenes, Clare herself insists she is determined to still enjoy each new experience. And despite seeming to have appeared from nowhere she also explains it took years of hard work to get to the stage where she was taken under the wing of her record company Polydor.

“At school I was 17 and a teacher said to me I would never make it so I kind of dropped out and went and got a job. I just really wanted to be a musician and when somebody told me I couldn’t it was hard. It’s like somebody saying they really want to be a footballer and being told you can’t be a footballer, it’s just really diffi cult. So I just wanted to leave and just go and try to make it so I started working in Topshop and then at night time I was putting demos on Myspace. I was writing songs and putting demos up and sitting up all night. I didn’t sleep for

like six months, I was still just trying to get somebody to lis-ten or fi nd me.

“Eventually a writer called Primary1 asked to write for me so I went and wrote with him and met his manager who then started to manage me and sort of hooked me up with a few people to write with. Then eventually I got signed and did my album in full but it was a lot of hard work, a real lot of hard work.

“My thing to say to anybody who wants to go into music or act-ing or anything, even football anything like that, the best thing to do is just have tunnel vision and to have self confi dence and not be afraid to put all that you have out there, put everything you have on Twitter or Facebook or Youtube or Myspace. It’s there to be used so just put it out there and try and push it be-cause somebody could eventually like you if you have the talent.”

Clare will make her fi rst ever appearance at The Glee Club on her solo tour, spitting distance from the grittier pubs of Digbeth where she cut her teeth as a live singer.

“I’m really looking forward to The Glee Club. I used to play pubs around Digbeth and I was always trying to get a gig at The Glee Club but I never could! “I used to just play in normal pubs in Digbeth and other places like that and I used to really enjoy it. It was just me playing guitar or having a guitarist there with me. I just remember it was usually when people were coming back from work and they would just ask me to play some Bruce Springsteen and things like that.”

With her debut album having hit the top 10 upon its release, it’s a fair bet that fans will be requesting her own songs when they see her play now and despite the obvious comparisons to other notable female vocalists in the charts at the moment, she is determined to carve out a reputation all of her own.

“I think right now I’m at the stage where I’ve seen so many art-ists go through where they start and people say it sounds like this, this and this. Now I’m starting to see that people are turn-ing up to some of the support gigs like Hurts and Plan B and actually know some of the songs and actually sing it back and I think it’s up to me know to concentrate on those people then hopefully in four or fi ve months people will hear another singer and say ‘she sounds like Clare Maguire.’

“It’s a huge compliment obviously for people to say I’m like any-body who a lot of people like, it’s a brilliant, brilliant thing but I think I have to concentrate on staying true to myself almost. If you listen to too many people and they say ‘people want you to be like this,’ and that kind of thing that’s when you start to get affected by it. I think I just have to concentrate on myself really.”

Clare Maguire is live at The Glee Club, Birmingham, on April 3. Debut album Light After Dark is out now.

Velvet-voiced Solihull girl CLARE MAGUIRE has come a long way since earning the attention of the music industry with her Myspace demos. Now, ahead of her return to Birmingham for a headline tour and with her debut album in the bag, she tells CHRIS MORIARTY that there is plenty more to come.

“ I didn’t sleep for six months, I was still just trying to get somebody to listen or fi nd me.”

April 2011 13

It’s a walk Clare Maguire has done plenty of times before, get-ting off the train and heading towards the Bullring. But today it’s slightly different. Instead of going into town for some shop-ping or to meet friends, she is due at HMV to perform for fans and sign copies of her debut album Light After Dark.

As far as gigs go, it is relatively small scale these days for the Birmingham-born starlet who returns to her native city as part of her headline solo tour this month, while other recent perfor-mances have included support slots at national arenas for the likes of Hurts, Plan B and The Script.

But today’s HMV in-store is just another sign of how far things have come for the 23-year-old, who just a few years ago was working in Topshop in Solihull by day and uploading demos to Myspace by night.

“I just got off the train at New Street and was walking towards the Bullring and HMV just thinking ‘this is really weird,’ going to play and sign here when it feels like I’m just walking through my home town just going to buy CDs, it is just really weird,” she says. “It’s amazing though, amazing, amazing, amazing and really exciting.”

It is not the fi rst “weird” experience that has greeted the former St Martin’s School pupil since her music career began taking shape, dinner with Jay-Z, being invited to watch Leonard Cohen rehearse and not to mention a raft of appearances on televi-sion, radio stations and in print, all aimed fi rmly at establishing her in the mainstream echelons of the charts. From having one of her songs played for a routine on Dancing on Ice to making

an early morning appearance on BBC Breakfast news it is fair to say Clare Maguire is making herself heard.

“BBC Breakfast was good, a bit hectic though,” she laughs. “They came into the dressing room saying ‘you have to get on now,’ and I was literally not ready so actually on the TV my shoes weren’t done up and my dress wasn’t done up at the back be-cause they literally just threw me on the sofa.”

While not quite an old hand yet, she insists she is getting more and more used to the media attention and the regular interviews. “At fi rst I was really nervous about it. I love music and performing but talking is not my strong point but you get used to it. Some-body told me just to treat each interview like a conversation.”

Despite the pressures of the hype and a machine-like pro-motion campaign going on behind the scenes, Clare herself insists she is determined to still enjoy each new experience. And despite seeming to have appeared from nowhere she also explains it took years of hard work to get to the stage where she was taken under the wing of her record company Polydor.

“At school I was 17 and a teacher said to me I would never make it so I kind of dropped out and went and got a job. I just really wanted to be a musician and when somebody told me I couldn’t it was hard. It’s like somebody saying they really want to be a footballer and being told you can’t be a footballer, it’s just really diffi cult. So I just wanted to leave and just go and try to make it so I started working in Topshop and then at night time I was putting demos on Myspace. I was writing songs and putting demos up and sitting up all night. I didn’t sleep for

like six months, I was still just trying to get somebody to lis-ten or fi nd me.

“Eventually a writer called Primary1 asked to write for me so I went and wrote with him and met his manager who then started to manage me and sort of hooked me up with a few people to write with. Then eventually I got signed and did my album in full but it was a lot of hard work, a real lot of hard work.

“My thing to say to anybody who wants to go into music or act-ing or anything, even football anything like that, the best thing to do is just have tunnel vision and to have self confi dence and not be afraid to put all that you have out there, put everything you have on Twitter or Facebook or Youtube or Myspace. It’s there to be used so just put it out there and try and push it be-cause somebody could eventually like you if you have the talent.”

Clare will make her fi rst ever appearance at The Glee Club on her solo tour, spitting distance from the grittier pubs of Digbeth where she cut her teeth as a live singer.

“I’m really looking forward to The Glee Club. I used to play pubs around Digbeth and I was always trying to get a gig at The Glee Club but I never could! “I used to just play in normal pubs in Digbeth and other places like that and I used to really enjoy it. It was just me playing guitar or having a guitarist there with me. I just remember it was usually when people were coming back from work and they would just ask me to play some Bruce Springsteen and things like that.”

With her debut album having hit the top 10 upon its release, it’s a fair bet that fans will be requesting her own songs when they see her play now and despite the obvious comparisons to other notable female vocalists in the charts at the moment, she is determined to carve out a reputation all of her own.

“I think right now I’m at the stage where I’ve seen so many art-ists go through where they start and people say it sounds like this, this and this. Now I’m starting to see that people are turn-ing up to some of the support gigs like Hurts and Plan B and actually know some of the songs and actually sing it back and I think it’s up to me know to concentrate on those people then hopefully in four or fi ve months people will hear another singer and say ‘she sounds like Clare Maguire.’

“It’s a huge compliment obviously for people to say I’m like any-body who a lot of people like, it’s a brilliant, brilliant thing but I think I have to concentrate on staying true to myself almost. If you listen to too many people and they say ‘people want you to be like this,’ and that kind of thing that’s when you start to get affected by it. I think I just have to concentrate on myself really.”

Clare Maguire is live at The Glee Club, Birmingham, on April 3. Debut album Light After Dark is out now.

Velvet-voiced Solihull girl CLARE MAGUIRE has come a long way since earning the attention of the music industry with her Myspace demos. Now, ahead of her return to Birmingham for a headline tour and with her debut album in the bag, she tells CHRIS MORIARTY that there is plenty more to come.

“ I didn’t sleep for six months, I was still just trying to get somebody to listen or fi nd me.”


Sitting backstage in a plush new dressing room below Chel-sea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium, Fyfe Dangerfield is happy to get out of van unloading duties for the sake of this interview. Guillemots perform tonight but it is not exactly a stadium gig, more precisely one of several opening parties for an incongru-ous yet glamorous new venue Under the Bridge set within the stadium itself. For the band it is a chance to showcase their latest material ahead of a busy few months, which sees Fyfe return to his native Birmingham for a solo show at Ikon Gallery’s Rites of Spring Festival on April 9, followed by a full band gig in a yet-to-be-revealed location the following day.

As a band Guillemots earned plaudits galore with their unique sound and inventive musicality on their excellent debut Through the Window Pane in 2006 and its top 10 follow-up Red two years later. But its fair to say they can expect a new breed of fans this time around as well. Fyfe himself has made more than a name for himself beyond his role as Guillemots frontman due in no small part to providing the smooth-voiced cover version of Billy Joel’s More Than a Woman which soundtracked a recent John Lewis advert, subsequently leading to Joel’s own return to the charts as well as catapulting Fyfe’s debut solo album Fly Yellow Moon to gold-selling status.

While he is not too bullish to realise that some ‘musical pur-ists’ may raise a sneering eyebrow at such exploits, he makes no apology for doing what he is paid to do - nor for bringing Billy Joel’s music out into the open again.

“When I did the Billy Joel song I got one really violent email from a guy,” he recalls. “It was quite a strangely written email but I got the impression he was working in a shop and they had whatever station on, probably something like Heart FM, and I think the song was constantly on and driving him mad and he wrote this angry email.“I actually wrote back and said: ‘If you got asked to cover a song that you quite liked and it meant you could pay off some debts you had to pay off and it meant your own band could make another record, would you do it?’ He actually wrote back and was a little bit apologetic, it was quite funny.”

Fyfe doesn’t have much time for the cynical sneers at such things, but admits he expected “way more of a backlash against it than there was.”

“I thought I’d get loads of flak for it, but when I did it I didn’t think it was going to be a big thing. I didn’t even think I was

going to get the ad, they just asked me to try it and suddenly it was released and got in the charts and I didn’t think that was going to happen, I had no idea, I just thought it would be on TV for a couple of weeks. “I really like Billy Joel and can’t stand that sort of thing like ‘this person isn’t cool’ or ‘you’re not supposed to like them,’ so I’m perfectly happy to introduce his music to people.”

As for expecting crowds full of yummy mummies proudly clutch-ing their John Lewis shopping bags at future Guillemots gigs, Fyfe insists it never crosses his mind what sort of audience he attracts. “I’m flattered if anyone wants to come and hear us play music. Singing someone else’s song just on a piano is not why I think I’m doing music, it was a bit of a random diversion but it was just one of those things that happened. There will be some people where that’s the favourite thing of mine that I ever do for them and that’s fine and a lot of the people that liked that probably won’t really get Guillemots but then hopefully some of them will.”

Back to the here and now and Fyfe is just excited to be back out and playing the latest Guillemots material to people - but he insists it is not a case of “being back” with the band, as he has never really been away from them.

“The solo thing has just been like a fling on the side or some-thing. After we finished touring we had a few months off and I recorded my record in little sessions here and there at the time. A lot of it was five days in a studio at the end of 2008 so a lot of it seems quite old now. By April 2009 we were back meeting up three or four times a week as a band and writing together. We just wanted to take a long time planning this record, well, not planning but having enough time to write and dream up something really. We wanted to get to a point where we were gagging for people to hear the stuff we’d written.”

The new material was recorded for the most part in a residen-tial studio in a woodland in Wales, with producer David Kos-ten (Bat for Lashes, Everything Everything, Chew Lips) at the helm, and the frontman says the atmosphere played a big part in the sound of the record.

“It was beautiful, there were hills around and a massive quarry nearby that we used to walk up to. Being in such a beautiful place and recording residentially as well made a big difference. It’s a bit easier to lose yourself.

“A lot of what we like, it’s almost stuff that you can swim in to as music rather than something static, you want something like 3D music almost, something that you can feel like you are in the middle of it, that’s what I would love people to do with this re-cord, just drift away with it on headphones and be in its world.”

Fyfe admits they have enough new material already written to make album number four and they are hungry to get back in the studio and do that, but not before getting their latest ma-terial out there.

“I’m not saying everyone is going to like them [the new songs] but I know for what we’re trying to do I just know it’s a really great record for where our heads are at. We feel confident about the stuff and playing the songs, it’s a joy. There’s a definite buzz in the band at the moment and it just feels really exciting.”

Fyfe will make a rare reappearance as a solo artist at Ikon East-side this month when fans can expect a mixture of both solo and band material and says he expects to return to his solo work at some point. But for now his focus is purely with Guillemots.

“I’d definitely do more solo stuff but it’s not like it’s planned out, one album here, one album there. I feel like at the moment in Guillemots we’re just gagging, once we’ve done enough pro-motion on this album, we want to get another one out, I feel like my energy is very much with the band at the moment.“There’s also all kinds of stuff I’ve been writing that has a very different sound. I might see it as a band thing but it might go under a different name but I’m in charge of it but everyone else in the band is involved in too, but I sort of feel like we haven’t scratched the surface yet.

“Guillemots is just something we keep coming back to, we keep finding something just happens when the four of us get togeth-er and play. It’s like a weird four-piece jigsaw that just works.“We’ll always do stuff elsewhere but we’ll always come back to this because we know we’re stronger as a unit than individually.”

EXPECTING TO FLY

Fyfe Dangerfield headlines Rites of Spring: Ikon Music Festival at Ikon Eastside in Digbeth on April 9 Guillemots perform at a secret location in Birmingham on April 10, with the venue to be revealed to ticket holders on the day. Details at www.guillemots.com New album Walk the River by Guillemots is released on April 18 on Geffen Rites of Spring: Ikon Music Festival runs from April 7 to 9, also featuring performances from Martin Creed, Mod-ified Toy Orchestra, Lulu and the Lampshades, Epic45, Young Runaways, Shady Bard, Boat to Row, Is I Cinema and more. Tickets cost £12 per night (£10 for students) or £30 (£27) for a full festival pass. For full line-up and to book visit www.ikon-gallery.co.uk or www.theticket-sellers.co.uk or call the 24-hour line 0844 870 0000.

“Singing someone else’s song just on a piano is

not why I think I’m doing music, it was a bit of a random diversion but it was just one of those things that happened.”

After melting the hearts of many a John Lewis shopper with his solo work, Birmingham-born mu-sical visionary Fyfe Dangerfield returns to the bosom of GUILLEMOTS, the band with which he made his name. With an enthralling new album out this month and a series of secret shows to come, the Guillemots frontman talks to Chris Moriarty about his excitement at being back with the band.

April 2011 15

Sitting backstage in a plush new dressing room below Chel-sea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium, Fyfe Dangerfield is happy to get out of van unloading duties for the sake of this interview. Guillemots perform tonight but it is not exactly a stadium gig, more precisely one of several opening parties for an incongru-ous yet glamorous new venue Under the Bridge set within the stadium itself. For the band it is a chance to showcase their latest material ahead of a busy few months, which sees Fyfe return to his native Birmingham for a solo show at Ikon Gallery’s Rites of Spring Festival on April 9, followed by a full band gig in a yet-to-be-revealed location the following day.

As a band Guillemots earned plaudits galore with their unique sound and inventive musicality on their excellent debut Through the Window Pane in 2006 and its top 10 follow-up Red two years later. But its fair to say they can expect a new breed of fans this time around as well. Fyfe himself has made more than a name for himself beyond his role as Guillemots frontman due in no small part to providing the smooth-voiced cover version of Billy Joel’s More Than a Woman which soundtracked a recent John Lewis advert, subsequently leading to Joel’s own return to the charts as well as catapulting Fyfe’s debut solo album Fly Yellow Moon to gold-selling status.

While he is not too bullish to realise that some ‘musical pur-ists’ may raise a sneering eyebrow at such exploits, he makes no apology for doing what he is paid to do - nor for bringing Billy Joel’s music out into the open again.

“When I did the Billy Joel song I got one really violent email from a guy,” he recalls. “It was quite a strangely written email but I got the impression he was working in a shop and they had whatever station on, probably something like Heart FM, and I think the song was constantly on and driving him mad and he wrote this angry email.“I actually wrote back and said: ‘If you got asked to cover a song that you quite liked and it meant you could pay off some debts you had to pay off and it meant your own band could make another record, would you do it?’ He actually wrote back and was a little bit apologetic, it was quite funny.”

Fyfe doesn’t have much time for the cynical sneers at such things, but admits he expected “way more of a backlash against it than there was.”

“I thought I’d get loads of flak for it, but when I did it I didn’t think it was going to be a big thing. I didn’t even think I was

going to get the ad, they just asked me to try it and suddenly it was released and got in the charts and I didn’t think that was going to happen, I had no idea, I just thought it would be on TV for a couple of weeks. “I really like Billy Joel and can’t stand that sort of thing like ‘this person isn’t cool’ or ‘you’re not supposed to like them,’ so I’m perfectly happy to introduce his music to people.”

As for expecting crowds full of yummy mummies proudly clutch-ing their John Lewis shopping bags at future Guillemots gigs, Fyfe insists it never crosses his mind what sort of audience he attracts. “I’m flattered if anyone wants to come and hear us play music. Singing someone else’s song just on a piano is not why I think I’m doing music, it was a bit of a random diversion but it was just one of those things that happened. There will be some people where that’s the favourite thing of mine that I ever do for them and that’s fine and a lot of the people that liked that probably won’t really get Guillemots but then hopefully some of them will.”

Back to the here and now and Fyfe is just excited to be back out and playing the latest Guillemots material to people - but he insists it is not a case of “being back” with the band, as he has never really been away from them.

“The solo thing has just been like a fling on the side or some-thing. After we finished touring we had a few months off and I recorded my record in little sessions here and there at the time. A lot of it was five days in a studio at the end of 2008 so a lot of it seems quite old now. By April 2009 we were back meeting up three or four times a week as a band and writing together. We just wanted to take a long time planning this record, well, not planning but having enough time to write and dream up something really. We wanted to get to a point where we were gagging for people to hear the stuff we’d written.”

The new material was recorded for the most part in a residen-tial studio in a woodland in Wales, with producer David Kos-ten (Bat for Lashes, Everything Everything, Chew Lips) at the helm, and the frontman says the atmosphere played a big part in the sound of the record.

“It was beautiful, there were hills around and a massive quarry nearby that we used to walk up to. Being in such a beautiful place and recording residentially as well made a big difference. It’s a bit easier to lose yourself.

“A lot of what we like, it’s almost stuff that you can swim in to as music rather than something static, you want something like 3D music almost, something that you can feel like you are in the middle of it, that’s what I would love people to do with this re-cord, just drift away with it on headphones and be in its world.”

Fyfe admits they have enough new material already written to make album number four and they are hungry to get back in the studio and do that, but not before getting their latest ma-terial out there.

“I’m not saying everyone is going to like them [the new songs] but I know for what we’re trying to do I just know it’s a really great record for where our heads are at. We feel confident about the stuff and playing the songs, it’s a joy. There’s a definite buzz in the band at the moment and it just feels really exciting.”

Fyfe will make a rare reappearance as a solo artist at Ikon East-side this month when fans can expect a mixture of both solo and band material and says he expects to return to his solo work at some point. But for now his focus is purely with Guillemots.

“I’d definitely do more solo stuff but it’s not like it’s planned out, one album here, one album there. I feel like at the moment in Guillemots we’re just gagging, once we’ve done enough pro-motion on this album, we want to get another one out, I feel like my energy is very much with the band at the moment.“There’s also all kinds of stuff I’ve been writing that has a very different sound. I might see it as a band thing but it might go under a different name but I’m in charge of it but everyone else in the band is involved in too, but I sort of feel like we haven’t scratched the surface yet.

“Guillemots is just something we keep coming back to, we keep finding something just happens when the four of us get togeth-er and play. It’s like a weird four-piece jigsaw that just works.“We’ll always do stuff elsewhere but we’ll always come back to this because we know we’re stronger as a unit than individually.”

EXPECTING TO FLY

Fyfe Dangerfield headlines Rites of Spring: Ikon Music Festival at Ikon Eastside in Digbeth on April 9 Guillemots perform at a secret location in Birmingham on April 10, with the venue to be revealed to ticket holders on the day. Details at www.guillemots.com New album Walk the River by Guillemots is released on April 18 on Geffen Rites of Spring: Ikon Music Festival runs from April 7 to 9, also featuring performances from Martin Creed, Mod-ified Toy Orchestra, Lulu and the Lampshades, Epic45, Young Runaways, Shady Bard, Boat to Row, Is I Cinema and more. Tickets cost £12 per night (£10 for students) or £30 (£27) for a full festival pass. For full line-up and to book visit www.ikon-gallery.co.uk or www.theticket-sellers.co.uk or call the 24-hour line 0844 870 0000.

“Singing someone else’s song just on a piano is

not why I think I’m doing music, it was a bit of a random diversion but it was just one of those things that happened.”

After melting the hearts of many a John Lewis shopper with his solo work, Birmingham-born mu-sical visionary Fyfe Dangerfield returns to the bosom of GUILLEMOTS, the band with which he made his name. With an enthralling new album out this month and a series of secret shows to come, the Guillemots frontman talks to Chris Moriarty about his excitement at being back with the band.


April 2011 17

FRIDAY 6TH MAY8PM TILL LATE, Adv Tickets £10 + £1 B/Fee (more on the door)Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

www.moseleyfolk.co.uk

The High LlamasWWW.highllamas.com‘The High Llamas have written some of the most richly constructed and oddly affecting pop music since The Beach Boys’ – Signal to NoiseWITH SUPPORT FROM

Malpasmyspace.com/malpasmusic

DJ Guy Carlos(The Bee’S Tour DJ and member of Gorillaz Sound System)

Presents

SAT 14 MAY, 8PMAfter mesmerising the crowds at 2010’s Moseley Folk Festival, we’ve teamed up with the Moseley Folk chaps to bring Alasdair Roberts back to the region, performing songs from past albums and his latest, Too Long in This Condition.

“ a fine storyteller, making even the best-known song sound as if he wrote it” The Guardian

Australian singer and guitarist Mandy Connell supports, performing imagery-filled self-penned material and traditional folk songs,

TICKETS £10 (£7 HEATRE – STANDING GIGMOSELEYFOLK.CO.UK BOOKING INFORMATION

www.macarts.co.uk Sales & Information: 0121 446 3232

mac & MOSELEY FOLK PROUDLY PRESENT

ALASDAIR ROBERTSPLUS SUPPORT FROM MANDY CONNELL


There are very few artists performing today who would leave this reviewer speechless, but Janelle Monae is now one of them. Tonight she takes on the persona

of Cindy Mayweather, a messianic female droid charged with eradicating discrimination in a dystopian world. This concept might sound more suited to a prog-rock band with a love of sci-fi mythology than the work of a petite 25-year-old singer from Kansas City, but behind Monae’s idea lies a great deal of thought, energy, passion and relevance.Sprinting head-first through an incredible set, smashing down walls separating genres such as thrash metal, ultrafunk, pastoral folk, soulful gospel, electro-pop, afrobeat, even 60s and 70s psychedelia, the vivacious and kinetic Monae, dressed in her trademark white tuxedo shirt, black suit trousers and spats performed like a series of TNT explosions on stage, for both hi-octane tracks Cold War, Faster and Tightrope and the slower tempos of Sir Greendown and Oh, Maker.Underpinning the show was her powerful and versatile voice, which delivered spoken word, honeyed melodies, upbeat funk, soaring soul choruses and hip-hop verses with ease and grace. A super-tight band and wonderfully choreographed theatrics only served to amplify the charisma and sheer talent of the young star.Words by Lyle Bignon

A restless St Patrick’s Day crowd eagerly awaited Matthew Dear who made his way to the stage a little later than billed. Accompanied by a trumpeter, bassist and drummer, Dear, sporting a lovely Rick Astley haircut, strode directly into the first song. A loud distorted trumpet punctuated a heavy bassline while Dear’s David Byrne-esque vocals wove in and out of the indefinable dance/alternative/electro sounds.The bass lines were compelling and got the fans moving towards the front for a

full-on dance: “It’s nice to see you dance,” declared Dear, egging on an already eager bunch. An air of uncertainty surrounded some curious onlookers and when Monkey started - “I’m a monkey...frozen in my monkey dream” - I had my doubts, before being pulled in beyond the lyrics by the driving bass and clever use of well-played instruments and vocals, breathing new life into last year’s Black City album.Words by Clare SavagePhoto by Richard Shakespeare

LIVE

After some Welsh surf music (yes, really) courtesy of Y Niwl - think Dick Dale rather than the Beach Boyos - Gruff, perhaps the most laid back dude in pop, ambles on stage like he’s taken the wrong turning and wanders over to the mic: “Hello...we’re going to...play some songs...and then we’ll play some more...thank you”. It sets the tone for a delightfully eclectic gig from the Super Furry Animal who plucks gems from all of his solo releases to date, from the Welsh language Yr Atal Genhedlaeth through to his latest album, Hotel Shampoo. Despite lacking the mariachi horns recent single Sensations in The Dark was, well, pretty sensational and classic Gruff; Honey All Over, replete with 60s pop style ba-ba-ba-backing vocals proved the perfect tune for Gruff’s equally honeyed tones and he even found the energy to lead the (mainly) seated audience in a rather impressive Mexican wave as a precursor to Candylion’s Cycle Of Violence. Saving the best ‘til last though the 15-minute epic Skylon! with its tale of an off duty bomb disposal expert’s dilemma about whether to save a rather iffy bunch of passengers was pure genius. A ‘nos da’ all round. Words by Daron Billings

JANELLE MONAEHMV Institute, BirminghamFebruary 25

MATTHEW DEARHare & Hounds, Kings HeathMarch 17

GRUFF RHYSThe Glee Club, BirminghamFebruary 27

On an evening headlined by Submotion Orchestra

it was support act Troumaca who generated the most intrigue and interest - and proceeded to steal the show.

The latest incarnation of Birmingham’s once brightest lights Scarlet Harlots, their sound has been pounded to a pulp and rolled out into something smooth as silk. Minimal dub underpins soulful vocals and a tropical vibe, merging guitars and electronica to subtly devastating effect. With a genuinely progressive reinvention, Troumaca showed they could become something very special - again.

TROUMACAHare & Hounds, Kings HeathMarch 16

April 2011 19

Caitlin Rose instantly blows the audience away with her breathtaking vocals alongside two very talented musicians – Spencer Cullum Jr on steel pedal and Jeremy Fetzer on electric guitar.Opening the set with Learning To Ride it was soon clear that her album, Own Side Now really doesn’t do her vocal abilities justice. The album itself comes across as a pretty mediocre country/folk/pop medley but when listening to Caitlin live it’s obvious she is still to reach her full potential. There are times in the evening where she pushes her voice a little and the result is unforgettable.She seems at ease on stage and even a blown amp doesn’t detract from her confidence when performing. The set charmingly comes to a close with Answer In One Of These Bottles, alongside some audience participation and several members of support act the Treetop Flyers. This was a delightful set from a very promising artist.

Words by Saima Razzaq

THE IRREPRESSIBLESTown Hall, BirminghamMarch 22

Wow. Okay, perhaps that’s not the most eloquent review of all time but when you’ve just sat through an hour or so of some of the most beautiful, heartfelt music ever written it seems pretty apt. With the stage wrapped in darkness all you can hear is a single human breath, echoing throughout the cavernous Town Hall. As opening numbers go it’s an unusual way to start a gig but then The Irrepressibles, a gloriously theatrical 10-piece (eight tonight) chamber pop band aren’t your typical group. Embracing everything from the cabaret scene of 1930s Berlin through to folk and sea shanties, an Irrepressibles show is a true feast for the senses. Mirrors surround the stage on three sides reflecting back the automaton-like movements of the band as Jamie McDermott bares his soul in an intensely emotional performance. His voice is an incredible instrument, add some truly heartbreaking lyrics and it’s simply impossible to remain unmoved. The spontaneous standing ovation at the end said it all really. Wow. Words by Daron Billings

CAITLIN ROSEThe Glee Club, BirminghamMarch 13

CLUBS Tonight saw uber-cool cult club night Face team up with one clubbing super brand which is more than used to its own notoriety, Cream. Opening the larger warehouse space as well as the more intimate cellar and courtyard which usually play host to Face’s loyal mix of music lovers, it broadened the night for a multitude of tastes. Residents Elliot Croft and Scott Bleepz warm up the courtyard with a blend of crisp house beats, paving the way for first headliner Claude Von Stroke, enthusiastically rolling out his signature mixture of techno and house. Parisian club regular Shonky follows with his retro-leaning deep house set. Meanwhile, the Warehouse hosts a nostalgic mix of acid house and classic anthems courtesy of the Cream Classics tour. Yet again, another Saturday night offering plenty to put a smile on every clubber’s Face.

FACE meets CREAM CLASSICS feat Claude Von Stroke The Rainbow, Birmingham March 5

Face takes place weekly Saturdays at The Rainbow

Words by Alex JukesPhotos by Tamsin Mae

Image courtesy of W

ayne Fox


FOOD+

DRINK

My simple rules: six glasses out of one average bottle only and don’t feel guilty, buy what you can afford. If that’s a nice prosecco then go for it, but don’t pay any more than £20 in a bar for that privilege. Drink from a glass not the bottle – it’s called manners. Sip, don’t gulp - let the bubbles dissipate in your mouth, it gives a nicer taste. And don’t add Red Bull or orange juice unless it’s Christmas morning.

As far as anything else goes, try it in a cocktail. From Black Velvet (1861) where Guinness was topped with champagne as a mark of respect to Queen Victoria’s husband passing, to the Bellini (1945) that uses ripe white Italian peaches in season from May to September with lemon juice topped up with prosecco.

Or if you’re looking for something a little more in keeping with the upcoming royal nuptials, our royal wedding cocktail is a Jekyll twist on the classic champagne cocktail, the Kir Royale, which uses cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur, topped with fizz. We adapted it to feature two liqueurs to reflect your mood or personality.

RECIPE: Kir Royale

Take two half shots of any of the following liqueurs: Passion fruit (passion)Cherry (saucy)Black raspberry (luxurious)Strawberry (juicy)

Marry together with an Italian prosecco rose to give a burst of summer flavours - a great way to toast an extra Bank Holiday.

By Carl Hawkins, general manager at The Jekyll & Hyde, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham

The Jekyll & Hyde Royal WeddingFor a launch, finale or celebration, picking the right fizz can be a nightmare. French champagne or sparkling wine - made anywhere else and just as good? Branded bling or boutique, vintage or not, demi sec or rose? Magnum or jeroboam, saber opening or champagne pyramid, in a saucer or a flute? Buying fizz for any celebratory occasion can be quite a minefield. Carl Hawkins, manager of The Jekyll & Hyde in Birmingham gives his tips on getting it right, whatever the occasion.

Overall: Atmosphere:

Food:

Value:

Service:

Gone are the days when pubs could get away with serving up a microwaved burger and frozen chips. Gastro pubs are all well and good too, but can some-times stifle the mood. The Hare & Hounds has got it just right thanks to Soul Food Project, hitting the nail on the head with interesting, original and downright tasty food,

served up with bags of character and cantina charm. Fitting that such a musical hotspot should serve a menu inspired by music and the spirit of America’s deep south. Service is friendly and relaxed amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy pub, while the more-than-generous portions from the new spring menu won’t disappoint either. The Sierra Ne-vada Hugh Puppies (£3) are a highlight to start, savoury doughnuts with a pale ale batter. Crab balls (£4) with salsa keep the comfort food coming, while the huge portions of their signature jambalaya certainly spice things up (£8).

REVIEWSoul Food Project@Hare & Hounds,High Street, Kings Heath0121 444 2081

April 2011 21


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VENUE DIRECTORY

Hot property The Vaccines bring their radio-friendly indie pop to the HMV Institute on April 9, rolling back the years with their retro-rock inspired debut album. From a slightly different spectrum, acclaimed trumpeter, composer, DJ and producer Matthew Halsall brings his live band to the

Hare & Hounds for the free entry Mostly Jazz Festival Launch Party on April 14. Cult 80s reggae star and MC Tippa Irie returns to the live stage on April 15, also at the Hare & Hounds. After raising a few eyebrows with his appearance on X Factory, pop-funkster Jay Kay will be attempting to prove that Jamiroquai are still cool with an arena show at the LG Arena on April 17.Punk fans will be well served when Scruffy Murphys hosts the free entry Punkfest, with two nights of live bands on April 23 and 24, including Criminal X. Sweaty indie rock trio Johnny Foreigner return to their native city with a headline show at the Hare & Hounds on April 26, before Birmingham’s newest trip hop/electronica masterminds Evil Alien make their full live debut on April 27 at the same venue.

GIGS

Thanks to the ‘bloody Royal Wedding’, as it’s probably known by now (see p5), and the Easter Bunny, we’ve got two four-day weekends in a row - and that means plenty of clubbing antics to enjoy. Taking the prize for one of the most intriguing, exciting and downright debauched nights to hit Birmingham for some time, the HOTT DATE EASTER EXTRAVAGANZA on April 21 at the HMV Institute combines Mexican wrestling, cabaret and burlesque from Lucha Britannia (pictured below), alongside five rooms of live music, DJs and karaoke. The BELOW daytime parties make a welcome return on Easter Sunday, April 24, taking over The Rainbow pub and courtyard from 3pm, with Jef K, Rob Mello, Adam Shelton and more. Underground techno heads won’t need an excuse to celebrate when Regis of label-of-the-moment Sandwell District headlines BUNKA at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath on April 16.

CLUBBINGCO

MEDY Expect witty ditties, unorthodox songs, maybe even some rapping

and plenty of gags when Peep Show’s Isy Suttie teams up with triple Perrier Award nominee Dan Antopolski for a double headline show at The Glee Club in Birmingham on April 15. The following night Imran Yusuf whizzes into The Public in West Bromwich with his rapid fire wit and machine gun-style storytelling. Entertainment giant Peter Kay oils the commercial cogs of comedy with a four night stint of his new show at the NIA from April 7 to 11 - just don’t expect to be able to get any tickets if you haven’t bought them already. Sketch troupes may divide opinion, but you can check out one of the more acclaimed acts of the genre in the shape of Pappy’s All Business at The Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton on April 22.

WHAT’S ON

BIRMINGHAM: O2 Academy, Horsefair, Bristol St B1, 0844 4772000; HMV Institute, High St, Digbeth B5, 0844 2485037; NIA, King Edwards Rd B1, 0121 7804141; LG Arena, NEC, Solihull B40, 0121 7804141; The Flapper, Kingston Row B1, 0121 2362421; The Victoria, John Bright St B1, 0121 6339439; Sound Bar, Corporation St B4, 0121 2362220; Hare & Hounds, High St, Kings Heath B14, 0121 4442081; The Actress & Bishop, Ludgate Hill B3, 0121 2367426; The Sunflower Lounge, Smallbrook Queensway B5, 0121 6327656; Symphony Hall, Broad St B1, 0121 7803333; Town Hall, Victoria Sq B3, 0121 7803333; Kitchen Garden Cafe, York Road, Kings Heath B14, 0121 4434725; Alexandra Theatre, Station St B1, 0844 8472302; Bulls Head, St Marys Row, Moseley B13, 0121 2567777; Island Bar, Suffolk St B1, 0121 6325296; The Jam House, St Pauls Sq B3, 0121 2003030; The Asylum, Hampton St, Hockley B19, 0121 2331109; The Rainbow, High St, Digbeth B12, 0121 7728174; Adam & Eve, Bradford St, Digbeth B12, 0121 6931500; Poppyred, The Arcadian, Hurst St B5, 0121 6871200; The Yardbird, Paradise Place B3, 0121 2122524; The Glee Club, The Arcadian, Hurst St B5, 0871 4720400; MAC, Cannon Hill Park B12, 0121 4463232; Scruffy Murphys, The Priory Queensway B4, 0121 2362035; The Wagon & Horses, Adderley Street, Digbeth B9, 0121 772 1403; WOLVERHAMPTON: Civic Hall/Wulfrun Hall, North St WV1, 01902 552122; ; The Slade Rooms, Broad St WV1, 01902 552122; Alchemy Bar, North St WV1, 01902 711998; Robin 2, Mount Pleasant, Bilston WV14, 01902 401211; Newhampton Arts Centre, Dunkley St WV1, 01902 572090;WEST BROMWICH: The Public, New St B70, 0121 5337161; COVENTRY: Kasbah, Primrose Hill St, CV1, 024 76554473; Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, CV4, 024 76524524.

April 2011 27

Want your gig or club night listed in our monthly guide? Send details to: [email protected] details correct at time of going to press. Check with venues before setting out. While every effort will be made to ensure the accuracy of listings, Brum Notes Magazine will not be held liable for any errors or losses incurred from errors which may materialise.

KEY TO LISTINGS:M = LIVE MUSICCN = CLUB NIGHTC = COMEDY

Friday, Apr 1M Strangle Kojak HMV Institute Birmingham

M Ducktails Island Bar Birmingham

M The Undertones O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M The Dirty Minutes Plug Birmingham

M Club Bomb Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M &U&I + Tangled Hair + Drawings

The Flapper Birmingham

M Carl Barat The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Sicknote The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

M Kyuss Lives! Wulfrun Hall Wolves

CN Supersonic Vague Gatecrasher Birmingham

CN Casino HMV Institute Birmingham

CN Till Deaf Do Us Party The Flapper Birmingham

CN Beats by Numbers The Victoria Birmingham

CN The Source present Frank De Wulf

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Freestyle present Ashley Beedle

Bulls Head Moseley

C Andi Osho: Afroblighty

The Glee Club Birmingham

C Gar Murran The Glee Club Birmingham

Saturday, Apr 2M IQ. Robin 2 Bilston

M Jessie J O2 Academy Birmingham

M Jeaga Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M The Ergon Carousel The Asylum Birmingham

M The James Cleaver Quintet + more


M The Pigeon Detectives

The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Mitch & Murray + Is I Cinema

The Rainbow Birmingham

M Eliza Doolittle Wulfrun Hall Wolves

M The Sunshine Underground

Kasbah Coventry

CN Superstar Boudoir Gatecrasher Birmingham

CN Uprawr Club Night The Asylum Birmingham

CN Dr Jekyll's Potion - Cold Rice

The Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

CN Face feat Tom Demac The Rainbow Birmingham

CN Dope The Victoria Birmingham

CN Sumosoundsystem present Aries + Vytol

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Fuss Club 1st Birthday

Bulls Head Moseley

C Gar Murran The Glee Club Birmingham

Sunday, Apr 3M The Jim Jones Revue O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M The Dirty Tricks +more


M Clare Maguire The Glee Club Birmingham

M Dwele The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Ragged Rabbit The Victoria Birmingham

M Citizens (afternoon show)

The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

M Earth Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

M Zara Sykes Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Monday, Apr 4M Katy Perry LG Arena Birmingham

M David McAlmont O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M Polly & The Billets Doux

Kitchen Garden Cafe

Kings Heath

Tuesday, Apr 5M Today Is The Day O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Dogan Mehmet & The Deerhunters

Kitchen Garden Cafe

Birmingham

M Victories At Sea Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Burn Out Punk Club Night

Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

C Greg Davies Alexandra Theatre

Birmingham

Wednesday, Apr 6M Marcus Foster Hare &

HoundsBirmingham

M While & Matthews The Red Lion Folk Club

Kings Heath

M Paul Heaton The Slade Rooms

Wolves

M Funeral For A Friend Kasbah Coventry

CN Moschino Hoes Versace Hotties

The Victoria Birmingham

Thursday, Apr 7M Acoustic Lounge Island Bar Birmingham

M Celturian The Asylum Birmingham

M The British Kicks The Flapper Birmingham

M Ruarri Joseph The Glee Club Birmingham

M HardCore Jollies The Rainbow Birmingham

M Alternative Dubstep Orchestra

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

M Traditional Song Session

Kitchen Garden Cafe

Kings Heath

CN Kutmah (Brainfeeder)

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath


CN White Boy Sh*t! Bulls Head Moseley

C Peter Kay NIA Birmingham

C Dan Clark Wulfrun Hall Wolves

C Comedy Special The Glee Club Birmingham

Friday, Apr 8M Children Of Bodom O2 Academy Birmingham

M [Spunge] O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M Sixtyfivemiles Plug Birmingham

M Black Acid Souls Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Tsuris The Asylum Birmingham

M Silicone Daisy The Flapper Birmingham

M Eastfield The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham


CN Resurrection Subway City Birmingham

CN Music for the People The Victoria Birmingham

CN Balkanic Eruption Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN The Sugarfoot Stomp Kings & Queens Ball

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Freestyle meets Openmindedpeople

Bulls Head Moseley

C Dan Clark Town Hall Birmingham

C Andy Parsons The Civic Hall Wolves


C Scott Capurro The Glee Club Birmingham

Saturday, Apr 9M The Vaccines HMV Institute Birmingham

M Gorod O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Smokescreen Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Selfless The Asylum Birmingham

M Talons + Soni Quella The Flapper Birmingham

M The Blackout The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Marc Malone The Rainbow Birmingham

M Gundogs The Temple @ HMV Institute

Birmingham


CN Rodigan & Gappy Ranks

O2 Academy 2 Birmingham


CN Dr Jekyll's Potion - Back 2 Life

The Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

CN Face feat Lee Foss The Rainbow Birmingham

CN Norman Jay Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Casual Violence Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Together’s Big Brummie Takeover

Bulls Head Moseley


C The Best in Live Stand-up Comedy


Sunday, Apr 10M Scouting For Girls O2 Academy Birmingham

M Nectrotize Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Eddi Reader The Glee Club Birmingham

M Paper Aeroplanes + Victoria Perks

Kitchen Garden Cafe

Kings Heath

M Kings X Wulfrun Hall Wolves


C The XXXX Comedy Cabaret

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Monday, Apr 11M Whitechapel O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Beth Orton The Glee Club Birmingham

M Wiley The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M The Wanted The Civic Hall Wolves


Tuesday, Apr 12M Stone Axe The Asylum Birmingham

M Brooke Fraser The Glee Club Birmingham

M The Xcerts Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Wednesday, Apr 13M Young Rebel Set Hare &

HoundsBirmingham

M Hellbastard Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Apple Cannon The Flapper Birmingham

M Heather Peace The Glee Club Birmingham

M Jon Boden & John Spiers

The Red Lion Folk Club

Kings Heath

C Laughing Cows Kitchen Garden Cafe

Kings Heath

Thursday, Apr 14M Acoustic Lounge Island Bar Birmingham

M Mike Fantastic O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Scumface + Supanaut

The Crown Birmingham

M Surface Festival The Flapper Birmingham

M Underoath The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M The Lee Shore + The Orchard


M Mostly Jazz Festival Launch Party

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

M Moseley Village Band St Columba’s Church Hall

Moseley

CN Archmix presents Chilltide

Adam & Eve Birmingham

CN Annie Mahtani & Els Viaene

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

C Simon Evans The Slade Rooms

Wolves

C Andrew Lawrence The Glee Club Birmingham

Friday, Apr 15M The Mummers HMV Institute Birmingham

M Riot Grrl Spectacular Island Bar Birmingham

M New Abrasion Plug Birmingham

April 2011 29

M Metalloid Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Revenant Dead The Asylum Birmingham

M John Mackie feat Bonehead (ex-Oasis)


M Bargepole The Victoria Birmingham

M Tippa Irie Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

M Verse Metrics Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

M Hugh Cornwell The Slade Rooms

Wolves


CN Freestyle presents Down By Law

Bulls Head Moseley


C Dan Antopolski + Isy Suttie


Saturday, Apr 16M The View O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M Valhalla Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Toyah Willcox The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Tomorrow We'll Trust + IONS + The Pursuit


M Wrapped in Plastic The Sunflower Lounge

Birmingham

M Toy Horses The Temple @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Pete And The Pirates Kasbah Coventry

CN Hed Kandi Gatecrasher Birmingham

CN Uprawr The Asylum Birmingham

CN Dr Jekyll's Potion - Paradise Brothers

The Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

CN Face feat Ramon Tapia


CN Sweat The Victoria Birmingham

CN Bunka present Regis (Sandwell District)

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN High Fidelity: Music for Smart People

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Habit present Residents Special

Bulls Head Moseley


Sunday, Apr 17M Jamiroquai LG Arena Birmingham

M Cheap Thrill The Flapper Birmingham

M Ben Howard The Glee Club Birmingham

M Michael Monroe The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Traditional Music Session

Prince of Wales

Moseley

M Raymond Froggatt The Slade Rooms

Wolves

Monday, Apr 18M Christy Moore Birmingham

Town HallBirmingham

M Agnes Obel Hare & Hounds

Birmingham

M Adele HMV Institute Birmingham

M Trail Of Dead + Rival Schools

O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M Run, Walk! The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

M Saxon Wulfrun Hall Wolves

Tuesday, Apr 19M The Static Age Scruffy

MurphysBirmingham

M Steffen Basho Jungens

Kitchen Garden Cafe

Kings Heath

Wednesday, Apr 20M Sugarcult O2 Academy 2 Birmingham

M Austere The Asylum Birmingham

M Brides The Flapper Birmingham

M Steve Craddock The Temple @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Jim Causley The Red Lion Folk Club

Kings Heath

M Kassidy The Slade Rooms

Wolves

C Ace’s Comedy Night Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

Thursday, Apr 21M Louis Barabbas &

The Bedlam SixHare & Hounds

Birmingham

M Acoustic Lounge Island Bar Birmingham

M Celturian The Asylum Birmingham

M Broken Links The Crown Birmingham

M Frustration The Flapper Birmingham

CN Easter Hott Date feat Lucha Britannia

HMV Institute Birmingham

CN Rebel Rebel Bulls Head Moseley

C Popcorn Comedy The Victoria Birmingham

C Pappy’s All Business The Slade Rooms

Wolves

C John Ryan The Glee Club Birmingham

Friday, Apr 22M Khaliq O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Without Words Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Eradikator The Asylum Birmingham

M Giant Steps The Flapper Birmingham

M My Passion The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M China Shop Bull + The Balsall Heathens

The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

M IO + Codex + Leicester

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

M The View Kasbah Coventry


CN Raveology Easter Payback


CN Resurrection Subway City Birmingham

CN Hysteria The Victoria Birmingham

CN MK Ultra Soundsystem

The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham


CN Breakthru present Soul:ution

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Freestyle Bulls Head Moseley


Saturday, Apr 23M Punkfest Scruffy

MurphysBirmingham

M The City Calls The Asylum Birmingham

M Silent Filter All Dayer The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

M Voodoo Johnson The Slade Rooms

Wolves

M Magnum Wulfrun Hall Wolves


CN Ec-Lectricity Easter Bank Holiday Weekender 2



CN Dr Jekyll's Potion - Tic Tac Toe

The Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

CN Thatched and Majored

The Victoria Birmingham

CN Bob Marley Grandsons

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

C Milton Jones Alexandra Theatre

Birmingham


Sunday, Apr 24M Punkfest Scruffy

MurphysBirmingham

M Mitch & Murray The Flapper Birmingham

M Tim Booth The Glee Club Birmingham

M Jane Taylor Kitchen Garden Cafe

Kings Heath

M Beady Eye The Civic Hall Wolves

CN Trevor Nelson Gatecrasher Birmingham

CN Easter Bank Holiday Weekender - Part 3


CN What is House Music The Victoria Birmingham

CN DJ Psykhomantus Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Bank Holiday Special Bulls Head Moseley

Monday, Apr 25M Trey Songz O2 Academy Birmingham

M Right Said Fred O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Punkfest Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

M Ace Bushy Striptease The Victoria Birmingham

Tuesday, Apr 26M Simone Felice The Glee Club Birmingham

M Aloe Blacc The Library @ HMV Institute

Birmingham

M Johnny Foreigner Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

Wednesday, Apr 27M Evil Alien Hare &

HoundsKings Heath

M Bella Hardy The Red Lion Folk Club

Kings Heath

C Mark Thomas The Slade Rooms

Wolves

C Tom Stade Live The Glee Club Birmingham

Thursday, Apr 28M Nick Harper Hare &

HoundsBirmingham

M Acoustic Lounge Island Bar Birmingham

M Paul Rodgers NIA Birmingham

M Bring Me The Horizon O2 Academy Birmingham

M Orchid Fever The Asylum Birmingham

M Gentlemen of Distorted Sound

The Crown Birmingham

M Heroes of Hanoi The Rainbow Birmingham

M Kong Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Jam Hott Bulls Head Moseley

C Mike Milligan The Glee Club Birmingham

Friday, Apr 29M N-Dubz LG Arena Birmingham

M Jody Has A Hitlist O2 Academy 3 Birmingham

M Thunderbird 13 The Asylum Birmingham

M Derriere + Count Skylarkin + Van Mule

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

M Luke Concannon (Nizlopi)

Newhampton Arts Centre

Wolves

M Skindred Wulfrun Hall Wolves

CN Royal Wedding Fancy Dress Party



CN Garage Nation HMV Institute Birmingham

CN Rollergirls Club Night Scruffy Murphys

Birmingham

CN F*ck the Royal Wedding Free Party

The Wagon & Horses

Birmingham

CN Schizodelic Sound Bank Holiday Party

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Freestyle presents No Fakin' DJs

Bulls Head Moseley


Saturday, Apr 30M Under Blackened

SkiesThe Flapper Birmingham

M On-Screen Heroes + The Jenkinsons


M Bargepole + Doom Patrol

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN Atta Girl Island Bar Birmingham

CN Dr Jekyll's Potion - Hot Wax

The Jekyll & Hyde

Birmingham

CN Face feat Luca Lozano (Zombie Disco Squad)


CN Jocko Homo The Victoria Birmingham

CN Elixir present Jamie Grind

Hare & Hounds

Kings Heath

CN MAD present Fantastic Voyage

Bulls Head Moseley


April 2011 31


Documents

Brum Notes Magazine - April 2011