Envy & Other Sins @ Birmingham Bar Academy, 7/3/08

You may remember mobileAct unsigned as T4’s awful indie-X-Factor show with an amusing twist. The twist being that it managed to be more embarrassing for the presenters (hello Alex James, Jo Whiley and Simon Gavin) than for the acts involved. The eventual winners were the Birmingham-based Envy & Other Sins; a likeable quartet of Victoriana-clad […]

The Levellers / Alabama 3 / Three Daft Monkeys @ Wolverhampton Civic, 6/3/08

I’m writing this resigned to the fact that The Levellers have their dyed-in-the-wool, knee-jerk detractors (see inevitable comments below). However, judging by the look of the crowd there were many there in Wolverhampton who, like myself, quite enjoyed their albums when we were younger and ten years on have found they can still remember all […]

Laura Marling / Johnny Flynn / Jay Jay Pistolet @ Birmingham Glee Club, 5/5/08

The Glee Club was humming when I arrived, most likely caused by a reportedly excellent set by Jay Jay Pistolet which I’d just missed. The merchandise table was certainly doing a brisk trade with his stack of 7″ promos disappearing quickly. “Very like Bright Eyes” was one approving verdict so I’d urge you to check […]