Tap tap. Is this thing on?

Hi there, welcome to my blog.

Having reviewed gigs around Birmingham for the past couple of years I thought it’d be a good idea to have somewhere to deposit all the good stuff I’ve been churning out. I’m also planning to use this as somewhere to jot down what happens outside the focus of the review and to add a little personal context I suppose.

I’ll also be able to talk about the record label I’m involved with, post up the interviews I occasionally do and spread around give out the odd mixtape as and when I knock one together. I’ve got a busy couple of weeks coming up so I guess I should make this house a home first – sort out a theme I like, play with some plugins and post up some old reviews. Best get to it then.

Oh, and I guess I should mention that while I’ve been getting this right I’ve been listening to albums by Laura Marling, Tindersticks and The Gutter Twins, all of which are very good.

Gallows @ Birmingham Academy, 16/02/08

Frank Carter can rail all he likes against fans making idols of bands but if he’s a subject of adulation it’s no doubt a result of his thrillingly visceral and menacingly charismatic performances. If there’s a single reason why Gallows have been embraced (if a little cautiously) by mainstream indie and won plays on Radio 1 daytime it’s the force of of his personality. Is he uncomfortable with the constant acclaim his band have garnered or is he wary of suffering a backlash having signed a recent big deal in the States? Continue reading “Gallows @ Birmingham Academy, 16/02/08”

Los Campesinos @ Birmingham Academy 2, 13/02/08

The show ended as it started – from ‘Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats’ with it’s shouty count-in to the final unaccompanied, shouted chorus of ‘Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks’. It set the tone for the whole of the show quite succinctly too, with all seven members involved at high volume in a slightly quirky, unabashed and ramshackle manner.There was little time for banter before songs (Gareth later blamed his recent abstention from alcohol) as they slipped quickly into ‘Don’t Tell Me To Do The Math’ and then into a performance of ‘Death To Los Campesinos! that got the already enthusiastic crowd really bubbling up. Continue reading “Los Campesinos @ Birmingham Academy 2, 13/02/08”