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Brum Notes MagazineThe Moseley Exchange149-153 Alcester RoadMoseleyBirminghamB13 8JPinfo@brumnotes.comTo advertise contact:advertising@brumnotes.comEditor: Sean O’MuirContributorsWords: Tom Pell, James Collins, Andy Roberts, Vyvian Raoul, Rommy Stelfox, Ross Cotton, Matt Higgs, Nancy BenniePictures: Steve Gerrard, Katja Ogrin, Jemma Dodd.Design: Andy AitkenWebsite: Cellar Door All content © Brum Notes Magazine. Views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Brum Notes Magazine. While all care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of content, Brum Notes Magazine will not be held liable for any errors or losses claimed to have been incurred by any errors. Advertising terms and conditions available on request. www.brumnotes.com

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contents

Brum notes Magazine: issue 5, february 2010

NEWS4-6: Details on a brand new jazz festival for Brum, celebrations in Walsall and the chance to win exclusive signed Delphic prizes.

FEATURES7: Mr ScruffForget his music, we look at the renowned DJ’s penchant for a doodle. 8-9: 35 SecondsAfter being crowned Brum’s band of the decade, it seems all is not over for 35 Seconds. 10-11: Bombay Bicycle ClubThe trendy indie boys reveal

plans for an acoustic album and try to curry favour by threatening to play naked. See what I did there? Curry favour? No? Never mind. 12-15: Hot ChipGeeky electro-popsters swap their synths for steel pans. Kind of. 15-16: Danny & The ChampionsAcoustic troubadour cries over Bruce Springsteen, among other things.

FOOD & DRINK18-19: Chinese specialCelebrate the Year of the Tiger with our guide to Oriental

restaurants and some Chinese-themed drinks.

REVIEWS20-21: LiveIncludes local hero Fyfe Dangerfield, more-than-just-dancers OK Go and Malpas. 22-23: RecordsVerdict on the return of The Courteeners, plus top free tracks.

LISTINGS26-30: Gig GuideOur biggest ever guide to gigs throughout January, plus our tips for the best shows and club nights.

newspage four

MUSO LIVES HIT THE BIG SCREENFilms portraying the lives of two of music’s most engaging characters will be hitting the big screen in Wolverhampton this month.Th e cinema at arts centre Light House in Fryer Street will screen Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll from February 12 to 18, the story of Ian Dury starring Andy Serkis as the punk legend. Th e musical theme continues with Nowhere Boy, based on the true story of John Lennon’s youth, which runs from February 19 to 25.

Michael Jackson will take centre stage as Walsall’s New Art Gallery kicks off its 10th anniversary celebrations.Th e iconic waterside gallery launches an exhibition called PARTY! on February 12 to mark the decade since it opened its doors. Th e celebratory exhibition will feature more than 2,000 balloons, 1,400 corks, a mirror ball made from sunglasses and a life-sized bronze statue of the late King of Pop. Standing just over two metres tall, the work, entitled Dangerous, was created by Chinese artist Yang Mian and refl ects the Beijing and Chengdu-based artist’s interest in American popular culture. It will be joined

BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR GALLERY

An array of unique fi lm screenings will unfold across warehouses, shops, bars and cinemas in Birmingham next month as the annual Flatpack Festival returns. Th e renowned six-day event runs from March 23 to 28 showcasing

animation, music docu-mentaries, psychedelic fi lms for kids, live sound-tracks, puppets and a host of other oddities in weird and wonderful locations. Th e festival, organised by city-based 7 Inch Cin-ema, will off er a platform for new fi lmmakers as

well as off ering a pro-gramme of cult classics, silent cinema and archive material and a varied collection of talks and demonstrations. Locations across Bir-mingham playing host to the festival will include warehouse spaces, art

galleries, a social club, a specially constructed cardboard cinema and the sites of some of the UK’s fi rst Odeons designed in the 1930s.Th e full programme is unveiled this month. Visit www.fl atpackfestival.org.uk for details.

FILM FEST UNPACKED NEXT MONTH

by more than 50 other paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints and installations, including 2001 Turner Prize winner Martin Creed’s Half Th e Air In A Given Space, consisting of over 2,000 balloons infl ated by

gallery staff and half-fi lling a room. An offi cial opening for PARTY! takes place on February 11 featuring music, cake and other entertainment. Th e exhibition is free and runs until April 18.

news

SAX IN THE PARKA stellar cast of perform-ers has been announced for Birmingham’s first open-air jazz festival which will be taking place in the city this summer. Tickets go on sale this month for The Mostly Jazz Festival which will be set over two days from July 3 to 4 in the leafy surrounds of Moseley Park. It will feature the likes of Sun Ra Arkestra, Courtney Pine, Polar Bear, Led Bib and local jazz legend Andy Hamil-ton, who will be 92 when he takes to the stage with his band The Blue Notes. The inaugural event will

be the only open-air, one-site festival of its kind in the UK exclusively dedi-cated to contemporary jazz, funk and soul.Other confirmed artists include Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro, Cyman-de All-Stars, James Taylor Quartet, Portico Quartet and more. The park is well set up for musical fun and frolics and already hosts the popular Moseley Folk Festival. In similar style, The Mostly Jazz Festival will have two stages side by side, with the second featuring emerging talent chosen by The Yardbird

and Birmingham Jazz. There will also be films, artist talks, music work-shops, dance perform-ances, live comedy and

spoken word, as well as a big screen showing World Cup football. Tickets are on sale from February 1.

BELGIUM RULES Belgium emerged as the destination of choice following the first ever European Festival Awards. The Heineken Open’er Festival in Poland took the title of Best Major Festival, but six of the remaining eight awards went to Belgian events. The Prodigy were named best headline act, White Lies best newcomer, with Viva La Vida by Coldplay best festival anthem.

CUFF RETURNSThe annual Off The Cuff festival will return to The Flapper in Bir-mingham from July 23 to 25. Headliners are yet to be announced but last year’s event featured the likes of Hot Club de Paris and Rolo Tomassi.

PLAYTIMEButlins in Skegness will host a new festival from April 16-18. Playaway will include Noisettes and Calvin Harris.

WIN EXCLUSIVE SIGNED DELPHIC GOODIESIt’s been a pretty hectic start to 2010 for Manchester indie-dance trio Delphic. Last month’s Brum Notes Magazine cov-er stars hit the top 10 with the release of their debut album, were the fi rst band to sell out Wolverhampton’s brand new Slade Rooms venue and have already announced details for another headline tour in March, including a show at Birmingham’s 02 Academy on March 14. To celebrate their success, we’ve got fi ve signed copies of their debut album to give away, alongside exclusive signed copies of their cover shoot for Brum Notes Magazine.

To win, tell us: what is the name of Delphic’s debut album?

Send answers to info@brumnotes.com by February 28.Terms and conditions apply.

SCRATCH THE SURFACETh e hunt to fi nd some of the hottest emerging talent in the Midlands gets underway this month as the Surface Unsigned Festival returns to the region. Scores of local bands of various genres will be taking to the stage at Th e Flapper in Birmingham throughout the month as part of the fi rst leg of the contest, with more than £60,000 of prizes up for grabs. Four bands progress from each heat based on a series of votes from audience members and industry judges. Visit www.surfaceunsigned.co.uk for details.

DOUBLE DUTCH FOR THE LINESWolverhampton band Th e Lines will be making a triumphant return to their home city this month fol-lowing a brief stint supporting indie legend Ian Brown overseas. Th e hotly-tipped four-piece were due to perform two dates in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam on Janu-ary 30 and 31, including a slot at Paradiso as part of a show headlined by the former Stone Roses singer. Hailed by Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant as one of the best bands to come out of the Black Country in recent times, Th e Lines will perform a headline show at Th e Slade Rooms on February 12. Tickets are £5.

ANOTHER LITTLE TANTRUMVelvet-voiced singer and pianist Anna Palmer, , has been signed up as the newest member of emerging post-prog indie rockers Tantrums.Anna, better known as Little Palm, has carved out a reputation on Birmingham’s live scene for her sultry vocals and opened the Brum Notes Magazine Christmas Party in December. It should be a busy few weeks for the Northfi eld band, who support Hot Club de Paris at Th e Rainbow on February 8 and release their debut EP on Bigger Th an Barry Records on February 15.

www.brumnotes.commusic and lifestyle for the west midlandsfree

january 2010

DELPHICThe sound of the new decade

the maccabees

INCLUDES FULL GIG

LISTINGS FOR JANUARYP27-30

the sunshine underground

brum's best bands of the decade

albums of the month

plus!

goodnight lenin

page six news

page seven

tea and doodles with

mr scruffSuperstar DJ, producer and record maker. Mr Scruff has many strings to his musical bow. But as fans will know he has become almost as renowned for his obsession with tea and his keen eye for a doodle, both of which feature heavily at his live performances and club nights. He’s taken his taste for tea even further

with the launch of his own brand of tea bags and opening a cafe called Cup in his native Manchester, both of which are of course made unique by his trademark cartoon artwork.

Witty, as eclectic as his music and down-right bizarre, here are some of his finest artistic offerings...

Mr Scruff plays a whopping six hour set at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath on February 19. Tickets sold out in two days so if you haven’t got one, it doesn’t look like you’ll be getting in.

SECOND COMING?After being voted Birmingham’s best band of the past decade in the Blue Whale Blog’s online poll, eyes and ears are once again on 35 SECONDS. We caught up with frontman Andrew Hickman who revealed we may not have seen the last of them.

How did it feel to be voted the best band of the decade? Surprised?It was completely surprising, wonderfully touching and slightly surreal as I was alone in the Borneo jungle when I heard. It also made me a little bit sad. Assuming the poll is indeed representative of that scene’s taste, it’s a real shame that it didn’t quite happen if we were genuinely that well liked. Had we known this back then, maybe we would have tried harder! As ‘band of the decade’ I think we were at a slight advantage in that we were around for most of that decade - although we were VERY shit for its first few years.

What’s going on with the band now, is it a permanent hiatus or any chance of a reunion?This sounds clichéd, but we never split up. EMI set the ball roll-ing with an EP that we started to record but never got to finish. The producer is always calling saying we’re about to complete it, and if we get to then maybe the songs

will reignite interests. The chances are that it won’t be so mind-blow-ingly ahead of its time when it’s finally done though!We did do a ‘reunion’ last Christ-mas and that was amazing. A couple of hundred people turned up and we collectively enjoyed it more than any other show because there was no pressure and we weren’t taking ourselves so fucking seriously. If anyone offers us a gig now that sounds interesting, practi-cal and fun then I think we would probably do it.

Are you all still in touch? No rock and roll style fallouts?It’s virtually impossible to keep in touch with our 700 or so bass play-ers – but the rest of us are probably on friendlier terms now than we ever were during the band. It was really tough, there were fist fights - specifically a karate chop to the back of a head.

What are you all up to now? Any other musical projects in the

offing for any of you?Dan Guest plays drums in Shiny Metal Boxes. Danny has been working with Joe from Augustine and count Alan Moore as a fan (their tune was given away with his self produced magazine). I’ve been mucking around with a classical pi-anist and have also recently caused a huge stir on the 4am Manila karaoke scene. Bear is working on becoming a “minimalist techno” superstar, but will probably end up sounding like Sash crossed with Haddaway.

You’ve relocated to London, how’s it going down there? Miss Brum?I really miss the Brum music scene because it was genuinely a scene where everyone knew and social-ised with each other. London is too big and doesn’t have that. The London “scene” is also full of toffs with Brigitte Nielsen haircuts who ride old pushbikes with baskets. They seem to move to London with identikit bands as a career plan/fashion statement before the

page nine

bikes and haircuts are inevitably ditched in favour of positions in corporate finance.

What are your best memories of gig-ging with 35 Seconds?Getting to tour with my heroes The Won-der Stuff. Playing Dudley JBs the day everyone got their exam results and making good friends with a stage invader. Play-ing and winning ‘best new band’ at the Camden Crawl. Giving cigarettes to the crowd in Sunder-land the night before the smoking ban, telling them it was the last time they could smoke and enjoy live music indoors - although we should have done it at the start of the gig, rather than towardsthe end because they seemed to like us a lot more after that. Teaching Greg Sunset the bass lines in the

back of a van on the way to Dublin Castle after yet another bass player imploded and then meeting a cou-ple who had driven fromStockholm to see us at the same (almost cancelled) show.

You attracted a lot of interest and were tipped to ‘break out’ into the mainstream. How close do you think you were to that happening?Hard to say. We got played on vari-ous Radio 1 shows, NME called us “the future of rock” and we played at John Kennedy’s festival as one of his tips. The hardest thing to deal with is that EMI set us up with a fairly big producer and we didn’t finish the tracks because I got ill on the last day in the studio. I think I can blame that on my mad nan,

because I went to her house the day before and there was piss every-where. But our biggest mistake was always going with profile rather than enthusiasm when deciding who to work with.

Who would be your pick for band of the decade?Unquestionably Sun-set Cinema Club. They

were/are the best live band in town and their album sounds, to my ears, like one of the greatest rock records of the last few years.

Any acts you would recommend to watch out for this year?I really wouldn’t know as I’m far too bitter to listen to anyone younger than me successfully mak-ing music. Dirty Ray and Josh T Pearson are older geezers who are doing brilliant things though. 35 Seconds maybe?

“This sounds clichéd but we never split up.”

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JOIN THE CLUB

A love affair with Birmingham, playing gigs while naked, and world domination - it’s all part of the psy-che behind Bombay Bicycle Club.Having only just played the city in December, two months after help-ing open the relocated O2 Academy, the post-punk popsters will be back at the same venue on February 11 as part of the prestigious NME Awards tour, alongside fellow indie darlings The Maccabees, The Big Pink and The Drums.“We’re really looking forward to com-ing back to Birmingham,” explains drummer Suren De Saram.“We did a short tour before Christmas and the Birmingham show was one of the best, the crowd was really up for it.“Hopefully it will be the same this time.“We might whip out our Jason Derulo cover especially, we don’t know. “We’ve wanted to play naked for a long time as well but maybe it’s still too soon, you’ll just have to wait to find out.”The band, who describe themselves as “indie/afromath,” had a very busy

2009. They released their critically ac-claimed debut album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, sold out the London Garage for their album launch show and played a summer of stand-out festival performances.Now into a new year with new aims, the band have their sights set high.“Our aims are to record the second album and hopefully get it out by the end of the year and play some fun fes-tivals in the summer,” continues Suren.“We are about to go on the NME tour around the UK. After that we are going to do a short European tour, playing in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium.“We played in Japan at the end of last year and we’d love to go back there sometime as well as America. We want to play everywhere really.”They added: “More immediately though, we’re putting the finishing touches to an acoustic album which we guess will come out sometime this year, maybe in the summer. We should also start recording our second album around March/April time so we’ve got quite a busy year ahead.”

Bombay Bicycle Club in action on the opening night of the O@ Academy in October. Pic by Katja Ogrin.

“We’ve wanted to play naked for a long time as well but may-be it’s still too soon.”

• Words by Rommy Stelfox• Bombay Bicycle Club play at the O2 Academy, Birmingham, on Febru-ary 11.• To buy tickets visit www.brumnotes.com.

RED HOTSurely one of the most eagerly anticipated records of 2010, Hot Chip’s One Life Stand aims to make even the flightiest of fans swoon, court new admirers and cement a monogamous musical relationship with all who hear it. With a list of influences so diverse

they might seemingly have been pulled out of a hat one late night in the studio, there’s certainly something for everyone.UK funk and soul lines up along-side modern R&B, northern soul, gospel, golden age electronica and house and the band cite influential

artists as disparate as Prince and Theo Parish - but these are no uncomfortable bed-fellows; all are snuggled up, warm and cosy under the familiar duvet of Hot Chip’s trademark soaring emotional in-tensity. Hot Chip’s synth-bearing, percussion-beating and bass gui-

page thirteen

Th ey’re the geek-chic electronic hit-makers that everyone loves to love. Now HOT CHIP are back with a stun-ning new album and they mean business. Brum Notes Magazine fi nds out why they aren’t giving up the kings of electro-pop crown with-out a fi ght. Th ey’ve even brought steel pans. Words by Vyvian Raoul.

tar-plucking multi-instrumentalist Owen Clarke gives us an idea of how it’ll all sound.“Th ere are 10 songs on the al-bum and it’s more beat pop songs broadly speaking, but there’s also some fl avours from pianos and house records and steel pans and

things like that,” Owen explains. Did he say steel pans and pianos? He certainly did and this new musical experience can instantly be felt on the title track of the album, One Life Stand, which will achieve its full release on February 1, the same day the album hits the

stores.For all their musical moving on, however, every single member of Hot Chip still has a synthesizer up their sleeve. Whether they be lead guitar, lead vocals or, like Owen, bass, they’ve always got a synth on stand by. If the boys have got a

somewhat geeky reputation, that’s only compounded by their atten-tion to detail when it comes to all things electronic - not hard to picture them getting excited about the newest Nord like your average boy-racer anticipates the arrival of some hot new ceramic disc brakes, or hornily poring over the pages of Max Moog Magazine. No bad thing when such obsessive aural tendencies result in, as in the case of 2006’s The Warning, Grammy award-winning music, and when, as Owen points out, everyone from traditional garage bands to grime artists are employing an electro beat these days anyway.“I’m not really thinking about scenes or whether they’re reaching their epoch, zenith or decline but I think that people have become much more open minded to the use of electronic instruments and things like that in pop music, I think it’s fairly ubiquitous now,” he adds. Doubtless pioneers of this new wave of New Wave, Hot Chip are far too smart to typecast themselves under any one scene. Remaining free from labels and attempts at classification seem-

ingly leaves them a much greater freedom of musical movement.“If someone asks what kind of music do you do, it’s usually like at passport control, we try not to get into too many particulars,” Owen continues. “But broadly speaking I’d say electronic pop.”The consequent aural autonomy afforded them can best be seen in the background and around the fringes of One Life Stand. Beef-ing up the percussion section, Hot Chip have enlisted the talents of Fimber Bravo of Steel and Skin on the aforementioned steel pans and Charles Hayward of This Heat on drums. It’s interesting to see how these new elements will fit into the live show - this is, after all, primarily music for dancing too. Owen teases us with what to ex-pect when Hot Chip finally fulfil their on-stage destiny and give us our chance to dance.“Well, just some interesting move-ments when we get on stage,” he says.“It’s a big set up, we’ll have a drummer with us and we’re working on the percussion side of things.

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“Not quite sure yet, the exciting thing is that we’re still working on it. We’re in rehearsals now, just figuring out how to do all that stuff live for the next year.” Ready for the floor? Just try and keep us off it.

• Hot Chip’s new album One Life Stand and the single of the same name are released on February 1. • They play the O2 Academy, Birmingham, on February 20. For tickets visit www.brumnotes.com.

page sixteen

Back seducing our ears with more bittersweet folk melo-dies, Danny George Wilson and his Roald Dahl themed group of musicians Danny and The Champions of The World return with their sophomore effort, Streets Of Our Time. Good job he wasn’t called James, as I don’t think as many people would have been up for being his Giant Peaches.The record this time round sees such familiar faces as Garrow, Joe and Robin from Goldrush,  Trevor Moss and Hannah Lou

plucked from Indigo Moss and Ian Mccutchen on drumming duty. “A lot of mates” says Danny, following on with his philosophy that he doesn’t “want to be in a band, I don’t want to rehearse, my only interest is in songs and parties”. A breath of fresh air, frankly, as in an age of Autotune and Miley Cyrus it’s nice to hear people playing music for music’s sake.“Rehearsing and tweaking stuff in studios, it doesn’t make anyone feel better and it doesn’t sound better so as far as I’m concerned, as long as the songs are great and

you’re aiming to move someone and be romantic about life in some way, then the shows should be a party.”And why shouldn’t they be? Everyone loves a random gig that you get invited to at three o’clock of an afternoon that turns out to be a cracker. And Danny and The Champions are trying to produce that time after time. The record itself is tighter, with-out the jam elements of the live shows, leaving Danny seeking to produce a “really simple, really sentimental record about being in a band that sometimes it feels

BRING ON THE CHAMPIONSTear-jerking folk act DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD will be bearing their souls in Birmingham this month, supporting Irish star Fionn Regan. Brum Notes Magazine finds out what makes Danny cry.

B a n d L o c k U p sA v a i l a b l e

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like you’re doing the wrong thing by continuing to do it, but ultimately you don’t really have any choice because that’s what’s coursing through your veins.” With a growing songwriter’s reputa-tion of conjuring emotion, feeling and, well, tears, it seems it’s not just us listeners whose lips get a tremb-lin’ at the sound of a good tune. “Do you know what? Songs still do make me cry. I guess they do everyone, but it’s not sad songs, its songs that make you feel alive, or brilliant. “I think the first song that made me feel that was Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen. It was probably off a bootleg from about 1978, and Bruce

talks to the crowd and he says, ‘This is for everyone back home who will one day hear this through the magic of bootlegging’ and I think the romance of the whole thing just set me off. Still would now I’m sure.”

Danny says he wouldn’t swap his Champions, as he couldn’t wish to be with, “better musi-cians, or bet-ter blokes and girls.” Unless he could have The Faces. “I think they’re the band I just, well, I

just love them.” Well, Danny, you can’t have everything you want unfortu-nately, and these wildest dreams will not come true. You’d need to be called Charlie for that.

“Songs still do make me cry. I guess they do eve-ryone, but it’s not sad songs, its songs that make you feel alive, or bril-liant.”

• Words by Tom Pell• Danny and the Champions of the World support Fionn Regan at The Rainbow, Digbeth, on March 2. • To buy tickets visit www.brumnotes.com.

UNLIMITED ACCESS

food & drinkgo get em tiger...

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

You may still be recovering from the festive excesses but party time is upon us once again... This month will see celebrations taking place across the West Midlands to mark the arrival of the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Chinese New Year falls on February 14 as a double whammy with Valentine’s Day and will be marked in style with a huge festival in Birmingham’s Chinatown. To help you get into the party spirit we’ve cooked up a quickfire guide to a selection of Oriental and Eastern eateries where you can feed your animal appetite.

Any Chinese restaurant which is brave enough to be open at 2 o’clock of a Wednesday afternoon when there is six inches of snow on the ground outside is definitely worth a try, and try we did, in particular the excellent £6.50 three course meal option available in the day. Go with a friend and mix it up with the starter

options and you’ll end up with one each of prawn toast, a spring roll, excep-tional spare ribs and fruity chicken wings. Despite sounding like a ninja Tel-etubby, Kung Po Chicken is a cracking choice of main from the choices available and the small but sexy ba-nana fritter is a perfect way to finish the meal. Half a

TOP TIP FOR the black country

TOP TIP FOR A TIGHT bUDGETMALAYSIAN DELIGHTLadywell Walk, Birmingham 0121 6223909

The roasted until crispy ducks hung in the windows (beaks, feet and all) of Chinatown’s restaurants are enough for parents escort-ing their kids to the panto to shout “just look straight ahead children”.Malaysian Delight has

a simple but charming aesthetic, the large windows enable people-watching as if in Soho.A meal for two under £12 is easily achievable. I plumped for a king prawn in a ginger and spring onion sauce whilst my fellow diner gave the nod to the roast duck. All dishes come with boiled rice or you can upgrade to fried rice or noodles for an extra 50p. Service was

speedy, portions were plenty, and most importantly they tasted good. Points have to be deducted when the classic line “excuse me, there’s a hair in my food”, was uttered, but if you’re ever hungry in this end of town then this place gives you a good meal at good value. Malaysian Delight. You’re alright.JJ

coke will do you for a drink, as the service is so quick you’re in and out before you

can say egg fried rice. Well worth a try. TP

THE BIG WOK Stourbridge Road, Lye 01384 893828

page eighteen

tweeT AND SOURWe asked our followers on good old Twitter to have their say on the best places to pick up some Oriental grub. Here’s a selection of the tastiest answers:

@davidnikel “Wok and Roll Cafe on my road in the Jewellery Quarter. Th e name is awesome. Plus you can hire it for karaoke...”

@JaceyD “Best Chinese restaurant in Brum = Wongs, Fleet St. Best takeaway = Jonny Wongs, Hagley Rd. Best cafe = Cafe Soya, Arcadian.”

@furiouspigeon “Henry Wong’s Sunfl ower Chinese Restaurant in Northfi eld is fantastic.”

@circus_town “Henrys and obviously Th e Big Wok!!”

@nancybennie “you can’t go wrong with Th e Big Wok or Tin Tin’s Cantonese in Brindley Place

folloW us on tWitter @BrumnotesMag

page nineteen

Drink of the MonthTh e Lychee Martini WITH

48 John Bright StBirmingham B1 1BN

Julian Rose-Gibbs from top Brum pub Th e Victoria introduces some Oriental fl avour to help you mark Chinese New Year in style.

Tsingtao dates back to 1903 and is by far the most popu-lar beer in china. It is quite a malty lager with a slightly honeyed after-taste and has zero fat content which might explain why it is so popular with the young female drink-ers. Wine is not massive in

China with 70 per cent being imported from France, but their indigenous wine production is on the increase. Spirits are huge in China, last year the country con-sumed 3.7 billion litres, with Scotch whisky the biggest seller.

Cocktails have yet to kick off but here’s a Chinese-infl uenced favour-ite of mine, the Lychee Martini:

• 40ml of Bombay Sapphire gin• 4 lychees, tinned or fresh• 15ml of juice from the tin or lychee liqueur• 10ml of fresh lime juice

Mash lychees well in the bottom of a shaker, add other ingredients, shake vigorously with plenty of ice. Fine strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a lychee on a cocktail stick - easy.

When a restaurant puts bouncers on the door and makes you pay in advance, it hardly makes for a relaxing atmosphere. Charmless staff and a charmless interior add to the feeling of apprehen-sion about this infamous city centre canteen. But there’s a reason peo-ple queue round the block and that is the food. Not the quality, not the taste, just the sheer quantity. For a tenner you can fi ll your plate as many times as you want. Th e belly-busting array of food includes a vast number of

starter dishes of varying quality, with a strangely gooey yuk sung but deliciously tender satay chicken. As for the mains, there is everything you can imagine from a Chi-nese restaurant as well as servings from Th ai, Japa-nese and Indian cooking, including teppanyaki and sushi. Th en there’s the desserts, help yourself to ice cream or dip into the chocolate fondue. It won’t be winning any Michelin stars but it will certainly help you fi ll your spare tyre. JC

TOP TIP FOR a big appetite

THE BIG WOK Wrottesley St, Birmingham 0121 6666800

live

Poor Fyfe Dangerfi eld. On paper this was his night; debut solo album out today and a home-coming in the Glee Club, the audience all seated and expectant. Th is gig should have been the champagne against the bow of the good ship Fly Yellow Moon. Any nerves were under-standable therefore, as he tripped over the piano stool on his way onto stage before referencing

his inability to fi nd his guitar lead - “I’m sup-posed to be cool”. But he still had to answer the question on every-body’s lips - can he cut it without the rest of the Guillemots?Th e fi rst two songs certainly did, managing to have all the trademark melancholy without being dreary, and it was all going so well when he swapped acoustic for electric for Faster Th an

Th e Setting Sun. From here on in however, basically every song was plagued by technical problems.But the boy is almost as humble as he is talented and has charm to spare; who could deny him some slack? What’s more, his voice alone can hold you hostage; he still has absolute pitch and that made the singles shine.So his salvation was well

deserved - and earned with a ukulele encore. Th e simplicity of the four-stringed instrument next to the soaring vocals of So Brand New was sublime and his redemp-tion was made complete by fi nishing on a highly original version of Made Up Love Song #43; it sounded a little bit like a champagne bottle smashing…Words: Vyvian Raoul Pic: Jemma Dodd

FYFE DANGERFIELDTh e Glee Club, BirminghamJan 18

page twenty

page twenty-one

OK GOO2 Academy 3BirminghamJan 12

With the Academy 3 ringing - literally later on - with Californian Rock, the arctic condi-tions embracing Bir-mingham seemed far away.Malpas open, a kaleido-scope of folk and elec-tronica fronted by Ali M Forbes, a quintet that seems to be able to play every instrument under the sun and mould their sound into something quite special.OK Go may have found the bulk of their fame via their viral videos for Here It Goes Again and Million Ways which are

both given well received airings tonight, but they proved that they have far more to give. Their set is brilliantly deliv-ered proving to any who doubted that they are far more than one hit won-ders. Church Bells are not usually a mainstay of the Academy but with nothing else other than their voices, What to do takes on a memorable whole new form. Tick-ertape and trippy videos added, Ok Go looked visually impressive. For any that haven’t checked out the band since their dancing on treadmills, now may well be the time to look again.Words: Matt HiggsPic: Jemma Dodd

VIVIAN GIRLSO2 Academy 3BirminghamJan 16

Fittingly described as “The Ronettes produced by Kevin Shields”, surfy girly trio Vivian Girls confidently fill the Acad-emy 3 with shrouds of shimmering noise-pop. Formed in 2007, they have amassed an army of devotees through relentless touring and killer seven-inch releases and spring-boarded into the spotlight upon the release of their self-titled debut, which they delve into several times tonight.

Blistering buzz saw gui-tar is chimed alongside Spector-inspired harmo-nies, showcased during a spine-tingling a cappella cover of The Chantel‘s He‘s Gone.Proving that a lack of advanced instrument proficiency doesn’t necessarily equal mo-notony, they exert a wild, beautiful racket, defiantly making their simplicity a strength. Vivian Girls are blinding sunshine in music form, melting the coldest of hearts with their ca-cophony of sugar-sweet singing and lo-fi punki-tude.Words: Nancy Bennie

ALI M FORBES / BOAT TO ROW / LITTLE PALMThe Bulls HeadMoseleyJan 13

Little Palm’s winding piano backed tales are pushing all the right buttons as we arrive, the swells of her jazzy chords and whirling vocals help to gently thaw our ears while the world goes by on the other side of the window. The added warmth of Michael King in his Boat To Row get-up cloaks us with an innocent cosiness. His rapid, folky finger pickings and soothing

tone of voice is endear-ing without any danger of becoming too twee or cute, it’s rich and honest and has us gripped.Ali M Forbes, goes it alone without full band Malpas, and stripped-back, songs such as Lyon and Here Comes the Rain are just as absorb-ing with their floating melancholia. Under Her Sails is a phenomenal tune - or at least it usu-ally is, as tonight percus-sionist Jim Macaulay somehow manages to dismantle the damn thing with his clumsy maracas.Words: Andy Roberts

Nobody likes a kiss-ass. Not too keen on show-offs either. Cocksure frontman Liam Fray comes across like both as he limbers up on

THE COURTEENERSFalcon(Polydor)

recordspage twenty-two

There’s something quite annoying about Tom McRae but I just don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s his slightly whiney voice, or the fact that he seems to have been around for ages without his sound ever seeming to change. Maybe there’s a deep-rooted reason that I can’t put my finger on. It’s a shame as there are some

TOM MCRAEAlphabet of Hurricanes(Cooking Vinyl)

MODIFIED TOY ORCHESTRAEarth One(Warm Circuit)

unimaginatively-titled opening track The Opener, throwing in ingratiating platitudes to his home city of Manchester, reminding listeners he’s been off having an affair with the likes of LA and New York, and finishing off with a refrain of “my heart is here, here to stay,” which sounds painfully contrived to implore

crowds of Mancunian men to sing along. Ho-hum. From then on this long-awaited follow-up fails to get going. Fray’s distinctive vocals, storytelling style and penchant for a chirpy melody remain, but there is little that recaptures the wit of Not Nineteen Forever or the biting sass of What Took You So Long. There are attempts to add new dimensions, hinting at the orchestral tendencies of Elbow, with soundtrack pianos,

lashings of reverb and thumping drums most successfully uniting on the dramatic Cross My Heart and Hope to Fly. Baggy new single You Overdid It Doll is memorable enough but could easily be by Reverend and the Makers. The Rest of the World Has Gone Home echoes Stephen Fretwell and Scratch Your Name Upon My Lips intrigues but fails to ignite a forgettable return. SO

pleasant tracks and a few exceptional moments on his latest offering, not least plucky, ukulele-backed opener Still Love You. The cantina jazz-folk of A Is For shows off some new instruments and injects rare energy while Out of the Walls is as haunting as they come, showcasing his unique vocals. McRae may not be as fashionable as some of his contemporaries in the singer-songwriter fraternity but his longevity and craft would suggest he’s in it for the long haul. JC

Ever wondered what the soundtrack to your childhood would be? Or felt the need to be young again? On Earth One, Modified Toy Orchestra, using circuit bent toys, have moved on from experimental noise to catchy melodies that’ll get the whole family humming along. Funfair for the Common Man

explores the possibilities of adults re-living their childhood, with sounds that hark back to old Atari and platform games. Quirky speech and noises accompany the mix, providing the perfect blend for a child’s birthday party. It’s hard to believe that the entire album contains no samples or traditional instruments, as the sounds achieved through toys are extremely profound and it takes a leap into a different direction. RC

Pretend you’re in an episode of Skins with Heartbreak’s Slow Action Remix of this top notch Simian Mobile Disco track. It’s a sultry, sexy version of the original which keeps Beth Ditto’s soaring vocals at its core but adds an extra funky swagger. The chorus will linger for hours.

With just a month to go until the most com-prehensive chronicle of Pavement’s legendary career is released this free remastered track gives a perfect taster for the un-initiated for their punchy, droll, loose-around-the-edges American indie.For a real treat check out the Santa-themed video.

Showcasing both sides of the ultra-cool, if a little difficult, Dirty Projectors. Packaged as a ‘7inch download’ main track Ascending Melody is a complex and cumber-some wall of noise but second track Emblem of the World shows off their easier listening side and crafty harmonies.

DIRTy PROjECTORSAscending Melodywww.dirtyprojectors.net

page twenty-three

PAVEMENTGold Soundzwww.dominorecordco.com

SIMIAN MOBILE DISCOCruel Intentionswww.rcrdlbl.com

Everyone loves a free-bie so we’ve decided to carry on serving you up perfect volleys of free

songs to keep your ears entertained and your

wallet intact. But don’t thank us, thank those gener-

ous musicians who’ve grafted away for your listening pleasure. And if you like what you

hear then please go out and buy their records for money or go to their live shows. Even musicians

need to eat.

FREE music!

page twenty-four

win ticketsMIDLAKE, Town Hall, BirminghamFebruary 15

Less MOR and more limitless than most psych-rock revivalists, Texan five piece Midlake prove their cross over credentials with the release of third album The Courage of Others this February, followed by a 14 date UK tour.Signed to hip label Bella Union alongside Fleet Foxes and The Czars, Midlake’s 2004 debut album Bamnam and Silvercork led to comparisons with The Flaming Lips, while second release The Trials of Van Occupanther openly touted the classic folk-rock influences of Jethro Tull and Fleetwood Mac alongside shades of Radiohead and Kings of Leon. With a collaboration with the Chemical Brothers under their belt and continuing support from high profile fan Jason ‘Earl Hickey’ Lee, Midlake’s cross-genre exploration makes them a definite one to watch for 2010.

To win a pair of tickets, tell us: what year did Mid-lake release their debut album?Answers by February 13.

FIRST AID KIT, GOODNIGHT LENIN, The Rainbow, Digbeth, February 22

Heartwarming modern folk from Scandinavian duo Klara and Johanna Söderberg who celebrate the release of their debut album The Big Black & Blue with a full UK tour. Support will be provided by hotly tipped Birmingham boys Goodnight Lenin.

For a pair of tickets just tell us what country First Aid Kit hail from. Answers to reach us by February 20.

Capsule presents CLUSTER,Town Hall, Birmingham,February 11

They may look like they remember the advent of electricity, but what Dieter Mobius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius aka Cluster don’t have in youth, they have in kudos, influence and cult status. In the early 1970s, whilst most of Europe dealt with fallout from the Swinging Sixties, Cluster built a studio in rural Germany to ex-periment with the dark language of

factory machinery and produce early electronica. The duo’s output includes 16 albums on eight labels, collaborations with Eno and The Orb, thousands of remixes and three reformations over four decades, heavily influencing electronic music and every genre that followed, from ambient to techno to the bed-hopping crosso-ver styles of The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, Fuck Buttons et al. Its no understatement to include the duo amongst the most important musical minds of the last 50 years.

To grab two tickets, tell us who the main support act will be for Cluster at the Town Hall.Answers by February 9.

VENICE AHOY, The Rainbow, Digbeth, February 27

New night Rainbow Live returns with a line-up of spiky indie-punk from Venice Ahoy, Your Biggest Fanclub and (Silver) Souvenirs.

To bag entry for two tell us where Venice Ahoy are from. Answers by Feb 25.

send All AnsWers to info@BruMnotes.coM

Gig Listings

Every Monday: ‘Broken Amp’ weekly acoustic evening hosted every Monday by the “inestimably

lovely” Richie Chappell. Usually 3-4 acts. Free entry.

FEBRUARY LISTINGS:Thursday 4th: Kieran Lawrence + The James

Lewis Band. Djs till 2am.Friday 5th: Steve Ajao and The Blues Giants +

DJ Dylan Gibbons. Saturday 6th: John Vickery ‘Dirty Sessions’ album launch. DJs Tom Shorty (Bigger than

Barry) + John Scullion. Free album to all attendees.

Wednesday 10th: Good Knives + Laughing in the Face Of + Big City Plan + Losing Streak

Thursday 11th: Incoming presents: Cliché Guevara + Big Stone Culture + Mapatazi Bob

Friday 12th: The Scooter Do- original DJs Tony Reynolds & Kev Richards. Northern Soul & Mod

Classics, 60s to modern day.Saturday 13th: ‘The Little Hut Club’ launch night with: Silvershores + The S.P.G + Barnsey + Mrs +

The Other Woman’s Club DJing.Sunday 14th: Sunday Xpress open poetry

afternoon 4pm start. Punkybeats presents Big Stone Culture.

Friday 19th: Inner Terrestrials - London’s most havin’ it punk rock band.

Saturday 20th: Friendly Fire Music (full live band)Wednesday 24th: Chamber of Madness +

Detralate + Master War Beast.Friday 26th: Blues/Rock outfit Soldier Club night.Saturday 27th: Mr Elephant presents (acts tba).

The Adam and Eve, Bradford St, Birmingham B12 0JD • 0121 693 1500

gig guide

This month sees the arrival of CHINESE NEW yEAR and it will be marked in colourful fashion in Birmingham’s Chinatown area. Dragons, dancing, music, cultural displays and firecrackers will see in the Year of the Tiger on February 14 at The Arcadian off Hurst Street from 12.30pm to 6.30pm. Visitors will also be able to browse a Chinese market set up in Hurst Street. February 14 also marks Valentine’s Day which means a host of money-grabbing, romance-themed events at restaurants and venues around and about. But promoters HOTT DATE will be doing their best to avoid the schmaltz with their annual alternative party at The Rainbow, for swaggering singles and fun-loving couples.Bargain hunters may also be able to find some vintage threads or last-minute gift ideas for the day by browsing the stalls at the BAR BOOT SALE taking place at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath on February 13 between 1pm and 5pm.

tHe region’s Most coMpreHensiVe MontHlY guide to gigs of All siZes

PICK OF THE MONTH:gigs

cluB nigHts

1. FANFARLO, Feb 10, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathHeadline show following the release of one of the most critically acclaimed debuts of 2009. Tickets £7, www.birminghampromoters.com.2. THE DECLINING WINTER, Feb 13, Island Bar, BirminghamAn evening of haunting post-rock and electronica from leftfield promoters Colour.Tickets £5, on the door or at www.wearecolour.com.3. THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND, Feb 13, Kasbah, CoventryShropshire lads return at long last with their unique brand of dance-tinted indie rock (14+).Tickets £11, www.seetickets.com.4. BETH jEANS HOUGHTON, STORNAWAy, Feb 17, The Glee Club, BirminghamTwisted Folk present two of the hottest acts on the modern folk scene in an intimate setting. Tickets £8.50 adv, www.glee.co.uk.5. FINLEy QUAyE, Feb 20, The Rainbow, DigbethAward-winning, eclectic reggae maverick returns with support from Burnside and Tempting Rosie. Tickets £15 adv, www.birminghampromoters.com.

1. WAX: ONFeb 6, Rainbow WarehouseErol Alkan heads up a night of dubstep and electro.Advance tickets £12.

2. BIGGER THAN BARRyFeb 13, The AllimoWarehouse rave with Joker, Joy Orbison and more.Early bird £8/£10.

3. DRUM&BASS AWARDSFeb 27, Custard FactoryBiggest D&B night around hosted by Fabio & Grooverider. Tickets £27.50/£60

Want your gig or club night listed in our monthly guide?Send details to:info@brumnotes.com

All details correct at time of going to press.Check with venues before setting out.

For latest information and ticket details visit:www.brumnotes.com.

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.Be good kids.

page twenty-six

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT: FACE PRESENTS DERRICK CARTERMarch 20, The Rainbow£10, www.theticketsellers.co.ukFIONN REGANMarch 2, The Rainbow£8, www.seetickets.comDELPHICMarch 14, O2 Academywww.seetickets.comBRIAN jONESTOWN MASSACRE May 16, O2 Academy£12.50, www.ticketweb.co.uk.

BooKing AHeAd

MONDAY, FEB 1Lacuna coiL, Dirty LittLe rabbits, Dommin, 02 Academy, BirminghamDecapitateD KataKLysm, man must Die, 02 Academy 2, Birminghamnancy eLiZabetH, tara, Gemma Quarterman, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath tHe eX & brass unbounD, Zun Zun eGui, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

TUESDAY, FEB 2cbso an aLpine sympHony, Symphony Hall, BirminghamtHese neW puritans, traiLer trasH tracys, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

WEDNESDAY, FEB 3Liam Lever, 02 academy 3, Birminghamrammstein, LG Arena, BirminghameLepHants, The Flapper, BirminghamDan smitH, LittLe paLm, natHan bennett, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathmaLpas, tHis sinKinG sHip, tiny cinema, Bulls Head, Moseley

martin stepHenson From tHe Daintees, Robin 2, Bilston

THURSDAY, FEB 4bonecrusHer FestivaL Ft tHe bLacK DaHLia murDer tHe bLacK DaHLia murDer, 3 incHes oF bLooD, necropHobic, obscura, tHe FaceLess, carniFeX, inGesteD, 02 Academy 2, Birmingham etienne De crecy, 02 Academy, Birmingham tHe DeaFout, soLDier, Karma suite, tHe rimes, 02 Academy 3, BirminghamceLebrity piano recitaL: LanG LanG, Symphony Hall, BirminghamsurFace unsiGneD FestivaL, The Flapper, BirminghamKieran LaWrence, tHe James LeWis banD, The Adam & Eve, Digbethpeter von poeHL, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathnaZaretH, Robin 2, BilstonKatHryn ticKeLL

banD, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

FRIDAY, FEB 5aDam Green, 02 Academy 2, BirminghamtransatLantic sessions, Symphony Hall, BirminghamJLs, LG Arena, BirminghamcaLories, WiLLiam, youves, The Victoria, Birminghampan & tHe poets, sea FieLDs, sons oF tHe Desert, FrameD, The Actress & Bishop, BirminghamDean James, The Sunflower Lounge, BirminghamenDLess Knot, The Ropewalk, BirminghamcoreLLi, Jupiter ate, Sound Bar, Birminghamsteve aJao & tHe bLues Giants, The Adam & Eve, Digbeth

JoHnny ForeiGner, ace busHy striptease, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathDan WaLsH, James

summerFieLD, abie buDGen, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

SATURDAY. FEB 6subcuLture presents tHe 7tH annuaL st trinian’s, 02 Academy, Birminghamcbso russian masters, Symphony Hall, BirminghamFiX monDay, aLL your peers, sQuiD bones, The Flapper, Birminghamcast anD creW, bLacK Heart Generator, KiDnapper beLL, The Victoria, BirminghamtHe FaLLen DuKes, The Actress & Bishop, BirminghamJoHn vicKery (Dirty sessions aLbum LauncH), The Adam & Eve, DigbethKeitH LaWrence, Fat DiGester, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathFrom tHe asHes, veiLs, toXic FeDeration, The Asylum, HockleypunisHment oF LuXury, siGue siGue sputniK, DeaD FiLm stars, Robin 2, Bilston

SUNDAY, FEB 7tHe LoW antHem,

DaviD ForD, broWn birD, 02 Academy 2, BirminghambLacK DyKe banD, Symphony Hall, BirminghamJuDy coLLins, Town Hall, BirminghamJesca Hoop, The Glee Club, BirminghambLacKHeart, Robin 2, Bilstonocean coLour scene, Kasbah, Coventry

MONDAY, FEB 8Hot cLub De paris, tantrums, (siLver) souvenirs, The Rainbow, DigbethcHaos acoustic cLub, The Victoria, BirminghammariZa, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

TUESDAY, FEB 9Lamb oF GoD, Job For a coWboy, auGust burns reD, betWeen tHe burieD anD me, 02 Academy, Birminghammaster oF FrencH romantic orGan music, Symphony Hall, Birminghamcobra starsHip, Wulfrun Hall, WolverhamptontHe snoWy WHite bLues proJect,

Robin 2, Bilston

WEDNESDAY, FEB 10vampire WeeKenD (soLD out), 02 Academy, BirminghamLos bastarDos FinLanDeses, 02 Academy 3, Birminghamyasmin Levy, Town Hall, BirminghamGooD Knives, LauGHinG in tHe Face oF, biG city pLan, LosinG streaK, The Adam & Eve, Digbeth

FanFarLo, race Horses, mr bones & tHe Dreamers, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathaLeX moir, tara cHinn, emiLy music, Bulls Head, MoseleyFiGHtstar, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

THURSDAY, FEB 11sHocKWaves nme aWarDs tour 2010 tHe maccabees, bombay bicycLe cLub, tHe biG pinK, tHe Drums, 02 Academy, Birmingham tWisteD WHeeL,

02 Academy 3, Birmingham

cLuster, einsteLLunG, Town Hall, Birmingham WiLLy vLautin (oF ricHmonD Fontaine), The Victoria, BirminghamDecorum, The Actress & Bishop, Birminghamian KinG banD, The Glee Club, BirminghamcLicHe Guevara, biG stone cuLture, mapataZi bob, The Adam & Eve, DigbethDoLL & tHe KicKs, tHe amateurs, tHe LiGHts, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathpuLLeD apart by Horses, The Slade Rooms, WolverhamptoncoLin bLunstone (tHe Zombies), Robin 2, Bilston

FRIDAY, FEB 12cHipmunK, Daisy Dares you, tinie tempaH, sKepta, 02 Academy, Birminghambbc biG banD, Town Hall, BirminghamJames Levy,

turner coDy, The Rainbow, DigbethtHe sin KinGs, bLacK DoLLar biLLs, The Actress & Bishop, BirminghamtHe virtues, bombDoG, The Sunflower Lounge, Birminghamcontempt, TC’s, Selly OaktHe Lines, The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

SATURDAY, FEB 13KeLLy cLarKson (soLD out), 02 Academy, BirminghamimoGen Heap, 02 Academy 2, BirminghamtHe GiLbert & suLLitHon 2010, Town Hall, BirminghamtHe scHoLars, cHapeL cLub, tHe naKeD youtH, The Flapper, BirminghamtHe teLescopes, Jesus DeLuXe, einsteLLunG, The Victoria, Birmingham

tHe DecLininG Winter, Island Bar, BirminghamscarLet carmina, Fear WitHout reason, miLLion empire, The Actress & Bishop, Birmingham

siLversHores, tHe spG, barnesy, mrs, The Adam & Eve, Digbeth tHe niGHtinGaLes, The Little Civic, WolverhamptontHe sunsHine unDerGrounD, Kasbah, Coventry empiricaL, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

SUNDAY, FEB 14tincHy stryDer, 02 Academy, Birmingham carmina burana, Town Hall, BirminghamvaLentine’s Day at tHe musicaLs, Symphony Hall, BirminghambanD oF sKuLLs, bLacK FanGs, butterFLy Fan tHe inFerno, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathtHe GrounDHoGs, Robin 2, Bilston

MONDAY, FEB 15cHerry poppin DaDDies, 02 Academy 3, BirminghamtHis city, city Hero, Kyoto Drive, The Flapper, BirminghamFrancis Dunnery, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Kings Heath

booty Luv, Kasbah, Coventry

TUESDAY, FEB 16yeasayer, 02 Academy 2, BirminghammiDLaKe, Town Hall, BirminghamtHe Heavy, The Rainbow, Digbethsoni-QueLLa, tHese monsters, io, The Flapper, BirminghamaLan poWnaLL, The Glee Club, BirminghammastoDon, Wulfrun Hall, WolverhamptonanGry vs tHe bear, The Little Civic, Wolverhampton

WEDNESDAY, FEB 17LostpropHets, 02 Academy, BirminghamtHe X Factor Live!, LG Arena, Birmingham

betH Jeans HouGHton, stornoWay, The Glee Club, Birmingham

animaL KinGDom, sHaDy barD, everett, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathyounG runaWays, Bulls Head, MoseleyFear Factory, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton

THURSDAY, FEB 18room 94, 02 Academy 3, Birmingham tHe X Factor Live!, LG Arena, BirminghamuLterior motive, The Actress & Bishop, BirminghamsiX Day riot, The Glee Club, BirminghamJoyous, The Little Civic, Wolverhampton

FRIDAY, FEB 19europe, DiamonD HeaD, 02 Academy, BirminghamtHe X Factor Live!, LG Arena, BirminghambattLe For praGue, broKen Witt rebeLs, pitseLeH, The Sunflower Lounge, BirminghamXova, eLectric animaLs, The Actress & Bishop, BirminghamerLanD & tHe carnivaL, The Glee Club, BirminghambLacK Heart

Generator, The Ropewalk, Birminghaminner terrestriaLs, The Adam & Eve, Digbethmr scruFF (soLD out), Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathLes WiLson & tHe miGHty House rocKers, TC’s, Selly OakcHesney HaWKes, The Little Civic, WolverhamptonWisHbone asH, Robin 2, Bilston

SATURDAY, FEB 20Hot cHip, 02 Academy, Birminghamsteve reicH’s DrumminG, Town Hall, Birmingham

FinLey Quaye, burnsiDe, temptinG rosie, The Rainbow, Digbethaces HiGH, HooDoo FiFties, tHe bLuebeat arKestra, The Actress & Bishop, BirminghamFrienDLy Fire music (FuLL banD), The Adam & Eve, Digbethbay city roLLers, Robin 2, Bilston

Detroit sociaL cLub, Kasbah, Coventry

SUNDAY, FEB 21macHine HeaD, HatebreeD, bLeeDinG tHrouGH, aLL sHaLL perisH, 02 Academy, BirminghamoWL city, LiGHts, 02 Academy 2, BirminghambLonDe Louis, 02 Academy 3, BirminghamKatHryn WiLLiams, The Glee Club, BirminghamtHe seaL cub cLubbinG cLub, tHe sKyLine, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathLive boX WitH DaviD Grey, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathJane tayLor, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Kings HeathunDer bLacKeneD sKies, terrorForm, LeatHerpiG, tHe Late eiGHties, Robin 2, Bilston

MONDAY, FEB 22First aiD Kit, GooDniGHt Lenin, The Rainbow, Digbethso many Dynamos, Greatest Hits, The Flapper,

Birminghampeter Green & FrienDs, The Glee Club, Birminghampaper aeropLanes, GeorGia rutH WiLLiams, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

TUESDAY, FEB 23rase, KassiDy, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath

WEDNESDAY, FEB 24cbso cHopin 200, Symphony Hall, Birmingham trio vD, The Rainbow, DigbethcHamber oF maDness, DetraLate, master War beast, The Adam & Eve, DigbethbLacK marKet empire, Danny connors & tHe LaDDers, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathsenaDee, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heathrivers presLey set, nataLie FinDLay, Bulls Head, MoseleyoverKiLL, Wulfrun Hall, WolverhamptonbiGeLF, The Little Civic, WolverhamptonJon aLLen, Robin 2, Bilston

THURSDAY, FEB 25miKa, 02 Academy, Birmingham

Kinn, 02 Academy 3, BirminghameiGHt LeGs, tHis beautiFuL tHieF, Laura boWen, The Rainbow, DigbethKinG cHarLes, maLpas, tom peeL, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathtHe Larry miLLer banD, Robin 2, BilstonaFrican souL rebeLs, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

FRIDAY, FEB 26reamonn, 02 Academy 3, BirminghamtHe Late eiGHties, siXty Five miLes, LittLe HoLLyWooD, The Actress & Bishop, BirminghamreD LiGHt room, bLue nation, Dreamers niGHtmares, The Sunflower Lounge, BirminghamsearcHinG For serapHim, The Ropewalk, BirminghamtHe nicK barrett banD, TC’s, Selly OakKinG Hermit, Kasbah, Coventry

SATURDAY, FEB 27tHe soFt pacK, 02 Academy 3, BirminghambetH nieLsen cHapman, Town

Hall, BirminghamoLD scHooL tie, cHina reD, The Flapper, BirminghamKiLLinG FieLDs oF ontario, tHe DieseLs, LoutisH Lover, Distant siGnaL, The Actress & Bishop, Birminghamvenice aHoy, your biGGest FancLub, (siLver) souvenirs, The Rainbow, Digbethmr eLepHant presents (acts tbc), The Adam & Eve, DigbethtWisteD WHeeL, Kasbah, Coventry

SUNDAY, FEB 28ceLebrity piano recitaL: emanueL aX, Town Hall, Birmingham

u.s. GirLs, The Victoria, BirminghamHenrys cHiLDren, younG runaWays, bombDoG, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathFutures, maX raptor, HinGe, Hare & Hounds, Kings HeathXposeD presents, The Asylum, Hockley

Tel: 01922 629700

A34From Birminghamand M6 Junction 7

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