Warpaint Live Review

Following a series of cancelled shows due to ‘family issues’, tonight’s gig has consequently been much anticipated. As the rich diversity of people swarm into The Institute, huddled fans highlight Warpaint’s immense popularity and the admirable level of success that they’ve achieved over the past five years. And, by the end of a thrilling and completely captivating 14-song set, it isn’t difficult to see why.

From the hair-raising opener Warpaint to the gently intense Love is to Die, the show is an unflinching triumph. A strong setlist seamlessly weaves in and out of their two albums, pleasing the crowd with new and old favourites such as Undertow and Disco//Very. Lengthy eight-minute new single No Way Out proves itself as the pivotal moment of the show, as the ingenious instrumental interplay punches through the air, serving as a reminder of Warpaint’s relationship with the live setting. Layered with Kokal and Wayman’s ghostly vocals, their luring lullabies pierce the hot room with high note heartbreak, Stella Mozgawa’s funk-driven drums all the while injecting both the crowd and band with an energy for dancing, before cooling it down a notch with a stripped-back version of Composure.

The night ends with the dark and lingering Biggy, which tells again that Warpaint are just as bewitching and sensual as they are quirky and erratic, making their multifaceted music as addictive as their naturally mesmerising presence. By the end of the evening, it’s difficult to remember that this band is only two albums deep, making the wait for what is yet to come unquestionably intriguing.

Lucy Rose Live Review

“If you’ve seen my new video, you will have seen different animals eating different kinds of food off my body…not in a weird way… well, actually, no, in a very weird way…” Lucy Rose goofily gushes at her equally-gushing audience before submerging them into punchy new single Our Eyes. Tonight’s sold out show is so intimate, that if it wasn’t for Rose’s witty and silly chit-chat between songs, it would have probably have the feeling of an awkward first date between two strangers. Her quirky humour, modest charm and stunningly soothing voice all have her audience yo-yoing between fits of laughter and open-mouthed mesmerisation, all in a mere few hours.

Showcasing an array of new material from upcoming album Work It Out, she timorously apologises for the set being ‘so long’, unnecessarily so as the crowd listen enthusiastically and devotedly. Tracks such as Cover Up and Köln are infused with instrumental experimentation, driven by pulsating rhythm and sharp guitar chops, giving each of them a less innocent façade when compared to previous work.

Nevertheless, it’s one of her quietest and calmest song that proves itself as the most impressive part of the night. Admitting that she never has trouble deciding to perform this track, the audience are hurled into bittersweet ambience with old favourite Shiver. Rose’s flawless vocals swirl sensually around the room, slowing down the pace completely and leaving the whole room latch onto every word murmured. Never before has a crowd at a gig been so silent; it’s as if a spell has been cast and the audience hypnotised, transfixed onto the huge voice that arises from such a dainty frame. The 25 year old Surrey sweetheart may well be deemed too ‘nice’ or too ‘same-y’ but everyone at the Institute tonight witnesses an artist that really is much more than that.

Coffee by Sylvan Esso

Seemingly by accident, Mountain Man’s Amelia Meath and Made of Oak’s Nick Sanborn, crossed paths two years ago and inconspicuously conjured alternative two-man-band, Sylvan Esso. Two years on and the pair are quickly attracting positive attention, moreover setting standards for self-titled debut high with charming album single, ‘Coffee’, a vaporous slow-burner spelled with hazy, electro pulses and glitchy pop synths that seamlessly whirl between Meath’s soothing vocals. The refreshingly effortless lyricism works flawlessly amongst Sanborn’s texturised undertones, creating a track simple enough to appreciate in the background, yet nourished with enough layers to set you on the dance floor. Accidental or not, ‘Coffee’ reveals that sooner or later the Durham duo were destined to come together.

There Is No Other Time

"This record is very much about the present, an emotionally honest album about technological and personal progression,” brags Klaxon’s drummer, Jamie Reynolds to NME. Here, ‘present’ really means ‘insignificant’ and ‘technological’ is now a copy-and-paste remix edition of an outdated and monotonous club track. It seems then, The Klaxons, who once dazzled music critics and fans with their masterpiece debut in 2007, haven’t progressed in the slightest. Seven years on and a tepid second album later, things are relentlessly looking bleak if ‘There is No Other Time’ is anything to go by. What once was a band jammed with dense elements, quirky lyrics and exhilarating musical ideas, is now a band producing irritating, catchy-but-in-a-bad-way music that quite frankly, belongs nowhere else but Eurovision song contest.

No Mythologies to Follow

Bikini Daze left countless critics and pop lovers giddy with excitement of what was yet to come from the deserving talent in Denmark’s MØ. Since the energetic strut of ‘Pilgrim’ and catchy brass hooks of Diplo collaborated ‘XXX 8’ graced our ears last year, No Mythologies to Follow couldn’t have come any sooner. As predicted, it doesn’t disappoint, making the eager anticipation and high expectations surrounding it, totally justifiable.

Captivating from the beginning, opener ‘Fire Rides’ is grasping from its first pulse of booming drums, all while MØ’s distinct, sultry vocals swirl perfectly amongst the glitchy guitars and sparse electronic melodies. The eerie, party-dynamic ambience of ‘Waste of Time’ is followed by bitter-sweet, love song ‘Dust is Gone,’ a stunningly lulling and elegant play underpinned by a heart-wrenching vocals and vaporous instrumentation. ‘Dust is Gone’ immediately reflects the dreamy, 50s-like, vintage-esque vocals of Lana Del Rey, reminding us that MØ can break your heart as well as free it on the dance floor.

The mixture of style in No Mythologies to Follow is a demonstration of MØ’s dissimilar strands of identity, tied together to create an explosion of dynamic yet subtle sublime. It jumps from pulsating pop, to icy electro, to soulful high-note heartbreak with breathtaking effortlessness, setting the Danish talent remotely apart from other pop contemporaries and ending on a piece of art that is very nearly, close to perfection.

Arabella

Sporting slick new haircuts and debonair suits to compliment their evolved sound, AM was the album that saw the Arctic Monkeys grow into real, cutting-edge, forefront artists; making their shabby, punk-rock past an almost unrecognisable and distant memory.

Fourth track ‘Arabella’, distinguishes itself as the cornerstone of the album, showcasing the bands knack for lyricism and rhythm that made them successful in the first place. Turner’s wry and witty wordplay is as dazzling as it was seven years ago, as he seductively slurs, “Arabella's got some interstellar gator skin boots, and a helter skelter round her little finger and I ride it endlessly.” The opening is a slow-burner, accumulated of lazy, hip-hop undertones and sinister, simmering grooves rushed into hefty, hard-edged rock, packed with choppy guitar work and chunky riffs that are a reminiscence of their Favourite Worst Nightmare days.

‘Arabella’ is smart and randy, simultaneously oozing with wickedness and sex appeal, showcasing everything the Arctic Monkeys know they’re good at, only upgraded and touched by a stroke of genius, leaving the rest of us hungry for more.

Bad Weather EP

Already famous for their energetic live performances, (which needless to say challenge even the most rigid of people), thriving three-piece Youth Man have single-handedly encapsulated everything Birmingham music has been applauded for. Now, with brand new EP recorded and produced in just a week, Bad Weather is fortunately, just as fun and explosive as the band's previous work...only of course, better.

Opening track Heavy Rain evokes notions of uneasiness. Teases of stirring, rousing guitar riffs are accumulated before listeners are throttled unremorsefully into rasping, head-banging heaven.  Adam’s thick layers of bass guitar and Kaila’s visceral vocal attack combine spectacularly, all meanwhile Marcus’ heavy drums cut and punch through the air, showcasing the threesomes indisputable musical talent.

Insipid is short and experimental- clocking in at just under a minute and a half cleverly exaggerates the tracks powerful energy. Third track Salt is dark and lingering, as front woman Kaila menacingly utters slow, sinister lyrics sandwiched between outbreaks of high tempo-ed, noise rock. Finally, the record is bought to an end by Wide Awake. A lengthy, slow-burner, completely spellbinding and gripping down to the very last cord, asserting itself as the most impressive track on the album and proving that Youth Man and their music, are nothing short of brilliant.

Download Bad Weather Here: https://youthman.bandcamp.com/album/bad-weather-ep

See them live at their album launch party: The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham  (Saturday 23^{rd November)}

The 1975 Live Review

Since 2012’s Facedown EP, alternative rock band, The 1975 have gatecrashed ‘Ones To Watch’ lists everywhere. Influenced by a range of musicians as well as admirers of hip-hop princess Iggy Azalea, it’s no surprise their music broods from crisp 80s pop, slick R‘n’B and lingering punk, assembling the newbies as centrepieces of modern music today.

Four EPs later, the Manchester quartet have became Radio 1’s current sweethearts and are now continuously facing sell-out-crowds, one of them including Birmingham’s Institute tonight. A brave move is made as the set is filled with unknown songs from their upcoming debut album. The crowd remain quiet and appreciative till livening up to recognisable favourites.

'Robbers' is a lush love song full of looping guitar riffs and heart-wrenching ballads, while 'Settle Down' is a perfect summer soundtrack full of bouncy electrics, just right for the festival season. The smart decision of saving the best ’til last pays off, as the set is an unrelenting success, ending on a high as 'Chocolate' and 'Sex' burst into life, injecting the crowd with the energy for dancing. 'You' is a performed with raw passion, leaving the audience clinging onto every lyric and pause, amplifying it as the most precious and emotional moment of the set so far.

Frontman Matty Healy is humbled and charmingly snaps a picture of his posing bunch before departing the stage. Dismissing the disappointing half-hour-late appearance which resulted in some fans leaving early to catch their trains home, tonight showcases a small but special gig very few were lucky enough to experience before undoubtedly seeing a band like this progress onto bigger and better things.

Machineries of Joy

Whether it’s their bizarre, dis-ordinary lyricism, signature stage antics or experimentally unique sound, Indie troubadours British Sea Power have always had something profoundly special about them. Five sturdy albums later, the Brighton-based six pack whisk up yet another likeable success with colourful and thrilling show-piece Machineries of Joy.

“We’d like to think the album is warm and restorative,” says singer Yan. “Various things are touched on in the words –. The world often seems a mad, hysterical place at the moment. You can’t really be oblivious to that, but we’d like the record to be an antidote – a nice game of cards in pleasant company.” Considering the dense, dreamy rhythms of ‘Hail Holy Mary’, ghostly, stirring vocals in ‘A Light above Descending’ and sweeping, guitar-pop synths unravelled in ‘Spring Has Sprung’; front man Yan hits the nail on the head, sinking the band into persistent unruffled progress.

Six-minute-long title track opens the album perfectly before shifting effortlessly into feel-good-fun, rock anthem ‘K Hole’. Tracks such as ‘Loving Animals ’and ‘Monsters of Sunderland’ encompass the band’s previous visceral and obscure style whilst ending song, ‘When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Glass’ gives an eerie, lingering close to the album, placing it distinctively out of line with current Rock and Indie sounds of modern day music and arguably making Machineries of Joy BSP’S most favourable piece of work yet.

Jake Bugg Live Review

Whipping up a number one debut album, nominated for British Breakthrough Act of 2013 and having already toured with some of music’s biggest talents 18-year-olds could only ever dream of, Nottingham lad Jake Bugg has become the infectious newcomer at the buzz of everyone’s lips and after tonight’s enthralling performance, it isn’t hard to see why.

Swaggering on stage to Robert Johnsons’ Cross Road Blues hints himself a position in the folk-blues family, besides a certainly impressive musical knowledge. The sold-out crowd consisting of excited teenage girls as well as middle-aged, Paul Weller lookalikes, validates Bugg’s revamped, sixties rock appeal…a cross between Bob Dylan and Alex Turner, an old soul in an extremely young body with an undeniably special gift.

Kentucky and Trouble Town begin the persistently brilliant night combined of acoustic numbers and chart topping singles. Older tracks, 'Someone Told Me', 'Country Song' and 'Some Place' showcase his unique, gritty vocals that channel goose bumps throughout the entire venue.

Imaginably, through lack of experience or intimidation, Bugg barely moves or speaks to his audience; unfortunately indicating a lack of enthusiasm- yet, judging the crowd’s passionate applauds and wholehearted chants, the stripped down performance focusing entirely on talent proves to be more than enough. Bugg is at the beginning of his career and with upward progression- tonight is merely a hint of what he is truly capable of, making the unassuming teen the most exhilarating affair for music so far.

Swim Deep Live Review

Tonight Birmingham’s young and eccentric crowd gather at The Institute to welcome back hometown heartthrobs Swim Deep to their biggest headlining Birmingham show yet. With a highly anticipated album set to release in May and hot new single The Sea under their belt, the sold out show tonight screams potential as the essence of success seems more possible than ever before.

The cheerful and carefree quartet take the stage- Austin appears with a bouquet of flowers that he throws to his beloved B-town bunch. The blend of hazy 90s-pop begins and drowns the venue in a watery sonic, transporting the whole room to that hot California beach they are so particularly fond of, making it truly difficult to believe that the bummed-out seaside lovers are from the cold and damp suburbs of Birmingham.

The combination of shaggy, dreamy vocals mixed with lazy, grunge guitar loops set the gig in a consistently impressive motion as the four friends please their fans with feel-good favourites Honey, Beach Justice and Orange County. A shirtless Zachary treats the audience further with a striking drum solo before an out-of-breath Austin adoringly exclaims: “You mean a lot to me. You mean a lot to us guys.” The night ends with breakthrough track King City, grinning fans and a glistening sense of excitement lingering in the air, intended for the blossoming year this band have ahead of them.

http://www.brumnotes.com/review-swim-deep-the-institute-birmingham-150213/

Crystal Castles Live Review

Crystal Castles at the HMV Institute, Birmingham

Group vocals, souring choruses and head banging guitar solos can all be expected from talented London trio Luls. Favorable singles ‘Young’ and ‘Swing Low’ prove to be hits amongst the approving crowd at the HMV tonight, showing off the bands potential and already existing success.

The audience tonight displays an overwhelming (and slightly manic) excitement towards the Toronto twosome on tour with new album (|||). Demonstrating their admiration with restless chants and giant grins; by the end of the night, it isn’t hard to see why.

Setlist opener ‘Plague’ spells the room with a demonic air as the menacing thumps and shrieking- high vocals cut through the venue by lively front woman Alice Glass. Crawling on all fours cloaked in black, Glass resembles that of an exorcist- yet fans approvingly pump their fists, fixating their glance onto the petite silhouette camouflaged by smoky red flashlights. The effect is utterly thrilling.

The energy remains perfectly unrigged throughout the performance and radiated with higher intensity by band partner Ethan Kath; who coolly plays his keyboard, barely lifting his head to acknowledge the chaotic surrounding. Glass endlessly dives into a sea of arms, drinks and smokes freely onstage clearly stating she enjoys doing exactly as she pleases.

Crystal Castles eminent mixture of goth-dance and spacey electric, lo-fi triggers emotional boundaries that dance music has failed to accomplish in the past. Although the live shows aren’t for everyone, they are undoubtedly hard to forget.

Good Kid Mad City

Pocketing numerous Mixtapes, successful EPs, a staggering number of hits and collaborating with some of the biggest names in music, Kendrick Lamar has now stunned the hip-hop scene further with one of the finest albums of the year. Compton bred rapper carves out a breakaway style of his own with Good Kid M.A.A.D City; making the lingering wait for the debut album unquestionably worthwhile.

Subtitled as ‘A Short Film by Kendrick Lamar’, listeners are taken on a journey through the city that raised him. Layered with storytelling lyrics and nourished thickly with bedroom kickback beats, the talented rapper fails in hesitating or shying away from any personal experiences, throttling fans head first into his history with the tellingly, unfolding series of his formative years.

The adequate 15 track album begins with somewhat haunting ‘Sherane A.K.A Master Splinter’s Daughter’ that opens with a recited prayer by Lamar’s friends, before Lamar himself tells of a love story with Compton sweetheart Sherane. ‘Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe’ embraces his development and changing mind, backed again with mellow, electric guitar riffs complimenting his swift and slick wordplay and revealing his impeccable, deeply thought-out lyrical strength.

‘Backseat Freestyle’ produced by Hit boy is one of the more upbeat tracks of the album, offering a more aggressive and party- dynamic ambience constructed with fun, bold spits fans will enjoy on a night out- whilst ‘The Art of Peer Pressure’ invites us into his gang activity, as he luckily escapes a police chase with friends. ‘Poetic Justice’ is composed around Janet Jackson’s classic hit ‘Anytime Anyplace’ with input from fellow elite lyricist, Drake. A smooth and sultrily sexy vibe is fashioned, highlighting it as an album favourite before it ends with a confrontational gang argument first heard in opening track, outside Sherane’s home.

The last quarter of the album introduces supplementary likely favourites with ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’, ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst’ and ‘Real’ that finishes with a voicemail from his parents who define the meaning of realness, before accepting the advice and teaming up with Dr. Dre to proudly sing about his city ‘Compton’ self pro-claiming; ‘aint no city quite like mine’.

Although the album is assembled in an un-chronological order and the communication between his family and friends is sometimes indistinct, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City provides a clean and apparent account of who Kendrick Lamar is and how his hometown has shaped him- making it a cinematic success and more importantly- a refreshing breakthrough in hip-hop, adding classic depth back into the substance and hailing it undoubtedly worthy of its critical attention, ability and success. 

Azealia Banks Live Review

Hip Hop’s ever changing mores were taken a step further last September when fiery Disney princess-like character, Azealia Banks rocketed charts worldwide. Yet her self-given nicknames ‘Yung Rapunzel’ and ‘Bambi’ are a distant fairy-tale truth in comparison to her playfully crude wordplay and aggressive hip-hop spits. Judging the thriving crowd at Birmingham’s HMV tonight- this is exactly why they adore her.

Zebra Kat’z attentive presence teamed with Njena Reddd Foxxx’s sassy swag, breezily vamp up the crowd with a humorous and somewhat raunchy performance. Exotic gymnastic moves, catwalk mimics and mouthfuls of colourful language, the fierce New York rappers successfully finish their set with notable single 'Ima Read’. DJ Cosmo presents a vibrant half-hour set until the Harlem rapper takes to her stage.

Bouncing from track to track sporting her million dollar smile and Swarovski glowing bra, Banks thrust’s herself into a throttling flow that seemingly paces at a hundred miles per hour. The compressed 40-minute show switches from Fantasea mixtape and 1991 EP, highlighting Liquorice, Esta Noche and 1991 itself as crowd favourites.

‘This song may be the reason you all came out tonight’. Sparing no time, the crowd are launched into a sky-high frenzy as breakthrough single ‘212’ begins and fans thrillingly grasp the opportunity to chant the most offensive yet enjoyable lyrics in music so far.

Goodnight Lenin Live Review

The excitement bustling in the crammed room of the Hare and Hounds is hard to snub as Birmingham band, Goodnight Lenin are back in their hometown for an exclusive one night only gig. Gushing fans bearing cheesy grins and cold pints know they’re in for a treat as they gather to the front of the stage for the special evening.

Support act Mellow Peaches bring warmth to the room performing wholesome and hearty acoustic tracks to the brimming audience. They respectfully settle their enthusiasm and display gratitude to the duo’s efforts till their headlining heroes appear.

 A note is yet to be played but the delighted audience cheers regardless as Goodnight Lenin take to the stage with a thriving track list of past EP favourites, as well as introducing latest material from upcoming album with opening track; Laughter from a Younger Age.  The golden five some happily chat to fans with grounded confidence, charming everyone with plenty of between-songs banter and appreciative ‘thank yous’.

A tightly polished and high-spirited performance is dished out, reminding the audience how much the down-to-earth Brummie lads have blossomed since their YouTube kitchen kickback days, surging them head-first into unstoppable folk-fanatic success.

Goodnight Lenin Interview

Goodnight Lenin

Birmingham band GOODNIGHT LENIN make a welcome return in their home city this weekend with a headline show at the Hare & Hounds. With a new single, EP and their debut album in the pipeline, frontman John Fell tells Ivy Photiou why the time has come to show what they are really about.

“We were going out on the road ourselves and it was slowly spreading around the country, but to go on tour with someone like Beth [Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny] and performing in front of 400 people just after her album release and appearance on the Jools Holland show was an amazing expe- rience,” says frontman John Fell, reflecting on their numerous musical highlights from the past couple of years. “We did Moseley Folk festival in 2010, so going back this year to hopefully play on the main stage is a great pleasure, especially at an event like that.”

Squeezed into their bustling and seemingly never-ending touring schedule is an exclusive, one night only gig at the Hare & Hounds especially for their hometown fans. As Birmingham’s music scene flourishes with national acclaim greeting the likes of Peace, Swim Deep and Troumaca, John insists coming back to perform in Birmingham is more exciting than ever.

“It’s the most enjoyable thing,” he says. “We don’t play so often in Birmingham and we’ve done it on the basis of making sure each show is special, such as playing at the cathedrals and churches at Christmas [Goodnight Lenin performed sell-out shows at St Paul’s Church in 2010 and Birmingham Cathedral in 2011]. It’s great that Birmingham has these bands with different sounds and when you throw us into the mix as well it shows that there’s diversity — which is what this city is all about.”

Even between all the touring and EP releases, John takes great pride in revealing that the long talk of a debut Goodnight Lenin album is finally true, which thankfully seems to be just in the nick of time as he confesses fans were beginning to feel frustrated (“Which is why we chose to do the Hare & Hounds too, before we get shouted at!” he jokes).

“In October we’re releasing another single and video, December we’re releasing a winter type EP and between all that we’ll be recording our album which should be out in March next year. We’ve finally found the way we like to record now, based on a 1970s ‘playing live’ style. It will be a thicker American sound like Garfunkel and not really anything like our EPs. A lot of thought has gone into it so it will be interesting to see the reaction.”

For John, the full length album will also be a chance to carve out a breakaway sound all of their own, hopefully free from the lazy folk comparisons which have inevitably followed them, due in no small part to their emergence at the same time as the rise to stardom of modern folk sweethearts Mumford & Sons. Despite their own insistence on being more closely aligned with the likes of Elvis Perkins and classics such as Bob Dylan, John says their own album will be a chance to show what they are “all about.”

“Yeah, I think when a band is playing live and releasing the odd track, people aren’t going to get the full picture of what they’re all about. We ended up shooting ourselves in the foot by releasing the most Mumford & Sons-type songs. For some unknown reason we’ll listen to our music in the studio, agree on what we sound like and then end up not releasing it! But that’s exactly what the album is going to do. It will be a collection of songs that are exactly all about us and hopefully stop any more misleads.”

Their live shows, dashed with humour and plenty of between-song banter, and down- to-earth manner leave audiences relaxed and engaged and behind their fruitful success so far still lies an honest, earthly manner about Goodnight Lenin as they continue to set their standards high with admirable future goals, ensuring that more harmony-soaked, toe tapping, folk fun goodness can certainly be expected.

“The perception of us is quite strange sometimes; I think people think we’re a lot bigger than what we are,” John says. “Nothing but hard work goes into what we do with 14 to 15 hours a week outside work. We put a lot of effort into what we do. In terms of where we are now, I don’t think we’ve even started yet. We’ll always be trying to change and improve ourselves. Our goals next year are to mainly get the album out and just be happy with it, to play a sell-out show in Birmingham and hopefully push ourselves further into bigger festival slots with the help of the album. Just writing good music too.”

Mac Miller Live Review

Mac Miller Live at HMV Institute, Birmingham

Seven mix tapes deep and a freshly released studio album; Mac Miller has radically blossomed from small town local sensation to internet extraordinaire, pocketing impressive eight figured views on YouTube and an extremely adoring fan base along the way.

Miller explodes onto the stage with opening song ‘Blue Slide Park’. Taken aback by his incredibly energetic stage presence, hysteria is caused amongst the overexcited young crowd as Miller continues cascading them into a high tempo, dumb fun, party frenzy.

Even with a slight sound glitch that unluckily occurs in the middle of hit single ‘Loud’, Miller coolly controls the dislike by playing classic audience games and entertaining them with his zesty wit, until the technical fault is overcome and cleanly forgotten.

Demonstrating his diversity and impressive knowledge of the Hip Hop genre, Miller pays tribute to declared childhood inspiration- late Beastie Boy member MCA, adding a feel of togetherness in the room whilst K.I.D.S. mixtape favourites; ‘Nikes on my Feet’, ‘Kool Aid and Cold Pizza’ and ‘Knock Knock’ contextualizes the astounding success the youthful twenty year old already possessed barr an album.

As the show comes to an end, it isn’t difficult to acknowledge why the clone-like fans are so admirable of the street wearing, tattoo sporting, grin bearing kid. Though his music isn’t for everyone with much room for improvement, his electrical stage presence, love for performance, music and his fans are all unmistakably, first class.

The Temper Trap Live Review

The Temper Trap Live at HMV Institute, Birmingham

Touring with a set list full of unreleased material has never been a strategy that can guarantee rewarding results- but Australia’s The Temper Trap has never been a band to shy away from these kinds of risks. In a long shot, it seems to be the band’s motive in finally moving forward from their unbinding label that has lingered around extensively as the ‘Sweet Disposition’ band.

Yet, as their sell out show at the HMV Institute begins to fill with excited fans, it becomes lamentably clear that the highlight of their night will be the band’s long-tail single that has graced TV entertainment since 2009.

Blood red strobe lights swamp the venue as ‘Repeater’ begins averagely. ‘Need Your Love’ also fails to glitch the crowd’s enthusiasm. Third song in and fans are finally able to take pleasure in a song they are familiar with, gleefully clapping in sync to Dougy Mandagi’s fist clenching and heart wrenching sincere vocals to ‘Love Lost’.

Tactically placed older material conjoined with the band’s enchanting and effortless charm kept the set flowing.  Though the new album seems promising, the goofy grins that were triggered by the gig’s final song marking the band’s sweetest days, is yet to be outshined, proving that perhaps their ambling pegged name isn’t such a daunting affair after all.

Florence + The Machine Live Review

Florence + The Machine at the LG Arena, Birmingham

First support band, Spector, opens Florence + The Machine’s tour swimmingly well with familiar singles ‘What You Wanted’, ‘Chevy Thunder’ and ‘Never Fade Away’. Handsome, front man’s, Fred Macpherson’s witty banter, teamed with the band’s professional enthusiasm, demonstrates their effort to entertain and satisfy. The full audience participation establishes the bands great stage presence and already impressive fan base, asserting that they undeniably ones to watch out.

Draped in a demonic, black cape, barefooted Florence Welch takes to her very simple stage set and steadily approaches her mic. Her striking presence adds to the already gripping atmosphere- as if a curse was about to strike the venue, casting each individual under a spell that would have them helplessly magnetized under Welch’s control. 

And then it begins. Eruptions of mighty vocals are prodigiously belted out of the singer’s tiny frame, as opening song ‘Only If for a Night’ surmounts the venue. Hair raising goose bumps and spine tingling sensations are swept across the entire arena and sustained into following song, ‘What The Water Gave Me’.

The radiant, red-head finally greets her beloved fans with a gracious smile and a very shy ‘hello’. As she embraces the rapturous reception, her confidence is eventually boosted and the swallowing cape is abandoned in order to do what she does best..

Spinning, swirling and galloping across every inch of the stage, eyes are latched onto her dainty physic as she loses herself in the music like a drugged ballerina.

The crowd jump, sing and cheer to classic favorites, ‘Cosmic Love’, ‘Rabbit Heart’ and ‘Dog Days’- until the tempo slows down for successful, acoustic performances; ‘Heartlines’ and ‘Leave My Body’. Tribal drumming and rich, harp rifting, ‘No Light, No Light’ ends the gig without a glitch, leaving fans dumbstruck and totally blown away, reminding us all just how beautiful and magically moving music can be.

Outfit Live Review

Ending their seven-date, UK tour beneath the roof of Birmingham’s, Rainbow Warehouse, Outfit inconspicuously take to the stage in a smouldered, purple lit room. Resembling The Beatle’s, boy band charm, Hot-Chip’s, quirky eruptions and Steve Morrissey’s, hair raising vocals, it is vital to address that despite these correlations- this band is not to be categorised.

From the pleasant constraint of internet information, to the unpretentious and effortless performances, it is clear to see that this band ask for their audience to examine them with honesty, optimism and an open mind- creating opportunity for nothing other than sweet success.

Opening song, ‘Vehicles’ has no trouble owning the crowd’s whole attention, even those lingering aimlessly around the bar. They then hurl into second song, ‘Every Night I Dress Up As You’ before the rest of the soundtracks loop, swirl and intertwine gracefully into one another. The flawlessly synced, melodies and hypnotic, escapism atmosphere, allures the audience’s interest further. Soon enough, the entire room is completely engrossed.

The disparity between Outfit and other rock contemporys, is their refreshing approach of being themselves-nailing the entertainment factor without exerting. It’s clear to see why five piece Liverpudlians are quickly becoming the nation’s new found favourites. And the exciting part? It’s only a taster of what they’re truly made of.