ABC...The Lexicon of Live...

Incredibly it seems as though there are still a few tickets left for this Friday's ABC show at Symphony Hall. It'll be one of just a handful of times that their classic album The Lexicon of Love is played with a full orchestra and, given the cost of mounting such a show, I can't imagine they'll be doing it many more times. Last few tickets available right here!

And while we're at it why the heck don't you get into the mood by listening to the whole album too...

Statue-mendous...Barnett's back!

George Barnett's one of the few artists I really follow these days and I stick with my belief that he'll be huge. Having already released more great tracks than most 'big name' artists put together in the last couple of years he's back with another top tune, 3 Statues, a brilliant mash up of soul and hip hop beats, with gorgeous flashes of disco and electro thrown into the mix. Away from the music the subject matter seems to a justified pop at some of his celebrity obsessed contemporaries, many of whom probably couldn't even spell the word 'music' let alone write it for themselves. It's a timely reminder - not that we should need reminding - that plenty of younger people are just as repulsed by the selfie-centred culture that seems to be enveloping us these days. When you get two of the supposedly most powerful men on planet earth gurning into a mobile phone it really should be a wake up call n'est ce pas? Somehow I can't imagine Churchill photobombing Harold Wilson can you? Anyway, George Barnett, music for the ass and the mind. Enjoy...hell...why not share it Twitter while you're at it...might as well use it for something useful for a change.

What's in Store...Record Store Day 2014

Another year another Record Store Day (Saturday April 19th) and two of Birmingham's finest, Goodnight Lenin (who recorded their single in one epic...and quite possibly smelly...16 hour and 46 minute session) and Drakelow, are releasing singles in honour of the event. Drakelow will be playing live at Swordfish Records on the day itself (I'm pretty sure there'll be some more acts announced soon) and you can catch Goodnight Lenin at The Prince of Wales a couple of days before on April 17th (tickets here!).

The beat of the Drummond

Spent a very enjoyable half hour or so chatting with Bill Drummond in his Eastside Projects hideout on Saturday. He'll be there every Friday and Saturday until June as well as popping up all over Brum on weekdays to do/create all manner of art...er...happenings. I think that's the best way to describe them. Incredibly Brum's the first City to host Bill on what will be a 12 year world tour (3 months per year in a different City) and we're rather darn lucky to have him here. Oh...and if you don't know who Bill Drummond is by the way have a read through his Wiki entry. Highlights include managing The Teardrop Explodes, forming The KLF and then burning one million pounds (pretty much all the cash the band had earned) in arguably one of the strangest and strongest artistic statements in history. Bill's probably a little fed up of people asking why he did it (I kind of skirted around the subject) and I'm not even sure he knows why any more but it's one hell of a story.

To find out where Bill is and what he's up to check out the list of events or just pop along on a Friday and Saturday for a natter...perhaps best not to mention the million pounds though.

Here's a trio of KLF hits that'll be more familiar than Bill's solo musical output. I can heartily recommend his album The Man though (from which Julian Cope Is Dead is taken). Genius.

DieDasDer this Saturday!

Digbeth based music collective DieDasDer hold their second gig this Saturday night at The Lamp Tavern (Digbeth...where else eh?) with three acts, Why? Said The Earth To The Moon (now that's a band name...), Mutt and Kate Roberta. It all kicks off at 8pm and admission is...go on...guess...nope...it's FREE! FREE I say...whoooooohahahahahahaha...!

God Damn great...

Got that Monday morning feeling eh? I hear you. Crank up the speakers to 11 and cop a load of this then. Newly signed to One Little Indian Records Black Country's finest God Damn release their new single Shoe Prints In The Dust on April 21st accompanied by a suitably grisly promo vid...the moral of the story being don't piss off little girls. It's not that sensible pissing off big girls either but that's another story...and video probably. Anyway the track drips with the good stuff with the band acknowledging a debt to early Nirvana and the 'Seven J's' of their Holy Bible: Hendrix, Homme, Cash, White, Page, Bonham and Jesse 'The Devil' Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal). No room for Bieber sadly...

Broken Bells - After The Disco

It's Friday! The sun's shining (well almost)! It's spring! And here's the new single from Broken Bells, the Danger Mouse / James Mercer mash up. It's a little bit 80s...okay...a lot 80s...in fact it's more than a little like Hall and Oates, which is well and truly right up my passageway. Enjoy!

The Gruff Stuff

My favourite Welshman Mr Gruff Rhys is back with yet another brand new album (his ninth in various incarnations in the past decade). It comes with a film, book and quite possibly a range of home furnishings too. The concept this time is Gruff's travels across America in search of the grave of a long lost relative. I've only heard the title track so far but if it's a patch on any of Gruff's recent stuff it'll be one of the albums of the year. Here's a trailer from the movie too. You've got to love that puppet...

Live Bush!

I'm old. Very old. But I'm still not old enough to have seen Kate Bush play a proper live gig. In fact the last and only time she toured was way, way back in 1979 when I was ickle (and she was just 20 years old or so). Now a mere 35 years later she's playing a series of live shows, disappointingly they're all in London so far (Hammersmith Apollo, first date 26th August) but who knows...she may venture further afield at some point. Anyway, just in case she doesn't here's the last proper glimpse of live Bush for you (steady now...).

Brumdemoters...the second coming

If you were there for the frankly life affirming City Tavern Experiment last month here's a top notch reminder of the gig...if you weren't just watch and weep at what you missed. Fret ye not though, I'll carry on keeping you up to date on Miss Halliwell and their movements...resistance is futile.

The Correspondents...tip top hip hop hooray

Being a (hopefully) dapper chap myself it was perhaps inevitable that I’d be drawn to The Correspondents, an alt hip hop duo with one foot in the 1920’s and another in the 1990’s. With tracks like What's Happened To Soho (a much needed lament to the destruction of London’s seedy heart) and Fear and Delight they manage to cleverly combine a level of sophistication and booty shaking beat that’s sadly lacking in the world of hip or indeed hop these days.

The band’s MC Ian Bruce is a pretty interesting character too. An artist of some note he also produces...er...let’s say ‘adult’ drawings under the pseudonym RubiCANE...best not to open that link at work...or in front of your mum. Anyway, The Correspondents are hitting the road for a few live shows in April and May in support of their frankly spiffing debut album Puppet Loosely Strung. Midlands based chaps and chappetes can catch them on Thursday 10^th April at The Institute. Jolly good show, eh what?! 

Chvrches / SOAK @ The Institute, Monday 10th March 2014

I’m sure there’s a great reason why Chvrches spell their name that way, even if it does send the old spellchecker into a full on meltdown. Hold on...I’ll look it up. Right, apparently it’s because if you put Churches into Google (other search engines are available...unless Google want to pay me £500,000 in which case GOOGLE ROCKS) all you get are loads of websites to do with ding dong bells, Jesus, God and all that schnizzle kind of churches. As you’d reasonably expect I guess. Quite why they didn’t just choose a different name isn’t explained but we’ll let that lie...

Anyway support this evening came from SOAK, aka Bridie Monds-Watson (now that’s a name and a half), a 17 year old singer songwriter from Derry who’s already received oodles of press over the water in her native Ireland and is now attracting attention over here. Given Chvrches full on synth sound she’s an interesting choice for a support act but armed with just a guitar, half a dozen impressively mature self penned songs and a little of the ol’ Irish charm she manages to hold a reasonable portion of the crowd’s attention. Being a touch diminutive and hidden behind two large banks of synths (already in place for Chvrches’ set) it was difficult to see much of her during the performance (we were stood to one side of the stage), which is always a bit of an issue when you’re trying to connect with a performance/performer in any meaningful way. In a more intimate setting tunes like Sea Creatures and forthcoming single Blud (out on St Patrick’s Day...see what they did there...she’s Irish...St Patrick’s Day...geddit...GEDDIT???!!!!) would work oh so much better than they did this evening. Blud in particular has a pleasingly dreamy feel and a decent hooky chorus and if this is what’s she penning in her early teens it’s impressive stuff. 

Wrong artist and wrong setting this evening then, but well worth keeping an eye on.   

On to Chvrches then. Formed in Glasgow in 2011 they’re clearly in thrall to their mum’s and dad’s record collections, stuffed full of old Human League, early Depeche Mode, Eurythmics and Erasure albums no doubt. I say they, actually I think it’s only the lead singer that’s young. The blokes (well certainly one of them at least) is an old duffer like me who probably spent his pocket money on 7inch copies of Love Action from Woolies. Again as with Temples’ gig last week this harking back business has clearly won them fans from several different generations so tonight was another mix of OAPs (well, almost) and hip young things. Coming onstage to some truly fit inducing lights (SOAK had warned the epileptics to run for their lives bless her) the band kicked off with We Dive, in some ways an archetypal Chvrches track combining upbeat old skool synth sounds with more downbeat lyrics delivered in authentic Scottish accents...which always ramps up the dour-ness a notch or two. It’s no surprise to learn that one of the dudes in the band, Martin Doherty, played with wrist slitting post punk noise terrorists The Twilight Sad (also a ruddy great band) and, if you listen carefully, you can clearly hear the echoes of the Sad in some of Chvrches darker moments.

There wasn’t much time to ruminate on all this though as Lies crashed into life. A genius mix of light and shade, it’s the sound of Robyn, Swedish synthsters The Knife and granddaddy of the entire electro world Sir Gary Numan coming together in one glorious musical hadron collider. Boom. 

We had bass in da place too. In fact the bass was so booming a small collection of fillings soon pooled around those stood close enough to the speakers. Next up, and completing a trio of top notch opening tracks, Gun...a total shoe in for the theme tune to Working Girl 2 if ever they decide to make it. So far so positive but there were a few gripes. As with SOAK Chvrches vocalist Lauren Mayberry remained frustratingly obscured by keyboards for most of the set, sticking resolutely to her spot in the middle and centre of the stage. Fine for those standing dead centre but not so hot for everyone else plus, it has to be said, it doesn’t make for the most dynamic of live performances. Secondly, and maybe this is related, the crowd seemed fairly laid back about the whole thing. Sure there was applause in all the right places and a few hands in the air but some of this is pure bounce up and down and lose yourself in a moment stuff and there just wasn’t enough of this going on. Anyway, minor gripes over there’s still no disputing the beauty of Recover, one of Chvrches more low key numbers it’s perhaps the best chance to hear Lauren’s vocal, a beguiling mix of vulnerable child and kick ass Glaswegian 21^st Century woman. A bone fide highlight.

As the gig went on there was a bit more banter and chat which perhaps warmed things up a little. The old “More canals than Venice” bit had seemingly been picked as the band’s fascinating fact about Birmingham, although the blokes were clearly more interested in the City spawning Black Sabbath...even if they resolutely refused to play War Pigs as an encore. Next time eh? Speaking of ‘the blokes’ Martin took over vocal duties for one track, Under The Tide, and injected some much needed oomph into proceedings. Employing the kind of dance moves last seen in the 60s courtesy of Freddie and the Dreamers the dude goes mental, emerging from behind the bank of keyboards and coming out to the front of the stage...not a notable thing in most gigs but a real novelty this evening. Sure his vocals might divide some audiences but judging by some of the comments flying around on the intermess this is one of the best bits of a live Chvrches show. I’m inclined to agree. Closing with The Mother We Share would’ve been a real ‘lighters in the air’ moment back in the day, this evening those that felt that way inclined just did the old waving the hands in the air thing. Better for your health no doubt but not quite as pretty.

Encore You Caught The Light was possibly the dullest part of the set (perhaps one of their cheeky cover versions would’ve been better here) but By The Throat lifted things a little ending a gig that came frustratingly close to greatness.  

Folking busy...

Moseley Folk Festival 2013 from Old Dead Eye on Vimeo.

The good folk at Moseley Folk are...pardon the pun...folking busy right now with not one, not two but THREE festivals this year. The first, Lunar Festival, is on from 6th-8th June with Tim Burgess, Temples, British Sea Power, Donovan and The Polyphonic Spree amongst many others...oh yes...and this dude...



Next up comes Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul from 11th to 13th July with confirmed acts so far including Fun Lovin' Criminals and Earth, Wind and Fire. Boogie Wonder-ful.



Finally, capping off the summer in fine style, the daddy of them all Moseley Folk Festival itself, from 29th -31st August including the legendary Richard Thompson on Saturday night and The Waterboys on the Sunday. NB: Anyone who thinks it's clever to drop their trousers during Whole of the Moon will be ejected...oh no...have I just given some hairy assed bloke an idea...forget I said anything.



As if that isn't enough (jeez...I sound like I'm selling something on The Home Shopping Channel) Moseley Folk is also holding another Sensateria club night on Friday 28th March featuring The Orange Revival all the way from Sweden and Velvet Texas Cannonball...all the way from Brum. Cosmic!

Joan As Police Woman in rather good new album shocker!

I'd always filed Joan As Police Woman away in my mind as not being anywhere near as interesting as her name. Nothing particularly wrong with her past stuff, much of it just sort of wandered by though. Colour me surprised then when I heard this track a few weeks ago. It's actually rather ruddy good...it has a beat, a chorus, some life...it's the kind of song that could soundtrack one of those ads for lady 'products'. It's not the only decent track on the new album (The Classic, due out on Monday) either. Try this doo wop beat boxy goody for size too.



Well done Ms Police Woman.

Temples / Childhood / Dark Bells @ The Institute, Tuesday 4th March 2014

Whoooooooah...hey man, what’s happening? Going to see Temples at The Institute? Cosmic...faaaaar out dude. Okay, enough of the trippy 60s lingo (for now at least, I’m still having flashbacks from this show so frankly anything could happen in the next few paragraphs) but tonight was another of those time travelling gigs that made you question which decade you were living in.

First up to mess with your minds, Dark Bells, an Aussie trio with a neat line in quiet/loud/quiet psych-gaze. There ain’t enough female fronted rock acts in the world, a situation that becomes increasingly difficult to comprehend when you hear/see the Bells’ lead singer Teneil in action. Musically things start off on an almost acid folk tinged vibe with a song that may possibly be called Do You Remember? (oh for the day when bands tell you the song titles...makes life a whole lot easier) before spinning off into more of a shoegazey universe. Vocally Teneil veers between slightly trippy space cadet and full on siren whilst the band’s bassist spins out some gloriously funked up basslines. 

It’s a bewitching mix, the sort of sound that makes you want to rip off your top and do that weird hand dance thing that people seemed to spend most of the 60s doing (or maybe that's just me). New single In Head (out April 24^th on RIP Records) capped off a powerful set of tunes in fine style. Ding dong.

‘Stoned’ Roses anyone? There’s certainly a hint of Madchester’s finest in Childhood’s sound, especially in 2013 single Solemn Skies...in fact more than one You Tube comment has recently wistfully recalled the late 80s early 90s scene into which this lot could slot. 

Actually they’re a lot less chilled out live than they often appear on ‘record’ or whatever you crazy kids listen to music on these days. Whilst the jingle jangly indie guitars are in place lead singer Leo is happily far more animated this evening, coming dangerously close to rocking out in fact. Most of it’s all very good in a head nodding way but you get the sense that there’s a lot more to come from them, as hinted at by the rather splendid wig out jam at the end of the set...yes wig out jam...it’s stored right next to the honey in Aldi.

Well and truly back to the 60s for tonight’s headliners, Temples, who seem to have a particularly uncanny knack for penning the kind of tunes that our dads/granddads/great granddads (delete according to your age) might well have turned on, tuned in and dropped out to. Hmmm...maybe they sold their souls to Syd Barrett? Via a ouija board obviously. The really clever bit though is that pretty much every tune is shot through with a cunning pop sensibility, catchy hooks and riffs pour off this lot like water off a ducks back, albeit a duck tripping off its beak. I’m guessing lead singer James Edward Bagshaw honed that particular skill during his time with indie chart toppers Sukie back in the day. Wherever it’s come from it’s freaking brilliant. Like the first puff on a spliff tonight’s opening number Colours To Life draws you into its warm embrace and for the next hour or so you’re on a different planet. Looking more than a little like Marc Bolan (even down to the glitter round the eyes) Bagshaw’s dreamy vocal is the soft caramel heart around which the band wraps rich, dark psych. There’s other stuff going on though. Sun Structures hits a bit of a Krautrock/proggy vibe, recent B Side Ankh has a distinctly glam feel to it and Move With The Seasons wanders into Pink Floyd territory. Unsurprisingly given all these influences there was a decent age span here tonight...more than one ‘dad and son’ combo uniting uneasily over their collective love for this band. At times Bagshaw seems genuinely overwhelmed by how far they’ve got in little over a year commenting that “it’s amazing to be playing to so many people” (cue huge whoops from the fathers and sons). He shouldn’t be surprised though, each and every single they’ve released so far has been naggingly addictive with the aforementioned Colours To Life and the flower powered Keep In The Dark both going down a storm tonight. I’d not heard the proto metal (this really came across in tonight’s version) of Sand Dance before but it perhaps hints at a heavier possible direction for the band in the future. Who knows? Who cares when you’ve got something as fabulous as set closer Shelter Song to enjoy. Kicking off with Beatles-ish guitars it’s as gloriously 60s as miniskirts, lava lamps and flower power. Breaking with his rather deadpan expression I couldn’t help notice Baghshaw allowing himself a little grin to keyboardist Adam. It was well deserved judging by the sea of bobbing heads, hairy and...er...not so hairy, in the heart of the crowd.

Of course one song was missing from the set so far and perhaps they really had left the best for the encore. In a ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’ way Mesmerise extended way beyond its usual three minutes or so, tripping off to a different place altogether for a full five minutes or so. I reckon some of the audience could have watched it all night. Temples...truly a group worth worshipping. 

Miss Halliwell / Big Bren’s Combo / The Dollcanoes / D.N.P @ The City Tavern, Friday 28th February 2014

The City Tavern. Just a short stumble away from the festering mass of humanity that spills, totters and...I hope you’ve already eaten...oozes all over Broad Street on a Friday night whilst seemingly remaining a hundred miles away. In that respect it’s pretty much the perfect venue for Miss Halliwell, a band that similarly skirts close to popular appeal with some deceptively catchy tunes and lyrics (check out Free Chips for instance...it’s got sing-along hit written all over it) whilst somehow remaining safely outside the ‘mainstream’.

With record label support and global management deals so far disappointingly lacking their inspirational leader Miles Perhower continues to plough his own sweet/sour furrow and tonight’s gig billed as ‘The City Tavern Experiment’ is a yet another self financed and self organised – although happily not just self attended (shit...don’t say people are finally getting the message?) – affair.

First up D.N.P aka ‘Little’ Chris Downing the dude who’s behind the much missed Brumcast series of podcasts. In the intervening year or two he’s clearly been busy copulating with Satan...as least that’s what his ‘black ambient drone’ sounds make you think of. The video projections behind him neatly hammer (House) the point home.

How do you follow that? With some top notch indiepop courtesy of The Dollcanoes of course. Genius. There’s far too little mixing stuff up on conventional gig line-ups...why shouldn’t you go from Satan’s soundtrack to indiepop eh? No idea how long they’ve been going for (I neglected to ask that during a post gig chat with one of the band, I guess Paxman’s job’s safe for now then) but I believe one of the blokes was/is local legend Bom (of Bom and Magic Drumstick fame). 



From the BiS-ish Masterbluster through to the more Riot Grrl influenced You’re Dead and Chicks On Speed tinged One For The Road it was a hugely enjoyable set with just the right blend of chat and humour (loved the balloon cock and ball set...not so sure about popping them with a pin but that’s a chap thing...ouch).

As warm up acts go Big Bren’s Combo is pretty out there. Big Bren himself is a performance poet / bar room bard backed by, amongst other instruments, a saw player. Yes, as in the sharp things you cut trees with. Okay, on paper (alright then, screen) it seems an odd proposition but somehow the combination of Big Bren’s broad Brummie delivery and his backing band’s free jazz fusion can be particularly effective. 



A Child Has Died (backed by the aforementioned saw) was strangely haunting whilst the rant fuelled Noisy Neighbours and Mad Woman both trod the fine line between genius and insanity. Which leads us on rather nicely to our headliners...

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, the main event (if that sounds a little like the introduction to a boxing match it’s no bad thing)...all the way from Bearwood (well some of them at least), with 18 knockouts, no losses and most definitely no submissions...the undisputed heavyweight champions of pissed off pop...MISSSSSSSSSSSS HALLIWELL! Okay, maybe ‘pissed off pop’ isn’t the right term but what is? Answers on Vladimir Putin’s severed scrotum (or any part of his anatomy for that matter) please. It’s seven years since I first started banging on about this band and I confidently expected them to have long ago stolen the hearts and minds of serious music fans by now. The fact that they haven’t yet matters not a jot. They will. And if they don’t, well, shame on us all.

In typical Miss Halliwell fashion they played two or three new tracks tonight (no point in making life easy for yourselves eh?) including the opening number (Galleon?) which saw Miles out front in the audience checking out the band and nodding approvingly. It was well deserved. There’s a complexity to the music that many players might struggle with but (and I’m guessing rehearsals can be pretty intense affairs) they’ve all clearly put in the hours, days, weeks and months. Delving back into his solo During The Interrogation EP, Signature’s stream of conscious lyrics and 1,2,3,4,5 refrain is nothing short of a Miles Perhower post punk classic. Fast forwarding to new album Fresh From The Holy Spring he then spat out Favourite Guitar like some kind of deranged savant, proffering a mic to guitarist Ross in much the same manner as a reporter trying to land a scoop from a shifty celeb. Three songs in and it’s already the kind of gig that makes you glad you’ve got ears. Kickboxing (again I think this was the title) is another new one, once again harnessing Perhower’s knack of stringing together seemingly unrelated words to make more sense than most songwriters manage in a lifetime (sample lyric “Tabloid, haemorrhoid”...doesn’t that just neatly sum up the Daily Mail eh?). During the song Miles played WITH and PLAYED with the band, fiddling with their instruments a little to get the sound he was looking for. Another new track (no idea what this one was called) was recorded “For data” and will no doubt find itself on the next instalment of the Brumdemoters trilogy of films. I wrote down the words “jittery, edgy seat of your pants stuff” but was too involved in watching it all go down to note anything more illuminating. That’s a good thing by the way. A“Thank you, that was fucking tight” to the rest of the band at the end was well justified praise though.

“Time for the hits now” remarked Miles with just the merest sack of irony. They bloody well should be. In Free Chips, Rulerfueller and Ponytail Quest Miss Halliwell has a trio of tracks that we should all be self pleasuring ourselves over. Well I am at least. Bear with me a minute...okay...three minutes. Ahhh...that’s better. Free Chips is so naggingly addictive it should be issued with a Government Health Warning. Live Rulerfueller is far more of a kick up the ass than the recorded version with Miles prowling the floor, seemingly on the edge of a meltdown. He’s saving all that for the last song of the night though, Ponytail Quest, a brain frazzling jazz / rock / metal / punk / prog tinged odyssey into Miles’ troubled mind that ended with him grabbing his coat, ripping down a banner promoting the gig and chucking it at the stage, disappearing down to the bar below to, no doubt “down half a bottle of wine”. And there he remained. No encore. No schmoozing. No compromise.

Seven years on from my first sighting of them Miss Halliwell incredibly remains one of the freshest, most compelling bands I’ve ever seen. 

Big shots from Big Bear

As part of their 45th anniversary celebrations Big Bear Records is exhibiting some rarely seen photographs from the archives of Mr Big Bear himself Jim Simpson. I've been lucky enough to have a sneak viewing of some of them and they're a fascinating snapshot of some of the biggest names in music from the 60s including The Rolling Stones complete with their founding father the late Brian Jones.

You'll also get to see Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Nina Simone, John Lee Hooker, Rod Stewart, The Spencer Davis Group and the very first publicity shots of The Moody Blues and The Move.

The exhibition's on at West Bromwich Library from March 1st to 29th and entry's FREE!

Here's a rather fabulous clip of The Spencer Davis Group to get you in the mood. Groovy baby.



PS: THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC: MEET THE DOERS, NOT THE TALKERS

With the exhibition as a backdrop, there will be a series of five events that aim to satisfy any curiosity about what actually happened back then, fill in some of the gaps between then and now, and encourage and inform musicians, aspirant musicians and anyone who is interested in the music business.

Events will take place on four Saturdays during March: 

8th 11:00 to 12:00

15th 12:00 to 13:00 and 13:00 to 14:00

22nd 12:00 to 13:00

29th 12:00 to 13:00

Again admission is FREE, everyone is welcome and each event is followed by a Q&A Session.

Kids Interview...Insane Clown Posse!

Okay, so it may take $100,000 or so in therapy to help them get over it but Connie and Olivia from the always entertaining Kids Interview Bands website somehow survived an interview with Insane Clown Posse's Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J. Here's what we all want to know though, would they be able to name all of the Spice Girls eh? Now that's one collaboration I'd love to see... hmmmm...Insane Spice Posse. I reckon it could work.

PS: I had no idea ICP were quite so big...here's a useful primer:



Oh..and here's a video that guaranteed to put you off your spaghetti bolognese...

René launches One More Day EP

Manchester based funk and soul band René release their brand new EP this Friday with a gig at The Yardbird (they're playing a hometown show at The Whiskey Jar on the 27th too). It's a classy trio of tracks from the title song's anthem to all those of us who just want to run away from stuff (rain, work...Alex Salmond) through to the Chic-tastic SocioErosion (been pulling some shapes to that one...thank god the neighbours can't see in) and on to the reggae tinged What's It To Me. Really hope they make it along to the Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival this year...hint hint. 

Radkey / Turbogeist / Lyger @ The Hare and Hounds – Monday 24th February 2014

“We are three brothers on a quest to save the world from false rock”. So reads the rather bold claim on Radkey’s Twitter page. Hell, it's not just 'false rock' that the world needs saving from these days so let’s hope they deliver eh?

First up Lyger, which is a half  tiger and half lion isn’t it? I like the idea of cross breeding shit, I’ve always thought a giraffe kangaroo mash up would be fun (a girafferoo perhaps), although no doubt the Danes would swiftly hack it to death...if they could catch it of course. Anyway Lyger the band is a London three piece who - rather remarkably considering how tight they were tonight - played their first live show just three short months ago. 

Their QOTSA / Foo Fighters-ish debut single Stroke is a pretty fine calling card for their sound, that of heads down fuzz rock with its eyes on arenadom. Elsewhere there’s a touch of Pumpkins’ style nihilistic grunge that should go down a storm with depressed teens...and middle aged men everywhere. That’ll be me then. Promising.  

Next up Turbogeist. Okay let’s get this out of the way first...even if addressing the subject might annoy the bejesus out of them...their lead singer Jimmy is none other than Mick Jagger’s son. Aside from a vague physical similarity that’s pretty much where the link ends. Turbogeist have been variously labelled as ‘thrash rock’, ‘punk rock’ and ‘grunge garage’, quite what Jagger Snr makes of it all hasn’t yet been reported. It was great to see Jagger Jnr up front dancing like a demon during Lyger’s set though and full marks for the Scando/Germanic accent he put on during the introduction to his own band’s opening number. Clearly this ain’t a vanity project and Jagger’s not even the star of the show...actually that accolade probably goes to the drummer who during the course of the set managed to almost poke out one of his own eyes, totally destroy a set of drum sticks and then eat the remaining shards of wood. Now that’s rock ‘n’ roll. Bloody good he was too. Truly great rock drummers are all too rare, this dude’s priceless. Jagger shares vocal duties with a bloke who bears a passing resemblance to Keef back in the day. Purely coincidental I’m sure. Ahem. Of course they sound as much like The Stones as One Direction sounds like Iggy and the Stooges. Musically there’s a touch of Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts and Cockney Rejects in there, albeit with a little bit more of a glam edge best heard on recent single Alien Girl. “Thanks for coming out on a Monday night, I know ‘ow ‘ard it is” acknowledged Jagger. Somehow knowing his old man’s notorious caution with cash you sort of believe him. 

Set highlight and single Mermaid’s Revenge is perhaps their most inventive moment to date, managing as it does to mash together sea shanty, screamcore, emo and heavy rock. A neat trick if you can pull it off...and they do. A suitably raucous cover of The Wipers’ Up Front no doubt bought a tear or two to some of the older crowd. Okay, so his old man may roll but JJ and co rock.

When the Radke brothers (hence the band’s name Radkey I guess) were born in the mid to late 90s (yep, the youngest member’s only 16 or so...good grief I have boxer shorts older than that) the various groups that clearly influence them (MC5, Stooges, Motorhead) were already well into their third or fourth decade of fame. Of course to the band all this shit still sounds new and fresh, bless ‘em, hence one of the most joyful and energetic performances I’ve seen for some time. Kicking off (and that’s a pretty apt description) with Out Here In My Head...a ferocious 100mph blast of primal punk...the band starts the show the way most groups would finish, giving it everything they’ve got. Like a man possessed Isaiah spends most of the show wrestling with his instrument (steady ladies), a twisting, jerking blur of bass whilst brother Dee alternates between a surprisingly deep vocal and some truly larynx shredding screams. Dee can play a mean guitar too. Perhaps contrary to the punk ethos there are some complex riffs in there and if the odd homage to Hendrix creeps in to some of his stage moves it’s not entirely unjustified. This kid is how old? 17? 18? Hmmmm...imagine what he’ll be like in his mid 20s. At the back drummer Solomon somehow keeps pace with the mayhem seemingly without breaking into a sweat. Oh what it is to be young.

In common with many gigs it took a tune or two to coax some of the crowd right to the front but the band’s got an answer to that via their track Come A Little Closer with its ‘Na na na na na” vocal hook drawing in the stragglers. It doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to see this stuff going down a storm during the festivals. “This track’s called Pretty Things” explained Isaiah “Got flashed in Kansas before playing this song...first pair of boobies I eva saw”. Who says rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t pay anymore eh?

The goth punk of Feed My Brain gave way to one of the band’s crowning glories to date, Start Freaking Out, three minutes of frantic full on mayhem designed purely to get you to bang your head clean off its shoulders. One bloke did just that. It’s probably still lying there under the stage right now. 

It came a close second to Romance Dawn though, a deceptively simple but actually bloody smart punk blues number that’s insanely addictive. Face to face and almost on their knees Dee and Isaiah trade licks as the crowd at the front go suitably mental. With no stage door to exit from the band hides behind speaker stacks and drums as calls for an encore build. This they duly repay with an explosive cover of another of their inspirations Misfits’ Last Caress. A-ma-zing.

Radkey is already a great band and this was a truly groin moisteningly great show. Sure they wear their influences on their sleeves but most importantly they wear them well. What’s even more exciting though is what these dudes will go on to do and sound like in the coming years. The world’s been waiting for another really great rock band for some time now. Could Radkey actually be it...? 

Miss Halliwell...words from the wise

Okay, yet another essential release from Miss Halliwell, this time the first in a planned trilogy (a bit like the Godfather but hopefully without the slightly crap one) of films entitled Brumdemoters. Chapter 1 sees the band playing music from their equally essential recent double album Fresh From The Holy Spring / Gusting Guests (Miles' solo release) available here. Chapter 2's being filmed at their...yes...you've guessed it...essential City Tavern gig on Friday 28th February. Chapter 3 will show Miss Halliwell on stage at the O2 Arena in London showering One Direction fans with offal and deliciously barbed comments. We can but dream. I seldom go balls out and say stupid things like "this is the best band around right now" because after saying that a couple of times about different bands you'd sound like a prize dick. But screw it. Ladies and gentlemen trust me...this is the best band around right now.  

Kids Interview...The Pixies!

If you've not dropped by the Kids Interview Bands website for a while set aside a few hours and enjoy some of the most refreshing band interviews in history. It's sheer genius. All of it. The latest one's just sooooooo cool too. Joey Santigo from the freakin' Pixies!

Oh, and here's the band's current single too. How the hell do they still sound so good after 100 years eh?

Got the Radkey, got the secret...

Okay, pardon the obscure Urban Cookie Collective pun (any 90s Eurodance fans in the house...just me then...right), couldn't resist it, just as I'm finding it pretty darn hard to resist the lure of Missouri three piece punkers Radkey right now. Dragging 80s punk kicking and screaming (literally) into the 21st Century they've already opened for the legendary Fishbone and appeared on Jools Holland, all before any of 'em turned 20. Blimey. Cop a load of this one...



Now you lucky, lucky people can catch them at the Hare and Hounds on Monday 24th February. Er...let me hear you say "Whooohooo!". I'm waiting...that's better. Hailed as "one of the best new teen rock bands of the moment" by The Guardian's Paul Lester (one of the few music writers I pay much attention to these days) they're ably supported by Turbogeist and the hotly tipped Lyger.





Tickets right here from our good chums at Birmingham Promoters.

Supreme Cuts - Divine

If you're in or around London this week pop down to The Old Blue Last on the 20th to catch Supreme Cuts, purveyors of this spiffingly catchy house, hip hop, ragga and anything they want to chuck into the mix track. 

It seems that The Old Blue Last (basically a pub) has just played host to a 'secret' gig from Kylie too, bless 'er. 

These 'secret' gigs seem to be a bit of a 'thing' right now, what with that lovely Prince chappie playing living rooms across the country (not in Birmingham sadly...despite my best efforts). They're obviously great for the lucky few that get to see them but if tales of 'celebs' swanning in to Prince's Ronnie Scott's gig last night, taking the place of fans who'd queued for hours, are to be believed it's a gimmick that's rapidly wearing thin. Ouch. That being said if Prince happens to read this he's still more than welcome to play under my stairs...

Heaven 17 @ Town Hall, Friday 14th February 2014

For a band that famously didn’t play gigs back in the day Heaven 17 (now just Glenn Gregory and Martyn Ware) have certainly made up for it recently, in fact this is probably their third Birmingham gig in as many years. With a new album currently in production (their first in 12 years) it probably won’t be too long before they’re back again either. I’m not complaining, after all they were responsible for one of the early 80s biggest and best hits courtesy of Temptation plus a dozen or so other bone fide synth and soul classics. Whereas previous tours have tended to focus on a particular album this one’s an unashamed trawl through pretty much everything that Martyn Ware’s done which, of course, opens up some of his previous bands material (the early incarnation of The Human League) too. It’s the first time they’ve played the Town Hall, a venue I’ve grown to love again after a few dodgy experiences (mainly due to the audiences to be fair to the old place) and I was pondering whether it would be a seated or non seated gig. It was seated. This was perhaps an odd choice given the nature of the music (not sure if the band decides this or not, I’m guessing they do) and after a few tracks a fair number of people stood up anyway. Still, seating arrangements aside there was a decent turnout by the time the band came onstage (no support act so it was a very early start...a missed opportunity really, local bands Racing or Greg Bird and Flamingo Flame would've been great supports).

The Town Hall’s a magnificent space which is both its strength and occasionally Achilles heel. Being an electronic band Heaven 17 perhaps lacks the oomph and range of instruments that would best suit such a huge awe inspiring room and for the first few numbers in particular the sound was a touch ‘tinny’, especially up in ‘the gods’. Whoever was doing the sound clearly got on top of things as best they could however and by the time the workers’ revolt anthem Crushed By The Wheels of Industry rolled along things were noticeably better. It has to be said that Glenn and Martyn perhaps aren’t helping themselves though. The addition of guitar and drums for instance would really fatten up the overall sound, especially when they’re playing bigger venues like this one. Just a thought chaps. Play To Win saw most of the crowd of 40...50...60-somethings leap to their feet (as best they/we could...dodgy hips and all) and many remained upright for the rest of the set. Speaking of which it was a pretty diverse selection with everything from Dive (off the band’s last album Bigger Than America) to The Black Hit Of Space (from The Human League’s second album Travelogue...a mere 34 years ago) getting an airing. The latter still sounds incredibly futuristic, like Dr Who (the proper Dr Who...Tom Baker...not one of these modern imposters) in an indie disco on some far away planet, and Glenn does a decent job of replicating Phil Oakey’s suitably otherworldly and ominous delivery. Returning to Heaven 17’s back catalogue the homage to ‘mutually assured destruction’ (a cold war tactic that basically meant if one side launched a missile strike at you then you’d bomb them off the face of the earth too...kaboom...goodbye planet earth) Let's All Make A Bomb makes a mockery of anyone who says that music from the 80s was insubstantial fluff (step forward Danny Baker on a recent TV show), clearly they ain’t listening to lyrics like this. Next up Come Live With Me remains one of my favourite Heaven 17 songs, partially because when it first came out I was 12 or 13 and the thought of being 17 (the age of one of the characters in the song) let alone 37 (the age of the other) was terribly exciting. 

Now that both ages are but a distant memory it works the other way, taking on more of a poignant feel (even if the theme of the song is basically an older man nobbing a young girl...ahem...hmmmm...not used the word nobbing since I was 12 either). It was all the more poignant looking down on the sea of bald heads bobbing gently to the music. Lordy, when did we all get so old? As if to ram home that very point the next track plunged even further back in time courtesy of a cover of You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling with Martyn stepping out from behind his theramin and keyboard to belt out the song with Glenn (The Rightsynth Brothers anyone?). “He’s my Valentine” quipped Glenn giving Martyn a cheeky peck as the song ended. Awwwwwww bless ‘em.

We Live So Fast (surely a template for techno?) rattled along at a fair old pace before the sparse monotone of I’m Your Money (one of Heaven 17’s earliest songs and a strangely prescient track given the later 80s ‘loadsamoney’ culture) and a perfectly serviceable glam and synth cover of Bowie’s Boys Keep Swinging.

Ever wanted to know Glenn’s and Martyn’s favourite Heaven 17 song? Have a guess. Nope. Guess again. Nope...wrong! It’s actually Let Me Go. An oddly low key choice in many ways but again another fine example of how sophisticated 80s pop could be, both lyrically and musically. If you’ve ever experienced a break up or divorce I can imagine it’s pretty devastating. Still tonight’s for the loved up so the crowd happily claps along to arguably one of the band’s bleakest tracks. Temptation ends the main set and it’s now such an iconic tune that it struggles to avoid going a bit karaoke in places. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again (and no offence to the two female vocalists tonight who were excellent) but this song really needs Carol Kenyon’s voice. There’s something unique about her vocal on the original that I always miss whenever I hear it live. Also, and I could be in the minority here, I could do without all the remixing and fiddling about on this song. Why mess with perfection? Resist the...er...temptation next time, that’s what I say.

After the traditional off again and on again nonsense the endlessly effervescent Glenn bounds back out with a “Let’s keep in the party mood...c’mon!” and launches into Penthouse and Pavement. Again this is another number that would benefit hugely from more live instruments. Where’s the funky guitarist that was so crucial on the original? 

Okay, so it costs more to have one but it would be soooooo worth it. There’s a club called Only After Dark in Brum that’s devoted to all things 80s and its named after an old Human League cover of a Mick Ronson track. Clearly a number of Only After Dark-ers are here tonight and this rarely played number (I think the band’s only ever played it a handful of times) get’s a huge whoop of appreciation.

Things ended where they began with the first song Martyn and Phil Oakey ever wrote together, Being Boiled (“Listen to the voice of Buddha, Saying stop your sericulture”...you don’t get that kind of lyric from One Direction eh?). It’s yet another one of those songs that sounds like it’s been beamed back from the future...albeit it via Sheffield. The past never sounded so futuristic.

That was that. It was all over remarkably quickly...and early. Given the cost of the tickets (£22) and the fact that the band’s got such a huge back catalogue a set lasting 1hour and 10 minutes seems a little tight. No one seemed particularly bothered by that though, besides we could all get home to our Horlicks before 10pm. ‘Going forward’ (as wanky politicians and failing Chief Executives always say) I’d like to see Heaven 17 play more club gigs. If they’re going to stick with the modest two keyboard set up this really suits smaller venues better and, with a new album in the pipeline, it might be nice to try to connect with a younger audience too. After all most of their existing fans ain’t 17 anymore...  

Tonight...Heaven 17!

Okay just in case you've forgotten that it's Valentine's Day and you're stuck for a great night out I can heartily recommend synth and soul pioneers Heaven 17 at Birmingham Town Hall. It's the perfect music for couples, trust me. If you're at that stage in the relationship when things are edging close to...er...rumpy pumpy then there's Temptation. If you fancy moving in together there's Come Live With Me, if you're already living together well then there's At The Height Of The Fighting and if you've had enough of your other half there's Let Me Go...









Tickets available at the time of writing (10am-ish) right here!

It was five years ago today...

I don't often write much about myself on this blog, partly because I doubt that anyone would be particularly interested and partly to retain some exotic air of mystery. For all most of you know I could be handsome international playboy with a fleet of sports cars and my own vineyard in California, as opposed to a greying middle aged chap with a 'Daysaver' bus ticket and a bottle of Aldi's Rioja.

For many years I toiled away in various offices, like most of us I guess, keeping my nose clean(ish) and doing my time. No doubt I would still have been there now if it weren't for the 'credit crunch' which five years ago to this very day saw me fairly unceremoniously dumped from a well paid (far too well paid really) job. With no kids, little debt, no car and a pretty modest lifestyle things worked out and I'm now 'living the dream' working from home. Sure I'm not rich and it gets pretty damn cold in the winter (keeping the heating on simply isn't an option, mainly because I'm not lining the pockets of British Gas any more than I have to) but I'm much happier without all of the bullshit that inevitably comes with 'career progression', corporate cobblers and office politics. Work is a very, very strange thing when you think about it. Once you've got the whole food and shelter thing sorted that should kind of be enough but then the madness sets in and you want a bigger house, a newer car, the latest gadgets, fancy holidays, new clothes, meals out, botox...blah blah blah...most of which only partially fills the void created by being stuck in a ruddy office most of your life. The more stressed and miserable you get at work the more 'treats' you want to give yourself and so the whole meaningless cycle goes on.

Anyway, there is a musical point to all this. In the last place I worked we were able to play music pretty much all day. That was a good thing. A very good thing. A life saver in fact. We took it in turns to play stuff (although an internet radio station called Pig Radio was the default setting) and depending on your mood you could always dive into You Tube for an appropriate track or two (Rage Against The Machine was a particular favourite). On the last day, knowing I'd be unemployed in a matter of hours and leaving a place I'd spent most of the last 6 years of my life in, there was only one tune that would do. With tongue firmly in cheek I logged on for the last time, cranked up the speakers just as everyone was arriving in the office and hit play...



Heck, if you're going to go out go out with some cheesy Euro rock. It made me laugh anyway.

Young Fathers - Get Up

Ain't this one of the oddest but strangely most addictive tunes around right now? Yes...yes it is. With a Liberian, a Nigerian and a Scot in the band, Young Fathers, it's one of the more unusual line ups too. Hell, it works though. Part hip-hop, part revolutionary shout out, part messed up soundtrack from an obscure black and white art house movie it's the kind of thing that restores your faith in music's ability to move on and develop. Enjoy.

Some Girl I Used To Know @ The New Alexandra, Monday 10th February 2014

It must take balls (as it were) to do a one woman (or indeed a one man show) in a theatre. Gigs are different, more casual and laid back with the chance to natter to the audience and take a moment or two if things go wrong. In a theatre though there’s that expectation of polish and perfection, if you cock up your lines or freeze for any reason there’s no one there to bail you out. All eyes are on you and the success...or failure...of the whole night rests entirely on your shoulders. Thankfully tonight’s shoulders lead to a pretty safe pair of hands. Denise Van Outen has been treading the boards since 1986, perhaps most notably playing Roxy Hart in Chicago and appearing in a sell out run of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s one woman show Tell Me On A Sunday, which he apparently reworked specifically for her. With Some Girl I Used to Know she’s gone one better by co-writing the entire thing.

The idea’s a simple but cute one. Van Outen plays Stephanie, an underwear tycoon (shades of Ultimo’s Michelle Mone or Katie Price perhaps?) who’s settled in a comfortable but unsatisfying marriage. Whilst staying at a posh hotel during a product launch she receives a Facebook ‘poke’ from the original love of her life prompting a look back at the ‘girl she used to be’ (see what they did there?) scattering these reflections with some classic 80s pop songs and one original number. See, cute idea eh? Unlike many ‘jukebox musicals’ there’s far more dialogue than singing, happily there are plenty of laughs to be had though as Stephanie openly discusses her early teenage fumblings and some...er...unusual uses for her boyfriend’s mum’s face towel as she debates the merits of hooking up with her ex for some no strings attached rumpy pumpy. Anyway as you’d expect Van Outen’s pretty much perfect for the role of Essex girl made good. It works because, let’s face it, she’s basically playing herself. Breaking the fourth wall throughout the show draws you in to the story nicely and the liberal use of 80s references (plus iconic ‘stuff’ from that decade suspended from the rafters) induced knowing nods and chuckles from the 40 somethings. It’s the vocal performances that impressed most though. From the Burt Bacharach-ised cover of Soft Cell’s Say Hello Wave Goodbye to the 60s tinged string rich version of Thompson Twin’s Hold Me Now Van Outen managed to bring something new to some of the 80s best loved pop songs. Who knew Sonia’s You’ve Never Stopped Me From Loving You could be a show stopper eh?

Some Girl I Used To Know is on at the New AlexandraTheatre until Wednesday 12^th February then it’s off on tour of the UK. Dates and tickets for all shows right here...  

Miss Halliwell announces City Tavern gig!

Okay, so Prince may have ignored all my attempts to drag him up to Birmingham but who cares when Miss Halliwell are playing again eh? Entry is just £3 too so you can take someone else and still only spend what his Purpleness is currently charging for gigs. Bargain. I pretty much guarantee it'll be every bit as entertaining too...and the band's far less likely to...er...sex you up afterwards either...unless you want them to I guess. Anyway wrap your ears around these recent gems:

Someday our Prince will come...

Day three of the Bring Prince to Brum campaign and we're delighted to announce that the Buy Prince a Pint Fund has now reached the dizzying heights of £1.72. Suck on that Pudsey. In other news Mr Egg has promised Prince a meal fit for a king, so that'll be egg, egg, chips and egg then, and a well known gentlemen's club has offered a 5 minute lap dance with one-legged Lisa. The drop in centre for bored teens looking for free wi-fi aka the Library of Birmingham/Birmingham Library/the biggest waste of taxpayers money since 'The Public' has also pitched in with an offer to rename meeting room 4U as The I Would Die 4U Suite (staff only of course...intruders will be locked in one of those toilets designed for agoraphobic midget contortionists). All they ask is that he fixes the escalators, lifts and broken windows 'cos they can' afford to. Oh...and if he can remove all the suspicious stains mottling all the chairs and those weird slightly padded odd shaped things masquerading as somewhere to sit then they'll throw in a tour of the 'Secret Garden' as well. Bonus. Even Birmingham City Council has got in on the act by offering to paint the 'Floozie in the Jacuzzi' purple in return for a modest $500million donation to save them from having to flog the NEC to Poundland. If none of that sweetens the deal Prince just watch what the late, great Telly Savalas had to say about our fair City...and yes...Mrs Taylor's still up for it if you fancy a piece.

PINS - Waiting For The End

PINS - Waiting For The End from PINS on Vimeo.

If you're living in England right now the title of the new one from PINS seems pretty appropriate. Will it ever stop raining? Probably not...still give it another week or two and I'll finally get that sea view I always wanted. Not bad considering I live in Birmingham. Anyway, if this tune and video doesn't cheer you up then there's no hope. A classic slice of scuzzed up girl group pop. Enjoy.

Bring Prince to Birmingham!

Okay, the campaign starts here. That lovely Prince chap (or 3rdEyeGirl, the band he's now fronting) has seemingly decamped to London for a bit and is playing gigs pretty much anywhere. Living rooms, bars, telephone boxes...wonderful stuff. When he does charge for entry it's a mere $10 or so (around £6). When he could clearly sell out the O2 for the rest of his days and charge ten times as much you have to give him a virtual high five (although clearly the PR from all this is priceless). Anyway, his plans seem incredibly fluid so I'm throwing out an open invite to him and his peeps.

Here's the Facebook message I posted yesterday:

Dear Prince , yes London's a great city with a rich musical heritage but we'd really love it if you popped up to Birmingham as well. Black Sabbath, Duran Duran, UB40, Steel Pulse, ELO, Editors, Peace, Laura Mvula...all sprang from these streets. We've got some cool venues for you to play too. And we're a pretty friendly, down to earth bunch. We'll even buy you a pint. So, how about it? Lots of love, Birmingham x

Knowing that The Hearing Aid is read by pretty much anyone who's anyone in the music biz...sort of...I'm hoping he'll get the message. Fellow Midlanders can do their bit too by sharing this post, chipping in to the 'Buy Prince a Pint' fund and generally being funky motherhumpers (Prince can smell funky motherhumpers from a good 100 miles away). Any other ideas for encouraging him up here would be more than welcome. Seriously. Anything. Legal or otherwise.

Babypink - Cellar Door

What's behind the Cellar Door? Hmmmmm...my money's on a cellar but whatever it is Birmingham's Babypink make it all sound terribly glam. Older readers may recall the mighty King Adora from back in the late 90s and this track's got a similar swagger. It's a little bit grungy, a little bit shoegazey and a little bit indie...with just a dash of smeared lipstick, a dribble of Jack Daniels and a half smoked joint for good measure (sounds like the perfect night out to me, but then I'm easy). Enjoy.

PS: "Your utensils leave me raw"...cheeky. I imagine we're not talking an egg whisk and potato peeler here.

Whooohhhhh here they come...

Coming hot on the heels of the announcement that Thompson Twin's Tom Bailey is playing his hits live again this year for the first time in 27 years (at the Rewind Festival), fans of all things 80s will be no doubt be cracking out the Quatro* at the news that Hall and Oates are touring the UK too. It's been a decade or so since they last played Blighty and who knows when / of they'll make it over here again. Hugely influential they're also apparently the biggest selling duo in history. Never knew that. Everyday's a school day eh? Anyway, they play Birmingham's Symphony Hall on July 22nd and I imagine it'll sell out in a flash (oh bugger...hang on...it already has...balls). Here's a trio of Hall and Oates classics to get you in the mood...







Tickets no doubt now available on eBay at vastly inflated prices...

* For those of you who don't remember Quatro here's the ad...