Birmingham
Frank Carter & the Sex Pistols, O2 Academy, Birmingham review - Reloaded Pistols are a shot in the armMonday, 23 September 2024
Somewhat amusingly, the sign outside Birmingham’s O2 Academy on Saturday stated that the evening’s entertainment was to be provided by “Frank Carter and Members of the Sex Pistols”. In a way, it was a bit misleading, suggesting that the original and... Read more... |
The Allergies, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham review - funky hip-hoppers fire up the weekendSaturday, 07 September 2024
The Allergies kicked off their Freak the Speaker tour in Birmingham this week. However, the album that they were promoting was nowhere to be seen on their merch stand – “Brexit issues” apparently. This didn’t dim the band’s enthusiasm one bit though... Read more... |
Supersonic Festival 2024, Birmingham review - another fine musical celebration far away from the mainstreamTuesday, 03 September 2024
I’ve been a regular attender of the Supersonic Festival for about 15 years and much has changed in that time. When I first rocked up to see Swans, Stinky Wizzleteat, PCM and other sonic treats, the event was a bit of a white boys’ club, both in... Read more... |
First Person: trans opera singer Lucia Lucas on Tippett’s 'New Year' and her life in musicTuesday, 16 July 2024
Until last week, Tippett’s New Year had not been staged since 1990, probably because it’s considered very hard to produce. I think it is generally harder than Britten. It’s also an ensemble piece; you need 10 people who are fairly accomplished in... Read more... |
The Lovely Eggs, XOYO, Birmingham review - Lancashire duo brings the Bank Holiday to a speedy endWednesday, 29 May 2024
When the Lovely Eggs’ married duo of Holly Ross and David Blackwell took to the stage at the recently rebranded XOYO in Birmingham on Bank Holiday Monday, they looked like they should be playing for two completely separate bands. She was looking... Read more... |
This Town, BBC One review - lurid melodrama in Eighties BrummielandMonday, 01 April 2024
Industrious screenwriter Steven Knight has brought us (among many other things) Peaky Blinders, SAS: Rogue Heroes and even Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, but This Town may not be remembered as one of his finest hours. Here, we find Knight... Read more... |
Elijah, LSO, Pappano, Barbican review - vivid declamation powers Old Testament blockbusterMonday, 29 January 2024
That it would be a vividly operatic kind of oratorio performance was never in doubt. Mendelssohn, who said he wanted to create “a real world, such as you find in every chapter of the Old Testament,” instigates high drama with Elijah’s brass-backed... Read more... |
Supersonic Festival 2023, Birmingham review - musical eccentrics battle the odds and come out on topWednesday, 06 September 2023
You’ve got to feel for Lisa Meyer and the team behind Birmingham’s magnificent Supersonic Festival. Just as the live music scene gets to a point where the Covid pandemic is no longer a malign influence on dancing and having fun in a room full of... Read more... |
Album: Dexys - The Feminine DivineFriday, 28 July 2023
In 2012 Dexys returned with their fourth album, and first in 27 years, One Day I’m Going to Soar. It was a concept piece, original and funny, chewing over the volatility of love, containing wonderful set-pieces, most especially a trio of songs at... Read more... |
Duran Duran, Utilita Arena, Birmingham review - New Romantic veterans return homeMonday, 08 May 2023
Duran Duran were back in their hometown of Birmingham this weekend for the first time since performing as part of the open ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games and were justly forthright in trumpeting their local history. Even Pinner-born Simon... Read more... |
The Way Old Friends Do, Park Theatre review - sweet, but flimsyMonday, 20 March 2023
Is it a good idea to work with your spouse? The Way Old Friends Do, a love letter to ABBA tribute bands – which premiered at the Birmingham Rep last month and now visits the Park Theatre in north London – is a joint venture by actor and... Read more... |
'We wanted to emphasise the “ordinariness” of people affected by torture': Sally Beamish on her new work for Ex CathedraSaturday, 12 November 2022
I was first approached by Quaker Concern for the Abolition of Torture (Q-CAT) in 2016 with the idea of a creating a piece of music to raise awareness of torture – its use worldwide, and the terrible damage it does both to victim and to perpetrator.... Read more... |
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