It’s easy to get carried away in the here and now, especially with music. Sometimes you have the feeling that the stars have aligned and that the gods of music have stricken down on you with the full weight of their hammer with some righteous intent. Sometimes, you awake to reality the next morning and […]
Cigarettes After Sex play o2 Institute on 25th March

Following the release of their second album Cry last October and a quick visit to Manchester and Shepherds Bush as part of a headline tour, Cigarettes after Sex are back and out on more UK dates in March. Cry was recorded during night time sessions in a mansion on the Spanish island of Mallorca. These sessions […]
Waterparks @ O2 Institute, 27th January 2020

Upon entering the packed O2 Institute in Birmingham on Monday evening you could be confused for thinking you have entered the wrong venue, due to being greeted with a rapper on stage. At a pop punk show. Certainly not! But this highlights just how the evening’s headliners, Waterparks, appeal to a modern audience with a […]
New Model Army @ o2 Institute, 10th January 2020

A somewhat delayed gig, due to illness, New Model Army finally played the second city to promote last years ‘From Here’ album, which I was lucky enough to review and declared it to be one of their finest. Opening with ‘No Rest’ and a single drum intro, tipping a hat to that early Marquee show, […]
The Faim + Hot Milk @ o2 Institute 7th December 2019

Up and coming Australian pop rock band The Faim are back playing their second UK tour of the year, and on this December leg, they have brought out Manchester-based pop punks Hot Milk to warm up the crowd for them. And warm up the crowd they did. With duel vocals from Hannah Mee and Jim […]
Elvana @ o2 Institute, 6th December 2019

For those not aware, Elvana are a Nirvana tribute band, fronted by Elvis, hence Elvana. Tonight, they brought their love to Birminghamshire, and there was a lot of love for them. They were brilliant. From the opening of the show, Territorial Pissings, which merges into That’s Alright Mamma, you kind of get the drift for […]
MUNA @ O2 Institute 3,4th December 2019

Having found and fallen in love with the band through social media, I have never met anyone in my life who has ever mentioned MUNA to me. And with Wednesday’s evening’s show being downgraded from the second room of the O2 Institute in Birmingham to the smallest third room, my fear of being the only […]
Billy Bragg @ O2 Institute 2, 1 December 2019

There are not many artists I have seen more than four times, Frank Black is one and Billy Bragg is the other… although not for many, many years. The first time I saw Billy play live was in December 1985 at the Birmingham Odeon, then a month later at the same venue as part of […]
Glenn Hughes @ O2 Institute, 29th November 2019

It’s no coincidence that after two and a half years on the road playing the classic-era tracks from his former band Deep Purple, Glenn Hughes has chosen to end his tour in the West Midlands. Not only does the area’s reputation as the birthplace of hard rock tie in nicely with the set he has […]
Fat White Family @ O2 Institute 2, 28 November 2019

I wanted to simply write “Wow!” for this review and end it there because this was a fitting way to describe what I witnessed tonight. However, I thought I should elaborate a bit more. This was my third review in the space of a week, and it was a band whose reputation precedes them. Fat […]