OMNI | Tue 19 Sep | Hare & Hounds | £9.90
Atlanta post-punk trio Omni distill the buzz and grit that snakes through the best of Television, Devo, and Pylon into surprisingly danceable, hook-laden slabs of raw, sonic bliss. In other words, Omni are students of the post-punk masters, matching the intensity of their locked-down music with a fiery passion that simmers below the surface. See our full preview here.
Kiran Leonard | Tue 19 Sep | at Newhampton Arts Centre | £10
Eccentric musical/philosophical upstart Kiran Leonard performs his new LP Derevaun Seraun in its entirety with a string trio. See our full preview here.
Charly Bliss | Wed 20 Sep | Sunflower Lounge | £7.50
While crunchy New York power-poppers Charly Bliss share DNA with upbeat guitar bands like Hop Along or Honeyblood, their own brand of 90s nostalgia comes with a whole extra level of sugary sweetness, going straight for the cholesterol-clogged heart of Weezer’s Blue era by way of Josie & the Pussycats. Eva Hendricks’ lyrics and delivery, though, are closer to an exasperated Kim Deal, marshalling her Breeders into an uneasy pop frenzy. It’s difficult to truly make this sound your own, but Charly Bliss do it with aplomb. seetickets.com
Mike Skinner & Murkage | Fri 22 Sep | Hare & Hounds | SOLD OUT
Mike Skinner & Murkage return to stake their claim to the Hare & Hounds and all who sail in her, with the last of three events this year to feature Mike, the Murkage Family and special guests on the decks for the entire evening. Their notorious appeal has seen each event sell out, and this one’s no different – so if you were blessed with a ticket, make the most of it. See our full preview here.
Trailer Trash Tracys | Fri 22 Sep | Actress & Bishop | £8
London duo Trailer Trash Tracys (pictured) channel a soft, sophisticated strand of early-90s pop that falls just the right side of kitsch: their new sophomore album ‘Althaea’ is like a slow-motion replay of a Moloko video, shadowy figures stalking through a leather-clad lounge, unironic ‘world music’ synth patches chiming through the speakers. With support from Alfresco Love Sounds and Sorry Grace. seetickets.com
Juanita Stein (Howling Bells) | Sun 24 Sep | Actress & Bishop | £10
Frontwoman of oft-overlooked Australian grunge-rock outfit Howling Bells, Juanita Stein hits the road as a solo outfit for the first time, in support of her debut album ‘America’. Organic, dark and brooding, the daydream-fuzz of single ‘Dark Horse’ is a breed of folk and krautrock that gently but relentlessly drives towards the horizon. It’s a full-blooded addition to Stein’s pretty decent resumé. seetickets.com
Sparks | Sun 24 Sep | O2 Institute
The maverick LA duo have been shredding rules books and confounding expectations from the day they formed in 1968 to express their love of English music, such as the Kinks and Pink Floyd, and hatred of folk (GL). Full preview here.
The ace arts fest. Birmingham Weekender offers a mad line-up of free musical adventures and local talent for free all over this weekend, including Don Letts, David Rodigan, Soweto Kinch, Hoopla Blue and the High Horses + loads more. Full details here.
Words: Chris Donald - Gigs Editor
Published on: Mon 21 Aug 2017