Blimey, just checked and the first time we saw New Model Army in these parts was in May 1983 at the legendary original JBs club in Dudley. The hoards of chicken dancing fans gave us the willies to be honest, but there was no doubting a major musical force had arrived. Check out their appearance on Channel 4’s The Tube in January 1984 to see what we mean. Never an artist to stand still constant member Justin Sullivan has refused to be pigeon holed musically and major personnel changes have accompanied major stylistic changes over the years. A fanatical fan base that refers to themselves as ‘The Family’ generate a great atmosphere live. And luckily the chicken dancing is a thing of the past!

Sun 13 Nov 7pm at O2 Institute, 78 High Street, Digbeth, Brigham B5 6DY £22.50 www.academymusicgroup.com/