Denai Moore | Mon 2 Oct | Sunflower Lounge | £7.50
Although London-born Denai Moore rose to prominence as a guest vocalist with SBTRKT, her sophomore album ‘We Used to Bloom’ showcases her phenomenal songwriting chops in full: a self-described ‘love letter to the liberated self’, an album that straddles both soul and folk in spacious, gorgeous arrangements focused around Moore’s arresting voice. seetickets.com
Dead Pretties | Wed 4 Oct | Sunflower Lounge | £6
In most cases, reaching for the Nirvana comparison is more of a curse than a blessing, but Dead Pretties earn it in the most favourable way: with wild catharsis, hefty garage-rock drums, unhinged screaming and a raw, likeable charm. The spirit of grunge lives on. seetickets.com
Estrons | Fri 6 Oct | Sunflower Lounge | £8
Welsh rock agitators Estrons thrive on confrontation and dissonance. New A-Side ‘Strobe Lights’ is a pummelling post-punk jam: guitar riffs so lethally angular that they can cut bone, and a wild, unkempt performance that shows singer Tali Källström at her breathless best. seetickets.com
Mourning Suns + Venkman | Fri 6 Oct | Dark Horse | FREE
Some stunning Birmingham talent in the form of Mourning Suns’ expansive melancholy and finely woven country blues. Support comes from Venkman’s shape-shifting, mathy agit-pop: energetic and fun, the carefree sound of a kid running downhill.
My Baby | Fri 6 Oct | Actress & Bishop | £11
Shamanic electro-rock group MY BABY make the most unexpected musical connections, a synaptic map that ties together Can, the Kills, and the Faint into a theatrical dance-punk freakout – harnessing every mystical, muso, punk weapon they’ve got in a shameless bid to make your feet move. See our full preview here.
Rhino & The Ranters | Sat 7 Oct | Hare & Hounds | £8
Birmingham’s favourite five man party juggernaut return. See preview here
Yassassin | Sun 8 Oct | Hare & Hounds | £6
London alt-rock five-piece Yassassin may have been named after a David Bowie song, but their vibrant post-punk energy evokes the spirit of The Breeders and Le Tigre, a loose-limbed garage-rock clatter full of staccato drums, choppy guitars and big hooks. See our full preview here.
Words: Chris Donald - Gigs Editor
Published on: Thu 7 Sep 2017