‘B-Town Indie Night: The Rainbow Birmingham’ ‘The Awakening of the Sleeping Giant!’
Last Thursday evening I had the pleasure of attending one of Birmingham’s freshest live music events, hosted by Tim Senna – B-Town… what better way to spend a Thursday night?
Birmingham music venue ‘The Rainbow’ has seen many acts from across the globe. Thursday night was all about celebrating some of the premier up-and-coming Indie bands Birmingham has to offer… except Bournemouth’s ‘Sugarglass’ that is…
Archsta Kicks Things Off
Walking down the steps into the underground venue, I am thrilled to see the silhouettes of bodies, slowly jamming to the sounds of ‘Archsta’. The solo singer-songwriter was bringing those indie vibes with his jangling guitars and vulnerable vocals. It is always a great feeling seeing weekday evening events with an excellent turnout, especially since seeing that the opening act had so much talent to show. He very much set the table for a relaxing starter, performing some of his original songs, he then did a marvellous rendition of ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ in the style of John Mayer. Keep an eye out for his charismatic live sets around Brum, a super friendly and talented dude.
Daisy Peacock Smashes It
Next up we had Daisy Peacock, originally, I had imagined her set to be a solo-singer-songwriter-acoustic guitar affair, but she is backed by a 4-piece band. And they were a machine, a funky 90’s Indie Rock machine. I was impressed with their Blind Melon-style guitar melodies and Daisy’s superb vocal range and stage presence. She displayed a veteran mindset and overcame some technical sound issues with her microphone, but played it off very coolly, the sign of a true pro. Great storytelling, reminding me about everything great about 90’s popular rock, Alanis Morissette vibes! Then they smash into rhythms and riffs The Jam would be proud of. The night is really warming up now.
Mr Senna Behind The Wheel
I would like to just mention how great of a host Tim Senna is, the guy has the energy of every amazing talk-show host, he gets the crowd feeling lively with his wit and his regional pride towards Birmingham, he bleeds Brum. And I salute you for it. More on him later though…
Funky Beats
Now comes the only out-of-town band, but that town begins with a B… so that’s a yes from us. Bournemouth is the town and Sugarglass is the band. And they’ve got the FUNK, or as their singer puts it…GUNK (gay funk). This lot had some serious funky energy, still very much Indie, but bringing a whole dollop of Emo and a squeeze of Pop-Punk sensibility to the party, it was a party for the senses. I can very much see Emo skate kids and Indie football fans bopping along to their sounds in a holy union. The singer even played a guitar fit for Kerry King (Flying V shape). Special shout out to their lead guitarist, who would’ve made any Frusciante enthusiast’s heart fill with joy.
Last up we had local veterans Real Cool, and the headline slot for these lads was well deserved. Still going from their 2017 inception, this lot brought a more Hip-Hop-influenced electronic element to the night, and it was refreshing in the now sweat-steamed basement. We are instantly transported to 1980s Miami Florida and let me tell you, Real Cool quenched a tropical thirst! With Afro-Beat rhythms and enough 1980s synth to make Gary Numan quiver, everybody in the crowd was feeling the music, we all felt as one. It was interesting to hear their use of mobile phone call sounds and field recordings, the singer shifts from guitarist to synth-machine to pianist mid-song and has the energy of 100,000 school kids with 10 seconds to go till the bell. Everybody on the bill tonight had a natural charisma that demanded attention, and Real Cool made it seem so effortless!
Longevity Is The Goal Here
B-Town is here to stay! Tim Senna is making sure of it. The local legend helped bring everybody together for this magnificent Thursday night, that otherwise would have been spent worrying about making sure I enjoyed myself on the weekend… I already had my fun on Thursday! “It is all about the love, we wanna make sure Birmingham is represented… this is the awakening of the sleeping giant!” says Tim, as a chorus of cheers and claps reverberate in the room.
That is what it is all about: people came, danced and spread love for Brum’s scene. There will be more of these events gracing Birmingham venues, so go and see for yourself…
B-Town ain’t messing around.
