With a number of the UK’s biggest and most impressive venues in our patch, we Midlanders are guaranteed a chance to see some of the music industry’s brightest stars as they tour the country. Our grass-roots music scene is super-cool, too. Here’s a selection of gigs worth grabbing a ticket for over the next few weeks...  

SUNDAY (1994)

After many a year spent writing songs for other artists and composing music for sync deals and adverts, romantic partners Paige Turner and Lee Newell decided during the pandemic that it was high time they created a band of their own. 

Accompanied by an anonymous and enigmatic drummer referred to simply as ‘X’, they launched Sunday (1994), writing and performing music which they describe as dreamy, nostalgic and whimsical... 
Their Birmingham appearance this month comes as part of their debut tour. 

Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, Wednesday 21 May

K.O.G.

Using a mix of English, Pidgin and Ga to paint sonic pictures, Kweku Sackey - aka K.O.G (Kweku of Ghana) - not only boasts a massive vocal range and some wicked dance moves, he’s also been hailed “Ghana’s finest” by none other than boogie-woogie piano legend Jools Holland.

“I view music as a major weapon needed in the battlefield for peace of mind in the world,” explains Kweku. “I love to make music that connects, revives, educates and entertains, drawing on the spiritual, physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of us as individuals, and our quest to maintain balance with the universe.”

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Thursday 22 May

SCISSOR SISTERS

Camper than Julian Clary in a pink tent, Scissor Sisters made a name for themselves thanks in no small part to bitchily observational lyrics that were every bit as sharp as the band’s name suggests.
Cheerfully ignoring the main trend of their native New York, as peddled by the likes of The Strokes, their cheesy party music worked equally well whether experienced in a dark, sweaty club or outside in the garden with the sun beating down... 

Their Birmingham gig this month forms part of a tour which sees them playing live for the first time in 13 years, having announced an indefinite hiatus back in 2012.

Utilita Arena Birmingham, Sunday 25 May

EDUARDO MARTÍN & AHMED DICKINSON

Cuban guitarist Ahmed Dickinson Cárdenas didn’t just admire fellow countryman Eduardo Martín from afar; he actually took lessons with the great man, who is one of the most-performed guitar-music composers in the world. The pair clicked, and are playing Stafford to celebrate the release of their new album, The Bridge, a carefully curated compilation of Eduardo’s most alluring works for two guitars.  

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Sunday 25 May

WE ARE SCIENTISTS

We Are Scientists’ breakthrough success came with debut studio album With Love And Squalor, which featured hit single Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt, the song for which the rock duo are best known. 
“I can’t wait for these shows to begin,” said frontman Keith Murray, prior to the late-April start of the pair’s new European & UK tour, of which this Sugarmill date forms a part. “I’d happily skip straight to the first show if I could - although I suppose we do need to rehearse, and I should probably get some new stage outfits!”

The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, Thursday 29 May

THE YOUNG'UNS

After many a year spent plying their trade at festivals and around the folk clubs of the North East, the Young’uns are now well established as one of the country’s most popular folk/acoustic acts. 

“We approach folk music as stories and songs and anecdotes,” explains the trio’s singer & accordion player, David Eagle. “Every gig is about storytelling, so our songwriting has become more sophisticated. 
We know what we like and we’re more unabashed now. We know who we are.”

Expect plenty of that heart-on-the-sleeve storytelling, along with beautiful lyrics, warm harmonies and relentless repartee, when the trio stop off in Shrewsbury this month as part of their 20th anniversary tour.

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Friday 30 May; Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Thursday 29 May

SCOTT MATTHEWS

Singer-songwriter Scott Matthews’ ground-breaking debut album, Passing Stranger, earned serious critical acclaim, while his first single, Elusive, bagged the Ivor Novello award for ‘best song musically & lyrically’.
Having since gone on to produce a further eight albums, he’s visiting Malvern as part of a tour to support latest offering Restless Lullabies. Hailed a subliminal listening experience, the much-lauded record has further cemented Scott’s status as one of the UK’s master songsmiths.

Malvern Cube, Friday 30 May

JORJA SMITH

When West Midlander and soul singer Jorja Smith uploaded debut track Blue Lights to SoundCloud nine years ago, Canadian rapper Drake was among the legion of listeners to sit up and take notice. Indeed, he liked what he heard so much that he featured Jorja not once but twice on his 2017 mixtape, More Life, which went on to score a massive hit on both Spotify and Apple Music. 

The resultant exposure played its part in launching the Walsall-born singer into the music-industry stratosphere - and her star has been burning brightly pretty much ever since.

Bringing her Falling Or Flying tour to Wolverhampton this month, Jorja is supported on the night by soulful singer-songwriter Mychelle. 

The Civic at The Halls Wolverhampton, Saturday 31 May