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...  

WEIRD NIGHTMARE

Weird Nightmare is the solo project of Canadian singer & guitarist Alex Edkins, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of rock & roll - from the psychedelic 60s through to the DIY 90s and beyond - has brilliantly informed the five full-length albums he’s produced as one-third of punk-rock band Metz. Alex’s Hare & Hounds gig forms part of a UK tour in support of second Weird Nightmare album Hoopla.   

Hare & Hounds Birmingham, Thursday 3 September

---

AS IT IS

“It’s so easy to make a safe record,” says As It Is vocalist Patty Walters, “but artistic freedom is why this is exciting. We didn’t start a band to create a company and look at spreadsheets. We do this because being in a band is fun.”

Minnesota-born Patty formed the Brighton-based As It Is in 2012 with no expectations and very few ambitions: “We were just hoping to have some fun and be part of the thriving punk scene in Brighton.” 
Fourteen years on, the group has significantly exceeded Patty’s expectations: “I’m so proud of the band we’ve become.”

The international pop-rockers visit KK’s Steel Mill early this month as part of a UK tour in support of their recently released and critically acclaimed self-titled album.  

KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton, Friday 4 September

---

JEFFREY LEWIS & THE VOLTAGE

If scuzzy urban indie-rock-folk is your thing, then the hard-touring Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage are a definite must-see. Songwriter and comic-book artist Jeffrey has been churning out his critically acclaimed word-dense songs for the better part of 30 years, releasing his first official album, The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane And Other Favorites, in 2001. Touring to the four corners of the world across the last quarter-century, he’s successfully carved out a pretty unique niche for himself in the modern-day music-industry landscape.

Marrs Bar, Worcester, Sunday 6 September

---

EVANESCENCE

Arkansas-originated two-time Grammy Award winners Evanescence came to prominence back in the early years of the new millennium, grabbing music-industry attention with a fabulous fusion of gothic themes and heavy alternative and symphonic rock. Debut album Fallen, nowadays considered a modern classic, propelled them to stardom in double-quick time - although their ‘overnight’ success had actually been nearly a decade in the making. They’re visiting Birmingham in support of their sixth studio album, Sanctuary.

Utilita Arena Birmingham, Friday 11 September

---

GLYDERS

Chicago-based psychedelic rock band Glyders was formed by guitarist/vocalist Joshua Condon and bassist Eliza Weber back in 2014. However, it was the better part of a decade before they released debut album Maria’s Hunt, a well-received creation widely praised for its vibrant blend of garage-rock and cosmic country-blues. Sophomore offering Forever followed last year, and as with its predecessor, found favour with the critics. 

In recent times, Joshua and Eliza have been joined by drummer Joe Seger, an addition which has seen the high-energy rockers rapidly flourish and evolve. 

They drop in to Just Dropped In as part of a short tour of the UK and Europe.    

Just Dropped In, Coventry, Thursday 17 September

---

ARKAYLA

Layered guitar tones and telling lyrics combine to create complex yet dreamlike innovations in the music of Arkayla, a Manchester rock band who burst onto the scene a handful of years ago with a string of singles. Since that breakthrough period, they’ve earned themselves a legion of dedicated fans by virtue of some seriously captivating live performances. 

The boys have been likened to The Strokes, The Smiths and The Doors, comparisons which speak volumes for the impact of their style and the quality of their sound.

The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, Saturday 19 September

---

THE BLACKHEART ORCHESTRA

As orchestras go, Blackheart is a particularly small one, comprising just two members: the multi-award-winning Chrissy Mostyn and Rick Pilkington. Hailed as a modern-day Pink Floyd and creating highly emotional contemporary rock music - in the process playing in excess of a dozen instruments - the talented twosome are widely admired within the music industry. Genesis founder Steve Hackett, for example, has called their music “powerful and inspiring”, while Motorhead favourite Phil Campbell was even more effusive, describing their sound as “f***ing beautiful”.

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Sunday 20 September

---

ANNA PANCALDI

A Temperance favourite, Anna Pancaldi makes a Sunday afternoon return to the venue with another selection of her achingly beautiful songs. The London-based singer-songwriter counts Joni Mitchell and Carole King among the artists who have influenced her musical output, the quality of which has been ably demonstrated by the slew of TV programmes to have featured her songs, among them Grey’s Anatomy, Strictly Come Dancing, Pretty Little Liars, The In Between (Paramount) and Love Is Blind (Netflix).  

Temperance, Leamington Spa, Sunday 20 September

---

PACIFIC AVENUE

The challenge of the tricky sophomore album, which can see many a promising young artist or collective come a career-compromising cropper, has proven to be a walk in the park for Pacific Avenue. Following the success of their debut offering, Flowers, the Australian alternative rockers returned earlier this year with Lovesick Sentimental, a heartfelt record positively dripping with raw emotion and soaring rock ambition. The boys are visiting the region as part of their biggest-ever tour. 

O2 Institute, Birmingham, Monday 21 September

---

ANASTACIA

Large-lunged pop icon Anastacia returns, complete with a fistful of hits and happy to  let her music do the talking. 

With a startlingly distinctive voice that could shatter glass through its sheer force, she contrives to be both inspiring and uplifting without descending into trite and hackneyed cliche. 

Her Wolverhampton show forms part of a short tour to celebrate the quarter-century anniversary of her critically acclaimed debut album, Not That Kind. 

The Civic at The Halls Wolverhampton, Wednesday 23 September

---

MARILLION

They’ve been going strong for more than 40 years now, and given that they’re visiting the second city with a collection of new songs to perform, it’s fair to say that Marillion remain in impressively rude health. 
One of the UK’s most dynamic live bands, the boys maybe don’t tour as much as some other groups, but when they do, they’re well worth the ticket price.

“If it was practical and made financial sense to play everywhere, we would,” they explain. “The spirit is willing. The reality is more complicated... Touring takes us away from writing, recording and our families. We have to remain alive, and sane, so schedules have to be sustainable as well as practical. We’re not as young as we used to be...”

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wednesday 23 September

---

THE DUNWELLS

Leeds-based indie-folk-pop favourites The Dunwells have been ploughing their musical furrow since the noughties, earning themselves a reputation for being reliable purveyors of strong vocals, powerful melodies and heartfelt lyrics. 

Featuring brothers Joseph (vocals) and David Dunwell (guitar, vocals), along with friends Adam Taylor (drums, vocals) and Rob Clayton (bass, vocals), the quartet have supported some major names in the music industry, including Mumford & Sons, Tom Jones, Scouting For Girls and Bryan Adams.

LOOP, Shrewsbury, Thursday 24 September

---

JILL SCOTT

Residency-style performances, placing live-band instrumentation at the heart of the experience, are very much the name of the game for Jill Scott on this latest tour. 
The three-time Grammy Award-winning neo-soul star is visiting Birmingham in support of her exuberant latest album, To Whom This May Concern - her first in more than a decade. Her Midlands stop-off comes as part of an extensive world tour.  

O2 Academy, Birmingham, Tuesday 29 September

---

GRACE PETRIE

Long-hailed the folk scene’s funniest lesbian, Grace Petrie has spent much of her career writing protest songs. “I sing a lot of shouty songs about politics, and obviously in this current climate, I don’t have a lack of things to write about. I’m a socialist, feminist, political singer really, so it’s all lefty stuff. I’m a proud queer artist as well, and that’s quite a big part of what I write and sing about. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted!” 

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wednesday 30 September

---

PEATBOG FAERIES

Although mainly influenced by traditional Celtic music, the Peatbog Faeries create a sound that also embodies numerous other styles and influences, including electronica, folk, rock and jazz. Well established on the circuit, having formed some 35 years ago, the ensemble’s music brings together a blend of programmed effects with traditional Celtic arrangements played on bagpipes, fiddles and whistles. 
The Faeries visit the Midlands mid-month as part of a UK-wide tour.

Malvern Cube, Friday 30 October

---

CHANTEL MCGREGOR

Blues-rock musician Chantel McGregor was once told by a major label that she had “a great voice, but girls don’t play guitar like that!” Ignoring their view, she enrolled at the Leeds College of Music and became the first student in the college’s history to achieve a 100% pass mark at BTEC, with 18 distinctions.
She’s since released three studio albums of new material, including debut offering Like No Other and last year’s The Healing.

Temperance, Leamington Spa, Sunday 6 December