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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...
BEANS ON TOAST
Self-confessed hippie drunkard Beans On Toast selected his name because he wanted to be called something basic and simple - to reflect his music!
“I’m not the greatest guitarist in the world,” he once admitted to Listen Up Manchester. “I play simple three-chord folk songs, but if I see something that interests me, something that intrigues or angers me, I pick up my guitar and I write a song.”
Emerging from the London folk scene two decades ago and mainly singing about sex, drugs and politics, Beans On Toast is a surefire bet for an entertaining evening out.
Albert’s Shed, Shrewsbury, Friday 28 November
WOLF ALICE
Although starting out as an acoustic duo, Ellie Rowsell and Joff Oddie evolved their music to include more rock elements, leading to their North London quartet, Wolf Alice, being compared to, among others, Hole and Elastica. Recent years have seen their output receiving the recognition it deserves, with 2018’s Visions Of A Life bagging them a Mercury Music Prize and 2022’s Blue Weekend leading to them picking up the Brit Award for Best Group. They’re visiting Birmingham this month in support of recently released fourth album The Clearing.
Utilita Arena Birmingham, Saturday 29 November
JOOLS HOLLAND
Jools Holland is often viewed - somewhat unfairly, it should be said - as little more than an arch-fan, albeit one with his finger firmly on the musical pulse.
His well-established BBC TV show has long been an eclectic mixture of styles and genres, encompassing music from across the world. Jools’ talent on the piano is immense, his attitude towards his famed Rhythm & Blues Orchestra friendly and egalitarian. The result is a joyous celebration of music, and a sound to which you can’t help but tap your feet.
He’s joined for these Symphony Hall concerts by Imelda May, Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka.
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 November
THE OVERTONES
Vocal harmony group The Overtones were working together as painters and decorators when they were discovered by a Warner Brothers scout, who heard them singing during their tea break. A multi-album deal was subsequently secured with the record label. Blending 1950s harmonies with modern pop, their debut offering featured a number of tracks which the boys themselves had written. Numerous television appearances have followed in the ensuing years, with slots on shows such as Dancing On Ice and Britain’s Got More Talent ensuring they’ve remained in the public eye.
Malvern Theatres, Monday 1 December
ELIZA CARTHY & JOHN BODEN'S WASSAIL
Now here’s a festive-season team-up well worth catching...
The daughter of Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy, and a familiar name on the UK folk circuit, Eliza is an extremely talented singer and multi-instrumentalist...
Jon, meanwhile, is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist of progressive folk band Bellowhead, whose five studio albums have notched up more than a quarter of a million sales.
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Monday 1 & Tuesday 2 December
BAD MANNERS
Long in the tooth they may be, but English 2 Tone ska wizards Bad Manners still command a significant following around the globe. Very much a novelty act - courtesy, in the main, of the on-stage antics of bald-headed frontman Buster Bloodvessel - they spent the early 1980s vying for chart positions with fellow ska revival bands Madness, The Specials and The Selecter.
They visit Worcester this month with their 50th Anniversary Christmas Party show.
The Marrs Bar, Worcester, Tuesday 2 December
SUPALUNG
Alt-indie rock fans are certainly well served by up-and-coming Bristolian four-piece SupaLung, whose sound has been described as ‘a sonic hug with the heart of a drum that kicks’.
“We want to draw from all the great music across time that we love,” the band explain. “Joy is the keystone - if it doesn’t make us smile, give us goosebumps, or bring chills of happiness, we go back and rework it.
“The thought of playing our songs live keeps the fire burning. We can’t wait to connect with people in real time - at gigs, at festivals: wherever the music takes us.”
Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, Tuesday 2 December
JESCA HOOP
Jesca Hoop’s studio albums have marked her out as a talented singer-songwriter who enjoys performing in diverse musical styles.
“She is an old soul,” says one-time mentor Tom Waits, “like a black pearl, a good witch or a red moon. Her music is like going swimming in a lake at night.”
The Tin at The Coal Vaults, Coventry, Wednesday 3 December
THE UNTHANKS
Northumbrian folk favourites The Unthanks are marking 20 years of musicmaking with a tour of small, intimate spaces. Very much a family affair, with sisters Rachel and Becky at the forefront, the band’s CV boasts a host of interesting projects, from creating song cycles from Emily Bronte’s poetry, to site-specific theatre with Maxine Peake.
They’re not short of celebrity fans either, with Elvis Costello, Colin Firth, Dawn French, Al Murray and Ade Edmondson among their high-profile admirers.
Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Wednesday 3 December
DEBORAH ROSE
Welsh singer-songwriter & guitarist Deborah Rose delivers Celtic-inspired music with a timeless voice that calls to mind Eva Cassidy, Enya and Joni Mitchell. Having toured with, among others, folk legends Judy Collins, Ralph McTell and American songwriter Jimmy Webb, she boasts a style which transcends genres, drawing inspiration from her travels, nature, poetry, and in more recent times, the psalms.
Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Thursday 4 December
THE SLOW READERS CLUB
With a sound described by their publicity as anthemic electro-rock, critically acclaimed Manchester band The Slow Readers Club visit Birmingham as part of a special anniversary tour celebrating 10 years since the release of their seminal breakthrough album, Cavalcade.
O2 Institute, Birmingham, Friday 5 December
EROTIC SECRETS OF POMPEII
If you want to know more about the kind of music Erotic Secrets Of Pompeii play, their official publicity offers a splendidly descriptive helping hand: ‘a twisted amalgamation of angular art rock and transgressive post-punk, transmitted directly from the heart of the forbidden zone...’
So now you know.
The talented five-piece, whose above-described sound comes complete with grotesque imagery and vivid symbolism, play the Sunflower Lounge in support of their latest album, the darkly playful Pitchfork Libra, released back in October. Support on the night comes from special guests Kontours.
Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, Friday 5 December
MEROPE
Lithuanian singer & kanklės player Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė and Belgian guitarist/producer Bert Cools create an intimate soundscape by bringing together elements of jazz, traditional, ambient music, 20th-century minimalism and kosmische, in the process presenting a contemporary vision of ancient Baltic music.
Support on the night comes from M.Haiux, the musical alter-ego of Liverpool-based guitarist Matthew McPartlan.
Unitarian Church, Shrewsbury, Saturday 6 December
FATBOY SLIM
The one-time bassist for indie rock band The Housemartins, Quentin Leo Cook - aka Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim - is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most creative DJs. Adopting the Fatboy Slim moniker in 1996, Cook scored a massive hit with Better Living Through Chemistry. Follow-up albums You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby and Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars played their part in achieving mainstream popularity for the big beat genre.
Norman visits Wolverhampton early this month with his Acid Ballroom tour.
The Wulfrun at The Halls Wolverhampton, Saturday 6 December
THE CHARLATANS
Having recently released their 14th studio album, We Are Love - their first in eight years - West Midlands-originated Madchester band The Charlatans return to the region as part of a UK tour.
Currently celebrating 35 years together - a period during which they’ve explored all manner of genres, from psychedelia and soul to funk and country rock - the band have notched up plenty of chartbusters, including iconic hits such as The Only One I Know, One To Another, How High and North Country Boy.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing by any means - keyboardist Rob Collins passed away in 1996 and drummer Jon Brookes in 2013 - but the boys have nevertheless managed to carry on doing what they do best: creating memorable tunes that maintain their status as one of the most influential British groups of the last few decades.
The Charlatans Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunday 7 December
ALABAMA 3
In Alabama 3’s own immortal words: “We make sweet pretty muthaf**kin country acid-house music.”
The Brixton-formed band achieved international fame when their hit single Woke Up This Morning was chosen as the theme tune for HBO TV phenomenon The Sopranos. Their fondness for outrageous live performances will surely draw a crowd when they visit Coventry this month.
hmv Empire, Coventry, Thursday 11 December
SKINNY LISTER
From ska to rock, and from folk-punk to traditional shanty, Skinny Lister bring together a wide range of genres, along the way presenting their sound and story in an all-guns-blazing style that’s seen them garner praise from right across the music universe.
For their Sugarmill stop-off, they’re supported by American alternative country music group Vandoliers - with their signature brand of buckaroo burlesque - and London-based singer-songwriter Claudia Kate, whose sound sits somewhere between the outspokenness of Kate Nash and the honest musicality of Maggie Rogers.
The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, Thursday 11 December
JAMIROQUAI
Hats off to acid jazz & funk band Jamiroquai. Led by frontman Jay Kay, they’ve been a real force on the global music scene for more than 30 years, during which time they’ve accumulated 15 Brit Award nominations, two Guinness World Records, and more than 1.7 billion Spotify streams.
Their mid-month Birmingham visit comes as part of their first tour in six long years.
Utilita Arena Birmingham, Friday 12 December
CIAN DUCROT
Career-wise, Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot has travelled a long way in a short time. Making a breakthrough just three short years ago with hit single All For You, he now finds himself the proud owner of a coveted Grammy Award. Cian is visiting the region this month in support of second album Little Dreaming, the follow-up to his chart-topping debut offering, Victory.
Support comes from Annika Kilkenny.
O2 Academy, Birmingham, Saturday 13 December
WINTER WONDERBAND
Lithuanian singer & kanklės player Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė and Belgian guitarist/producer Bert Cools create an intimate soundscape by bringing together elements of jazz, traditional, ambient music, 20th-century minimalism and kosmische, in the process presenting a contemporary vision of ancient Baltic music.
Support on the night comes from M.Haiux, the musical alter-ego of Liverpool-based guitarist Matthew McPartlan.
Wolverhampton Arts Centre, Saturday 13 December
TALON
After 28 successful years together, Talon have certainly fulfilled their mission to ‘faithfully recreate the music of the Eagles with honesty, respect and reverence”.
This Town Hall stop-off sees the seven-piece counterfeits performing a wide selection of hits from the Eagles’ impressive back catalogue, including numbers like Hotel California, Take It Easy, One Of These Nights and Life In The Fast Lane.
Birmingham Town Hall, Saturday 20 December