Last week I alluded to the recent growth of the B-Town scene coming out of the Digbeth area of the Birmingham, so today I decided to look a little deeper into what it is that has made the second city, the place to be if you like indie rock.
© Booji Wooji Man
Over the last few years, the power of indie rock has moved south, once it was Manchester that held the crown as the cornerstone of indie rock, but now Birmingham has taken over as the UK’s indie powerhouse, recently producing a succession of bands, who have made people stand up and pay attention to the West Midlands music scene once again.
B-Town is as unique and varied as the bands which are helping to form it, the most successful of which being Peace, Swim Deep, Superfood and Jaws, who despite their differences in styles, have noticeable 90’s backbone and ties to the Digbeth that tie them together, turning a run down area of inner-city Birmingham, into the musical Mecca of indie since 2010.
Peace
Described as a ‘dark melodic indie techno’ band, Peace met overly positive reviews from début album In Love, gaining the band a great amount of critical attention, a nomination for BBC Sound Of 2013 and the converted opening slot at the NME Awards Tour, this was the crowning glory for a band that seemed to point towards a rebirth of a Britpop scene, but with a new modern take on a truly 90’s sound.
If you like: Foals, Maccabees, Half Moon Run, Mystery Jets
Swim Deep
With a mixture of smooth indie and 90’s grunge, Swim Deep have bust onto the scene with a collection of great singles and a wonderful EP Sun On My Back, all of which built up a pretty substantial amount of hype before the release their début album Where the Heaven are We, fast developing into one of the biggest indie successes of 2013, using their unique sound of dreamlike indie to tap into the hip and young subculture of people who Culture Compass describe as “dressed in paisley with a healthy dose of nonchalance“.
If you like: Splashh, Palma Violets, The Vaccines, Wolf Alice
Jaws
Riding high after the release of two amazing EP’s, Jaws have taken the ska, madchester and noise pop sounds and combined them to produce an sound and a interesting addition to the B-Town sound, producing singles such as Surrounding You and Friend Like You has quickly put them at the forefront of the of the recent revival in slacker pop, perfect for a hazy summer evening and just in time of festival season.
If you like: Bombay Bicycle Club, Vampire Weekend
Superfood
Leading a secretive existence until recently, Superfood have exploded onto the stage with their début EP mam and a succession of support slots, including for We Are Scientists and Wolf Alice on their UK Tours, all of which has propelled them up the ladder in the indie scene, with NME giving them an impressive 9/10 for their recent gig at the London Barfly, where they quickly won over the crowd with a succession of playful grunge vibes and sweet hooks, something that the young band have become renowned for.
If you like: Blur, Feeder, Adult Jazz, Exclamation Pony
Tour Dates
Peace
23.05.14 – Dot To Dot Festival, Manchester
24.05.14 – Dot To Dot Festival, Bristol
25.05.14 – Dot To Dot Festival, Nottingham
27.05.14 – Keele University, Staffordshire
28.05.14 – Parr Hall, Warrington
29.05.14 – Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal
31.05.14 – Fat Sam’s, Dundee
01.06.14 – Ironworks, Inverness
02.06.14 – The Empire, Middlesbrough
04.06.14 – Central Station, Wrexham
05.06.14 – The Arts Centre, Aberystwyth
06.06.14 – The Assembly, Leamington Spa
10.06.14 – Komedia, Bath
11.06.14 – Princess Pavilion, Falmouth
12.06.14 – Isle of Wight Festival, Isle of Wight
12.06.14 – Sin City, Swansea
13.06.14 – Pavilion Theatre, Worthing
18.07.14 – Truck Festival, Oxford
25.07.14 – Redfest, Redhill
01.08.14 – Standon Calling, Ware
22.08.14 – Reading Festival, Berkshire
22.08.14 – Leeds Festival, Yorkshire
Jaws
16.04.14 – 53 Degrees, Preston
17.04.14 – The Sugarmill, Stoke
18.04.14 – The Plug, Sheffield
19.04.14 – The Institute, Birmingham
20.04.14 – Also Know As, Banbury
22.04.14 – Unit, Southampton
23.04.14 – Cavern, Exeter
24.04.14 – 60 Million Post Cards, Bournemouth
25.04.14 – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
28.04.14 – The Cooke Jar, Leicester
29.04.14 – The Horn, St Albans
30.04.14 – Understone, Cardiff
01.05.14 – Sound City Festival, Liverpool
02.05.14 – Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough
03.05.14 – Live At Leeds, Yorkshire
04.05.14 – City Sound Project, Canterbury
06.05.14 – Oakford Social, Reading
08.05.14 – The Great Escape, Brighton
Swim Deep
12.06.14 – Isle of Wight Festival, Isle of Wight
18.07.14 – Truck Festival, Oxfordshire
01.08.14 – Y Not Festival, Derbyshire
Superfood
19.04.14 – Stockton Calling, Stockton On Tees
01.05.14 – King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
02.05.14 – Sound City, Liverpool
03.05.14 – Live at Leeds, Yorkshire
05.05.14 – Fruit, Hull
06.05.14 – Leadmill 2, Sheffield
07.05.14 – Think Tank, Newcastle
08.05.14 – The Duchess, York
13.05.14 – Academy 2, Oxford
14.05.14 – Portland Arms, Cambridge
15.05.14 – Esquires, Bedford
16.05.14 – Boileroom, Guildford
17.05.14 – Cookie Jar, Leicester
18.05.14 – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
20.05.14 – The Haunt, Brighton
21.05.14 – 53 Degrees, Preston
22.05.14 – Sugarmill, Stoke
27.05.14 – Craufurd Arms, Wolverton
28.05.14 – Scala, London
19.07.17 – Truck Festival, Oxfordshire
24.07.14 – Secret Garden Party, Cambridgshire
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