First up tonight are Lola Gordon, Tom Cotter, Henry Brown, and Sophie Moloney who make up The Roebucks a Brighton based alt-country come bluesy rock band. Lola is happy to be in Brum being a big Black Sabbath fan. The quartet share a well-received thirty minute set decked out in kind of retro clothing with numbers that include `It`s Taking Me Back`, the questioning `I`ve Been Further`, aching `300 Fahrenheit` before closing out with an extended version of the John Lee Hooker classic `Dimples`.
Australian trio Howling Bells, vocalist/guitarist Juanita Stein, her brother and guitarist Joel Stein and drummer Glenn Moule released their first new album `Strange Life` in February and a close out a fairly intense fourteen date tour in support of the release, here in the UK`s second city.
There`s little fuss as the band who are joined by Rory O`Conner providing bass head on stage and kick the show off with `Blessed Night` from the bands self-titled debut album before the dreamy `Unbroken` off the latest release followed by a couple of tracks from the `Radio Wars` album with `Cities Burning Down` and `Nightingale`
There`s more cuts from the latest release with the dreamy `Melbourne`, the swaying `Angel`, pounding rhythmic `Sacred Land` and synth tinged oscillating `The Looking Glass`. Their past career isn`t neglected as we also enjoy three tracks from 2006`s debut album with `Setting Sun`, the haunting `A Ballad For the Bleeding Hearts` and thumping `The Night is Young` along with the kind of retro tinged `Your love` from over a decade ago.
The band leave us with a final two songs from the recent `Strange Life` album with the otherworldly `Heavy Lifting` and blistering `Sweet Relief`.
This packed venue doesn`t suit disappearing off stage to return for an encore so the group remain where they are and send us home with a final couple of compositions. First up is the Neil Diamond written `Girl, You`ll be a Woman Soon` a song that is more associated these days with American alternative rock band Urge Overkill`s cover which appeared in Quentin Tarantino`s 1994 film Pulp Fiction. Juanita`s voice leant itself wonderfully to this cover. The final offering is the band`s debut single `Low Happening` a number that still stands up twenty years after its release and had this audience waving and singing along.
There was so much to take in during this hour plus set and it became a little overwhelming at times. But reflecting back it was a pretty well constructed set which acknowledged the past while looking towards where the band are today.
