I'm still astounded that I managed to get tickets to see The Cribs play the absolutely tiny venue - The Oobleck, last week! The band actually commented that this was the smallest venue they'd ever played in Birmingham. It was just so perfect. Everyone lucky enough to get tickets to see them on this small venue tour knows how I feel.

Menace Beach were the only support act. After seeing them support Pulled Apart By Horses here last year, I wasn't that impressed so I was interested to see what they'd be like now after a few months. They were actually much better! They had much more energy and confidence! I'm not sure if it was because of the slightly smaller crowd or the fact that they've now recently released their debut album, but they smashed it. They did so well in fact that it made me want to get my hands on the record, as I was pretty unsure before. They did a good job and who knows, they might actually end up being a bit of a big deal.

Then, the moment everybody was gagging for - The Cribs. Even before Menace Beach stepped on you could feel the crowd steeling themselves for what was to come. The Jarman's entered to screams, cheers and chants of the riff from "Another Number". It felt like a homecoming - the crowd was in it with them from beginning to end and the band didn't let us down. Opening up with "Mirror Kissers", the crowdsurfers were quick off the bat. You could tell that everyone was there to have a good time, band included as they sang through their setlist smiling from ear to ear. Even six albums on in their career, it can be shows like this that are most poignant in memory. They played through old classics like "Our Bovine Public", "Hey Scenesters!" and of course "Men's Needs". The last of these in particular went off! The crowd singing all the lyrics, backing vocals and riffs - it was a surreal moment. As well as classics, it was nice to hear that their new songs like "Burning For No-One" and "Pink Snow" sounded just as musically epic as their older material. Of course the price you pay for playing a small venue gig is the heat levels. Everything was drenched in sweat... even the walls. However, everyone was too merry to care. Killer set and stellar band.

Overall rating - 8.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I know, I know, I'm super late... Let me start off by apologising for my absence - I've been very occupied with exam and coursework stress but as that starts to ease off I'll definitely be posting regularly as normal. Otherwise, follow me on twitter here - even if I'm not blogging, I'm usually tweeting about new finds, SOTDs and everything in between.

If you haven't noticed, 2015 has started off with a humongous bang! January has been jam packed with album releases, tour announcements, single and video premieres, awards ceremonies, and much, much more! So how do I fit everything into one compact post...? I don't. Here's a list of some records already released this month and some others to come. Next post will cover all the other music news.

ONES I'VE MISSED




RAE SREMMURD - SREMMLIFE
These boys just came out of nowhere and gave us some of the biggest hits of 2014. Now they're going to give us some of the biggest hits of 2015 with Sremmlife. "No Flex Zone" and "No Type" are both awesome tracks, I'm just excited to hear the rest of the record. Came out on the 6th of January.






JAZMINE SULLIVAN - REALITY SHOW
I haven't heard anything form Jazmine since Fearless! I'm sure she must have released something since 2008 but nonetheless, that was a fabulous album. Judging by that, I'm going to assume that this new record will pack a punch too. Have a listen for yourself, it came out on the 13th of January.






MARK RONSON - UPTOWN SPECIAL
Mark Ronson. What a man. If this guy's name is on a track you can expect it to be fire. Still at number one on the charts with "Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars)", the full album is now out (on the 13th of January). Just check out this performance on Ellen here to see what Mark can bring to the table. The album features Stevie Wonder, Andrew Wyatt and Kevin Parker.







JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE - ABSENT FATHERS
A name that's been blowing about in the airwaves recently. When I heard that he was from Nashville, I assumed country influence, and I was right. However, I was wrong to assume that it wouldn't interest me. Justin has a brilliant voice and some really nice songs. The album came out on the 13th of January - get involved.

 




MEGHAN TRAINOR - TITLE
Almost everyone in the world must have heard this woman's song "All About That Bass" by now. To be honest, when I first heard it I have to say I wasn't that impressed. I said "I know it'll get huge airtime but I just don't think the song is amazing". Well, it did get airtime and I still think the same thing. Maybe this album can change my mind (out on the 13th of January).





FOUR TET - PERCUSSIONS
It's always nice when Four Tet graces us with some new jams. This is more like a compilation album of tracks from 2011 to 2014 but in standard Four Tet fashion, each track is imaginatively layered and unexpected. The album came out on the 13th of January, have a listen here.






ONES STILL TO COME



PETITE NOIR - THE KING OF ANXIETY EP
YES! Been a couple of years since I've heard this name around but I haven't forgotten the talent. Even though it's not a full length, this EP should be just as interesting as a full length would be. I mean, just listen to his track "Chess" from it. For fans of Sampha, this comes out on the 19th of January.






ENTER SHIKARI - THE MINDSWEEP
I made it no secret about my disappointment with Enter Shikari's latest single "The Last Garrison" but since then, everyone I've come across, friends and strangers alike, has made me feel like I've got it wrong. So I listened again as if it was my first listen. I'll admit it publicly - I was wrong. This is actually a pretty great song! I suppose I was just thrown off as I was expecting something very different. I think this record out on the 19th of January will silence any doubts I had/have.




BUNKI - BUNKI EP
I heard about Bunki on Twitter. As 2014 was such a successful year for debuts I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon early and get a listen of his debut EP here. Captivating sounds. It would seem that electronic music is still making a huge impression and not just on it's own but in every other facet of music now. Get your hands on the EP on the 19th of January.






FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND - CHAPTER AND VERSE
Funeral For A Friend, fueling my pop punk heart for years now. After listening to their latest single "Pencil Pusher" it sounds like they've moved over a little more hardcore sound but this is a huge plus! I'm unbelievably psyched for this new album out on the 19th of January. 







MENACE BEACH - RATWORLD
Late last year I saw Menace Beach supporting Pulled Apart By Horses here. They didn't grab my attention that much live but this album might be what gets me excited about them. They definitely have potential, let's just see if they can use it on the 19th of January.



 


JOEY BADA$$ - B4.DA.$$
Honestly, my favourite thing about this album right now is the title (B4.DA.$$ = before the money). If his lyrics and songs are as clever as his title, and I trust that they will be, then this will be a record to write home about. The album drops on the 20th of January.



 



LUPE FIASCO - TETSUO & YOUTH
Speaking of clever lyricists. One of my favourite names in hip-hop is gracing us with something new. I will vouch for it right here and now, not having listened to any of it yet, this will be a good album. Lupe is always bringing my attention to new styles and influences. I don't think that this album out on the 20th of January will be any different.





 
MIKKY EKKO - TIME
Most will recognise him from Rihanna's song "Stay" but he's so much more than just a feature artist. Here with his debut album we get to hear his fabulous voice solo and after listening to "U" I expect this to impress. Time comes out on the 20th of January.










FALL OUT BOY - AMERICAN BEAUTY/AMERICAN PSYCHO
Fall Out Boy are really testing the waters these days. It's always great to hear them experimenting with new things. However, the bad thing about experiments is that they can sometimes go very wrong. I'm hopeful for this record though, so far I've heard nothing but good. See if this is an American beauty or an American psycho on the 20th of January.

I've only recently gotten into Pulled Apart By Horses this year but I was lucky enough to catch them late last month on tour.

The first band opening up for them was Birmingham locals - Them Wolves. My first impression of them was that they were sloppy, loud and out of control. At first I was not into it at all but when I finally got a hold of myself I realised that they were just real, old school punk rock. Fast paced, noisy and out of control! I feel like these days we are far too focused on music sounding perfect and every note being "the right fit" or "in tune", that we forget that music is just supposed to evoke a reaction in us - physical or emotional. As pretty or as "pitch perfect" as songs might sound these days, they can't always make us something. Sound levels could have been a lot better but overall these guys played a solid set. The lead singer is kind of what I would imagine Yannis Philippakis to sound like if he picked up a bass and started a punk rock band.

Up next was Menace Beach (what a name!). Their set wasn't quite as awesome as their name. To be honest they didn't really do much to keep me interested or surprise me. They were just, fine... Maybe even verging on vanilla. There was nothing really bad about the set but then nothing spectacular either. I don't think I'd pay money to see them headline any time soon but I did however quite like their songs "Fortune Teller" and "Drop Outs".

And finally, Pulled Apart By Horses. They opened up with my current favourite of theirs "Hot Squash" and the left half of the crowd immediately lost it. Something just seemed to come over that part of the crowd and it didn't quite reach the right side. PABH were electric though. Great energy from the get go. Their bassist too though - amazing!! As the show went on energy levels didn't dip, left side stayed crazy, right stayed mellow. It was one of the strangest crowd set ups I'd ever been in but it felt alright. However, because of this split, Tom mostly paid attention to the buzzing crowd members on the left and I don't think he even walked over to the right side of the room during the set. The set list was awesome though. They played pretty much every big tune from recent album Blood and also hits from their older two albums Pulled Apart By Horses and Tough Love. These guys played the set like if they weren't doing music they couldn't be doing anything else. Even in that tiny venue you could tell how much these live shows meant to them, and that's what made the vibe of the night so great.

Overall Rating - 7/10


Here are some pictures from the night...