A quick look at our top 10 live sets of 2021. (Please note Indie Midlands acts are ommited from the Best Of The Year lists)
Artists listed A-Z
Arch Femmesis @ Dot To Dot Festival (Nottingham)
Arch Femmesis are one of a number of acts in this top 10 who I had a couple of gigs to choose from. I’ve chosen their Dot To Dot set over the Indie Midlands show they played for us back in August. Their Indie Midlands headline was great. One of my most enjoyable nights of 2021. But the Dot To Dot set in their own home city of Nottingham took things up another notch and as the final set I saw at the festival it closed out a perfect day of live music featuring a number of acts who make this top 10. Also Zera & Meddla are the sweetest people you could wish to meet.
Bryony Williams @ KK’s Steel Mill
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of my year was getting to see one of my best friends Bryony Williams being hand picked by James to support them at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton. Out of a few hundred acts who applied James personally picked her so Bryony and her band got to play in front of what was probably around 1000 people at that stage of the night. The gig would eventually be a sold out 2000 capacity show. And Bryony shone like the star she is, completely nailing her set and gaining herself a lot of new fans on the night. It’s also nice when you get guest list to a gig that had a ticket price of £45 too haha.
Deijuvhs @ Sebright Arms
When we went down to London for Graywave’s debut show I didn’t realise I was going to see of my favourite live sets of the year but that’s just what I got thanks to Deijuvhs. A combination of rap & grunge, he perfomed a set that bristled with angst and energy, and considering that’s not a musical style I normally listen to I spent a good couple of weeks after the gig listening to Deijuvhs on Spotify.
ĠENN @ Dead Wax
ĠENN are another act I had two sets to choose from. I could have gone with their set at The Box in FarGo Village in Coventry when I went along to see YNES support them. But I’ve chosen to go with the headline set they played for ourselves and Grrrl Groannn at Dead Wax in October. ĠENN are a great band who remind me so much of another band I’ve been lucky to have headline for me on a couple of occassions in GHUM. And like GHUM ĠENN are really lovely people. It was a pleasure to bring them to Birmingham.
Grandmas House @ Hare & Hounds
Another act that I got to see twice this year was Grandmas House. A band I wanted to see for a while it was finally great to do so at Dot To Dot Festival. They didn’t disappoint. And they definitely didn’t disappoint a few weeks later when they headlined Hare & Hounds. I’ve chosen the H&H set over the D2D one just purely as I was able to chat with the trio after their set when the rest of the crowd had left. The only disappointment on the night was the poor turn out crowd wise. They deserved a much bigger audience.
Lemondaze @ The Sunflower Lounge
Another set from an Indie Midlands gig, from the moment it was officially booked I was excited for Lemondaze’s co-headline at The Sunflower Lounge with Graywave and when the night arrived it was perfect. As a big shoegaze fan Lemondaze’s set is quite possibly my favourite live set of the year. It was mesmerising and having them co-headline with Graywave meant it was a special night. Lemondaze are a band who have nailed their sound perfectly. I could watch them live every night and never get bored. After the gig we all went out to Dead Wax for some fun.
PROJECTOR @ The Victoria
There were plenty of great sets from acts who played for Indie Midlands this year who could easily have made this top 10, but the final one I’m going for is PROJECTOR from their headline show at The Victoria. I actually got to see PROJECTOR live twice this year and both times were at The Victoria, the second time being support to Kid Kapichi. I’ve chosen the Indie Midlands headline purely for the fact they had a 45 minute set instead of the 30 they got supporting Kid Kapichi. On both occassions they were great though and after the Kid Kapichi gig we all headed down to NQ64 in Digbeth for some late night drinks. Top people.
Smoothboi Ezra @ Dot To Dot Festival (Nottingham)
Ireland’s Smoothboi Ezra makes music that I find beautiful and soothing so when I saw they were playing Dot To Dot Festival this year they instantly went down on my must see list. When you have an inner-city festival taking place like Dot To Dot with a number of artists playing at different venues at the same time there are always going to be some acts who get hit with a small turnout, especially if you happen to be playing the smallest room of three inside Rock City and sadly that’s what happend for Smoothboi Ezra’s set. I was kind of expecting the room to be packed if I’m honest given how good Smoothboi Ezra is. What I will say though is those who didn’t come missed a treat. I was hooked from the first note and while you could probably argue it wasn’t a set that would blow you away it was perfect for my mind set at that moment in time, so that’s why it makes my top 10 this year. Hopefully they play Birmingham in 2022.
White Flowers @ Hare & Hounds
As with Smoothboi Ezra and Grandmas House on this list, this was another show that was poorly attended. And it’s a damned shame as it was a set that rivals Lemondaze’s for my actual set of the year. It was mesmerizing from the first moment to the last. Oliver Beardmore supported White Flowers and we just kept looking at each other during their set saying how amazing it was. I don’t think Jess (Graywave) even uttered a word she was that entranced. White Flowers released one of my favourite albums of 2021 and I was already looking forward to the gig. When I got the nod that Oliver had been chosen to support them a few weeks prior to the show it just made it even more exciting. And on the night they were simply amazing.
Wych Elm @ Dot To Dot Festival (Nottingham)
Last but not least on this list is Wych Elm’s set at Dot To Dot. Their set came during a great three act run at the Bodega that also featured my old buddies LIINES and the above mentioned Grandmas House. It was a great start to a wonderful day that would see Bryony and myself not get back to our hotel room until 4am in the morning. Although I do question why Nottingham has a bar called MOJO that is open until 4am on a Sunday night/Monday morning, I mean who really needs that? Although I’m glad it was haha.
Wych Elm wasn’t a band I was familiar with until a few days before the festival when someone told me to check them out. After listening on Spotify I liked what I heard. After seeing their set on the day I instantly fell in love with them and I’ve not stopped listening since. They are a band I’m now desperate to see again and another I hope plays Birmingham in 2022. Their lyrics deal with the macabre, they dress like they should have been in Children of the Corn and their songs are awesome. They are definitely one of my favourite discoveries of 2021.