Groundbreaking Events, A Big Radio Show, and Elephant Workshops
Category Archives: Live and Free
A new residency starting from Friday April 24th and then the last saturday of the month thereafter at the Adam and Eve. Expect 2 live bands and a diverse spectrum of dancing music. From Soul to Ska, Reggae to Rock, and plenty of showtunes to rock your socks too. Free entry
As you may know we are taking a break from all the monthly events for the forseeable future, to concentrate on other projects, so until we return, we just wanted to say a massive thank you on behalf of the whole Mr Elephant crew for bringing the vibes to our last 41 events, and to everyone who has been part of any Mr Elephant event, workshop, radio show, or website.
We’ll really miss the events, and each one has been a truly inspiring experience, but the time feels right to move on to other projects until next year.
It was really important that we left things on a high, and we’re forever grateful to all the venues that have housed us throughout the last years, the Adam & Eve, Hare & Hounds, Epic Skate Park, Rainbow Beach, the Bulls Head & Prince Wales.
When we return to do events we will certainly be looking to promote local talent through smaller regular events, but there was a unananimous decision that we all wanted to return to another reason why we started Mr Elephant in the 1st place, and that is the larger more festival style events. Like the 1st 2 at Epic skate park in 2007, the family days at the Prince garden, the 12 hour celebration pf Birmingham’s Underground on the Rainbow beach/warehouse, and the workshops & multistage 2nd Birthday at the hare and hounds. Events that are one offs and that encompass all the areas of Mr Elephant in one cohesive event, or to put it another way, a balance of all the events over the last 3 years, and pushing some of the Mr Elephant ideas forward.
We’ll still be hosting our radio show on www.rhubarbradio.com with Marc Reck every monday evening at 6pm & Mr Elephant residents Skeleton & Dolhasz will be hosting The Beat Suite every wednesday from 11.30pm. However to avoid the whole website being taken up with the radio shows, it seems more appropriate for these to exist on their own websites & of course the rhubarb ones, so that the artists & events can remain on the front of this one. One of the main aims of Mr Elephant is to shine a light on great stuff, and so hopefully the videos of the events housed on this website helps further that.
There are many ideas and goals that we have as Mr Elephant and while we’ve achieved so much more than we hoped, (due to the ever expanding platform of talented contributors) there is so much we have yet to explore.
We have always been totally unfunded, and, as most will know, it becomes difficult to devote such a large portion of your life when you have to cover your own costs, and have other ambitions to explore. With that in mind we are looking at ways to fund future events so we can realise their true potential, and we’ll be taking time out to further our own interests in order to bring them back in bigger and brighter. We all want to keep the free party ethos alight wherever possible, simply because it allows the most accessibility to people, regardless of financial status, and therefore the most diverse mix of people, which is always a good thing… The logisitics of sorting the time and resources we can work out.
Anyway, once again, thanks to one and all for a truly inspiring 3 years, and on behalf of all the Mr Elephant crew, we wish you a beautiful hot summer.
Part two of our 3rd Birthday Celebrations & our final Mr Elephant event for the forseeable future saw inspired performances from all, and provided a fitting closure to our monthly live & free. We shall really miss both our homes and we’d like to say a massive thank you to the Adam & Eve & the Hare & Hounds for all their support & great work. And of course to everyone who came and created the vibes.
Til we return this will be our last video & photos for the forseeable, so without further ado, here’s a few of the performances caught on the little camera.
And some photos
And the original page with all the artist links
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FREE CONTROL – http://www.freecontrol.co.uk are back. Currently storming through the battle of the bands, and with a packed festival schedule, their last gig was pretty much incredible. Somewhere between Lamb & Unkle. Check the video for their sound
FRANK MOON & JOELLE BARKER – These two are musicians of the highest sense. Frank – http://www.myspace.com/frankmoon on the stringed instruments and member of a huge number of bands and sounds from destroyers to desert groove has just come off a world tour and is thankfully in birmingham rehearsing with destroyers. Joelle – http://www.myspace.com/joellebarker is a percussion magician, She teaches, she composes and she jams with a huge range of percussive instruments. See what they magic up together.
DIK GURU - http://www.myspace.com/dikguru – This man is a legend, and who’s last 2 albums have been creating waves all over the place, both truly deserving of the label Urban Folk. Hilarious tales about Birmingham life & characters presented with great musicianship and instantly likeable charm.
CABSTERS – http://www.myspace.com/cabstars – The full ska band complete with brass section will be performing and kicking up a storm
JAM JAH (Robin G) – http://www.friendlyfiremusic.com/
We’ve said it time and time again, but Jam Jah sound is something to beholden in Birmingham, and is why we at Mr Elephant never fail to get them playing wherever possible. Legends.
JIBBERING (Tangawizi) – http://www.jibbering.com
Jibbering for over 10 years have been bringing bands to Birmingham, the majority of which have gone on to be huge. 1st time we heard Jon play we’ve asked him back ever since. Great music and wonderfully done.
Vj BLENDSTATE – http://www.blendstate.com
A huge part of Mr Elephant ever since the 2nd event where he bought the indymedia films for the chillout room. Now one of the leading vj in Birmingham3 years later, and puts on some wicked events to boot.
VENUE – http://www.theadam.co.uk
Located on the 50 route at the top of bradford street, in Digbeth, and a short walk from the city centre, the venue has been putting on music events every week for years. A place to chill and chat, as much as it is to see quality local and international bands and / or dance til 4am. There’s a cool heated smoking area, pool table and chilling areas, quality bar and proper friendly staff, great in house engineer and just they’ve spent loads on new bassbins, so expect the sound to be even bigger and crisper than every before.
NB a lot of people have been asking why we are stopping Mr Elephant events as they are all going really well. Truth is is that its a really hard decision but they take up a huge amount of time, and we dont earn money from them. We could spend less time, but they wouldnt be the same, so we are taking some time out to focus on other projects and ways to fund the development of the events.
We will still be running the odd free event, our radio show will continue every week, and we are planning a return to the big festival style events, which was the reason to start it back in 2007.
You can check all the associated video, photos and blog posts for every single event on our website http://www.mrelephant.com by clicking on the events menu item.
Here’s the camera video of two of the live headline artists, Relative Dub & 360 who both delivered fantastic sets.
Proper video to follow, and here are some photos from the same said camera
Below is the full line up / preview of last night’s event with links and a little background on the artists.
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Following our haiti fundraiser last month, we are back with our last two live and free events for a while at one of our favourite venues in Birmingham. UPDATE – The mighty 360 will also be joining us for a special live set, courtesy of a mixup at another venue Get your skanking shoes ready for the crowd pleasing skafunkapunkreggae rockers! – http://www.myspace.com/360sound
On the live stage will be Relative Dub – one of the freshest new Dub bands on the Birmingham music scene, who have been creating big waves with their unique blend of electronic dub, featuring live bass, guest vocalists, & a huge mixing desk all creating a live sonic journey. – http://www.myspace.com/relativedub
Their guest vocalist this time will be none other than Laura Louise, a live loop pedal artist from New Zealand who has played a many at mr elephant event, due her amazing voice & beautifully written songs. Normally armed with her acoustic guitar, & boss loop pedal, we know not what to expect with her collaboration with Relative – http://www.myspace.com/lauralouiseowen
Also up will be Cabsters – a band who are tearing it up on the ska scene with their crowd pleasing blend of ska, dub and funk. In just over a year, they are fast becoming big names on the circuit, and we’re well pleased that they are able to come down to once again rock the adam and eve. UPDATE > -We had news this week that their drummer can’t make it, but everyone else can, so cabsters will be bringing a special acoustic sublime style ska set with keys, bass, guitar and vocals. http://www.myspace.com/cabstars
On the 1210′s we have 3 treats keeping the venue toasty til 4am. The mighty Jam Jah will be adorning the new bassbins courtesty of Mr Bongo Damo & his seriously fine roots, reggae & record collection. – http://www.friendlyfiremusic.com/
Also returning is Tangawizi from the legendary Jibbering, who will be mixing it up once again with funk, hip hop, reggae, and anything else he has laid his hands on. – http://www.jibbering.co.uk/
Any also we welcome Shelley from Arts de Ville who hosts the sunday city musicbox every week on rhubarb, and heads up the arts de ville events. Another great record collection which spans, reggae, funk, soul and a whole load more. – http://www.rhubarbradio.com/programmes/sundaycitymusicbox/
You can also feast your eyes on our resident Vj Blendstate’s big screen antics, which will be a mixture of live camera work, and his unique vj style. – http://www.blendstate.com
As always its free entry all night long and we’ll be partying until 4am.
Amazing vibes and inspiring performances from everyone involved, Mr Elephant is full of good vibes after last night.
Massive love, props and gratitude to all who bought the vibes and all who made it happen.
Together we raised just over £300 for Haiti, and created a night we wont forget.
Here’s a little video of some footage of a few of the artists caught on camera last night, until the “proper” footage shot by our man Jack, gets edited together.
Mr Elephant Presents “Live & Free Haiti Fundraiser” – Friday 26th Feb @ Adam & Eve – FREE ENTRY til 4am
Its one month ago today that Haiti was struck by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Obviously a collossol disaster with 200,000 killed, 1 million homeless, huge international response…everyone is aware of the details.
Something that the quake has thrown up is that there is an urgent need, now moreso than ever, to address the fact that Haiti as one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries is in a very vunerable position.
The long history of oppression by dictators has markedly affected the nation and so as well as provding aid, we must also work towards enabling the people to create a sustainable infrastructure that isnt at the mercy of big businesses or powerful governments, like many previous reconstruction attempts have been (and shown).
Haiti needs rebuilding from the ground up and local economies need to be built in small towns and villages. Local people need to be trained and equipped with skills so that the economy can be built from the ground up, and not the top down.
herefore for this fundraiser, we are looking at 2 (Now 3) organisations, who are setting up long term solutions – http://www.earthship.org/haiti-disaster-relief & http://www.haitifoundation.org/ If you can suggest any other options please feel free to let us know. (UPDATE : We have emailed earthship to define their position, as we werent clear on exactly how the money would be used & are looking at http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti as an alternative)
This is a totally free event and on til 4am. Musicans and Djs from Birmingham & Bristol are coming together to produce a quality line up. All costs of the gig will be covered before the event, so that 100% of donations can go directly to two organisations
There are more artists being added to all the time, and the set times and more info will follow next week, but here are the confirmed artists so far.
————————————————————————————————————————————————– DUB MAFIA(Live jazzy drum n bass & dub) – http://www.myspace.com/officialdubmafia
Coming all the way from Bristol, and with one of the most played videos on youtube, this band features seriously talented Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Drums, Bass, Turntable, Percussion, Saxophone, musician and are set for very big things. Possibly the only chance to see them (for free) in Birmingham before they go on their big festival tour in the summer.
World fusion at its finest, with spanish guitar, latin percussion, and 2 vocalists. The Hidden Half always go down a storm at our Live and Free Events. Check our website for past videos
EVA LAZARUS (Acoustic and vocal) – http://www.myspace.com/evalazarus
Making a huge storm in Bristol, the vocals are quite simply jaw dropping. Another artist you may be more aware of via a you tube vid that went viral, this exclusive solo performance is going to be something very special.
A legend on the live scene in brum and the man behind many bands from Dr Dan Blues remedy to the ever impressive Playing Django. If you are in anyway interested in guitar or musicianship then very special live looping performance will be a treat.
Another live looping performance but this time in a very different one man band style with human beatbox, acoustic guitar, vox & xylophone. Smiley mic has rocked two of our previous Mr Elephant events and recently supported De La Soul, so if you havent check him out yet, get there early as he’s opening the live sets, and you prob wont have heard anything quite like him before.
Inspiring singer, guitarist & part of some of Brums finest bands over the last ten years from the Starries to Baxter, this guy made his solo debut last year at our 4th Live & Free and was literally that good, he caused 2 reviews to be written the very next morning! Another probable early performance as he has two gigs on that night.
A poet that is making big waves in brum and london at the mo, witty, honest and charming poetry delivered with personality. Just back from a string of special performances in London don’t miss this.
Host of the Beat Suite, Resident at Trigger and here at Mr Elephant, Kipp is one of the most versatile and talented djs. We couldnt find any video footage of the turntablist style he’ll be playing on the night, but you can rest assured you’ll be treated to a very special scratch set from one of the city’s best djs.
We’ve said it time and time again, but Jam Jah sound is something to beholden in Birmingham, and is why we at Mr Elephant never fail to get them playing wherever possible. Legends. (Again this footage doesnt do them justice, but gives an idea of the sound at the start of the vid)
Jibbering for over 10 years have been bringing bands to Birmingham, the majority of which have gone on to be huge. Tastemakers in their own right with each core member a dj and blatant music devotee, so any opportunity to hear their record collections is always a treat. Tangawizi has a huge spectrum of music and while the vid below is all we could find at the mo, expect funk, soul, reggae, hip hop and maybe even some more underground bizness as he surfs the decks with Jam Jah til 4am.
A huge part of Mr Elephant ever since the 2nd event where he bought the indymedia films for the chillout room. Now one of the leading vj in Birmingham3 years later, and a promoter in his own right, with his own cinephonic event going from strength to strength and his managing of the party rockin mammal sessions over the last 6 months. Footage adorns many mr elephant videos, but this is one that doesnt get seen regularly, with soundtrack from another bristol guest from our 2nd birthday mr dub fx.
VENUE – http://www.theadam.co.uk
Located on the 50 route at the top of bradford street, in Digbeth, and a short walk from the city centre, the venue has been putting on music events every week for years. A place to chill and chat, as much as it is to see quality local and international bands and / or dance til 4am. There’s a cool heated smoking area, pool table and chilling areas, quality bar and proper friendly staff, great in house engineer and just they’ve spent loads on new bassbins, so expect the sound to be even bigger and crisper than every before.
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Final note. (Sorry this has been such a loooong event page!)
We moved this event to a Friday as there as there is another haiti fundraiser on from subvert on the Saturday. As we normally do Saturday - http://www.mrelephant.com/category/events/live-and-free we were a little aprehensive, so if you can help spread the word in anyway it’ll make a big difference and be very much appreciated by all involved.
Obviously everyone is coming together to put on a great free night in the hope to raise money, but also we hope will appeal to a wide range of tastes and make for a proper memorable one, so if you’re in birmingham, and can drop by for a beer, drop a few quid into the donation buckets etc, it should hopefully be another night to remember….and raise plenty of cash for where its needed.
Mr Elephant favourites Munchbreak, (this time with multi genre skills of Home Cooking djs) & the mighty Jam Jah once again showed us why Birmingham is packed full of flavour with 2 inspiring live performances and 4 dj sets which kept our last live and free event of 2009 nice and toasty all the way until the 4am close.
Here’s a little video of part one of Munchbreak where they took us back to their seminal jam session days.
Despite being probably the wettest, coldest night we’ve had thus far, nothing seem to hinder a whole pub full of revellers. Robin from Jam Jah kicked things off with their unique blend of roots, reggae, and dancehall.
Followed by some choice genre hopping funk style crowd pleasing cuts from Maxwell from Home Cooking
Then it was time for the headline live act of the night in the first of two sets. First the Jam session you can see above, and then their full live set. Here’s a little more footage this time from their 2nd set.
and if you want more, do go check out their album. It’s well recommended
P.s there are more photos here and our mr elephant facebook group is here.
Rich Batsford’s 40th Birthday / Free Control – 1st B’ham Date / Mark Smallman / Dj Chromatouch
For this month’s Live and Free at the Adam and Eve we saw a very special concert with two of the finest midlands artists, a great chillout dj and a some special guests
Rich Batsford celebrated his 40th Birthday as well as his debut UK album and album relase and peformed a great crowd pleasing set with some new material and 2 special guests. Great talent and brilliant audience rapport. If you havent already head on to his website and get yourself a copy of Valentine Court. You wont be disappointed.
Free Control were up next with their first Birmingham appearance, and they were quite simply awe inspiring. The room was packed with people and like most mr elephant gigs, there was a wide range of people. Aside from the roaring response during their set, they also were congratulated by so many people throughout the night, they are already wanting to come back. Big shouts also to some truly inspired live visuals from The Lab (as he’s the resident visual maestro with Free Control, and their very cool management.
On the decks this month there were 3 great sets from Mr Elephant regulars. Mark Smallman, Vj Chromatouch and our resident Marc Reck. The room was still dancing at closing time, but despite the clocks going back we didnt get an extra hour.
Next month we are well excited to be welcoming the return of Munch Break and their home cooking djs back and Mr Elephant favourites Jam Jah will also be returning.
Headliners of our first Live & Free, the fabulous Munchbreak are back!
They truly rocked it last time so we well pleased they’ll be back (if you missed you can hear some on the radio show, or check the vids from the last event)
Home Cooking is amongst others Munchbreak on the decks – real turntablists with a classic selection of funky hip hop, classic funk, and proper ass shaking grooves. As the rest of the band are there – expect some live jamming action similar to that of the classic sessions they used to pioneer in Moseley and the weekly Home Cooking sessions they fill the yardbird with each month.
Jam Jah – If you know Mr Elephant, you must know jam jah by now. If you like reggae or dancing or just pure uplifting vibes Jam Jah are serious delivery men. They rock crowds from whole tents at shambala to their weekly parties at the bulls head and of course their hugely respected monthly events at the hare and hounds which have bought so many great names in roots and reggae to our city. They also release great music with their live bands and talented artist roster and to be fair are just simply, brilliant. They can rock it with roots, ramp it up with jungle and chill it out with dub. Great men on a musical mission with music that truly inspires.
All of this is FREE and is on til 4am with all the usual venue treats like pool table, nice drinks, friendly staff, and nice smoking area and really cool late night vibes.
Another free live music party at the legendary Adam and Eve with the Foot Stomping raucousness of FLAT STANLEY, the truly beautiful sounds of LAURA LOUISE & dancing all night long from THE OTHER WOMAN CLUB DJS!
Following last months foot stomping Live & Free with Mama Matrix and Laura Louise, we welcomed another band who are no stranger to kicking up a storm and have been playing many of this years summer festivals with a great set of talented musicians going by the name of Flat Stanley. Psychedlic foot stomping blues rock is how they term themselves and was an apt description as they tore through a great set
If you’ve not heard of them, please check out their myspace for their next gig. They’ve supported major artists like The Levellers, Ozric Tenticles the mighty Hawkwind and and as Mark Radcliffe put it “dreadlocks and didgeridoos, o yes have it”
Our other live guest – Laura Louise – needs no introduction. Spell binding performances at Moseley Folk festival and our last live and free mean we just had to ask her back. She performed a beautiful set and were looking forward to her return with some new material next year.
Here’s a little video we hashed together, though our man with the cam Jack Brabant was there and will uploading a much superior version from his footage very soon.
In between and til 4am we enjoy the sounds of Cassie from the Other Womans club djs, who is a supremely talented dj, has residencies all over the city, and had the place dancing all the way til 4am. In fact she was that good she got offered a residency at the adam
Next Live and Free is on Sat 26th Oct with Free Control Rich Batsford and some very special guests. As always its free entry all night (9pm til 4am) and the venue hosts a great soundsystem, smoking area, pool table and very cool bar and security staff, which makes for real nice vibe.
Its almost time for 2 of our favourite festivals – Shambala 27/8, & the ever excellent Moseley Folk Festival, 6/9, so this month we’ve got 3 of our Mr Elephant favourites up at our 5th Live & Free event @ the Adam & Eve.
Mama Matrix who have performed at our 1st Birthday, & the gigbeth Fringe event with CiD Music, and Laura Louise who also blew people’s minds at our 2nd Birthday will be appearing on Saturday 22nd August 2009 @ the Adam & Eve in Digbeth, Birmingham.
Mama Matrix really need no introduction and are quite simply one of the best bands in Birmingham. Their performances leave no-one sitting, and everyone excited. They have a new website, and you can hear some of their music on the myspace. – http://www.myspace.com/mamamatrix
And of course the inspirational Laura Louise from New Zealand. Sublime Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Live Looping, beatbox (and even a little flute box) she’s a real joy to see.
And our favourite Birmingham Reggae Collective, the mighty Jam Jah Sound, who’ve been rocking Mr Elephant birthday’s ever since our debut event back in March 2007, and who will be hosting their tent at this year Shambhala Festival will be once again hosting the decks with their always crowd pleasing blend of roots, reggae, and dancehall -
alongside our resident Marc Reck – http:/www.marcreck.com with his crowd pleasing dynamic mix of Balkan, Swing, Funk, (and of course some breaks for birthday boy Big John and hopefully one of our resident vjs on the light fantastic
Last night in a cosy 160 people live music venue in Digbeth called the Adam & Eve, 3 live Birmingham Artists, and 1 alternative dj gathered together to create a night to remember, going by the names of Black Heart Generator, Geordie Blake, Andre Aristotle & The other woman club dj. (Unfortunately Barnesy had to cancel at the last minute due to a broken guitar.)
This was our first rock and indie Live & Free event, and with the mighty Supersonic Festival just around the corner we really weren’t sure how it was going to go. What followed where 3 inspiring live performances & 5 hours of quality djed music, which left our souls touched and our ears ringing!
Cassie from the Other Woman Club djs was introduced to us by Carlo from 444, two individuals who are key in our live music scene. Cassie is one of the leading djs on the local indie scene and has a wealth of experience from promoting the Barfly to writing for the N.M.E. What was special about her djing was that she can work a crowd, has a vast selection of great music, and really knows how to use it. Effortlessly hopping genres, Cassie both engaged the dancefloor, whilst also leading beautifully in and out of each live act. Most definitely someone we hope will be appearing at future events, and you can keep up to speed with her own appearances and projects via this facebook group.
First up on the live stage, was Mr Geordie Blake from Shana Tova, who was performed his first solo set in the history of his impressive career. What followed was a powerful and at times moving display of great musicianship, impressive vocals, and beautifully crafted tracks, which left the listener locked and moved at the same time. Pop hooks with rock guitars and a brilliant voice (even with an apparently sore throat)… Geordie Blake has songs that you want to hear again and again, and i feel is one of our cities hidden gems.
Next up was Andre Aristotle, another artist with a truly great voice. Vocal melodies were hit each time with pitch perfect accuracy, and members of the audience were notably surprised that the whole performance was one man a mic, and a roland 505 groovebox, Dark indie electro pop is the best i can describe it as. which told of tales of ketamine spiked experiences, and portrayals of life in Sheldon, all of which took you to a place which could have very easily existed in a film, (and probably further exemplified by the nice use of lighting courtesy of the top venue sound engineer.)
Last up were our headliners Black Heart Generator who absolutely blew the roof off. The power generated by only 3 people was immense, and the hooks, musicianship and synergy of the 3 individuals created something raw, and energy fuelled. A perfect balance of punk rock and alternative indie hooks, with a sound that seemed inspired by bands like the Pixies and Nirvana, through to Joy Division and at times even Napalm Death. They finished their set with a great cover of Nirvana’s Molly’s Lips, leaving the crowd hyped and happy.
The photos above are courtesy of a new member of the Elephant collective who joined us for the evening. Mr Will Marsden, son of Keith & Diane (who you may recall as hosts of our first home at Epic Skate Park, or our 1st family event at the Prince, has recently finished a photography course, and was keen to flex his skills and new slr camera, so we were most chuffed that he was down with the eve. You can check out his work above, and he’ll be appearing next at our 2nd Cinephonic event at the Hare & Hounds on Sat 8th August.
Huge thanks to everyone who came down on sat, and our next live and free will be with none other than Mama Matrix and Laura Louise on Sat August 22nd @ Adam & Eve in Digbeth.
UPDATE : Mr Rich Batsford has written this great write up on website -
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Following sensational sets from the Heels, Hidden Half & Flame of Fervour last month, its almost time for our 4th Live & Free event @ the Adam & Eve in Digbeth – this Saturday 25th July.
This month we’re on an alternative, indie, and rock tip with 4 great brummy live artists, and some top alternative djs
Black Heart Generator are our special guests this month, and no stranger to tearin up the live circuit, with each member being in some Birmingham’s best alternative bands on the local scene such as Baxter, Egososo, Koala Grip and The Starries. - http://www.myspace.com/blackheartgenerator
Geordie Blake from Shana Tova, himself as a legend on the rock / indie scene, sharing a history with members of Black Heart Generator back when the Starries toured with Idlewild, will be performing a special one off acoustic set - http://www.myspace.com/shanatova
Also performing will be the inspiring Barnesy who be showcasing his unique blend of acoustic music and street poetry – http://www.myspace.com/barnesyboy86 …Really someone not to be missed!
And to keep things diverse, we are also welcoming the front man of Recall 34 in his solo guise of Andre Aristotle, with his very cool one man and box electro style outfit. - http://www.myspace.com/andre48k
And joining us on the decks this month, we are very pleased to welcome The Other Woman Club who are taking a night out of their busy schedule to come and host between the bands and keep you all dancing and a-singing until 4am. - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48705022394
There’s a load of festi’s on this month, but if you’re not already booked up, come down between 9pm – 4am for bouncing, singing and merriment for what promises to be a great night of live and djed music.
Massive elephant noises to everyone who came down and filled the Adam & Eve with appreciative sounds to the great array of talent on show from our 3 special guests this month.
Flame of Fervour were dark, gritty, acoustic with a very cool sound and great musicianship, the flamenco & latin fusion of the Hidden Half ignited a huge response from the audience, and The Heels, once again, set the whole place on fire, with one hour of inspired musicianship, and plenty of crowd pleasing ska….literally a band so large the brass section wouldn’t fit on the stage!
Also very special shouts must also go out to Jack for coming to video, Tony the sound sound man for rockin the last two hours, and Tony from TheLab who came down all the way from Leicester to Vj all night long.
Not only did he perform with an unprepared selection of material (not that we knew til he said!), but he also used footage from the 2nd Birthday made in the kids animation workshop in his vj set!
…plus he also gave 2 workshops to our resident dj Marc Reck, and our guest Paulo Riddle, both of whom got to perform live as a vj on the night! Nice work Tea!
In what is deemed to be Birmingham Music Month, it was refreshing to see so many multi instrumentalists in one room, and experience so much diversity of music, all of which generated a real warm crowd response.
Our resident videographer Jack Brabant, will be posting his video of the evening and we also have more photos taken by Marc on his flickr page here. Marc also recorded some of the audio which will be featured on Mr Elephant radio in our new monday night residency next week on rhubarb radio – 6pm – 8pm, and check out his own set from the night, which was as wonderfully diverse and crowd pleasing as the live music.
For now we’ll leave you with a little footage of the Hidden Half. Our next Live & Free event is on Sat 25th July 2009, and as always it will feature great live music , a range of dancing music, and is free all night long til 4am.
One love
Mr Elephant x
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An Amazing line for our 3rd installment of Live & Free @ the Adam & Eve.
And here’s our facebook listing / event info -
On Saturday 20th June – We have 3 of Brum’s best live bands at our 3rd live and free event @ The Adam & Eve.
As always its FREE entry and the bar is open til 4am
THE HEELS (Live Ska / Reggae / Dub)
The Heels http://www.myspace.com/theheelsska need no introduction, and are back from their huge tour with The Beat & Neville Staples / The Specials. Here’s a few reviews -
“Great Birmingham Ska band who have toured with The Beat. Great musicianship, a tight horn section and funk influences give them an edge over most ska bands, recommended.”
(Review by Jibbering Records/Shambala)
“The Heels took to the stage and I was impressed; the tight twin saxes (alto/tenor) buzzed up the crowd and the harmonies were amazing with pounding reggae bass lines and a sharp man on 6 strings playing all styles from Jazzy Ska to South African/Senegalese guitar picking – it really got things going.”
(Review by The Cracked Actors).
“Fat horn ska band.”
(Surge Music/Ryan’s Gig Guide)
“The Heels are Mentally Ska’d as the track of the same title suggests; Think epic horns… think dub bass, latino guitar, skanking keys and rock steady drumming. Think musical tourettes. This is The Heels.”
(Skiddle)
“Awesome Brummie Ska Band!”
(Moon Buggy)
THE HIDDEN HALF (Live Flamenco / Latin / Fusion)
The Hidden Half – http://www.myspace.com.thehiddenhalf – make and perform beautiful music, from the romantic to the political. An acoustic trio that evocatively blend, Latin and urban rhythms, with Cahon, Congas, Flamenco Guitar, Flute & Vocals. Dark Shadow Jewel Music.
FLAME OF FERVOUR (Live Acoustic / Blues / Rock)
Flame of Fervour – http://www.myspace.com.flameoffervour – have a very cool sound which features a huge range of influences from gritty blues to energetic flamenco, from beautiful acoustic harmonies to grungy rock vocals they are not to be missed.
MARC RECK (Djed Reggae / Funk / Swing / Balkan)
<cropped from night times :>Marc Reck http://www.marcreck.com is the DJ with no barriers, fusing genres seamlessly. Winner of The Night Times Best local DJ award Marc Reck has impressed at many events. His residencies at Custom Made, Mr Elephant, Project X have pushed the boundaries of his talents and with his gigs this month supporting The Destroyers, Transglobal Underground & Quantic, expect a huge range of music to compliment the live bands from the chilled to the frantic til 4am.
Hope you can make it on Sat 20th June – Free entry all night long
Those lovely people at the Night Times have featured Mr Elephant twice in this month’s issue! An interview and a review! Click on the pics for a readable version
It was no surprise that our graphic designer Aart Tanner was so keen to get the 8 piece Paper Tiger Band down from Leeds! After seeing them at a festival in Croatia, he came back with one clear instruction…Book Paper Tiger for Mr Elephant. Our first available opportunity was our 2nd Live and Free event at the lovely Adam & Eve, and they were awesome.
We have more video on the way but unfortunately the audio didnt come out (the drums and a couple of other instruments werent miced up) but the video has come out real nice, so we will post clips as soon as poss.
For now i’ll leave you with a few pictures of the artists that played. You can check the whole set on Marc’s flickr account here, and feel free to subscribe to the rss feed or newsletter if you want automatic notification when the videos are up.
Huge thanks to Roy Roastbeef who came down and represented Funkbox and kept the dancers grooving til close at 4am! A seriously good dj, and top bloke, and watch out for August Party Rockin Mammal Sessions where he should be the summer headliner.
And of course our very own visual maestro – Liam Blendstate, who came down and made the place look good.
Next Live & Free @ The Adam & Eve is Sat 20th June with Very Special Guests – The Heels, Flame of Fervour, &
Last night went down a blast at our new live & free residency at the Adam & Eve! Three truly special live sets and it was 4am before we could blink!
Thankfully we captured audio, video and photo’s thanks to Gary, Mike & Pyn, so if you weren’t there you can catch it on our site.
In short though, Mikes set was the best he and us have seen of his one man live looping show, really vibing up the early crowd, and totally in his element.
Playing Django created something truly magical, with style, charm, and exceptional playing, taking us through a whole history and getting people dancing and shouting in equal appreciative measures.
And finally at almost 1am, Munchbreak quite simply rocked it, delivering an hour long crowd pleasing set with tight musicianship, great audience connection, and selling most of their cds before they’d even left the stage.
Our resident dj had the crowd jiving and moving with his new swing, and the sound engineer, bar staff, and security were among the friendliest we’ve met, delivering a stellar service.
What was really special was how many people had come out for the event. A friday night, with around a week of promotion, in between two bank holidays and it was full of fans of one or another of the acts, with loads of elephant regulars and lots of people who’d enjoyed the dj sets, coming to try something different.
If you’d like to know when audio recordings go up, please subscribe to the rss feed via email option and you’ll get a message as soon as they are posted.
and to keep up with Mr Elephant as a whole please subscribe to the mailing list and or facebook group.
One love
Mr Elephant
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We are very excited to announce that we have not 2 but 3 fabulous live guests for our first live & free outing on Friday 24th April 2009!
Next Friday 24th April we start a brand new live (and free til 4am) elephant residency at the Adam & Eve in digbeth, and we’re more than excited to confirm that Munchbreak, Playing Django, and Smiley Mic will all be appearing live!
Munchbreak – www.munchbreak.com need no introduction and have been a firm brummie favourite since forming in 2001. Described as “a hungerbusting fried funk special with crispy hip hop and lashings of reggae gravy”, this collective of muti-talented musicians, djs, and producers have been igniting and filling venues all over birmingham since their legendary moseley jam sessions, with 2 albums to date, and a third one just been released. Munchbreak are due on stage around Midnight.
Playing Django – www.playingdjango.com are a 5 piece gypsy jazz band made up of equally pioneering birmingham musicians. While Playing Django is a relatively new project, its members have made up some of the city’s most well loved bands, and extraordinary musicians in their own right. You need to really be able to play to even think about playing some of the music of the legendary Django Reinhardt, and Stephan Grappelli, so we are more than excited to be hearing them perform next week. Playing Django are due on stage around 11pm.
Smiley Mic – www.smileymic.co.uk – is a live-looper and effectively a modern day one man band, creating whole arrangements live on stage by playing several instruments into a loop pedal. From acoustic singer songwriter stuff to hip-hop style beats with some funk thrown in, Smiley Mic plays guitar, bass, glockenspiel, and while he doesnt class himself as a beatboxer) he creates all the parts organically, whilst looping vocals into harmonies and mixing all of these elements together into one live show. He performed a great show at the Gigbeth fringe event with cid music, so we cant wait to see what he creates next Friday. Smiley Mic is due on stage at around 10pm.
Marc Reck – www.marcreck.com – Our residente will be filling in the gaps with his other side of djing. Expect reggae, swing, funk, and ska, with more party style tunes as its gets later.
The Adam & Eve is a legendary music venue with a great atmosphere. Its open til 4am, has a pool table, and hosts one of the best bars in brum.
All events are FREE entry all night, so we really hope you can join us.
For more information on the Adam & Eve, please visit their myspace – http://www.myspace.com/theadammusic , and for more info on forthcoming Mr Elephant events, please join our facebook group. Invites to interested friends are always very much appreciated.
P.s On May 30th we’ll have our 2nd live and free event with Paper Tiger, and on June 20th we’ve got the Heels as our 3rd headliner.
So thats around 6 hours of live and djed Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop, Soul, Reggae and Ska for free! Hope you can make it
We are pleased to announce that Mr Elephant now has a new live music home! Following a recent gig with the mighty Mama Matrix, we’ve been asked by one of Brums longest running live venues to host a monthly event, and will be showcasing a diverse lineup on the more live side of Birmingham’s music scene.
The venue is the Adam & Eve, and it oozes warmth, charm, and a party atmosphere, regularly playing host to some of the live circuit’s most exciting bands, and some elephant favourites, including Cracked Actors, 360, Mama Matrix, and Friendly Fire Band.
Not only do they have a 4am license, but they also have a pool table, a great selection of booze, and are one of the few venues that support the promoters and artists they work with.
Which means that we will be hosting a FREE Mr Elephant style party each month, starting with Friday April 24th 2009, featuring at least two live acts and with our resident dj Marc Reck, playing funk, soul, reggae, ska and swing in between.
All went remarkably well and trunks up to all those who made it happen! The first half (6-9pm) saw 3 half hour showcase sets for some visiting student reps, as part of the afternoon gigbeth conference, and despite it being an early eve performances, Smiley Mic, Mama Matrix and our very own Dj Marc Reck and Vj Liam Blendstate, all demonstrated in full effect what they do.
From 9pm was the aforementioned gigbeth fringe show organised by Consider it Done, with a little input from us. Apparently, and thankfully for us, it was one of the busiest venues, and turned out to be a really fantastic evening attracting a truly ecletic mix of people.
First up was Laura Louise, all the way from New Zealand, and with a truly stunning voice, she delivered a magical set using her acoustic guitar and flute all going through a footpedal to create lush harmonic layers coupled with emotional lyrics.
Next up were Mr Elephant favourites Mama Matrix, who delivered a blistering set of Balkan Gypsy Jazz from start to finish and left only a handful of people sitting down. A truly amazing band!
Smiley Mic was up next and showed us what a real one man band looks like with his firsr gig in Birmingham. Easily switching up styles from acoustic layers, to star wars, culminating in a prize winning sugar hill gang remix, Smiley is one face you need to keep an eye on (and a thoroughly lovely bloke)
And then our very own Marc Reck was seeminly up to finish the night with as many styles as he could fit in, and even a live jam! Starting with breaks and house, and switching into a myriad of drum and bass styles, the space which had previously been occupied by all the instruments and p.a was quickly replaced with a room full of smiley dancing people. After a brief dj mc jam, he finished up the evening with a stack of soul, indie and shameless crowdpleasers resulting in hour and a half extension til 3.30 am!
We are very excited to be working with the inspiring John Mostyn and his new Consider it Done agency on their gigbeth fringe gig @ the Rainbow pub next friday (7th November 2008) as part of this years Gigbeth Fringe festival.
Not only is it free all night (from 9 – 2), but the line up is full of really talented musicians and legendary bands! (Updated on November 6th – News just in – Capital Letters are unfortunately not able to play )
Here’s some links if you want to have a listen for yourself :
UPDATE – The mighty 360 will also be joining us for a special live set, courtesy of a mixup at another venue 
)