Heading down to our favourite little Birmingham venue, Friday night was spiced up at The Sunflower Lounge with an exhilarating night full of alternative madness. Put on by Indie Midlands, the night’s show (11th November 2022) was headlined by the whimsical and wild A Void and supported by ALTESCAPE favourites LOXZ and Nightshade.
You know it’s going to be a wild night when The Sunny is packed out and everyone is already sweating before the first band has come on.
Kicking off the night was Nightshade. Having seen Nightshade once previously, I was excited to see what they would bring to the table. As expected, Nightshade did not disappoint. They filled the room with their bewitchingly dark aura, and mesmerising post-punk sounds.
The band’s unbothered, distant attitude on stage pairs perfectly with their sound and only
emphasises Nightshade’s professionalism and commitment to their style. Having only played a couple of live shows so far, Nightshade beams out huge potential and are establishing themselves as one of the best alternative post-punk bands in the Birmingham scene. In a recent Instagram post, Nightshade have teased that released music is on the cards and may in fact be coming very soon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for any upcoming gigs that Nightshade may be playing to catch them performing a mix of Nightshade originals.
Next up, was LOXZ. This band empowers me so much. It’s just so refreshing to see a full girl band rocking the Birmingham scene, experimenting with Riot Grrrl sounds, and ultimately having an incredible time on stage. Bringing an array of beautiful original tracks LOXZ are unapologetically unique and embrace the freedom and thrill of being on stage.
The beauty of
LOXZ is the individual characters that make up the band... I feel like each time they get on stage they become more and more themselves, and it’s exhilarating to see alternative women taking a stance in the Birmingham scene and, most importantly, enjoying themselves on stage. Speaking briefly to the band after the gig, they highlighted that this gig may have been their best so far. LOXZ riled up the audience and the venue was steaming with unmatched energy. Of course, the favourite track of LOXZ’s set had to be ‘Lesbian Moshpit’ with an impressive moshing effort from the audience, but another favourite was ‘Afters’. Yet to be released, ‘Afters’ has a pounding, party-like energy that forces the audience to dance, I think this track had a strong effect on Friday night and got the audience pumped up and ready for headliners, A Void. Hopefully ‘Afters’ will be released soon enough...
Finally, the main act, A void. I had no idea what to expect from this band, and I think that’s part of their beauty... the element of surprise. As a three-piece outfit, they tremendously filled out the stage with their huge personalities and major stage presence. Beaming and teasing smiles, A Void’s confidence on stage is like no other. This band has an almost seductive approach: you can’t help but yearn to hear more, and you can’t tear your eyes away from their performance. Strutting around on stage and crawling into the audience it’s more than fair to say that A Void offers an immersive, exhilarating experience.
Hailing from both Paris and London, A Void utilise an eclectic mix of sounds to add to the uniqueness of their sound. A favourite song from their set had to be their original track ‘Sick As A Dog’. Coming from A Void’s most recent album, ‘Dissociation’, this track showcases the disturbing and yet delightful sounds of A Void. The outfit are fiercely energetic and have an almost chaotic approach on stage. It’s invigorating to see a band with such passion and belief in their own music.
If you get the chance to catch A Void live on their current ‘Dissociation’ tour, it’s definitely worthwhile.
You can also now listen to A Void’s latest album ‘Dissociation’ on all major streaming platforms.
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