On the 31st of March, deep in the concealed streets of Digbeth, Muther’s Studios quaked with the sounds of the future. Birmingham’s emerging talent: from soulful vocals and acoustic indie to electro pop and indie folk, Thursday night’s gig had it all.
Organised by ‘I’ve Seen Better Promotions’, there couldn’t have been a better selection of artists to support main act, Ryan Sparrow. The varying genres spread across the night collated an ideal blend of energy, power, and emotion.
Kicking off the show: Esther Grace. With no original music released as of yet, I was hesitant of what to expect. But, there are no adequate words. Esther Grace was mesmerising, with an intoxicating blend of soulful vocals and heart wrenching song writing, Esther claws your attention and doesn’t release you until the end of her set. Esther Grace treated the audience to a collection of original, unreleased tracks that acted as a sort of self-memoir from her past few years. The beauty and raw honesty of her lyrics hand in hand with the impossible ethereal delicacy and power of her voice spawned goosebumps.
Speaking to Esther prior to the event, she outlined her ‘long term music goals are to write for film and tv tracks, and possibly be a part of the creation of a musical movie adaptation and direct a lot of cinematic style music videos’. Esther highlighted that her goal for the rest of the year is to experience the world of live music through playing local venues. Leading up to the event Esther said ‘I’m excited because it’s my first time doing a support slot like this and I’m always looking to improve whilst performing’.
Following Esther’s performance was James Pullen. James was full of jittering energy and huge song writing potential. Taking the acoustic approach, James didn’t shy away from spotlighting his intricate guitarist talent, alongside his smooth, transporting vocals. The closing song for James’ set gifted the audience with a preview of what may be the next James Pullen release: Wolves. Jam packed with metaphors and catchy lyrics; the new track has the capacity to become Birmingham’s next big hit. James’ performance resonated genuine authenticity with a nod to heartfelt, emotive lyrical content and an acoustic indie rock sound.
James has released 2 songs so far, his debut single ‘Overthrow’, followed by his latest release ‘Get Up’. Contradictorily to last night's performance, the releases take on a blend of electro and pop. It was refreshing to experience an unplugged version of James Pullen’s music in which he was able to bear the waves of his emotions in front of the crowd. Speaking to James pre-gig, he expressed his initial feelings leading up to the event, ‘this is my first solo gig performing my own songs, so it’s both nerve racking and super exciting at the same time. I really hope everyone that comes along enjoys the songs I’ve written as much as I enjoyed writing them’.
Up next was Jess Brett, fierce, intense, powerhouse. Jess Brett takes complete control of the stage, captivating the audience in a fusion of electro/rave pop. Jess’s power fuelled vocals and angry political approach makes for an intense performance with an immersive energy. Mystical melodies and synths teamed with vital narratives makes for an almost chaotic experience in which Jess has complete control. A favourite from her set had to be ‘Law Enforcement’, released in 2021. This track has such lyrical importance and Jess’s delivery is unmatchable.
I spoke to Jess prior to the event to find out more about her distinct sound. ‘In terms of how I developed my sound, it’s just what came naturally when I had access to electronic sounds. That’s probably down to my large early 80s influence from my parents which I have wired into my heart. My stuff is based on feeling rather than musical technicalities. There’s so much emotion in Synthesizer music and the ideas we can carry through sound’. Regarding her initial feelings beforehand, Jess said ‘I’m feeling good about the gig. Will be interesting to see how I’m received by a crowd I don’t usually play to’. Ultimately, Jess Brett was received in a massively positive way, and her songs need to be heard by a wider audience.
Finally, the main act: Ryan Sparrow.
Ryan Sparrow transcends genres, morphing indie, and folk music into his own blend of emotive storytelling. Ryan’s soulful, tender vocals teamed with whistling melodies and a driving alternative rock sound, submerges the audience into a mellowed-out space of contentment. Ryan flourishes on the stage, fearlessly becoming a part of the music and embracing the movements that his music evokes. Ryan Sparrow’s song writing is entrancing, and the audience becomes hooked on his every word. You can now listen to Ryan’s debut single, ‘To Know’ on all streaming platforms, and with new music already in the works, you can expect to hear more from him soon.
Speaking to Ryan ahead of the gig, he delved into the deeper background behind ‘To Know’. The release had been sat on for around 3 years, having been ‘moved around and re-written a few times’, but finally around 6 months ago, the final product was settled upon. Regarding the track, here’s what Ryan had to say:
‘It’s a bit of a deep dive into my life really, my girlfriend is super supportive of what I do but it’s also very tough for her to keep up when I’m out all the time rehearsing, gigging, networking etc. But she’s absolutely golden and a wonderful person to have around. It’s a homage to her really, the line “walk the line with me, walk beside these dreams I own” is my nod to her and how she’s stuck by my side through it all.’
Overall, the show was hugely successful, and I can only hope that more people get to hear the transcendent sounds of these Birmingham based up and comers.
You can find out more about upcoming Birmingham based gigs here.
Follow the links to listen to:
All photographs have been taken by Brandon Parker, you can find out more about his work here.
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