A converted suburban garage seems a fitting place for Tantrums to practice, given the slapdash spontaneous style they seem to bring to everything they do. Holed up in that purple room, surrounded by custom amps and converted keyboards it’s easy to forget that you’re in the middle of Northfield, not one of Birmingham’s most attractive areas. Just take the high street, a characterless mile of Pound Stretchers, Cash Converters and Home Bargains; shops stocking only the most generic and disposable goods. The music of Tantrums couldn’t be further removed from this – rather their unpredictable mishmash of sounds has more in common with the charity shops of Northfield that are awash with the eccentric and the avant-garde.

Clad in multi-coloured cardigans and vibrant sweaters it’s obvious that Tantrums have been doing their clothes shopping in such places. However listen carefully to their music, see past the pop sheen and trendy electronic beats and you’ll start to realise how many musical influences they’ve also taken from these archaic odditoriums. You’ll hear all the sounds that fashion forgot, from swingy two-tone to garish Prog, classic metal to 90’s rock. The great genius of Tantrums is that they manage to condense these classic influences, throw in a few whacky curve balls of their own then deliver them with a catchy, contemporary flair.

Idiosyncratic though it maybe Tantrum’s eclectic approach is earning them fans and admirers throughout Birmingham’s diverse and often disparate musical community. This is due in part to the thrilling way in which their sound encapsulates the City’s turbulent, urban multiculturalism. In this regard Tantrums’ music echoes that of fellow Brummie miscreants The Scarlet Harlots, who mine the same vein of dance floor dynamism both bands combining dubstep grooves with a raw indie swagger. Given their sonic similarities it’s not surprising that both bands are releasing on Bigger Than Barry Records. Like every element of the Barry Empire Birmingham’s heftiest new label is dedicated to highlighting the exciting creative activity occurring in the Second City.

Bigger Than Barry and Tantrums are a good match for each other and the roots of their friendship go back deep with Tantrums’ bassist Josh DJ’ing at their first ever party. Now with Tantrums’ forthcoming EP the Northfield boys (and a girl) come good are joining forces in an attempt to show the world that Birmingham’s music scene is amongst the best in the country.

Words: Adam Smith
Photos: Rhiannon Jones