Birmingham’s district of Digbeth is full of contradiction. From the old manufacturers of the city to the creative spaces that have popped up wherever a landlord will allow. On the somewhat dark and dingy Floodgate Street a small sign above the corrugated roller doors tells us we’ve reached the destination for the evenings event.

The whiff of oil in the air hints at its working past but the new activity inside tells of a distinctly creative transition. The audience is greeted by a large wooden structure inside an old industrial unit now named Boxxed. Cautiously entering the structure is a group of girls whose eye-wear is from a throwback retro trend – the 3D glasses.

This is our tool for the evening and one that will enable us to view Walsall artist Chu’s interpretation of Wood as part of the Tiger Beer Lucky 8.

The cube has 8 corners and by standing in the ‘Sweet Spot’ directly under the light and in the centre of the space the corners vanish from sight. It’s the accumulation of a unique painting technique that Chu has been working with for some years. The 3 dimensional wooden cube is filled with his unique 3D art that only comes alive when the glasses are on.

While the building begins to fill with curious punters the light varies around the room as the entrance to the cube is opened and closed. People are taking their time inside to adjust their eyes to what jumps out before them. It isn’t always clear what the image is as your eyes move from above to side to floor but the reward comes when a pipe jumps out at you or a camera lens pushes forward. The industrial-ness of the art fits the space perfectly and must clearly have been an inspiration for Chu.

The artist is enjoying being back near his native homeland and is continuously greeted by old friends who have come out see his new creation. So keen to get his work done for the launch he tells us that he even slept in the cube one night on a camper bed. A brave move if February’s cold temperatures are anything to go by but for the man who has spent the last 30 years honing is craft should we be surprised?

Does your contemplation of the situation fuck with the flow of circulation? The Glasgow based duo of Joanne Tatham & Tom O’Sullivan pose this question to the audience to make us all aware of the concept of art as an exhibition.

They believe the ‘pieces’ are the foundation to an exhibition but the choreography and curation of those pieces is what works to create the experience of seeing the art and they aim to provide the public with a chance to re-analyse how they see art and why they see it as they do. By combining sculpture, painting, architecture, photography, performance, literature, institutional critique and curation the artists work to let the viewer understand their thinking processes, by providing an environment where consciousness of thought process is encouraged.

Eastside Projects, Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham
4 July – 6 September 2009

Image: Joanne Tatham & Tom O’Sullivan – Does your contemplation of the situation fuck with the flow of circulation (detail) 2009. Courtesy of Eastside Projects.

Capsule the brains behind Supersonic Festival are curators, promoters and fans of the finest music, revealing the otherwise indescribable connections between contemporary music and art, crafting extraordinary events for adventurous audiences. Now in it’s 7th year, the event will once again take place at the Custard Factory in the heart of Digbeth utilising a number of spaces for music, art, film and cake.

The festival is shaping up to boast their best line up yet, with unique performances from such influential artists as Italian legends, GOBLIN -  their first show in the UK in 20 years. The reformation of the original line up of Black Country industrialists HEAD OF DAVID, who bring their driving bombast to proceedings for the first time in 23 years. The notorious Japanese band CORRUPTED who have yet to play on UK soil as well the reawakening of Greg Anderson & Stephen O’Malley of Sunn 0))) maiden voyage into darkeness: the cult  black doom act THORR’S HAMMER.

Not to forget splatter rock band THE ACCUSED, unruly trio MONOTONIX, the expansive drone-noise of GROWING; Brighton’s prog adventure, DIAGONAL; the wild avant futuristic jazz of ZU; the stoned pysch of EARTHLESS, the Virginian sludge rock of PONTIAK, the industrial experiments of 65 DAYS OF STATIC, the immense duo that is FLOWER/CORSANO DUO, occult noise act SKULLFLOWER, also joining the line up is SCORN aka Mick Harris (king of the blast beat)  and the new project combining Russell McEwan of Black Sun &  the electronic-vocal attack of Lea Cummings (Kylie Minoise) in the form of ATOMIZED, added to this are the power violence duo IRON LUNG  and one of the finest folk vocalists NANCY WALLACE will be featured in the line-up, once again highlighting the highly eclectic booking policy of the festival.

Tickets for Supersonic 2009 are on sale NOW via http://www.theticketsellers.co.uk

Available via Rough Trade East in London
Polar Bear & Swordfish in Birmingham + Plugd Records in Cork

CONFIRMED LINE UP
Friday: Army Of Flying Robots / Atomized / Drum Eyes / Kylie Minoise / PCM / Scorn / Taint / Venetian Snares

Saturday: Bobby Previte / Corrupted / Diaganol / Flower/Corsano Duo / Growing / Iron Lung / Kim Hiorthoy / Light Trap / Marnie Stern / Master Musicians Of Bukkake / Monotonix / Nisenenmondai / Remember Remember / Rose Kemp / Skullflower / Tartufi / The Accused / Thought Forms / Thorr’s Hammer / Tweak Bird / Zu

Sunday: 65 Days Of Static / Arbouretum / Caribou / Chris Herbert / Earthless / Goblin / Head Of David / Jarboe / Khyam Allami  / Nancy Wallace / Pontiak / Pram / Pre / Theo / The Memory Band / ZzZ

Further info: http://www.supersonicfestival.com

When the Twang released their debut album “Love It When I Feel Like This”, the boys from Quinton seemingly rocketed from nowhere to the moon….and back in scarily quick time. Now, two years later, the lads with more swagger than the Gallaghers are back and tonight they screamed onto the tiny stage in a very packed Rainbow. Within seconds the air was thick with premium lagers and testosterone as Phil Etheridge asked, “Is this Birmingham? Well let’s have a little party then!”

Opening with Wide Awake, it’s difficult to hear the band as every word is sung back at them with the passion of a football terrace. Lads chant and girls swoon as Phil and Martin lean out across the assembled throng. I have to say, having seen the boys once before, I wasn’t overly impressed but tonight they are on fire. Pumped up by the home town crowd and armed with a fist of news songs it’s clear to see they are glad to be back. Tonight 7 tracks from forthcoming album “Jewellery Quarter” get an airing, including new single Barney Rubble and all are welcomed warmly.

However the biggest cheers are left for older material – particularly tracks like Push the Ghosts with its Salt ‘N’ Peppa singalong section sounding ace. Finishing the set with an encore that included The Neighbour and a rousing Cloudy Room it’s clear the beer soaked crowd enjoyed themselves as they file steaming into the night air for a revitalising fag. The new material sounded good and the old material sounded surprisingly fresh, but will be it the Twangs summer? Only time will tell – but it’s clear to see they are defiantly back, buzzing and ready to ‘ave it!

Words & Photos: Lee Allen  

The forefathers of UK graffiti as well as the new generation of street artists though working within the public sector of wall space are still featured in contemporary galleries across the globe and now will be at the The Wild Building from 22nd-31st May.

Featuring a miscellany group of styles, mediums and installation pieces some under £75, Line Steppers is catering to all tastes and wallets whilst showing off the talent of something that has pushed itself into being considered a true art form rather than just a way to step out of line.

Artists confirmed for Line Steppers include Alex One, Best Ever Crew, Chu, Zoot, Dora (pictured above) and Sweet Toot. Admission is free, every day open from 11am-6.30pm.

For further information visit www.jibberingart.co.uk .

Words: Alexandra Rochester

Józef Robakowski’s film ‘From My Window’ includes May Day marches, so it only stands to be suitable that his exhibition of ‘My Very Own Cinema’ which includes those images amongst many others, should open on the 1st May as the first presentation of work at Ikon Eastside of 2009.

Born 1939, Robakowski was amongst the first generation of Polish artists to work with video, working on From My Window from 1978 through to 1999; the project being literal in its title, with Robakowski following the daily goings on of the public square his window looked down onto, allowing a pseudo-documentary that only came to an end when a new hotel blocked the view he’d had for so many years. The film suggests the constancy of personal relations amidst events.

My Own Cinema also includes other shorter and more abstract works that investigate the relationship between sound and image including Attention: LIGHT!, a work made to a ’score’ produced by the American film maker Paul Sharits shortly before his death. “The Market” shot from above between the hours of 7am and 4pm follows the ebb and flow of people at a marketplace. All works made between 1970 and 2000, the underlying theme of the exhbition is that of the shift in ideologies of Eastern Europe from socialism to capitalism and the military rule during the 1980s’ and the paranoia it created.

Robakowski was a founding member of several artist’s organisations and held a teaching position at the Film, Television and Theatre State Academy in Lodz until 1981 when he was removed by communist authorities, who also forbid him from leaving the country or show his work in Poland. Ikon Eastside is showing the work as part of the The Polish Season in the UK.

The event is open from 1-31 May at Ikon Eastside which is open Thursday to Sunday 1-5pm. Admission is free.

Image credit: Film Still, About My Fingers, 1981.

Words: Alexandra Rochester

Hip Hop giants Public Enemy, will make their first ever appearance in Birmingham at Digbeth’s Custard Factory on 3 December.

The performance at The Custard Factory is Public Enemy’s first gig in Birmingham and their appearance is testament to the growing musical culture in the country’s second city.  With Public Enemy following The Sugarhill Gang’s appearance at Gigbeth in November, Birmingham will have hosted two of the most influential black artists of the last 25 years, in the space of one month.

For tickets visit www.theticketsellers.co.uk or call 0844 870 0000. Doors open at 7pm and last entry is at 11:30pm. Tickets are on sale for £20, and are selling fast.