A Portrait of Birmingham is a tall order by anyone’s standards, so my hopes for this event were less on the lines of an insightful look at what makes the modern brummie tick, and more on the lines of music, poetry, pictures and a beer please (yes, I had read the flyer), and I have to say it didn’t disappoint.
The literal ‘Portrait of Birmingham’ aspect of the evening came from a selection of photos from James Hepburn, who, having worked with, I can tell you knows just about everything there is to know about photography, so it was no surprise to see a collection of great shots projected onto the rear wall of the space. I have managed to get my hands on a copy of my favourite one, a picture of the Roller Derby player Violet Attack, a player for the Blitz Dames who had been somehow persuaded to sit still for a period of time without knocking anyone over:
Portrait of Violet Attack, James Hepburn
The first act was a poet called Spicey Fingers, a tall bohemian looking guy with a lulling Jamaican accent. He spoke on stage about both his initial landing in Britain from Jamaica, and his experiences of Birmingham’s spirit, including its darker sides and it’s one night stands,with humour and real stage presence. He managed to slip in between poetic verse and general discussion so comfortably that it almost took me by surprise to discover I was listening to poetry. I would definitely recommend having a look at Spicey Fingers if you get the chance.
Spicey was followed by a first time performer, Elisabeth Charis, who’s first outing onto the stage included some nice work delivered well. I have to say I liked the last poem she read that dwelled on Birmingham the best. It was also nice to see a variety of performers being showcased, from the worldly knowledge and experience of Spicey, to the new and up-coming talent.
Elisabeth Charis (left)Elisabeth was followed by Lorna Meehan who delivered a selection of wickedly funny poems, dealing with TV adverts for ‘womens products’, why she is not currently a rock star and a heap of other stuff that kept everyone in laughter. I would love to see more of this style of poetry around, it makes for a very engaging set, and it seems to me deserves the same sort of attention as music and art, but is very rarely seen. A wise man once said that poetry is made to be spoken not read, and I was certainly swayed to this opinion by the poets of the night. I will try and get some videos up if I can (I’m pretty sure the set was recorded), and will let you know if any more gigs are on the the way. Most enjoyable.
Lorna was followed by story telling by Caitlin Griffiths, who told a selection of short stories written by her brother, about a pub crawl around Bournville village. the stories were historically insightful and witty, with a good dollop of irreverence. Cheers Mr Cadbury’s.
Many of us Birmingham arty types know Captain Ed, the sea-faring wild eyed story-teller. His latest instalment invloves a new character called Fast Eddie Stobart, who followed on the chocolate theme by telling an inuendo filled story about girls Snickers and his Culry Wurly. Much funnier than I can convey here I’m afraid, I will try and get the video.
Fast Eddie Stobart(left) Harminder Judge(right) Me(with head stuck in the middle)
After all this story telling I was glad to have some music to listen to, so I could get my chatter on and think abot about making a fool of myself. This opportunity was provided by the sexy indy tones of Drunk Lovers Sinners And Saints, and the chilled and frighteningly talented Bird Food jazz quartet. All in all a cracking night, I left very contented and topped it all off with a lamb tikka from the excellent cuisine at Neelams in Bearwood.
Many thanks to James Hepburn and Portrait of Birmingham for the photos above, I shamefully forgot my pocket snapper.