Well, I caught four of the six bands, – unlike the character in the book I named this piece after – close enough on this Saturday night, where I found myself in deepest, darkest Digbeth, the famous Arts quarter in Birmingham to witness a spectacle I had never seen before.
Pirate Studios opened their doors and set up two studios to allow six bands to perform a short set each. Sadly, I missed the first set by Jack Lott and the last set by SUE, I joined in the shenanigans midset with Denied Legacy’ a roarsome band of ruffians whose noise levels thundered out into the hallway. With a masked marauder on the frets I am reminded of Chuggaboom, as they continue crashing and thrashing around, nothing would ‘Sour’ the mood this evening.
Denied Legacy
We all then hot-footed it down the corridor to studio 18 to watch New Pulse. Immediately I got a young Ville Valo standing in front of me, and off they soared into the ether, their music reverberating off the walls and into our collective cranial cavity. A couple of cheeky covers thrown in for good measure and I tell ya, I was glad I came down tonight. With a new single scheduled for a Valentines release and an upcoming show at the end of this month at The Arches Venue in Coventry, you can see the efforts being made to secure their place in an industry that is not so welcoming. Banishing the ‘toxic’ vibes and performing under pressure, New Pulse were a joy to watch.
New Pulse
Equinox settled into room 14, as we all made our way back up the corridor and strapped ourselves in to begin a ‘throwdown like no other. I got Heriot/ Pupil Slicer vibes, the unforgiving sound of heavy music, it floats like a ‘Butterfly’ and stings like a bee. The power surge in that small room was combustible, the intensity of the spin kicks, full of character and defiance. Like sitting atop the ‘Oblivion’ in Alton Towers we held our breath and felt our internal organs scramble for cover under our rumbling epidermis.
Equinox
The only artist I had seen before were the new breed of the old school Thrash scene, they opened for Acid Reign last year and were now here, the last band in studio 18. Thrashead, once again enamoured us with their stonking version of the classic ‘Devil’s Island’ and offered up some ‘First Blood’ for our aural consumption. A very neatly packaged evening, I’m not underestimating the work that would have been done behind the scenes to bring this micro mini festival, but it is a fantastic way to introduce new artists.
The grassroots is suffering, now more than ever, watching these artists tonight there is hope, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, a respectable number of fans turned up to show their support and we left wearing our war wounds with pride.
Thrashead
Even if this style of music is not for you, it is essential that we keep both ears to the ground. There is a palpable swell in the industry, we need to get behind these artists, they are putting the work in, we cannot let them fall by the wayside.
The view from Digbeth is breathtaking, we are oozing talent that needs to be scooped up and nurtured, listened to and incorporated into the fantastic musical landscape that we already have. Meet the brand new heavies of Birmingham, with enough power and presence to bury your unsuspecting ass under the concrete, these bands got together in a conglomerate of cacophony.
You will find Pirate Studios at Unit 2, 77 Upper Trinity Street, Birmingham, B9 4EG and for more information please contact Mathew.brennan@pirate.com who is happy to answer any questions you may have.
I cannot wait to see more of these bands and definitely looking forward to another Pirate Takeover!
Azra Pathan
Pirate Takeover, Pirate Studios, Digbeth featuring Jack Lott, Denied Legacy, New Pulse
Equinox, Thrashead and SUE.
Saturday 18th January 2025