It’s been a really busy Autumn so far with the camera, but this was something I had been looking forward to for a good few months. With Ireland still closed for business with regards to indoor gigs (Saturday 16th October marks the relaxing of these restrictions) a little mini tour in England gave a great opportunity to dust off the flight cases.
The Sunflower Lounge is a cracking little venue not far from New Street station in the heart of Birmingham, with great sound and lighting but even in a mild October it was very warm down in the basement. I wouldn't want to be in a full crowd in the middle of summer! Brand New Friend were first up, a five piece made up of 3 siblings from Castlerock on the coast in Northern Ireland and 2 from Belfast. The music is upbeat and energetic and the band throw everything into every note. The set was a mix of numbers from the album Seatbelts for Aeroplanes and their EP A Cure For Living they released just before lockdown. with a few of the new tracks, planned for the second album. And they stood out. They seemed more structured, slicker and worked brilliantly live. My favourite had to be 'Arthur Street' but they all sounded good. I spoke to them afterwards and they reckon they have nearly 20 songs demo'd and are planning to hit the studio very soon to get them recorded. The small crowd lapped it all up and they got a great reception, a great way to warm up the crowd.
Next up was the headliners, Cherym, a 3 piece from Derry. They exploded onto the stage with their punk pop rock, catchy tunes delivered with a smile and bounce. They got the audience involved after 3 songs and the audience responded. The tunes kept coming, with the new 5 track Hey Tori EP forming the backbone of the set. The tunes were really tight and the three girls put on a hell of a show. it was lovely to catch up with them after the show as they talked about their relief in getting to play live shows again. With a dozen gigs planned in the UK, Cherym are going to be blowing away a fair few audiences before they get back to Ireland. Give the Ep a listen, it will brighten up your day.
Words and Pictures by Glenn Morrison
