Out and About With…..Eighty Eight Miles

Gig Review

The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

1st July 2022

Photography by & Written by Luke Knowles

It’s been a while since I’ve written a gig review. Through a mix of sunning it up on holiday and then catching two colds in a row I’ve not had much opportunity to get out. So, once I was back on my feet I couldn’t wait to get back out there and catch more great I’ve music. Luckily for me one of the bands that I had recently come across was celebrating the release of their brand new single with a gig at The Sunflower Lounge. Eighty Eight Miles had caught my attention when I saw them perform an acoustic set in support of Blue Violet earlier this year, so to see them as a full line up wasn’t a chance I was going to miss.

Sadly, my night didn’t get off to the best start. Despite rushing through the house like a tornado and dashing to the station I managed to miss my train and wound up having to put my travel plans I the hands of the Uber Gods. Long story short, this delay meant that I did miss the opening set performed by Dominic Clark. However I was informed by a reliable source that it went down very well and so I have added the name to my ‘Brummie Bucket List’. Anyway, I think that is enough of me setting the scene so lets get stuck into the review of one amazing run of great music.

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By now I know exactly where to stand in the basement venue to get the benefit of the air conditioning during the night. So I settled myself in just in time to see the James Scoield & His Band take up positions to keep the night going. I had had no prior knowledge of James before tonight and after the first song, kicked myself for not hearing him sooner. Initially armed with an acoustic guitar, a talented keyboard player, and an on point drummer James and his band tore through some upbeat Indie Folk style songs that had everything from catchy lyrics to driving rhythms. Though it was just the three of them on stage their presence was felt around the entire room.

As they moved into the second half of their set out came the electric guitar and the whole aesthetic switched into a more Indie Blues fuelled dynamic. With some catchy riffs on the guitar and a nice full sound from the amp the three musicians were tight and didn’t lack anything to their sound. I say this because sometimes without a bass player you can have quite a hollow gap in your live shows but this wasn’t felt here. Each song was executed and wrapped up nicely. My only critique of the second half was that at some points the keyboard line was lost in the mix but that is down to an engineering stand point and something out of the bands control. However for the large part the keyboards were present and a great compliment to the guitar and vocals.

Overall a great set by James Scofield & His Band, very much looking forward to seeing them again.

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Next to take to the stage was a band that had come to my attention several months ago but due to circumstances I hadn’t been able to catch them live. Well tonight I got my chance. When Tigers Used To Smoke climbed up on stage and immediately you got the sense that you were about to see and hear something that embraced all things alternative. From their vibrant outfits to their laid back confidence I knew I was in for a treat. They didn’t disappoint. Opening their set in style each song carried an almost psychedelic indie undertone and to say that they were a tight unit would be an understatement. They effortlessly melded together to create a single entity churning out big and swirling songs. Each instrument had its own unique edge to it that lived up to the bands unusual name.

One bit that stood out to me, for the pure creativeness of it, was during their song The Birds. Was started a low key almost trip pop vibe of a song burst into its instrumental piece and no word of a lie, the guitar was chirping. It was such a great use of effects and timed so perfectly that I can still picture the moment now as I write about it. Their was just pure joy and fun in that moment that was a steady element to their whole performance. Their stage presence had the modestly filled room eating out of the palm of their hands and once again had me kicking myself for not getting to see them sooner. Eventually, like all great things, their set came to an end.

Once again When Tigers Used To Smoke became a band that I am eager to experience again and also drag as many people as possible along with me to see it.

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Now it was time to get stuck into the main reason we had all packed ourselves into the basement of The Sunflower Lounge, Eighty Eight Miles. As I said at the start of this review I’d had had the pleasure of seeing the band perform an acoustic set and had been blown away by them then. So to get to hear them in all their glory was something I’m glad I didn’t miss. Even befoere the band made their way on to stage the room wa pumped full of smoke and an anticipation began to fill the room from every corner. Through the smoke the band climbed up and picked up their instruments, all the while a clip from ‘Back To The Future’ played out through the speakers (a little nod to the inspiration for their name). It was a nice touch and allowed the band to come in hard with their opening song and get the crowd excited.

The electricity and expectation set up from this opening number was double downed on and paid out in huge amounts as the well oiled band moved seemelesly through their original music. Each band member was smiling and clearly thriving off the joy given to them by the eager audience. Three or four songs in the unmistakable opening to Life is a Highway kicked in and the band performed an amazing version of the song. The only other cover they played was As it Was which they had played acoustically before but had a better punch as a full band. Eventually they got to the main event of the night which was a live performance of their brand new single Diana. It was so great to get to experience a band perform a new single on release day. It just had that flare of something new and special that yo ucan only achieve in a moment like that.

Overall, for a first gig back after a while I couldn’t have asked for a better line up and a better run of performances. Each band brought something different to the stage and executed in style. I can’t wait to not only experience these bands again in more venues but also get back to experiencing what other musical surprises Birmingham has up its sleeve this summer. Hopefully get a few more acts ticked off the ‘Brummie Bucket list’ and maybe even add a few more in their place.

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