Out and About with Artio

Gig Review

Photography by Paul Reynolds

On Sunday 12th September The Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham played host to the gig I had been waiting for. Since the brilliant team at Indie Midlands announced that they would be bringing Leeds rising stars Artio to Birmingham I began counting down to what I assumed would be a gig to remember…..and it didn’t disappoint! Not only did Artio blow me away but they were supported by two outstanding acts from Birmingham!

First up to take the stage were Paper Vultures a band that I’d seen knocking about on various line ups but had never experienced live. Straightaway I was full of expectant excitement as they confidently took the stage and kicked the night off in superb Alt Rock fashion. They tore through tracks from their EP and even sprinkled the set with a few brand new tunes that got me excited for future releases. Before I could come down from the high, the final song ended and the crowd erupted with applause and chats of “More, more”. After a brief moment of hesitation and admitting to having no songs left to play, they pulled out a cover of ‘White Rabbit’ that capped of their performance perfectly.

As the applause died away and the playlist kicked in, full of some great tunes I might add, I made my way upstairs to seek the refuge of cool night air. It was hot. I mean really hot. Anyway cold cider in hand it was now time to head down and tick off another band from my ‘Brummie Bucket List’ (Paton, still pending).

Last year I had the great pleasure of interviewing the Five o Fives as they dropped their debut single ‘Through the Darkness’ and from that moment knew they were a band I had to see live. So seeing them supporting Artio….well dreams really do come true. They took the stage and immediately kept the electricity from Paper Vultures performance and raised the level even higher. They banged out their singles with practiced ease and comfortable confidence as well as treating eager fans to some as yet untitled new songs. Each song spoke to the bands bright future and proved they had a lot to give when it came to their position on the music scene. To end the set they poured every last drop of energy and adrenaline into the song that started it all ‘Through the Darkness’. All my expectations from this young band were met and even pushed further as the final note rang out.

Before heading up for one last blast of cold air I had the great opportunity to catch up with a very sweaty Five O Fives and do my usual fanboy thing in person. Leaving them to recover I headed upstairs for another drink and to share some ideas for fancy dress costumes. Not really music related, but it happened. Anyway, conversation over I headed back downstairs to grab a prime spot for the headline performer…

Artio took to the stage and immediately made their presence felt. Kicking into their first track their song hit me like a brick awll and kept me pinned to it for the entire time. Though it was just the three of them on the stage they filled the senses as though they were a ten piece metal band with full orchestra. Each song was full of electricity and power, each one packing a harder punch than the one before. They knocked out all my favourites from their releases over the last year and a half and lead singer Hol peppered the set with some unabashed banter with the audience. By the end of the set we were pressed against the front of the stage, bathing in their final song and having my expectations well and truly blown out of the water. It was a set, in fact an entire gig worthy of the slight deafness I suffered the next day.

So with that, and after several minutes fanning out over Artio in person I necked my last drink and bid goodbye to another incredible night of live music. All three acts brought their A-game and Indie Midlands once again proved they have the knack of putting together an unforgettable night of music. I cannot wait to get out and experience another show and hopefully tick even more acts off my ever growing list.

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Indie Midlands    Paper Vultures   Five O Fives   Artio