Out and About With….Beans on Toast

Gig Review

9th March 2022

Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

Since heading out to review live shows I’ve been able to experience a wide range of atmospheres. From tentative acoustic driven shows, to high octane tinder boxes, and everything in between. Each show has left its mark in my mind and each show had its own unique takeaway. So when I had the opportunity to head out and review the live show of someone I have actually been a fan of for years, well I jumped at the chance. So when the day finally rolled around for the show at what is slowly becoming my second home, The Castle & Falcon, to say I was excited was an understatement. Tonight was going to be something different once again but I had no idea just how blown away I would be (dramatic, but seriously, the show was amazing).

Kitty Liv

Opening the evenings show was the amazing Kitty Liv. I’d had the pleasure of meeting Kitty, along with Jay aka Beans on Toast, and Jay’s partner in crime on the tour Jack Flanagan (Mystery Jets) ahead of the gig and was already bowled over by how easy going and relaxed all three of them were after touring for so long. So as Kitty casually picked up her guitar and approached the mic I already felt a slight change in the air and ready myself for something special….

As she dove into her first track with an effortless grace, her powerful and controlled tone gripped everyone in the immediate area. With each note she seemed to challenge the expectations of the audience by growing in power and intensity. Just when you thought she’d reached the apex of what her voice could do she struck up into a new song and doubled downed on her blues infused inspirations. Her guitar work was so clear and concise that it allowed her voice to rebound off the walls of the venue, hooking listeners as it made its way towards the back of the room

As she wrapped up what I’d assumed was her final song Kitty placed down her guitar pulled out a harmonica and proceeded to blow the entire roof off the place using nothing but her voice and this small handheld instrument. Passion oozed from every note as she channeled it through the hand held instrument. With every freestyle on the harmonica came an enormous vocal line that genuinely seemed to excite quite a few people in the audience. After stirring everyone into a frenzy she proceeded to perform a loop on the harmonica that quite frankly would have had me passing out within two bars. But with each loop the crowd grew louder and began to cheer and stomp in time. It was like watching a hypnotist trap a crowd under its spell. Sadly though she began to slow and drew the loop to a close, drawing an eruption of applause from the audience and leaving them on a gentle boil for the main event.

Kitty Liv

With Kitty leaving them prepped and ready it was time for the audience to stream out, grab a drink, and take up a pew in preparation for the man himself.

Jack Flanagan, Beans on Toast, and Kitty Liv

Kicking things off, Jack Flanagan on guitar and Kitty Liv now on bass, dove in with the opening to to the lead track from Beans on Toasts latest album, ‘Survival of the Friendliest’.  The crowd cheered in anticipation but quickly switched the screams and shouts of joy as the man himself walked on stage to take the mic. What then unravelled before my eyes was a raw, effortless, and passionate performance that pulled you close then kept you on your toes. Despite him being on stage in one of the larger Independent venues in Birmingham, you almost got the sense that you were in the back room of a local pub catching an intimate set with a musician who is still doing it for the love of the music. It almost felt even if there were 10 people or 400 people, you’d still receive the same show, the same amount of passion, and raw energy.

Each song that he performed seemed to be played with the same enthusiasm that he had probably played it with the first time he had written it. At no point did I get that feeling you can sometimes feel in an artists performance, that they are bored of playing this song, but they will because they know you like it. Beans poured every inch of what was inside him into every strum, every lyric. You even felt that Jack and Kitty weren’t just playing with Beans but were having fun playing with him. They each poured just as much energy and enthusiasm into each song as their friend did. It was so great to watch and listen to.

Towards the end of the set Beans even climbed down from the stage while Jack and kitty kept a bluesy funk pattern running and held court from the middle of the crowd. As I listened to him talk about the world we live in, his passion for the hate to end, and his pure honesty, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before at a gig. Everyone around him was in rapped attention and gave him the space to make his impassioned statement. It was just beautiful. After wrapping up the song from the standing room he climbed back on stage and directed the set towards its end.

Kitty gave another strong showing on the harmonica, really letting loose at the open urging of Beans who just seemed to be enjoying her playing rather than wanting to move on in the song. Jack got time to shine by smashing out a few solos that left me wishing that I could pull off something like that and then Beans wrapped the night up with an ode to touring with his final song that had everyone in the room, including myself, chanting his name and stamping the ground. However like all great things in life the show had to come to an end and after letting the crowd boil over one last time the humble and passionate trio took a bow and exited the stage to a wild round of applause.

Overall this gig is going to be one I will remember for a long, long, long time to come. The open passion, the raw emotion, even the effortless banter all came together to create one hell of a memorable night. It also put one hell of a dent in my bank account, worth it though. All I can say at this point is that though I’ve tried to capture the atmosphere of the night, the intensity of the performance, I still think if you get the chance you should get out and catch any one of these amazing musicians live and just experience what I did, for yourself.

Follow: Beans on Toast  Jack Flanagan  Kitty Liv