Out and About With….Five O Fives

Gig  Review

14th October 2022, Muthers Studio, Birmingham

Photography by Erin Conelly  Written by Luke Knowles

Back in the midst of 2020 I had the great fortune to come across a little local band who were preparing to release their debut single into the world. Even after listening to the opening portion of the track I had a little feeling that I was hearing a band set for big things. 2 years later I found myself heading out on a rainy evening to one of Birminghams fine independent venues to watch this band celebrate the release of their debut EP. Being able to watch as Five O Fives have grown and evolved as a band over the last few years is one of the great pleasures of what I do and being able to stand in a room brimming with love for this band as they took the roof off in style, was the icing on the cake. So, let’s get stuck in with the evenings events.

First to take to the stage was the Political Troubadour Ace Ambrose. Armed with her trusted acoustic guitar Ace wasted no time in locking in with the audience and getting stuck into her set. Coincidently I had seen Ace perform before at the first headline show The Five’s performed a few months ago. In that instance, due to traffic and typical Birmingham Road workings, I’d arrived late so only caught the final song of her set. So this time around I made sure to take in every moment. Kicking things off Ace carried herself with an assured confidence that bled into her performance, capturing everyones attention.

As her set progressed Ace aired out some new tracks, teasing an upcoming EP release that I’m hoping will drop soon. Each song was infused with a brutal honesty and unforgiving political stance. Every song was greeted with cheers and loud applause from the gathered crowd and this seem to boost Ace to really let herself lean into her set with everything she had. This solidarity between artist and audience culminated in a spontaneous sing along as Ace wrapped up her set with one of my new favourite songs ‘His Name Was Susie’. I’ll never forget the room echoing to the line “….The say he’s as straight as a roundabout….”. I was just one of those moments that makes me so happy that live music has found a way back from the dark days of lockdowns. Bringing things to an end in true Ambrose style it was safe to say that Ace made a few new fans that night, including myself.

Next up to the plate and eager to make an impression was an old friend and familiar face Jack Cattell. Much like the Five O Fives I had gotten to know Jack way back during the early days of his musical venture. I’d had the pleasure of not only watching him perform a number of solo sets but had also hosted him several times at various events resulting in huge positive responses. In more recent time he has put together a band and in a short time they have become a well oiled machine. Through one thing or another I’d yet to see Jack and his band in their full glory so once again I made sure to be front and centre as they took to the stage.

One thing that I have always admired about Jack’s performances is his sheer stage presence. From the moment he got behind the microphone to the final crescendo he effortlessly commanded the audience and even drew out several sing alongs to his songs. His newly acquired band mates also played off Jack’s confidence and each one of them performed their hearts out around him and helped elevate the songs to whole other level. A stand out track for me was ‘Answers’, the new single. While via Spotify the track has a lot of power and passion it doesn’t compare to the live rendition that packed a satisfying punch as the song kicked in. To say he warmed up the crowd before the headline would be understating things. For me, he brought the audience to a boil ready for Five O Fives to lift the lead and release the pressure. Another fantastic set in the bag.

Now was the time for Five O Fives to take to the stage. As I said at the start of this review, this is a band that I have watched evolve over the last few years and have had the pleasure of seeing them live on several different occasions. Each time I got the sense that they were growing in confidence and comfortability on stage and with their own sound. Over the last few shows they have shown a great push forwards in both sound and performance. Once settled into position the band struck up without a word and let the music do the talking. With confidence they tore through tracks from the EP, really leaning into the newer and sharper texture of their music. Each track landed with the well honed preciseness of a seasoned touring band. Leading the strikes was the fiery personality of lead singer Alice Bloor who commanded your attention as she moved around the stage.

As a little treat for the crowd they even slipped in some brand speaking new tracks that once again highlighted the bands more indie-grunge leaning. Carrying a hint of Audioslave and Royal Blood. There was one slight technical hiccup at this point with Alice’s microphone but without skipping a beat she took up the second mic and hit the ground running with the rest of the song. I’ve seen moments like that break a bands stride but rather than faulted the band plunged onwards, confident Alice would find a way back into the rhythm. It was great to see the trust and belief the band share in each other and has only made me love this band even more. Eventually they wrapped up the evening with a running performance of their debut single ‘Through the Darkness’ and were called on by the excited audience to play one more song. After a brief hesitation the band agreed and re played one of their new songs. This time without the technical hitch. Again the warm and friendly atmosphere combined with their comfortable stage presence turned their set into one of the best I’ve seen of theirs yet. 

Overall my belief that Five O Fives are meant for bigger things has not been shaken. In fact I believe once they begin to headline larger and larger venues that I will be one of a few people to reminisce about this night and humbly remind people that I was there back before the explosion. I was there when they lit the fuse.

*Stream Five O Fives debut EP here

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