It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s right, Birmingham Cocktail Weekend! And we here at StereoRiot are ready to take on all the venues once again to tell you what’s tasty, what’s cool and what’s damn right fiery! Someone has just informed us that there are 40 venues this year. We aren’t scared, it’s just made us more excited! Especially for The Vanguard at 1000 Trades. We’ve already been told what they’ve got ready for the weekend, but we’re keeping that a secret
It's a fairly cold Monday in Birmingham. But that hasn't stopped a capacity crowd from coming out to the Genting Arena tonight. Even as I arrive at about 7:45 (just in time to watch the support act), there's still a huge queue outside the entrance to the arena. As I walk in, I find a vast array of humanity lining the walls from the forum to the arena, where I find my seat and settle down to watch Alex Cameron kick off the proceedings and "grease up the stage" for the headline
It might have been the Friday before Halloween, but the only spooky thing on this night was the amount of traffic as we worked our way to go catch Weezer at the O2 Academy. It was with great sadness that we went through the doors of the Birmingham venue, as the absolute madness of cars and traffic had meant we missed both of the supports, making it a 4th time I have now missed a chance to catch Ash live. This will have to change! However the atmosphere in the room soon change
Florida natives Mayday Parade came back to Birmingham on Saturday night to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of one of their most popular albums, 'A Lesson in Romantics'. Their fans came out loyal and true to sing every song like a choir in the Institute; they made a small room sound like it was filled with thousands. 'Miserable at Best' got the loudest response from the crowd as usual with every person religiously singing 'I can live without you but, without you I'll be miserab
Birmingham Cocktail Weekend is back once again for another three days of running round the City Centre, trying new cocktails and discovering locations unknown to us. Last year had 30 different locations and amazing drinks to try (I still dream of Hotel Du Vins beautiful Lemon Cheesecake cocktail) but this year it's stepped up another notch. 36 is the number this year and once again we intend to hit every single one and give you our verdict on them (as well as the multiple eve
The Wailers returned to Birmingham and the O2 Academy was 'jammed' full. As the O2 Academy Birmingham started to fill, support J J Soul adorned the stage with her mellow, cheerful vibe with a beautiful blessed voice of an angel. Hailing from London she didn't disappoint with her half an hour set showcasing her talented tracks as one of the first supports to watch out for this year. Within five minutes Shanty stormed the storage bringing an uptempo vibe to get the crowd swayi
So today, the best indoor festival in the world, Slam Dunk, has made another announcement. And they will not be outshone. Neck Deep, off the back of supporting A Day To Remember on their tour last month, and their continuing tour schedule, are going to be there, along with Citizen, Turnover, the always fun Set It Off, Memphis May Fire, I Prevail (the band whose cover of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" is still taking room on your Facebook feed, but are legitimately brilliant), I
Chances are, if you're 18 or over, you've listened to the album Costello Music. Most probably in full. And you probably know all the words to said album. Well it's now 10 years old, and The Fratellis are taking it on tour. But first out the gates is Johnny Lloyd. I could tell you all about his previous success with his old band Tribes, but I don't need to. Johnny's solo work is phenomenal and this support slot was a perfect warm up and start to the night. With a fantastic sou
After a three-year hiatus, White Lies returned to Birmingham armed with new, electronic-infused songs, fresh vigour and plenty of indie stompers. Supporting a band known for weighty, dark rhythms with touches of synth pop, it makes perfect sense Bristolian quintet The Ramona Flowers are the support band of choice. Taking their name from the Scott Pilgrim heroine, the band – led by the headbanging of lead singer Steve Bird – leave their mark on the Birmingham crowd with the en
On a stormy and soggy Monday evening, I dragged myself through floods and rain to what I can say was one of the most enjoyable Monday nights I've ever had. I was not prepared for Airbourne. To kick the night off however, I was greeted by four young women I had met earlier on in my day. Sadly no, I didn't strike it lucky at the bar, it was instead The Franklys. A four piece all female band from the UK, that when asked earlier what to expect responded, 'Hairy Beast'. At the tim
If you didn't have your ticket before, you need to get one now. Slam Dunk have just made their second band announcement, and it's big. Don Broco are announced to be playing as a U.K. festival exclusive. Fresh off a massive tour with the ever growing Bring Me The Horizon, these boys are going to be fun, and it seems that no stage can contain them anymore. Bowling For Soup are also on the bill. If any band fit the bill for what you'd expect at Slam Dunk, it'd be these guys. Mus
In a sea of fishnets, Fred Perry’s, braces and flatcaps, the crowd huddled together in the queue outside the O2. With a name like ‘Slaves’ this band is undoubtedly making a statement and despite the bitter November cold, the fans were here to aesthetically make theirs. Waiting in line to the loud lairy booze-fuelled warcry of the fans chanting ‘Where’s your car Debbie?!’, it was apparent that this gig was going to be messy, sweaty and as raw as the lyrics Slaves’ spit. The ma
We've got a pair of tickets to go see Electric Six at the O2 Academy 2 on the 30th of November! These Detroit based rockers are hitting Birmingham again for what is known as their Brum Christmas bash! Their genre of blended rock is a treat for this time of year and is guaranteed to warm the night up! So if you want to go see this 'High-Voltage' band, here's what to do! There's three methods of entry for this competition! 1) Comment on this post! Just drop your name below and