Comments on: ArtsFest, help us pick the highlights

By: bounder

bounder — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:43:18 +0000

No I didn’t see the Blues Brothers tribute act, that’s one of the beauties of ArtsFest — it’s so damn big that one can be a couple of miles away from stuff that you wouldn’t like and still be there doing something.

Tribute bands are on dodgy ground to start with, and along with the Commitments, there’s something depressing about a tribute band to a fictional covers band — like the film version of musical version of The Producers — how much further from the original vision can it get before it disappears up its own arse?

You’d hope that watching and enjoying a Blues Brothers tribute act would encourage people to check out the RnB originals in the way Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi intended — instead it seems to only create more appetite for soul rendered through paunchy blokes in their forties.

That and providing the easiest and least imaginative fancy dress competition available.

By: Annerley

Annerley — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 07:45:24 +0000

I want to hear your prejudices on Blues Brothers tribute bands. I saw them in Centenery Square yesterday and thought they were brilliant. The crowd loved it. Did you see them?

By: Creating a stir in Birmingham « Groves Media

Creating a stir in Birmingham « Groves Media — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:26:14 +0000

[...] it is already happening. The likes of Jon Bounds on BiNS and the team at Created in Birmingham are doing an impressive job of drumming up enthusiasm for [...]

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:28:10 +0000

I find the online programme really hard to navigate too, so made my own version of it at http://www.dracos.co.uk/play/artsfest/ which orders things by time and is searchable.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:10:40 +0000

I’ve been trying to do the same for CiB but you’re right it’s nigh on impossible. Actually, the Friday should take care of itself with Stan’s Cafe, the free stuff at the Town Hall (esp Soweto Kinch and the interesting-looking Maylight) and the general Light Night shenanigans.

Saturday’s the tricky one. There’s the BRB/CBSO/Opera/fireworks finale in Centenary Square but otherwise I reckon it’ll be a case of stumbling on stuff. Then going to Project X Presents in the evening. Oh, the Between The Lines thing at the Library at 7pm looks nice (on Sunday too).

On Sunday it might be worth splitting time between the Custard Factory (bit of music and a programme of short films) and the Kerrangfest stages (depending on whether you’re a Levellers fan or not).