I refuse to let go because there's so much yet to be explored musically within this city and so much that people don't get. I feel a lot of people are under the impression there are only three bands from Birmingham; Peace, Swim Deep and Jaws. These three are obviously great bands, there's no denying that, and they've definitely been the most successful in recent times. However, Birmingham's music scene did not start within the past year. The West Midlands has always famously been a place of heavy metal. It's only within the last year that sunshine pop has reigned supreme. I don't know whether I'm just old, but to me it's crazy that Birmingham is now better known for Peace than it is for Ozzy Osbourne.
I understand that sounds super negative, but please let it be known I am in no way a despiser of the "B-Town" scene. I just find it weird that so many people have such a warped sense of what it is to be a band from Birmingham. A lot of people seem to be under the impression that being from Birmingham is your key to success. The general consensus seems to be: play a few gigs, walk into the NME head offices, tell them you're from Selly Oak and you're guaranteed to be on next week's front cover. Before I go on, I should probably explain that this is not how it happens. At all. Although, at B-Town's peak, being from this city sparked interest, it has never been an instant route to fame and fortune. Let's take, for example, Swim Deep. Swim Deep have been around for quite a while now. I get that if you haven't been an avid follower of this band, it will appear to you that they played a few gigs then suddenly filled the pages of music magazines nationwide, however I first saw Swim Deep play in the corner of the Rainbow back in 2011. They worked their asses off and got a support spot with Spector. I guess that's where things really kicked off for them and after seeing how hard they had worked to get where they were I was really proud of them. Then the Birmingham thing really started off and gave them the opportunity to get somewhere. Before anyone knew it, they were huge. But that doesn't mean they didn't work hard to get to where they are now. Birmingham gave them, and so many other deserving bands, the platform they needed to launch themselves off on. A lot of people didn't see the struggle behind these band's success stories and therefore assumed they've had an easy ride and that's really not the case.
This is why it really annoys me that so many people have turned against Swim Deep now, for no reason other than the fact they're way more popular now. I get called Swim Deep girl a lot (I was in one of their music videos) and have the piss ripped out of me for it but I don't see why being associated with a band that has gotten to the level they have should be a bad thing. Sure, I don't like some of their new music, I totally get not liking their material. It's ok to dislike a band but it's not ok to not like a band because it's "cool" not to. The people that I see bitching daily about Swim Deep are the same ones that only took the little waves out of their Twitter bio last week. The ones who will tweet "idk they've just changed too much man" whilst stood queuing for the barrier outside a Swim Deep gig. There seems to be this whole culture surrounding them, along with other Birmingham bands, that it's no longer cool to like them because they've got somewhere. Which is such a mental attitude towards music to have. It makes no sense to me that people would rather a band they enjoy to still be struggling just so they'll get a cheeky retweet or whatever. If a band can make a career out of what they enjoy, then you should support that. On a night out after a gig, I attended local nightclub Snobs with Swim Deep. Whilst desperately trying to think of something cool to say to the members of Spector also in attendance, I chatted away with Higgy about music etc etc and he suddenly said "I hate B-Town. Fuck B-Town". I was like "You can't say that! Birmingham is your thing.", to which he replied "Yeah, but that was never the intention". That really struck something with me, and I think it shows a lot. This idea that Birmingham is full of people who love their city and that all music created there is based on an admiration for it is a vastly constructed one. Birmingham was never intended to be a defining factor in anyones music. That was a concept that's been thrust upon bands by a Media that wants something to write about, something to cling on to. Birmingham is great but it's never the dream,which just further enforces the fact you should be supportive of a band that you like. Of course Swim Deep left Birmingham behind. Of course Peace left Birmingham behind. Anybody would do the same and it doesn't make them sell outs.
That went off on a bit of a tangent that wasn't fully intentional, but I guess it's relevant. So like I was saying, Birmingham doesn't equal hordes of adoring fans. Unfortunately this mindset doesn't end with people outside of the music scene because a lot of bands from Birmingham seem to feel the same way. For every five great bands I know in the city, I know one really terrible one who thinks they're something special because they were born in Harborne. They're the ones you see swanning around venues in outfits they copied from Harrison Koisser, the ones who look down their noses at everyone and play a lousy set. They're the ones who feel, as Brummies, they are entitled to a record deal and groupies waiting by their creepy van. That's not how it works within any music scene and it's not how it works here. Bands still have to have substance and talent and there are a few bands around who make up for what they lack in these things with an inflated ego and a wardrobe bought entirely at COW.
Thankfully, the good outweighs the bad and there are so many great bands here. That's probably the main reason I don't want this B-Town thing to end. The world of music is, obviously, an incredibly difficult world to make it in, and a boost from the likes of NME could be the thing to get these bands rolling. There are so many bands deserving of the huge platform that was the B-Town hype that never got to have it and that really sucks. That isn't to say they aren't doing amazingly off their own backs. I'm lucky enough to be close with a lot of local bands and nothing inspires me more than to see how hard they work and how far they're getting by themselves and I know that's what they personally prefer. They really are doing great things. I saw Babypink's very first gig at the start of this year; they walked on to No Scrubs, played a killer set and I could just tell they were going to really be something someday. Fast forward a few months and they've gotten themselves an ever-growing fanbase, a fancy manager, and a string of tour dates supporting Birmingham mega stars Jaws. And how can I possibly lecture you on good Birmingham bands without the mention of Curb, Bad Moon, Youth Man, God Damn, Swerve, Juice...... the list could go on forever. There's a whole web of amazing music going on underneath the radar and I can't wait for the day it blows up because you're really in for a treat. So I guess, in a way, it doesn't matter if the interest in Birmingham dies. Because Birmingham is full of amazing bands doing things the old fashioned way; building a name for themselves through their own hard work. And I think that's something that I'm way more proud to be a part of.
I realise that parts of this has sounded incredibly anti-everything, but truth be told I personally have a lot to thank the fascination with Birmingham for. For starters, it's allowed magazines such as Counteract to be created, which in turn means I get to write for said music magazines. It's given a lot of budding musicians the confidence to say "today is the day I start my band". It's bought the positives of the city to light and shown that Birmingham isn't as bad as it's made out to be. The B-Town scene has allowed me and many others to meet amazing people, the fellow scene dwellers who are there with you throughout gigs and throughout the soul crushing comedowns. And for all of this, Birmingham? I am eternally greatful.
love,
Kitty xxxx
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