What’s Happenin’? A LOT is Happenin’!

Anyone that knows me will know that Digbeth is my favourite spot to hang out in Birmingham because you’re always guaranteed a good night. But I can confidently say that last Saturday, on the 19^th of July, I had the best night in Digbeth yet, and to be honest, I don’t think anything else will ever top it.

The Clause’s Liam Deakin had successfully put on a night that no one in Birmingham is going to forget for a very long time: What’s Happenin’ Digbeth? Spanning across my three favourite venues in the area- The Night Owl, Dead Wax, and Mama Roux’s- the night was an incredible showcase of the most amazing up-and-coming indie bands right now, such as Genevieve Miles, L’Objectif, and M60.

With around 500 tickets sold, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Digbeth so busy. I think it’s been the perfect opportunity to shine a light on the area, for artists and gig-goers alike.

For more selfish reasons, as most of my favourite artists from the lineup were performing there, I stayed at Dead Wax for the whole event. I’ve never actually been to see a concert there before, but it’s a brilliant venue! It reminds me a lot of the Hare and Hounds in King’s Heath and is the perfect venue for an intimate gig. If the event comes around again next year (which I am praying it does!), I will definitely go and spend more time at the other two venues as well.

In the end, I only got to see three acts out of the 22 that performed! But that was partially my fault. I heard that it was the same with a similar event in April with Wolverhampton’s Feel the Noise Festival: you kind of needed to commit to the venue you were at, and from my experience, stay in the room too. Because of wandering around in between sets, rooms were filling up quite quickly and were acting on a “one in, one out” system, due to the amount of people attending, which of course, was a great system, but I was gutted that I could only hear ten minutes of L’Objectif on the stairs! At least for the future, I know how to navigate the event a little bit more, especially because I was unable to go to Feel the Noise, so I was completely new to a multi-venue festival.

The first act to kick off What’s Happenin’ Digbeth? and the first act I saw perform were The Cases. I had already seen them back in April, supporting The Molotovs in Nottingham, and I must say, this performance was even better than the first time I saw them! I had been raving about their song Mr Penny that they keep playing on their TikTok ALL DAY to my friend, as it’s my favourite of theirs, and then they opened with it! It’s so upbeat, and it definitely set the vibe for the rest of their performance. And straight afterwards, I felt so spoilt, because they followed with Time for You, which is actually a regular song on my radio show! I was so impressed by their performance, and I have to say that they’re a band you really need to keep your eyes on. Only last month they played the Isle of Wight festival and are selling out headline shows! The best thing about seeing them perform is that it’s so clear that they love doing it. There are far too many bands that are so static and stiff on stage, but The Cases couldn’t be further from that. They’re always having a laugh on stage and really bounce off each other as a group; it’s so clear that not only are they a group of musicians, but most of all a bunch of mates having fun on stage, and it’s so refreshing to see as an audience member.

The second band I was lucky enough to see, and was most excited to see was Keyside! I’ve been listening to them for around six months now, but haven’t seen them before, so they were at the top of my list to watch. And I must say, they did not disappoint. Dan’s voice is so powerful and unique, and yet it seems to come out so effortlessly; I’m just so in awe of not only his, but the whole bands’ talent! When looking back through the notes I made on Saturday,one has stood out to me that I still stand by: Jake Bugg isn’t even dead yet, but his spirit lives inside Dan. Seriously. It’s as though Keyside are reviving that distinctive sound of early 2010s indie music. They even played their newest song, If You Don’t Try, which brought something new to their repertoire, while still retaining their jangle pop sound. Even as people, the band are so likeable, and I think as an audience member you can just click with them straight away. They’re so interactive and can have a joke with you while they’re on stage.

Overall, I couldn’t fault their performance or their music in the slightest, and I even said that Keyside WILL be the band of the summer. You have my word on that.

And lastly, probably one of the most anticipated performances of the night took place: The Molotovs. I had seen them at Rough Trade in Nottingham in April, but this performance was even better! I had the chance to talk with lead singer Matt after their show and I was explaining how I’m not the biggest fan of the Rough Trade performance space in Nottingham, just because the layout is quite odd with how the audience space is set out. There’s a wall with an arch in the middle of the crowd. Call me old fashioned, but I just like a bog-standard stage and normal crowd space. Which is why I love Dead Wax so much! I couldn’t see a thing at The Molotovs’ show in Nottingham, but I had an amazing view in Digbeth! Anyway, venue rant over. The band opened with their hit More More More, which got the crowd going straight away. They also absolutely smashed a cover of Bowie’s Suffragette City and closed with their number one single Today’s Gonna Be Our Day. When the band gets on that stage, that stage is THEIRS. Even when they were testing their mics and guitars before they began, I was immediately in awe of Issey. Her stage presence is unmatched to anyone else I’ve seen- you can really see that she’s in the zone when she plays; it’s so impressive. And with drummer Noah, they make the perfect trio. His passion shines through when he drums and Matt and Issey bounce off him so effortlessly.

They even brought Harry and Matt of The Cases on stage to end their set! And what a mind-blowing set it was. I’ve always been into the Mod, Ska, and Punk genres, which is why I felt so drawn to The Molotovs when they first came up on my Instagram. This must have been about six months ago, and I’ve been in complete amazement of them ever since. Their audience is so diverse in age, from early teenagers up to adults in their 60s, and not many young bands can successfully pull that off, which clearly shows that The Molotovs are destined to be the best of the best. I’m calling it now: they’ll be playing Glastonbury 2027. What also leaves me in shock every time I think about the band as well is Issey and Matt’s ages! They’re still teenagers and yet have been performing on the same stage as Blondie and The Libertines, and they’re even supporting The Sex Pistols in AMERICA in September and October! Every time I think about it, I’m just like, “what?!” I’m round about the same age as them and couldn’t even begin to imagine being able to perform as amazingly as they do. Matt had also announced on stage that their next single is being released on Halloween this year, followed by their debut album at the end of January, which you MUST put in your calendars! After their astonishing set, I said to my friends, I would willingly keep going and keep going to see them live.

I cannot wait to hear if What’s Happenin’ Digbeth will come around again next year. It has to! I’ve never attended such an amazing event before, and it’s definitely given both Birmingham as a whole and Digbeth even more recognition. Like I said, I’ve never seen the area so busy before, with the streets heaving with musicians and attendees. And after talking to some of the artists who played that night, I’ve grown to love the up-and-coming indie scene even more than I already did (which I didn’t even think was possible!). And part of this is because of the huge sense of community it seems to hold. It genuinely seems like one big friend group at the end of the day, and it’s so healthy to see.

Next year, I will definitely be seeing so many more bands than I did this time round. But if you haven’t already, you have to get to know The Cases, Keyside, and The Molotovs, because I can assure you, they are onto huge things.

All photos by me.