I’ve got a backlog of GDFAFs to write up which is against the rules but, hell, I wrote the rules so I can break them. I’ll get on to Thursday and Saturday but Sunday’s a fairly easy one to write up because I videoed it. Yes, I’m still dabbling in the art of the moving picture. Hopefully I’ll figure out how to do it properly soon.

As you watch you’ll see Mike in Mono, The Courtesy Group, Calvados Beam Trio, Scott H Biram, Kling Klang and the Black Diamond Heavies. Yes, six acts, but spread over two gigs. At the same time. Let me explain.

The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath traditionally has one gig room with a stage, lighting, a bar and such. It’s been like this for years, probably decades. Next to it is another room usually used by the bands to set up and relax. I’d never seen this room (not having ever had cause to play at the H&H) but it turns out to be quite substantial, about the same size as the main gig area though seemingly hasn’t been decorated since about 1947. So whether by accident or design the powers that be decided to turn it into a venue too. Which means Kings Heath has another space for live music and such and the Hare and Hounds suddenly becomes a much more important part of the Birmingham live music scene (and it was pretty important beforehand).

I say accident as I can’t imagine these two gigs were deliberately scheduled for the same night. Capsule and Curates Egg have, I suspect, something of a crossover audience so many people would chose one over the other. Personally I went for both – a touch steep at £14 for two hand stamps but if I didn’t drink I could afford it.

This did mean I was darting between the two rooms which wouldn’t have been a problem except they closed off the corridor between them forcing us to go back downstairs, through the lounge, into the smoking garden and up the fire escape. If the two events were attracting radically different crowds this would not be a problem but it did get a little tedious.

Still, I managed to catch most of both gigs. Annoyingly I missed a huge chunk of The Courtesy Group’s set who I’ve managed to avoid for over a year now and not out of choice. They’re quite stunning and impossible to pop in a box. You could draw some parallels with The Fall but only out of desperation. Since they put on the Curates Egg nights and play at most of them I’m sure I’ll eventually see the whole set and I can’t wait.

The other two Curates acts were from the US, Austin TX and Nashville respectively, doing that down and dirty blues rock country thang. It was so authentic you weren’t quite sure if it was authentic or a very sly parody until you realised this sort of thing couldn’t be faked. It was scary, exciting and pounding stuff, the effect amplified by some audience members who looked like they’d been on the Moonshine a little too much. If you weren’t there they you missed something rather special. More fool you. Don’t make that mistake again. The next Curates night is 8 November where the mighty Gallon Drunk will be playing. Eek.

It weirds me out slightly to say that the Capsule gig in the other room felt oddly, well, normal. Not by comparison, just because I’ve been to a lot of Capsule and Capsule-like gigs recently. It was still fantastic, uplifting and pounding stuff and to think that this is what I expect a normal gig in a pub to be like these days is a rather nice feeling.

Mike in Mono was doing is bleepy stuff like a retro-futurist organ player wrestling his banks of nobs into submission. Calvados did the pounding noodle post-rock thing to great effect and Kling Klang were monstrous, pouring prog synth into a fermenting jar and giving it a 10 year shake.

If these gigs had been on seperate nights they would have been great but together it was almost too much, like having a perfectly curated festival crammed into three hours. Come midnight I stumbled home with my ears ringing and a smile on my face. Coupled with Saturday’s Jeff Lewis gig the Hare and Hounds, already somewhat on the map, has marked its place with a huge red indelible splat. Magnificent.

Here’s another video of scary man Scott H Biram closing up his one-man set.

(Photos to follow)