Musician, writer and improv comedian Tom Clabon joins Mark to fight about which of Birmingham’s bands are best, and possibly what the word “definitive” means.
And by Birmingham, we mean Birmingham. The proper one, in the UK.
Tom has performed in bands (like Bussy ), and like Mark knows the pain of publishing music to Bandcamp to little fanfare. But they’re both absolutely not bitter about it. Tom also presented Indie Mixtape on local station Brum Radio.
The pair share gig-playing memories, the venues they’ve nearly been thrown out of (Mark), and the ones they’ve scammed their way into (Tom’s dad).
If you’ve heard of the majority of Tom’s picks, then you already know more about Birmingham’s music scene in 2019 than Mark does. If you’ve heard of the majority of Mark’s picks, then you’re a granddad and death will claim you soon.
Also, Mark tries to coin a phrase for the pro-life movement, but doesn’t do a good job, and Tom threatens to give Mark a weird handshake.
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Honourable mentions
- Dexys Midnight Runners
- Duran Duran
- UB40
- Editors (we ❤️ throaty men)
- Rhino and the Ranters
- Independent Country
- Pram (it’s not a theremin)
- The Streets (Mark doesn’t like them)
- Spencer Davis Group
- Exhailers
- Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam
- The Move
- Black Sabbath
- Fine Young Cannibals
- Steel Pulse
- Musical Youth
- The Beat
- The Electric Swing Circus
- Napalm Death
- The Twang
- Bentley Rhythm Ace
- Wizzard
Tom’s picks
In order of discussion:
Tom saw two members of this indie four-piece play when he was learning to be a sound engineer.
This Krautrock project just about makes the definition of “band”, but deserves notoriety for interestingness and reflective lyrics.
Expect combinations of sounds you won’t