BBC Music are bringing an array or music events and workshops to the city next month (Photograph: BBC)
The stars of BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, 6 Music and Asian Network, along with industry experts and local bands, will be taking centre stage for BBC Music: Live in Birmingham – a week of outreach programming and live events the week before 2015 BBC Music Awards at the Genting Arena on Thursday 10th December.
BBC Music: Live in Birmingham is a programme of daytime and evening sessions taking place in venues across the city. From 1Xtra’s Charlie Sloth talking about how to make money in music, to song writer Terry Hall from The Specials coaching how to write a hit song, to Radio 2’s Sara Cox talking with Solihull star Lady Leshurr about the role of women in the music industry; some of the biggest names in music will be sharing their insider knowledge with a series of inspiring workshops during the daytime.
Major artists including Jess Glynne, Mumford & Sons, One Direction, and Little Mix will be performing at the BBC Music Awards in Birmingham (Photograph: BBC)
By night, the most exciting new acts from Birmingham and beyond – hand-picked by the teams at Radio 1 & 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, 6 Music and the Asian Network – will take to venues across the city for exclusive BBC Music Introducing Showcase gigs.
Musician, 6 Music presenter and Brummie Matt Everitt said:
“It’s excellent to be heading back to the Midlands homeland to host some fantastic events in the build-up to the awards. BBC Music is all about supporting individual artists, bands and the industry at all levels, and that’s something we’ll be focusing on next month in Birmingham.
“Not only will there be an amazing celebration of 2015’s musical year in the BBC Music Awards, but we are also offering a series of innovative, informative sessions for the people of the Midlands. So come, join in, ask musical questions, get useful answers and find out how you can get more involved in the music industry.”
BBC Radio presenters Nick Grimshaw and Chris Evans celebrate the BBC Music Awards coming to Birmingham (Photograph: Kieron McCarron/BBC)
The 2015 BBC Music Awards take place at Birmingham’s Genting Arena on Thursday 10th December between 4 – 6pm.
A stellar line up including Ellie Goulding, Hozier, Jack Garratt, James Bay, Jess Glynne, Little Mix, Mumford & Sons, OMI, One Direction, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Rod Stewart and The Shires will all wow the crowds in their celebration of the popular music year with some surprise collaborations and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Tickets are priced £39 – £53 from bbc.co.uk/musicawards.
One Direction will be performing at the BBC Music Awards 2015 at the Genting Arena (Photograph: Paul Thomas/BBC)
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BBC Music: Live in Birmingham
The full programme:
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FRIDAY 4th December:
1-2pm
Glee Club
How to Make Money in Music
Hosted by Radio 1Xtra’s Charlie Sloth
Whether you’re an aspiring artist, interested in working in the music industry, or just love music, this is a Q&A not to be missed! Hear how you can make music your career with artists and industry heavyweights DJ/Producer Preditah, Disturbing London’s Product Manager Sandy Cheema and You Tube channel P110 Media. You’ll hear advice on getting your music heard and played on BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra. If you’re making music, a performer or a writer, PRS for Music will also be on hand to answer your burning questions.
Radio 1Xtra’s Charlie Sloth will be giving advice on how to make money in music (Photograph: Ray Burmiston/BBC)
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SATURDAY 5th December:
1-2pm
Birmingham Ormiston Academy
Women in Music
hosted by Radio 2’s Sara Cox
From Adele to Beyoncé, some of the biggest pop stars in the world are women. But how big a role do women play in the whole industry? Hear from some the UK’s most prominent women in music. Joining Sara will be local rapper, singer and producer Lady Leshurr, Island Records’ Annie Christensen and Artist Manager Margherita Visconti to discuss what influence women have and what more needs to be done to ensure equality in music.
Radio 2’s Sara Cox highlights the role of women in the music industry Photograph: (Damien Fry/BBC)
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8-10pm
The Oobleck
BBC Music Introducing presents…
with Asian Network’s Yasser Ranjha
Yasser will host the first BBC Music Introducing session of the week, showcasing the acts that he considers to be some of the finest talent in town – DJ Producer Bambooclart, the multitalented Bambi Bains and singer/songwriter Vaz.
BBC Asian Network presenter Ranjha Yasser will host the first BBC Music Introducing session of the week (Photograph: Joel Anderson/BBC)
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SUNDAY 6TH December
1-2pm
Birmingham Ormiston Academy
Birmingham: The Biz and the Buzz
hosted by Radio WM’s Jack Parker and Jade Matthews
Local music industry figures from across the board discuss topics including how to get involved in the local scene, music promotion in Birmingham, how to go about crowdfunding, and making a success of local music venues.
Jade Matthews will co-present The Biz and The Buzz
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8-9:30pm
CBSO Centre
BBC Music Introducing presents…
with Radio 3’s Kevin LeGendre, Georgia Mann and Lopa Kothari
BBC Radio 3 presenters Lopa Kothari, Kevin LeGendre and Georgia Mann will host an evening celebrating the breadth of music on Radio 3 with new artists in classical, world and jazz. Artists performing on the night are Birmingham based jazz band Hansu-Tori, world music outfit Project Jam Sandwich and one of the best known accordion musicians of his generation, Iosif Purits.
Kevin LeGendre joines Lopa Kothari and Georgia Mann in hosting an evening celebrating the breadth of music on Radio 3
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MONDAY 7TH December
2-3pm
Glee Club
The Art of Songwriting
hosted by 6 Music’s Matt Everitt and Tom Robinson
Whether you’re an aspiring song writer hoping to learn the key to penning a hit single or just interested in how your favourite musicians create that magic, this is the Q&A session for you. BBC Radio 6 Music is known for its alternative spirit and many of its presenters are active musicians and song writers, so join host Matt Everitt (formerly of Menswear) to look at the process of song writing. Tom Robinson (of 2-4-6-8 Motorway fame) and local pop star and song writer Terry Hall (Fun Boy Three, The Specials) reveal how they go about the craft with contributions from others in the 6 Music team Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Guy Garvey (Elbow) and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin’ Criminals).
6 Music’s Matt Everitt co-hosts The Art of Songwriting (Dean Chalkley/BBC)
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8-10pm
Hare & Hounds
BBC Music Introducing presents
with 6 Music’s Tom Robinson
6 Music’s Tom Robinson host a new music showcase with some carefully selected, exciting new talent – rapper Lady Sanity, folk outfit Boat to Row and five piece band Hoopla Blue.
BBC Introducing Presents will be hosted by 6 Music’s Tom Robinson (Photograph: BBC)
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TUESDAY 8th December
1-2pm
CBSO Centre
A Career in Radio
with Radio 1’s Annie Mac
Whether you’re an aspiring DJ, radio presenter or just a fan of good music, join us for an audience with the woman who has the best job in music broadcasting and the man who gave her her big break. From an entry-level job behind the scenes to presenting 20 Years Of Radio 1 in Ibiza this summer, Annie Mac will share the memorable moments of her career at Radio 1 and her adventures DJing across the globe. She’ll be in conversation with Rhys Hughes, Head of Programmes at Radio 1 and 1Xtra, who gave Annie her first show back in 2004.
Radio 1’s Annie Mac discusses her career in radio (Photograph: Ray Burmiston/BBC)
8-11pm
The Oobleck
BBC Music Introducing presents…
with Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and Radio 1Xtra’s DJ Target
Radio 1’s Huw Stephens joins forces with Radio 1Xtra DJ Target to present acts that they consider to be some of the most exciting new talent around. Performing on the night will be local rapper Vital, Disco duo Ekkah, singer songwriter Call Me Unique and rock band God Damn.
Radio 1’s Huw Stephens joins forces with Radio 1Xtra DJ Target to present some of the most exciting new talent around (Photograph: Ray Burmiston/BBC)
Radio 1’s Huw Stephens joins forces with Radio 1Xtra DJ Target to present some of the most exciting new talent around (Photograph: Ray Burmiston/BBC)
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WEDNESDAY 9th December
1-2pm
Glee Club
Industry Inspiration
hosted by Radio 2’s Jo Whiley
Whether you’re a struggling musician or just want to ‘work in music’ but not sure where to look, this session will answer all your questions. The music industry is big and varied, encompassing many elements beyond the pop stars. There’s radio, record labels, live music venues, publishers, producers, promoters, pluggers and more. What do they all do and how do they work together to discover new talent and bring it to the wider world? Joining Jo will be Lauren Brennan, Music Producer at BBC Radio 6 Music, plugger Rich Perry, Artist Manager/A&R man Ally McCrae and others who will be on hand to answer all of your questions.
Radio 2’s Jo Whiley discusses ‘Industry Inspiration’ in Birmingham (Photograph: David Venni/BBC)
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8-10pm
The Hare & Hounds
BBC Music Introducing presents
with Radio 2’s Jo Whiley
Radio 2’s Jo Whiley hosts a new music showcase with acts that she has specially selected for the occasion. Performing will be local singer/songwriters Lawrence Taylor, Hannah Brown and Tom Aspaul.
Venue Details:
Birmingham Ormiston Academy: Grosvenor St, Birmingham, B4 7QD
CBSO Centre: Berkley Street, Birmingham, B1 2LF
Glee Club: The Arcadian, 70 Hurst St, Birmingham, B5 4TD
Hare and Hounds: High Street, King Heath, Birmingham, B14 7JZ
The Oobleck: The Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham, B9 4AA
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BBC Music: Live in Birmingham
BBC Music Introducing: The performers
BBC ASIAN NETWORK NIGHT: 5th December
VAZ: Singer/songwriter from London and Canada. The first instrument he learnt to play was the guitar at the age of ten. He then decided to teach himself to play the piano. His main influences are Nat King Cole, Nirvana, Prince, Musiq Soulchild and A.R Rahman.
BAMBI BAINS: Singer, dancer, model, actress and YouTuber. Her music is a combination of gospel, soul, R&B, Hindi and Bhangra. At the age of eight she began playing the piano, bass guitar, drums and dhol. She was nominated as Best Newcomer and Best Female Songstress by the BritAsia Music Awards and The Bhangra Awards.
BAMBOOCLART: Bambooclart is a DJ/Producer from Birmingham. He’s remixed for names like Major Lazer and Diplo. He’s had national and international exposure from working on projects for The Gaslamp Killer, Beardyman and DJ No Names (Foreign Beggars) to name a few.
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RADIO 3 NIGHT: 6th December
PROJECT JAM SANDWICH: Project Jam Sandwich is comprised of five highly accomplished, award-winning musicians who met whilst studying at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. They are a ‘world music’ outfit, a dynamic collaboration of instruments, interests and genres adding their own individual stamp to folk music from all over the globe.
IOSIF PURITS: Iosif is an accordionist from London and was the first BBC Introducing classical artist to perform live on In Tune on BBC Radio 3. He has become one of the best known accordion musicians of his generation and has travelled around the world performing at the most prestigious concert venues.
HANSU-TORI: Hansu–Tori are a Birmingham based jazz band, playing vibrant, original contemporary music. They describe their music as Jazz/Rock/Improvised Music/Cinematic/Modern Classical/Electronic. The Korean term ‘Hansu’ means ‘water: a drop of water gathering to make an ocean.’ ‘Tori’ is the Japanese word for ‘bird‘. It can be thought to represent freedom and grace.
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6 MUSIC NIGHT: 7th December
BOAT TO ROW: Boat to Row are a collective of instrument swapping, harmony sharing friends from the Midlands; meandering through all that life and love have to offer. From its beginnings as a solo university project Boat to Row has evolved into a band confident with delivering intelligent, intricate folk music.
LADY SANITY: She is a 21-year-old female rapper from Birmingham who started rapping at the age of 13 and since then has been experimenting on creating her own style. Her inspirations range from Lauryn Hill and Jimi Hendrix to A Tribe Called Quest.
HOOPLA BLUE: Hoopla Blue is a five-piece band from the West Midlands. They have been championed by BBC Introducing in their home-town and have supported the likes of Dutch Uncles, Wolf Alice, Temples and Stealing Sheep amongst others.
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RADIO 1 & 1XTRA NIGHT: 8th December
VITAL: A rapper who makes dancehall, grime and hip hop in Wolverhampton. He is also a business man, videographer and technician. He has performed along-side acts like Tinie Tempah, Dappy and Stylo G.
EKKAH: A female duo called Rebecca and Rebekah. They describe their music as ‘Downtown Disco’ and have had a lot of support from BBC Introducing in the West Midlands and London.
CALL ME UNIQUE: Call Me Unique is a singer/songwriter heavily influenced by jazz, soul and the forgotten art of jazz scat-singing. She combines these elements with modern rap, beautiful melodies and soulful, thought-provoking lyrics.
GOD DAMN: Back in the summer of 2010 two like-minded guitarists and one power house of a drummer met in a lock-up situated in an old canal side factory at the heart of the recently crowned home of metal, the Black Country. Their music ranges from early heavy metal, blues, grunge and elements of prog.
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RADIO 2 NIGHT: 9th December
LAWRENCE TAYLOR: 22 year old singer-songwriter from Birmingham, Lawrence Taylor moved to London at 19. After years of playing open mic circuit across London, Taylor found his unique sound with just a telecaster. He’s just release Bang Bang the title track of his forth-coming EP.
HANNAH BROWN: Hannah grew up in Long Eaton, Nottingham, and had a passion for music from a very early age. Initially, she wanted to play the drums but then she picked up her mother’s guitar, strummed it for a while and liked the feel.
TOM ASPAUL: He describes himself as a ‘singer, song-writer and Virgo’. He grew up in the West Midlands and now lives in London. He is currently supporting the Little Boots in Leeds and London
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Tickets to all BBC Music: Live in Birmingham events are free (except tickets to the BBC Music Awards) and are available from: bbc.co.uk/musicawards. Entrants must be over 16 and under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.
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