ArtsFest

From 6pm-11pm on Friday 14th September, in Centenary Square, let the Indie Invasion commence:

Murdoch - 6.00pm

Formed in 2000 and hailing from Telford, this four-piece upped sticks to Brum in search of bright lights and bigger venues to infect the masses with their delicious mix of melodic indie-pop.

Murdoch

They’ve gained recognition from across the city and beyond; having been featured on Janice Long’s BBC Radio 2 show, and having their irresistibly catchy tune 'Behind These Trojan Walls' as a soundtrack in a short glossy promotional film made by Birmingham City Council.

Last year Murdoch set sail to Serbia to play alongside indie heroes Franz Ferdinand and Morrisey at the Exit Festival, and now they take the centre stage at ArtsFest for the first time. Drummer Dan Webb told me how excited the band is to be playing at the UK’s largest free arts festival:

"We're really looking forward to it. We like playing big stages, our music suits these festival type events so it seems appropriate and it's good to be playing one in Birmingham. Everything’s going really well for us at the moment, by the time next year's ArtsFest comes around, the people who didn't come and watch us this year will be kicking themselves!"

From the delightful harmonies of ‘Echoes’ to the rolling guitar riffs of ‘Kid’, Murdoch are sure to whet the music-appetites of the ArtsFest crowd this Friday. 

A pop art explosion...

Misty’s Big Adventure - 6.50pm

Armed with a multitude of wonderfully enchanting tunes that'll have you bouncing merrily all the way to the front of the stage, Misty’s Big Adventure have been at the forefront of Birmingham’s experimental music scene since 1996.

Their infectious sounds have earned them support slots with The Zutons and The Magic Numbers last year and after bringing the adventure to ArtsFest this weekend, the band are to embark on a massive UK tour.

Let Grandmaster Gareth and the eight other members of the band take you on an eclectic journey fuelled with saxophones and trumpets, toy instruments and electronic samples, and join in the adventure as they bring Grumpy Fun to Birmingham’s ArtsFest.

Mexicolas - 7.40pm

This talented trio have been gracing Birmingham with their pounding indie-rock tunes since front man Jamie Evans ditched his previous band Lukan (who’d followed rock Gods Alice Cooper and Def Leppard on tour back in ’97) and formed the ever-powerful Mexicolas.

The Mexicolas

Main players in Birmingham’s local scene, the band have already made waves across the country, had their music featured mass marketing campaigns, and got rave reviews in NME and Total Guitar Magazine.

Based in Digbeth, this thrashing threesome bring the unrelenting power-riffs and scorching drum beats that earns them comparable status to the mighty Queens Of The Stone Age; with enough sonic aggression and melodic mayhem to induce compulsory head-banging on a mass level.

Surely enough to set the tone for an unforgettable Indie Invasion this Friday?

They're playing the Kerrang! stage on Sunday too if you're left itching for more of the Mexicolas' slashing rock riffs.

Birmingham's finest

And there you have it, three of Birmingham’s finest indie bands leading the Invasion at ArtsFest this Friday. Following them will be Newcastle-based The Orange Lights at 8.30pm with their beautiful down-tempo sounds, and all the way from York, Elliot Minor at 9.20pm, bringing their harmonic and tuneful indie-pop sounds to Centenary Square.