The Heavy North: Liverpool band take over Birmingham’s Sunflower Lounge with taste of blues rock

Liverpool blues rock band The Heavy North brought their ‘Electric Soul Machine’ UK tour to the streets of Birmingham, stopping in at the Sunflower Lounge.

Joined by strong support from Sam Lambeth and his solo acoustic set followed by a roaring performance from The Last Rogues, The Heavy North made sure that everyone in this venue would have a rowdy and unforgettable Tuesday night.

Tucked away in the stage area downstairs in the Sunflower Lounge, the hardy crowd had been well warmed up by the band’s special guests.

The venue could only perhaps be given justice with a separate article of its own.

Located on Smallbrook Queensway, around the corner from New Street Station, the music venue is thriving and has a whole host of top acts lined up - including a gig from up and coming North East Band Pit Pony set for next month.

Up top, it’s a quiet and smart-looking bar. Downstairs, it is a hidden gem of a stage and performance area.

Right then, back to the gig…

It may have been cold, and it may have been a Tuesday night, but that didn’t matter to anyone standing deep down in the Sunflower Lounge.

The main event was just as entertaining and thrilling as what we’d all hoped for, and my first time seeing the Heavy North was certainly worth the wait.

I shared a few words with frontman Kenny Stuart during the intervals in music, and seeing the band emerge from the crowd to hit the stage is definitely a wonderful sight that large venues miss out on.

Their blues rock sound is definitive and cuts through in pretty much all of their tracks, but one where it particularly leaps out is ‘Awake’.

The gradual and progressive intro breaks into a short, sharp chorus before Kenny dips back into the timely second verse.

The Birmingham gig marked roughly the half way point of the tour, with shows in Newport, London, and a homecoming show in Liverpool still to come.

With the tour in full swing, the Heavy North showed in Birmingham that they are a class act to both watch and experience.

The band’s debut album, gloriously titled ‘Electric Soul Machine’, was released back in April and so far they have taken it to almost all corners of the UK.

Plenty of these tracks featured during the set, with ‘The Genie’, ‘Satisfy You’, and ‘Darkness In Your Eyes’ being personal favourites.

The band are strong in numbers, six in total, and they were a presence up on stage in more than one way.

The addition of the keyboard and the rare outing for the mouth organ gave their set an rounded feel, and a sense that any musical experiment could be a success which, on a chilly Tuesday night in Birmingham, it most certainly was.

This band is on the up, and without a shadow of a doubt they are a group deserving of checking out.

Keep tabs on their social media pages and be ready for a musical experience you’ll not forget in a hurry.

How to get hold of the album

Electric Soul Machine features the singles ‘Darkness In Your Eyes’, ‘No Good’, ‘Awake’ and ‘Satisfy You’ and can be bought through the band’s official website.