Live Review: Big Special joined by Foka Wolf and Tat Vision for triumphant Digbeth gig

Every so often, you go somewhere, experience something and realise it’s not being replicated night after night in different venues across the country.

What you certainly don’t usually see is the papier-mâché heads of the headliners ‘birthed’ on-stage prior to their arrival - more on that later.

To rewind slightly, Walsall duo Big Special are on a UK tour to celebrate the release of their critically acclaimed debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues.

On Thursday, joined by a couple of ‘guests of honour’, they headlined XOYO in Digbeth, performing their album start to finish on the eve of its release.

Since breaking through with their debut single last year, the duo of singer Joe Hicklin and drummer Cal Moloney have been picking up fans across the country with their mixture of ‘Black Country gothic’, melding post-punk, soul, blues and poetic lyricism.

There’s no Walsall gig on this tour, so XOYO is the closest the duo is getting to a ‘hometown’ headline gig.

And, the occasion isn’t lost on the band who explain mid-way through their set the gig is the biggest headline show they’ve played.

Opening for Big Special were Birmingham acts Fergy LH and Gans.

Post-punk indie quartet Fergal LH did a solid job kicking off proceedings while Gans’ bass, vocals and drum combo stepped things up a gear, with a sound and presence which makes the likes of Royal Blood sound embarrassingly puny by comparison.

Then, Birmingham’s artists Tat Vision and Foka Wolf arrive. The former with what’s probably best described as a papier-mâché conjoined twin and the latter with a comically oversized cigarette.

After a brief piece by Tat Vision, the pair led the audience through a game of ‘duck or ball’.

Within seconds, dozens of colourful plastic balls (and a few ducks) were blown out across XOYO’s audience through an air conditioning tube held by Foka Wolf. Catch a duck. Get a prize.

Then, with the aid of a few more assistants, the papier-mâché heads of Joe and Cal (designed by Tat Vision and seen in the video for single Desperate Breakfast) were ‘birthed’ on stage.

It’s probably best to just look at the photo than attempt to discuss this in any more detail. You get the idea.

Dressed as cowboys, Big Special arrived onstage to The Ecstasy of Gold, before launching into album opener Black Country Gothic - its pounding bass and drums providing the perfect up-tempo opener.

While the gig was an album playback, seven of its tracks were released as singles and the run of Desperate Breakfast, S***house and This Here Ain’t Water early on ensured the 500-ish inside could belt out the lyrics back to Big Special.

While Hicklin threw himself around the stage and Moloney franticly smashed away at his drum kit – while also providing backing vocals - it was album tracks My Shape (and later on For The Birds) which showed a different dynamic to Big Special - with the pace dialled down and Hicklin taking centre stage to perform both as spoken word pieces.

Other highlights of the set included the duo’s latest single Black Dog / White Horse – a curveball of a ballad which despite its sonic shift, fitted in perfectly.

The intensity ramped back up for a blinding rendition of Dust Off / Start Again, while for Trees, the pair left the stage to roam among the fans.

Set closer Dig! has the feeling of a song which could only end a night (or album) and provided an euphoric end to proceedings, after which the pair paused, arm in arm, to soak up a rapturous applause.

Big Special have got a busy summer ahead of them, with shows across Europe with Pixies and performances at Glastonbury, Bearded Theory and Reading & Leeds festivals among others in the diary.

The pair recently explained to Birmingham World their success has been a long time coming – but on the back of their debut album and gig at XOYO, it’s thoroughly deserved.

Visit https://bigspecial.co.uk

Big Special played:

Black Country Gothic

I Mock Joggers

Desperate Breakfast

S***house

This Here Ain't Water

My Shape (Blocking The Light)

Black Dog / White Horse

Broadcast: Time Away

Ill.

Mongrel

Butchers Bin

Dust Off / Start Again

Trees

For The Birds

Dig!