Review and photography by Robert Barrett

The Night Owl proved itself to be a hidden gem gig venue, hosting Thursday’s psychedelic gig headlined by Paul Cherry. An eclectic mix of local support acts added up to make a memorable night in the 60’s themed club.

First on the bill was Liquid Cheeks. Considering they have only been playing live shows since September, they entertained the crowd like seasoned pros. Their brand of self- proclaimed electro garage rock started the night off on the right track.

Next up, Cave Girl brought an edge of glam rock to the psychedelic proceedings. Frontman Ed Quigley seemed to channel both a Ziggy Stardust era Bowie and Jarvis Cocker which the crowd lapped up.

The final support act of the night were another local act The Lizards. The familiarity to Tame Impala complimented the psychedelic lighting as they whisked through a number of entertaining (maybe want a better word for entertaining) songs.

The Night Owl DJ’s kept the inebriated crowd dancing until it was time for Paul Cherry and band to grace the stage. Decked out with a bright red beanie and clear glasses, he launched straight into ‘Hello Again’ the opening track from his debut album ‘Flavour’. It was instantly apparent that we were in for a magical set, with dreamy guitars and woozy synths entrancing the crowd.

Paul’s songs sounded like they were beamed in straight from the seventies singer songwriter handbook. Melodies and rhythms that echoed back to early Paul McCartney and Paul Simon, all wrapped up in a modern twist. Songs like ‘Your Letter’ and ‘Like Yesterday’ were real crowd pleasers and showed off the unique skills of Paul and his backing band. “Birmingham you’ve been one of the nicest places I’ve been to” gushed Paul toward the end of his set.

As the show came to a close, the audience rushed to meet him at merch stand and he patiently made time for every fan. On behalf of the nice city of Birmingham, we would happily have you back anytime Paul.

(The original version of this article was first published on Blankexpression Zine http://www.gigjunkies.com/band-reviews/paul-cherry-the-lizards-cave-girl-liquid-cheeks-at-the-night-owl-digbeth-birmingham-uk-18th-october-2018/)