Discover Birmingham 2020 launches
This weekend saw a new series of live shows at Birmingham's The Sunflower Lounge kick off promoting the best of the local music scene - including plenty who have appeared in The Star's Unsigned column.
Named Discover Birmingham 2020, the showcases spread across this month include some of the top talents to emerge from Birmingham, The Black Country and Staffordshire in recent years, as well as further afield across the West Midlands.
It is run as a project between Birmingham Promoters, BBC WM Introducing and Kidderminster College-based MAS Records, among others.
Friday night's launch show was headlined by Sleepy Heads, with Hotplate and Brummie acts Glass Ceilings and The Common providing the back-up. Saturday saw former Unsigned stars Deaf Balloons - from Wolverhampton - headline, with fellow Wulfrunians Second Hand Genes, Cannock's Honey Factory and slight supergroup Quentin Francis also on the bill.
And last night, The Earnest Spears played with backup from Feed Me Milk, Simple Milk and SPIT, from Stourbridge and Birmingham, who were one of the final Unsigned column acts of 2018.
Tonight it will be the turn of The Butters Aliens, Cornflakes At Kelly's, In Our Lives and Honey I Shot The President.
The shows will continue until the final one on January 26. Other former Unsigned column acts to appear across the month include La Dharma from Cannock and Hednesford, Wolverhampton's Alex Ohm, Walsall's Jack Cattell and The Pagans S.O.H. from West Bromwich.
Kinver's SUE will also appear on January 14 who made it into our albums of the year list for 2019, as well as Karkosa, from Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield on January 11 who have found fame in South Korea via the internet.
Full listings, information, line-up changes and tickets are available via the Birmingham Promoters website.
Discover Birmingham 2020 at a glance (line-ups correct at time of writing):
Tonight: The Butters Aliens, Cornflakes At Kelly's, In Our Lives, Honey I Shot The President.
Tomorrow: The Nu, Future Fires, Akande, The Flow.
January 8: Outline, Crymson, Easy Company, The Mood.
January 9: Lady Sanity, Ed Geater, A$troboy$, Stella.
January 10: Paper Buoys, The Good Water, Headshrinkers, Bermuda.
January 11: The Assist, Karkosa, Roma Cove, The New Consistent.
January 12: Riscas, Flares, 11 57, Souki.
January 13: Delta Autumn, Rosie Tee, Gaby Kettle, Cariss Auburn.
January 14: SUE, Pretty Vile, Twelve Twelve, The Wolf Within.
January 15: Kioko, The Pagans S.O.H., Sketch, Stress Release.
January 16: Violet, Rai Kah Mercury, Wishbone, The Space.
January 17: Spilt Milk Society, Odd Soul, Cherry Cherry, Amy Louise Ellis.
January 18: Alex Ohm, Jack Cattell, Matt Millard, Cotter.
January 19: Namiwa Jazz, Ruth Kokumo, Fergus Channell, Demelza.
January 20: Lucy May Walker, Midge, Ellie Poole, Lucy Shaw.
January 21: Y!kies, Free Galaxy, Baddreams, Bleach.
January 22: Dead Mob, Born Zero, Insurgent, Chlorine.
January 23: Genuine Panama, Melotone, Sriracha People, Tradin' Fives.
January 24: The New Righteous Mood, La Dharma, Fat Cat, Cellar Door.
January 25: Shai Brides, The Reservoir Cats, The Silver Lines, Boats On The Ocean.
January 26: George Pannell, Sedated Society, Lauren Hoyle.
