Gig Review - First Time Flyers - Hare and Hounds Birmingham

The autumn tour season was opened yesterday by the first night of the First Time Flyers “Jump On Tour (part1)” – a teasing title, hinting that there may be more than just the three dates currently announced.  For their second headline tour since forming as a band, and their second full show in Birmingham they moved to the iconic music venue The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath.  Its one of those “imagine who has played here” places, having played host to some legendary names over the years, and indeed Poppy Fardell promised from the stage that they would “always remember the night we played the Hare and Hounds”
 
Each night of the tour has a different supporting artist, and for those of us who saw the Birmingham show we were treated to the deep transatlantic tones of Jake O’Neill.  Hailing from Liverpool (“One of the good parts, I promise”) Jake has been gathering quite some attention, and in the summer played the Paddock Stage at Buckle and Boots festival – his first ever festival appearance.  Jake’s set was mostly his own compositions, each with a little explanation of its origins or what it means to him.  These included his first single after his semi final appearance on TV’s “The Voice”, his latest single and one written across the Atlantic, with a two second delay.  He’s also written a song in 15 minutes whilst sat on the bedroom floor at home, about wanting to leave his small town!  If you get the chance to hear Jake’s voice, and his songwriting, you really should take it!

 
Slightly delayed by some tech issues (it was the first night after all) our headliners took to the stage.  Almost immediately we were encouraged to “make some noise Birmingham” by Vicki Manser before the intro track kicked in.  Although on a small stage in a small room, the band certainly know how to let the crowd know they’ve arrived!  The songs are powerful from the off, the bass line and drums thumping.

When it comes to genre, its hard to classify First Time Flyers.  Their pedigree is solidly country, mixed with an absolute gift for performance – including between them the West End and some of the biggest stages you can imagine.  The songwriting is a collaborative affair, with experiences from all four thrown into the pot which is the honest storytelling we expect in Country Music, but the delivery at times is pure energetic pop.  Described as the “ABBA of UK Country” when you hear the pop vibe and energy and see the synchronised hand dancing from the girls during Heartbreak Handshake I’m tempted to call them the “Steps of UK Country” – in a tongue in cheek and loving way!

What is not in doubt is that all four – Tim Prottey-Jones, Poppy Fardell, Vicki Manser and Jake Morrell – love being on stage, love performing and love being on stage.  Their stage presence and their interactions demonstrate that not only is this a band made up of a lot of individual talent but also four very close friends.

The band were joined on stage by KT Parker on Bass and Lewis Jenkins on drums

Their final song was “Happier” – fitting for how much fun they were having – and was sung by the whole crowd with gusto.  The encore, after 90 minutes on stage was Say What You Wanna – with the lyrics delivered at machine gun speed, suggesting that, if allowed, they could have gone for another 90 minutes.  I guess we’ll have to wait for part 2!
 

High energy, high tempo and high volume.  However you classify them, First Time Flyers sure know how to put on a show!

 

You can catch Jump On Tour in London on 13 September and Manchester on 18 September.  Details on their Facebook and Instagram, music on their Spotify!

 

Silverball Country attended the show as guests of First Time Flyers 

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