Toledo, Ohio’s Soledad Brothers are back from the near dead to spread their one-of-a-kind Rust Belt R&B Revolutionary Gospel. This is their first time returning to Birmingham in 20 years, after playing at the iconic Cold Rice club back in the 2000’s.
Soledad have been long associated with the early 2000’s Detroit garage rock revival along with cohorts The White Stripes, The Detroit Cobras, and The Dirtbombs. Cut from the same fiery roots, time and local as those groups but very much hewing their own path, the Soledads were louder and looser.
They were influenced by John Lee Hooker, The Gun Club, Hound Dog Taylor, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, as well as frequencies more distant, such as The Fall and free jazz pioneers such as Albert Ayler. Sonically, this all came together in a sound all their own with political insight and edges not explored by contemporaries.
Their much-heralded firebrand live shows have diminished not one iota in the intervening years; in fact, the anger burns brighter and the stage slop more noisy.
Jonny Walker, singer of the Soledad Brothers, told us a story about why the band love performing so much in Birmingham. Following their van getting burgled in Manchester, the band headed to their next stop in Birmingham £5,000 poorer; word spread amongst the scene about this predicament. The goodhearted rock ‘n rollin Brummies pulled together by making donations on the door, passing a hat around the gig to raise money, buying extra merchandise, and the band made back £3,000 thanks to Birmingham fans’ generosity.
Walker said, “I will always play Birmingham every single chance I get and play as hard as I can and give it my best effort, and I will give [Birmingham] my best effort on July 18th”.
In 2001, Cold Rice club night was formed with one of the main purposes being to book the Soledad Brothers to perform in Birmingham, and in 2002 they succeeded in that. The venue at the time was not built for live music; no stage meant the promoters were unsure as to what the band’s reaction would be. In true rockstar fashion, the band pushed two tables together and played a show no one in that crowd would ever forget.
After a 20-year hiatus, Soledad Brothers are back on the road, making their Birmingham stop at the iconic retro club The Night Owl. The resurrection of Mazzy Snapes “Chicks Dig Jerks” promotion brand, which was formed in 2002 and influenced by Cold Rice, is finally seeing Black Mekon take the stage alongside their long-time friends in the Soledad Brothers.