Description

Chuck Prophet and his band return to their favourite Birmingham venue!

For twelve long days, Chuck Prophet waited. A stage four lymphoma diagnosis had knocked the wind out of him, dragged him off the road and into surgery, and now here he was, a perpetual motion machine forced to sit still, confronting his mortality for the first time as he wondered if he?d live long enough to see the end of the year, let alone get back on tour.

?I was going through a tunnel,? he recalls. ?It was dark. But I had music: music to play, music to listen to, music to get me out of my head. Music was my savior.?

That much is plain to hear on Wake The Dead, Prophet?s extraordinary?and unlikely?new album. Recorded with ¿Qiensave?, a band of brothers from the Central Coast farming community of Salinas, California, the collection dives headfirst into the world of Cumbia music, which consumed and comforted Prophet during his illness and subsequent recovery. The songs are intoxicatingly rhythmic, with arrangements that blur the lines between tradition and innovation, between past and present, between cultures and countries. There are flashes of rock and roll, punk, surf, and soul, all filtered through the streets of San Francisco and wrapped up in the rich legacy of a genre that traces its roots back hundreds of years and thousands of miles.

?Some say this music started in the jungles of Peru and Colombia,? Prophet explains. ?Then it really caught fire in the 1960s. In fact, there was such a demand for Cumbia in Mexico that DJs would travel to Colombia just to bring records back. Now that?s trafficking I can get behind!?

While Cumbia?s exact origins are debated, such details are in many ways irrelevant to Wake The Dead. Prophet approaches the music not as an academic or an historian, but as a fan with a voracious appetite and an insatiable curiosity. ?When I was growing up listening to The Clash and their flirtations with reggae, the thing I remember most is how the music hit me, how it made me feel. The more you listened, the more was revealed, but on the most fundamental level, those records just felt good, and that was really important to me with this album.?

Prophet?s illness arrived amidst a streak of more than a dozen critically acclaimed solo albums stretching all the way back to 1990, when the California native first shifted focus from his tenure with pioneering neo-psych band Green on Red to working under his own name. Since then, Prophet?s songs have appeared in a slew of films and television shows, and his work has been covered by Bruce Springsteen, Solomon Burke, Heart, and a host of others. Uncut proclaimed him a ?renaissance-rocker,? and NPR declared that ?no one can turn tales from the outer limits into catchy songs quite like Prophet does.? Decades of relentless touring and bold artistic reinvention came to a screeching halt in 2022, though, when doctors found a mass in Prophet?s intestine.

?I had a lot of time to just sit and listen while I was sick,? he explains. ?When I finally got to feeling better, I started jamming with this Cumbia band called ¿Qiensave? that I?d fallen in love with.? The immediate reaction from audiences made it clear they were on to something special.
Like so many of life?s little joys, it?s something Prophet?who?s in full remission?appreciates now more than ever. ?It?s a good day to walk on water / Good day to swallow your pride,? he sings in the album?s final moments. ?Good day to call your mother / Oh, it?s a good day to be alive.? Chuck will be touring the UK with members of his own band and ¿Qiensave?, playing his classics along with tracks from the new album.

Description

Situated in the South Birmingham suburb of Kings Heath, the Hare & Hounds has been around since 1820, but has stood in its present form since 1907. This is a major contributing factor to its current Grade II listed status, along with the beautiful and unique Art Nouveau tiles that line the entry hall and staircase.

Although playing host to local Birmingham legends UB40’s first ever gig in 1979, it is only since 2007 that it’s really established itself as one of the most important and influential music venues in the country, playing a vital part in nurturing the city’s vibrant music and creative community.

The pub boasts two downstairs bars which host a weekly pub quiz on Wednesdays, the hugely popular Blues Club on Saturday afternoons, comedy workshops and more. The two famous upstairs venues feature live music & club nights spanning jazz, indie, funk, reggae, hip hop, soul, house, techno, drum & bass and beyond.

Our pub is accessible by wheelchair, however access to our venues includes a flight of stairs. Because we’re a Grade II listed building, we’re very sorry that we’re not able to make amendments to the building’s structure such as a lift. Our bar staff are more than happy to assist you up the stairs where possible. If you have any type of disability, whether it be physical, hearing, visual or learning, we will do our best to assist you in having a comfortable experience at any of our events. Please get in touch in with ellie@leftfootvenues.co.uk in advance so we can make any arrangements.

We have a cloakroom available at all hours for £2 per item. We accept bigger items like suitcases but recommend you keep valuables with you at all times.

The majority of our mid-week shows are 14+/under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, although this isn’t always the case. Please check ticket links or email ellie@leftfootvenues.co.uk if uncertain. Our Friday and Saturday nights are strictly 18+.

106 High Street,

Kings Heath,

Birmingham,

West Midlands,

England,

B14 7JZ.

0121 444 2081