A new show came to Birmingham on the weekend and it proved to be a real festival of fun.
Entrance to the event was swift and music was pumping to get the crowds nicely warmed up before the performers came on to rock the stage at the incredibly cool venue that is the Digbeth Arena.
Scottish singer Callum Beattie was first up and charmed the audience with his stage presence and lively character. His songs were catchy and he got everyone involved by teaching us the lyrics and allowing us to sing along.
Nina Nesbitt was up next and captured everyone’s attention with her beautiful and unique voice. Despite wearing her comfy gear (she decided against the shorts due to the slightly chilly evening weather and opted instead for trackies and a Britney Spears hoodie – inspired!) she commanded the stage with her relaxed and confident vibe. ‘Loyal To Me’ is a super catchy song and well worth a listen!
JP Cooper was the final support act and upped the party atmosphere with his popular tracks ‘September Song’ and ‘Perfect Strangers’ before slowing it down with his end song ‘Passport Home’. There was a lot of dancing and swaying, that’s for sure.
Everyone was anticipating the headliner James Arthur and when he arrived the crowds went crazy! James was in a real rock-inspired mood, head-banging and strumming his guitar with real vigour and passion. He sang a great mix of old and new songs; delighting his fan-base by performing classics such as ‘Impossible’ and ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ as well as his latest tracks, ‘Naked’ and ‘You Deserve Better’.
Unfortunately, half way through his performance James told us he was losing his voice and prompted us to sing along and assist him with his final songs. This was a shame but it was brilliant of James to be so honest, and also for him to soldier on and continue to try his best despite his sore throat.
James sung covers by Rudimental, Amy Winehouse and Oasis; the latter particularly got the audience stoked. He sounded amazing and had a great energy about him.
Overall, Skyline Series was a wonderful musical experience. The acts were strong and varied, keeping us entertained for hours, and we weren’t kept waiting too long between acts, which was great. The drinks were decently priced and the venue was edgy yet secure.
The bouncers were on form and monitored the crowds carefully; they gave fair warning to a select few individuals who were causing disruption and took action when necessary (2 women were escorted out the premises due to customer complaints).
Thank you Skyline Series for a really enjoyable gig – we hope you come back even bigger next year!
RATED:
Customer Satisfaction ****
Quality ****
Value for Money *****
> Hannah Montgomery
