The Outsideleft Record Club - Afterwords in OUTSIDELEFT

For the best part of three hours Outsideleft Record Club music director Warren Woodenhand had wallpapered the wood panelled back room of Corks with sound, and at the end, when his turntables finally slowed down and cooled off for the night, two women approached and wanted to talk about it. “The Music is like when we go to the Night Owl,” they agreed, “but the cuts were deeper and harder.”

There was a lot of excitement going on, a lot of hubbub, there was the bagging up the gear to get out, but those words cut through and said something. The Night Owl is well known as a special place for Birmingham dancers, so to hear that, meant so much. But, the Night Owl is not really on our radar, I am not even sure we know where we are going, I am looking for a private speakeasy type vibe, of course, where those who know, KNOW! And Woodenhand, his mission is to make people dance. So far it’s working out.

Meg Omen What just happened? Well, I’d say that what just happened was our first noisy music night out since the pandemic curtailed everything we’d planned. The menu on the platters was 70s Soul, funk, jazz and disco and an invitation to dance as we threw open the bar at Corks and Bearwood came out to have fun, or not depending on your disposition. Fun is not obligatory and there are many reasons for escaping a home. Performance poet and writer, Jay Lewis was on hand to guide us in the direction of the live music, the master of ceremonies with elan… OMG thank you for those magical 30 minutes, Meg Omen, who played the intricate cut up diary pages from her Pomegranates EP. And even saved her version of Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side for the end. Mesmerising. Accompanied only by her ukulele. Someone phoned me on Monday morning to say how good her voice is. Like we didn’t know.