A modern rock and blues band created by four professional ballet dancers has been “going down a storm” at Henry’s Blueshouse in Birmingham.
8 Before Ava are no strangers to live performances and hard work – all four members have danced with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, where three still work.
The hard-edged group made its Henry’s debut this summer and proved so popular that they have now been booked to play a second gig.
They will appear on stage from 7pm on Tuesday 20 October at Henry’s regular venue, Barbara's Bier Haus on Broad Street.
Jim Simpson, owner of Big Bear Music, which runs Henry’s Blueshouse, explained how the band were inspired by late 1960s and 1970s electric blues, and by the contemporary sounds of modern blues acts like Gary Clarke Jr. and Rival Sons.
Mr Simpson said: “8 Before Ava went down a storm at their first Henry’s gig, which ended up with dozens of the audience dancing the night away as the band played around them.
“We’ve really enjoyed getting to know the band members and the depth of their live performance backgrounds as professional ballet dancers!
“For blues, they’re a relatively young group and we’re delighted to be hosting them again and hope this will continue to draw an ever-more-youthful audience to Henry’s.”
The band features Miles Gilliver on guitar, vocals and harmonica, Max Maslen on the guitar, Kit Holder on bass and Lawrence Massie on drums. The foursome first met a dozen or so years ago when they were all performing for Birmingham Royal Ballet, where Miles and Max still dance.
Kit, who now works as artistic coordinator at Birmingham Royal Ballet, explained that ‘8 Before Ava’ refers to a particular cue point in a ballet stage show they were working on when the band first formed.
Kit said: “All four of us are professional ballet dancers who have danced with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and we originally wrote our first songs backstage in theatre dressing rooms.
“Our first Henry’s gig in July this year was a massive night for us, what with all the history and the huge bands that have come through that night. We took it really seriously and it was the best we’ve ever played.
“We’re now really looking forward to our return on 20 October. Playing two sets gives us a chance to play a real range, and this will include some choice covers as well as our own work.”
Kit told how 8 Before Ava have a debut single called 10x10 which was recorded in a theatre’s dressing room nearly three years ago. But he said the band’s real focus was building a growing audience for their live performances of original material.
Kit added: “We were first inspired by that classic British blues’ explosion but our sound is still evolving, and we’ll be playing a few new things next week. We just love the atmosphere at Henry’s Blueshouse and can’t wait to play there again.”
● 8 Before Ava play Henry’s Blueshouse on Tuesday 20 October at Barbara's Bier Haus 195-196 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1SU. Doors open at 7pm, live music from 8 to 10pm. Admission: Free.
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Notes for the editor
Big Bear Music Group has been based in Birmingham since 1968. Its operations include Big Bear Records, probably the UK’s longest established independent record company, which is at the forefront of jazz, swing and blues, with more than 100 album releases.
Since 1985, Big Bear Music has organised the annual Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival, Europe’s biggest free admission jazz party every July, bringing international bands to venues across the West Midlands. Big Bear Music also operates Henry’s Blueshouse, Birmingham’s home of the blues since 1968, with weekly gigs at Barbara’s Bier Haus on Broad Street. Henry’s Blueshouse blog and weekly Bluesletter features interesting stories, music and video from the past, present and future of blues.
Big Bear Music is also an agency for artists, booking a wide variety of acts for public events and private functions. It represents touring bands including King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys, Tipitina and Lady Sings The Blues and more.
Since 1987, Big Bear Music has published The Jazz Rag, a bi-monthly, nationally-distributed magazine of news, which was winner of the 2023 Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best UK Jazz Publication.
Big Bear Music has a rich photography archive stretching back to the early 1960s, featuring some of the most illustrious names in rock and roll, jazz and blues.
