Gig Preview: 8 Before Ava
Tuesday 20 October | Barbara’s Bier Haus, Broad Street, Birmingham | 7pm | Free admission
Four professional ballet dancers swapping the stage for hard-edged blues rock might sound like an unlikely combination, but 8 Before Ava are proving they have the moves in more ways than one.
The Birmingham-based four-piece return to Henry’s Blueshouse at Barbara’s Bier Haus on Tuesday 20 October, following a storming debut earlier this summer that saw dozens of audience members dancing around the band as they played.
All four members have danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet, with three still working with the company. First brought together through their ballet careers, the band began writing songs backstage in theatre dressing rooms, drawing inspiration from the electric blues of the late 1960s and 1970s, alongside contemporary acts including Gary Clark Jr. and Rival Sons.
The line-up features Miles Gilliver on guitar, vocals and harmonica, Max Maslen on guitar, Kit Holder on bass and Lawrence Massie on drums. Their name comes from a cue point in a ballet production they were working on when the band first took shape.
Their first Henry’s appearance proved a memorable milestone. Kit Holder described it as a massive night, given the venue’s musical history and the calibre of bands that have played there, adding that it was the best the group had ever played.
Now back for a second outing, 8 Before Ava will perform two sets, mixing original material with a selection of choice covers. Their debut single, 10×10, was recorded in a theatre dressing room nearly three years ago, but the band’s main ambition is to build an audience for their evolving original sound.
Inspired by the classic British blues explosion but keen to push their music forward, the quartet will also be introducing new material.
Henry’s Blueshouse, run by Big Bear Music’s Jim Simpson, has welcomed the band back in the hope of attracting an increasingly youthful audience to its long-running blues nights.
For a band whose working lives have revolved around precision, discipline and performance, stepping into the blues-rock arena seems a natural fit. And with a successful debut behind them, 8 Before Ava are ready to turn up the volume for round two.