The Very Things Gxl + The Leaking Machine

The Castle & Falcon, 402 Moseley Road, Birmingham B12 9AT.

The Very Things GXL return to the stage in 2026 for their first live performance in 40 years, following the critically acclaimed album Mr. Arc-Eye (under a cellophane sky).

Fronted by principal songwriter RR Dallaway, alongside original members Disney Time (drums) and Steven Burrows (bass/guitar), plus new recruit Tony Sherrard (bass/keys), The Very Things GXL revive their singular blend of artful post-punk, warped funk and surrealist pop. Joined by special guests Svor Naan (The Cravats), Allan Murphy (Midwich Youth Club) and Julia Wilcox, the band will perform material from the new album alongside classic TVT tracks.

Born in 1983 in the West Midlands, The Very Things are best known for cult classics such as The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes and This Is Motortown. Their music mixes angular grooves, cinematic atmospheres, dark humour and imaginative storytelling - a sound both unmistakably vintage and strikingly contemporary.

With Mr. Arc-Eye (under a cellophane sky), TVT re-emerge as a shape-shifting, defiantly original force; experimental yet melodic, playful yet ominous, and now excitingly live back on stage.

The Leaking Machine have good indie DNA. Pete and Russell both play with Mighty Mighty (John Peel faves, C86) and Spence is the mastermind behind The Winnebago Orchestra as well as playing with Stella Martyr and Ex Catalogue. The band's latest album, Sound On Sound has been described as "a triumph of English power pop" by Outside Left and "Heaving with jangly intent" by Janglepophub. Enjoy.