Dream Machine - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, 6/11/2024

  by James Alexander

published: 17 / 4 / 2025

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There is something magical about this time of year: the leaves have changed colours and been shed into a multicolour canvas on the floor. The pubs are cosy and gig season is in full flow, and we head out to Birmingham’s The Hare and Hounds, for a show put on by This is Tmrw, who are responsible for the majority of our next nights out. Tonight’s headliners The Dream Machine are a band who have the perfect marriage of looking the part and sounding good, it’s an old fashioned rock n roll view, and who knows if it just us (send your letters to the editor) but it sort of makes sense when a band look and sound good. The Dream Machine are here supporting their new record ‘Small Time Monsters’ out now via Run on Records. The band released three separate EPs that they then put onto one record in the form of “Thank God! It’s The Dream Machine” in 2023. The new record does have the feeling of a debut about it though. First up tonight are Fergy LH, a band born out of Birmingham but perhaps destined to be more than that. Halloween has long since passed but if you were to put a pinch of The Coral, a limb of Fontaines DC and the hair of The Brian Jonestown Massacre into a cauldron and add in a dash of indie, the resulting concoction may just be Fergy LH. The set shows a band playing with confidence and a sense of fun, their psych sound has people toe tapping, dancing and nodding along throughout. Whilst not every song hits the mark there is plenty to like, and with releases on the way these are ones to watch out for. The last two songs of ‘I’m Fine’ and ‘Talk it Out ‘are the highlights; perhaps the sign of a decent song is when after the set the barman is still singing it when pouring your pint. The Dream Machine take to the stage just after 9pm in venue two of The Hare and Hounds. Whilst for now this room may be the right size for them, it won’t be long until they are packing out bigger venues based on tonight’s offering. ‘Cindy Eyes’ is a hazy, pop song that wouldn’t be out of place in a new York bar in the 60’s. The whole set is like being transported into another time, drifting between the 60’s and 70’s with whimsical tales backed up with rock n roll psychedelia. The influences are there and obvious, the band don’t shy away from it, but they are also not without originality and their own spin on things; even the cover of ‘The Stones 2000 Light Years From Home’ is done their way. The Dream Machine are a band that don’t just have songs, they have anthems, case in point number 3, ‘Frankenstein’. It is an infectious couple of minutes of pure brilliance garage rock n roll with added e numbers. ‘Children, My England’, a song about towns being 50 years past their sell by date, feels very relatable to a man who grew up in Redditch. It’s a track that shows a maturity to the song writing the band possess. The strength of this band may be how the old and new songs fit within the set perfectly and seamlessly. The bands label has an ethos of being there to help bands develop without pressure, credit to them and it has worked wonders for The Dream Machine. Photographs by Robert Hadley

Band Links:-

https://thedreammachine.os.fan/
https://www.facebook.com/DreamMachineHQ
h://www.instagram.com/dreammachineband
https://x.com/dreammachinehq?lang=en

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