Stuck in the Middle With You
We have done Liverpool, London, Manchester and now Ireland. This one is a slightly different list though. This list is for a specific region, the Midlands. Think Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham .
Here goes. My favourite songs by bands/artists from the Midlands.
Peace- From Under a Liquid Glass
Released as the lead single from the bands third alum 'Kindness is the New Rock n Roll.' The song tackles the front man Harry Koisser's battles with mental health, but is a universal anthem about how to deal with these things that most of us face.
When discussing the song, Koisser stated "“Although this song is deeply personal, it’s really for everyone as most people have had, come into contact with, or will have some degree of mental health issue in their lives."
'From Under a Liquid Glass' was a stark departure for some, for a band that had been famed for writing indie pop bangers. This was the bands most personal track to date, but it shouldn't have come as a surprise. Peace always had something to say. On second album ‘Happy People’, they spoke out about issues relevant to their fans’ lives, like grappling with physical insecurities (“I wish I had perfect skin/I wish I was tall and thin” on ‘Perfect Skin’) and society’s accepted ideas of gendered behaviour (“If you’re not macho then try to be funny/If you can’t fuck or fight then I hope that you’re hungry” on ‘I’m A Girl’).
Whereas that album sometimes hid messages behind great songs, 'Kindness is the New Rock n Roll' puts the message front and centre. Despite the message, '‘From Under Liquid Glass’ is still weirdly euphoric, with Harry's voice soaring to new heights, especially in the songs heartbreaking chorus. The skeletal accompiment lets the lyrics and vocals shine. All of the band show their vulnerable side on this record. At the end of the song there's a huge lift, proving to us all that no matter how dark things may get, there's always light at the end of the tunnel. That sense of hope is always there.
Peace are one of this countries most underrated bands, this won't be the first time they are on this list.
The Specials- Ghost Town
The Specials for man are one of Britain's greatest and most important bands. A band that broke down barriers, both musically and within society. Combining different ideas, cultures and personalties to create a music that had never been heard before, and it's hard to think of something as original as what they did, since.
A band that gave us some of the greatest songs of the late 1970s and early 1980s. From ‘Gangsters’ a slice of brilliant SKA punk, to the snarling attack of ‘Do the Dog’ and the reggae fuelled ‘Nite Klub’. They were a band that combined the angst of punk, with the swing of the 60s. A multi cultural outfit that embraced music from different genres.
They were a band never afraid to comment on social issues and the world they found themselves in, songs like ‘Too Much Too Young’ and ‘Blank Expression’ were comments on young lives and the racism that was rife in the UK at the time. Alongside commenting on the state of the country the band would form a label Two Tone, which gave other British bands, The Selector and Madness in particular a platform to make music. It was more than a band making music it was seven extremely talented individuals starting a moment.
In 1981, the UK was going through a time of civil unrest, poverty, and major unemployment. Margaret Thatcher and the Tory Government were in power and this meant that life for the vast majority of people was not great. People were living hand to mouth.
Just as they had done on previous records, the band began to write about what they could see. ‘Ghost Town’ was born. Written predominantly by Dammers who had been working on the song for over a year. He had seen the state of the country and began to write down what he was seeing. As well as the country being in turmoil, the band too was struggling.
Overworked and surrounded by chaos. National Front members began to come to gigs and cause trouble. This chaos was threatening to engulf the band, and a couple of incidents made them announce they would stop touring. Guitarist Lynval Golding was seriously attacked at a gig in London. Both Hall and Dammers were later arrested at a gig in Cambridge for trying to stop fighting.
This trouble would be noted in the song. “Bands won't play no more- too much fighting on the dance floor.” Those words resonated with the band, after the experiences of those gigs.
Away from the personal experiences, Ghost Town was a culmination of a number of factors. Mass unemployment, racism, the cuts to enjoyment, the sacrifices made by the working class. It was written and recorded at a time of mass tension. A time of mass despair and anger from the working class.
Now the song is seen as a snapshot of Thatcherism and the early 1980s, at the time it was seen as almost a call to arms. When released the band played a benefit gig in Coventry to half an audience due to National Front marchers in the city.
The countries biggest band played to a half empty venue.
The song hit the number one spot and stayed their for three weeks. On the day before the song reached Number One, a wave of rioting began in a number of UK cities from Brixton to Birmingham, Portsmouth to Preston. Sparked by new powers by the police to Stop and Search individuals. Many felt there were racial undertones to these searches.
fter three weeks at number one, the band played the song on Top of the Pops, a moment that should have been a defining one for the band. Just before they went on stage however, Hall, Staples and Golding announced they were leaving the band. The infighting and constant pressure had gotten too much for them. 'Ghost Town' is The Specials at their best, it was the best selling single of 1981 and perhaps the most important song to ever hit the top spot.
Kasabian- Underdog
We've had Birmingham and Coventry. Let's head to Leicester.
Released as the third single from the bands third studio album 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'. It has gone to become a live classic. Featuring in the bands setlists virtually since it's release.
It takes elements of everything that makes Kasabian great combining rock, hip hop and electronic elements. To create an absolute monster track.
The song makes you feel 10 feet tall, with lyrics about punching above your weight and proving the doubters wrong. Sergio Pizzorno has described the song "like a boxer in a fight sizing it all up" with a breakdown inspired by Silver Apples. Lyrically, it's about "being an outsider but gaining a sense of empowerment from it".
'Underdog' is at its best live, the performances at Victoria Park in 2014, Glastonbury in the same year and the King Power shows in 2016, highlight just how much of anthem this song really is. They also highlight just how good of a band Kasabian were.
This new look Kasabian just isn't doing it for me, but these songs and in particular this one are always going to be a part of my listening habits.
The Enemy- You're Not Alone
The Enemy released one of the very best debut albums of the 2000s. With songs full of wit, defiance and agression. You get the sense that for Tom, Andy and Liam Watts, this album being a success was the bands only option. Otherwise it was back to the mundane back breaking work that they were writing about in these songs. 'You're Not Alone' was released as the third single from the bands debut album.
Written about the closing of the Coventry Peugeot factory, which saw thousands of people in the bands hometown lose their jobs. It holds no punches, and it's lyrics are brutal but calculated. This is definitely an attack but also a celebration of the working classes and their resilience.
One standout lyric for me is "There's just too many dreams in this wasteland for you to leave us all behind."
The band understand what is happening, and they also understand that no matter what the powers at be try, you cannot put down the beliefs and dreams of people. It was written in 2007 and is just as applicable now. All of the great songs have staying power, and this one certainly does. A working class anthem.
Ocean Colour Scene- The Circle
Released as the final single from the bands second album 'Mosley Shoals', 'The Circle' is one of the classic Britpop moments. A masterpiece that shows a vulnerable side to a band. Britpop wasn't all about the anthems, there was a time for the more reflective to.
'The Circle' was written by the bands frontman Simon Fowler in the mid 1990s and has a whole host of different meanings. Is it about the front mans sexuality, and how he see's himself as an outsider. Or is it instead about a bus route in the Birmingham suburb of Moseley which traveled in a circle.
Fowler has commented to a journalist that the song was the quickest he ever wrote. The world around him had changed, his Ocean Colour Scene band mates had left temporarily Steve Cradock had landed a job in Paul Weller’s touring band. The feelings Fowler was feeling all come to fruition in the song. All being written and recorded almost on the spot.
This wasn't the sound of a man who had all of the answers, he was coming to terms with the fact that he didn't have any at all. He thought that Ocean Colour Scene was over.
Craddock had told Fowler, that the move with Weller was only temporary and he kept his word. The band would record Fowler's songs including 'The Circle'. Weller's producer Brendan Lynch had been played the songs and agreed to take to the producers chair. 'Moseley Shoals' was then born.
The world got to hear these songs, and Ocean Colour Scene with the help of Paul Weller and later the brothers Gallagher helped Ocean Colour Scene become of the shining sparks of a genre.
'The Circle' along with the other songs on that album document the sound of a band who didn't have the world at their feet, but were desperately trying to make it work. There is a realness to every word, and melody on that record.
It had to make the list. Often overlooked when it comes to the 1990s Britpop scene, but the boys from Birmingham released some of the best songs of the era.
'The Circle' in particular should have pride of place alongside the best work of Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn, Noel Gallagher, and Richard Ashcroft.
The Clause- Weekend Millionaire
A fairly recent release, 'Weekend Millionaire' was the lead single from an EP of the same name. Which The Clause released in September 2024. Ever since it's release it has been a mainstay in my playlist.
Definitley the bands best effort to date. With references to the past, but a sound firmly fitting of 2024. The band are not imitating anyone here it is firmly The Clause. Tackling the idea of being young and ambitious but also with the fear of falling behind in the modern world.
An indie classic, that is relatable to us all. A song that tackles the universal nature of being young in the UK. Whether that is in Birmingham or Bolton.
The song talks about the escapism that comes with going at the weekend. Whatever that may be. Musically the song is a massive jump. Each member has their moment in the sun, and it knits together perfectly. It's been the most I've been gripped by a new song in a very very long time. I cannot stop playing it, it has that infectious feel that makes you want keep listening. A catchy chorus, and verses that are so relatable.
It's reliability alongside the sing along nature of 'Weekend Millionaire' makes it one of the best songs of recent memory. It's something we can all relate to, tackling friendships falling apart, the nature of the world at the moment, young lust, young love, the ecstasy and agony that comes with a heavy weekend. A song that will go on to soundtrack plenty more heavy weekends, and lead the indie faithful to the dancefloor. A battle cry for the youth of today.
The Clause are proving that Birmingham and the Midlands still have something to offer, of course there is the bands of the past. Black Sabbath, ELO, and the more recent B Town scene, but The Clause are the here and now. Just because this song hasn't been around for years or the band aren't selling out stadiums does not make it any less important. This is the sound of a band at the start, and it's absolutely brilliant.
Electric Light Orchestra- Sweet Talkin' Woman
There are numerous tracks I could have chosen from ELO's 1977 album 'Out of Blue'. All of them hold a special place in my heart, but after some serious deliberation. 'Sweet Talkin Woman' came out on top. It's a string laden pop song, that also embraces the disco sound of the time. Creating one of the most unique records of not only the decade but ever recorded.
The band were one of the first bands to make use of a new piece of equipment the vocoder, a vocal synthesising instrument. 'Sweet Talkin' Woman' is the best example of this, providing numerous different vocal textures throughout the song.
One of the biggest compliments I can give this song, is that it sounds brilliant in isolation but within the wider context of 'Out of Blue' is when the song really shines. The album is the bands best record, and a mark that Jeff Lynne had set for himself.
'Sweet Talkin' Woman' happens to be one of the hits, alongside the legendary 'Mr Blue Sky' and the shimmering catchy 'Turn to Stone'. The whole album is brilliant catalogue of a band operating at their peak. Embracing the old and new. 'Out of Blue' is the sound of psychedelic disco.
Swim Deep- King City
Over 10 years ago, Birmingham was the centre of indie music in Britain. With four bands emerging with a new scene called B-Town. Peace, Swim Deep, Jaws and Supefood. We've already heard from Peace. Now it's Swim Deeps' turn.
They kicked things off with their debut single 'King City' originally released in 2012, and then re released a year later to coincide with their debut album 'Where the Heaven Are We' which also featured the singles 'Honey' and 'She Changes the Weather'.
It was a statement of intent by the band, a cocky anthem backed up by some brilliant instrumentation and quick witted lyrics.
Describing the song, the bands frontman said it “was about fleeing the small towns and cities I was raised in, yet keeping love and admiration for the precious youth I spent there. It was a cocky teenage coming of age anthem with a 4/4 beat which I stole from MGMT‘s ‘Kids’.”
The song buzzes with self belief and pounds with powerful drums. For a debut single, it certainly kicked open the door. Swim Deep alongside Peace, proved that B-Town was a serious scene.
Despite the bands debut not living up to the single, the NME stating "If B-Town didn’t exist, you wouldn’t bet money on any of the bands involved being arsed to invent it. We’d say nonchalance courses through the scene’s veins like quicksilver, but it’s really more like a slow, viscous swirl. The dreamy, detached sneer of the vocals, the lolloping XXL basslines, all that unwashed hair… Some scenes come roaring out of the traps; B-Town seemed to roll out of bed, insular and uncontrived, smirking at its own in-jokes, smelling faintly of K cider and intent on nothing loftier than the pursuit of a laugh. And if Swim Deep truly want to become a fixed point of reference for future generations, they’ll need to work harder to transcend their own inspirations."
They listened, and Swim Deep are still making music today, but nothing is quite as raw and ramshackle as this debut single. I also doubt the band will ever write a better lyric than “Fuck your romance, I wanna pretend/That Jenny Lee Lindberg is my girlfriend”.
Even all these years later, 'King City' is still arguably the best song from the B-Town movement. Swim Deep don’t just play tribute on ‘Where The Heaven Are We’ – they make all their influences add up to something that belongs firmly to them.
Give it a listen.
Jaws- Just a Boy
Go on then have one more. 'Jaws' were another a band to explode out of the 'B-Town' scene. This is a much darker song than the stuff Peace and Swim Deep had made a career out of. It's self reflective and the lyrics pack a punch “I’m just a boy, but I’ll be a better man,” the bands frontman Connor Schofield promises, owning up to his mistakes and failings.
It creates a menacing undertone to a song that already packs an emotional punch. The sound is hazy, shoegaze and grungy in places. The drums and guitars wrapping around the frontmans promises and self critques.
'Just a Boy' features on the bands second album 'Simplicity' and it reflects the fact that the band have matured and grown into being a band. The frontman had also grown up to, and was more willing to be reflective and sometimes critical within his songs, and lyrics.
They really hit their stride on this song, it wraps the listener up and fully encases them. Everything about it is brilliant. Not only is this a brilliant song in the B-Town genre. It's one of the very best songs of the 2010s. It's raw and visceral, rich and rewarding. Heartfelt and harrowing. This song is the sound of a band confident within themselves, and making some of the best music they can.
Peace- Follow Baby
I said Peace would feature on this list again. They are some of Birmingham's most famous sons and their debut album 'In Love' is still held in such high regard. The songs on that record have really stood the test of time. NME described the album as "a headrush of love and romance," and it's easy to see why. Peace crafted an album for themselves and their mates, a record that feels timeless because its themes are universally relatable to young people. They didn’t try to force anything, which is exactly why it resonates so deeply.
As Eve Barlow from NME so aptly put it, "If you don’t think Peace are as rejuvenating as a wash of zesty orange juice over a crushing hangover, then you’re beyond help. As Britain suffers from youth unemployment and economic crisis, our greatest currency is the chime of a golden tune. Peace have delivered 10 of them. So what if they’re a bunch of pirates and not pioneers?"
'Follow Baby' see's the band embrace the 90s, the guitars and drums take fans to Seattle and Grunge, but the chorus is firmly in the wheelhouse of the Brothers Gallagher with the lyric “We gon’ live for-evaaah”.
It's an all out assault that even in it's more mellow moments does not let up. The song is full of contrasts, it's bitter and raw with moments of tranquility and then total moments of unrestrained carange. Within the songs structure the elements collide and crash, the song really comes into life. Within it's three minute run time the listener is taken through a lot.
The lyrics really shine to. After every listen I often have to stop myself from randomly singing “follow baby/we’re gonna live forever” it's a real ear worm.
Peace are one of the most important bands within my listening habits, a band I found just to late. A band who remind me of that young reckless abandon where my only worries were my Business Studies homework. What were the 7 P's again?
Give it a listen, in fact give the whole album a listen. Ask me tomorrow and it's not 'Follow Baby' on this list, it's 'Wraith' or 'Bloodshake'.
Jake Bugg- Seen it All
Birmingham has had quite a run out. Lets head to Nottingham and to a single from Jake Bugg's self titled debut record.
A folk country song that recounts a party at a local gangsters house that ends badly, with a stabbing. It perfectly encapsulates everything that made Bugg great. His debut album is full of these working class tales of heartache, heartbreak, broken promises and even more broken dreams.
'Seen It All' is arguably one of the darkest songs, that although recounts a fictional event. tackles events that weren't to far away from Bugg's upbringing.
He grew up on council housing estate in Clifton, Nottingham, which back then was referred to as the largest council estate in Europe, is a situation that is bound to influence the vibe as much as the themes of the songs themselves. His working class roots provide creative fuel, a setting that inspires the mood on songs.
Bugg was a songwriter with something to say, he'd lived through what he was writing about, and it really resonated with people. There was a huge demand for his songs and music. His debut album, was adored by both fans and critics. The self titled record sold over a million copies, won a Brit Award and was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
For many he never bettered his debut album. I'd argue that although his more recent records aren't as consistent as this one, he is still writing some brilliant tunes.
This one makes the list though.
Kasabian- L.S.F
Released as the bands second single, L.S.F (Lost Souls Forever) proved to be a huge moment for Kasabian. It gave them there first Top 10 hit the UK, and also made the Top 40 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart in the United States.
Orignally released in October 2003, to coincide with Fifa Football 2004, Kasabian would release the single in August 2004.
The song according to the bands bass player Chris Edwards, the song is about the things they were reading about in the press "The first LP had military imagery because we were writing it as shit was happening abroad with the army. You’d go down the shops and see ‘THE TROOPS ARE ON FIRE’ in the paper and Serge wrote the lyrics and took influence from this. We weren’t for it or against. We just wrote about what was going on.
Sergio Pizzorno, instead claims that the track is more of an us against the world mentality "The message is to enjoy your life while you've got it. The world is insane and music's maybe the last pure thing we've got, the one thing that can bring people together. When we play that song in the set you can hear that chant coming from the crowd and it's louder than us. It's hands in the air and it's like we're all in it together. It doesn't matter if you're the President of the United States or Jim from Sunderland, we're all at risk, so while you're here, sing a song."
Kasabian have always kept this song within the setlist, often with the encore, sometimes as the closing track. The song takes on an extra element live, and since the summer of 2012, the band would begin 'L.S.F' with an impromptu rendition of Fatboy Slim's 'Praise You' best heard at their Summer Solistice and King Power Shows.
Here you go.
If push comes to shove, this is my favourite Kasabian song. This one is for the fans, it's not their most famous song but when they drop it at a gig or festival, there's sheer pandemonium and one of the biggest sing alongs of the evening.
Duran Duran- Rio
One of the very best songs of the 1980s, and I won't here any different. 'Rio' was a hit at the time peaking at Number 9 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1982. It also hit the Top 20 in the US peaking at number 14.
The song originated from an idea by John Taylor about Rio de Janeiro – "the truly foreign, the exotic, a cornucopia of earthly delights, a party that would never stop"; Simon Le Bon wrote the lyrics to the song, and chose not to write about the city but about a girl named Rio.
The songs music video, is one of the most famous music videos of the era. It featured the band in Antony Price suits, singing and playing around on a yacht speeding over the crystal blue Caribbean Sea. The music video was shot over the course of three days in May 1982 on the island of Antigua. The yacht scenes were filmed on the bay at English Harbour, the beach scenes at Miller's Beach, and the segment featuring the raft at Shirley Heights.
Director Mulcahy originally planned a scene where the band members got chased off the island by people wielding guns, but did not have enough film stock left to shoot this. He had to borrow a tourist's camera to shoot the part of John Taylor playing a saxophone on a mountaintop. When the video was featured on VH1's Pop-Up Video, it mentions that after the video was completed, Mulcahy, Le Bon, and Taylor went for a swim and were inches away from sharks when the yacht captain yelled for them to get out of the water. Rhodes was reportedly seasick during the filming, and has often said "I hate boats unless they're tied up and you're having cocktails on them.
The song combines, new wave, with disco and funk something Duran Duran would do to great affect on the 1982 album of the same name. 'Rio' which featured the hit singles 'Hungry Like the Wolf', 'Save a Prayer' and 'Rio' would chart at Number Two in the UK Albums Chart. At the time it received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, who commended the melodies but disparaged the lyrics. Retrospective reviewers consider 'Rio' timeless and the band's best work, praising its instrumentation and band performances. With the album, Duran Duran were forerunners in the Second British Invasion of the 1980s, helping ensure the success of other English artists throughout the decade.
As a band they fused styles effortlessly and created some of the best pop music of the decade. 'Rio' is one of the best songs and one of the best albums of that decade.
The Enemy- We'll Live and Die in These Towns
'Well Live and Die in These Towns' for many is The Enemy's defining moment, the title track on the bands debut album. It's an errnomous anthemic, track that see's Tom Clarke detailing the nature of life in Coventry. The life he has lived.
“Spending time in smoky rooms while haggard old women wearing cheap perfume say, ‘It never happens for people like us’” he laments over an escalating background of acoustic guitars and soaring string sections, before sweetly concluding, “Don’t let it drag you down”.
The band celebrate the fact that this is the reality for most of those on the other side of the barrier. Life can be mundane. People work in jobs they hate, for bosses they hate even more. It was difficult for the working class then and in 2025 those struggles have only increased.
It's a defining moment on one of the best albums of the 2000s. A modern day tribute to those great Jam, and Oasis singles that does not merely imitate. It instead swells and soars, it's still inspiring and blisteringly frank. They do not have the nuance or quirkiness's of the other bands that were around at the time but they are better for it.
The honest nature of the vocal delivery and lyrics, backed up by soaring strings and understated acoustic guitars make this song special. One of the very best.
Black Sabbath- A Hard Road
I thought long and hard about this pick. Black Sabbath are four of Birmingham's most famous sons, and probably the most famous band to come out of the city. Picking 'War Pigs' or 'Paranoid' would have felt a bit of a shoe in, and bit false.
So instead I have chosen the 1978 Single 'A Hard Road' from the bands album 'Never Say Die'. A song that has only recently come into my listening habits, after hearing it on the TV show 'S.A.S Rouge Heroes'.
Upon researching this post, I found out that this is the last single that featured the original line up of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward until to the release of 'Reunion' and its singles in 1998.
The song talked about the bands current situation, Ozzy Osbourne’s father had died and the first verse talks about it and the refrain spreads the whole message “the rockstar’s life is a hard road to walk.” This song is also unique for being the only Black Sabbath song to feature the vocals of bassist Geezer Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi, who provide backing vocals for the bridge and outro sections.
It's an often overlooked piece of work in the bands discography. This record has a very different sound to the Black Sabbath on previous albums, I have found this song more accessible than some of the heavier tracks. This song definitely opened the door to Black Sabbath. For me at least.
Slade- How Does it Feel
The last song on this list is by one of the most prolific bands of the 1970s, a band with 16 Top 10 singles and 6 Number 1's. A band with one of the greatest Christmas songs ever. The song I have chosen was released in 1975, and was featured on the band first soundtrack album 'Slade in Flame'.
By 1974, Slade had become a big success in the UK, Europe and beyond; however the band felt that continuing to provide 'more of the same' was not what they wanted to do. Their manager Chas Chandler suggested they do a movie, to which the band agreed. To accompany the film, Noddy Holder and Jim Lea began writing material for a soundtrack album, which would continue to see the band break out of their successful formula and try different musical ideas.
It became a Top 20 hit for Slade, however it was the first single not to reach the UK Top 5 since their 1971 breakthrough with 'Get Down and Get with It'.
The melody of "How Does It Feel" was the first Lea had ever written, while he was still in school. He came up with the idea on an old piano which he later described as having half the keys missing. Although the tune never developed any further at that time, Lea later revisited it Holder wrote the song's lyrics and it became "How Does It Feel". The song featured a brass section, performed by members of Gonzalez.
Despite not being as big as some of the bands hits, it's one of their finest pieces of work. Very different to anything they had ever done before, it saw them try and do something different and the results are nothing short of spectacular. In 1999, Noel Gallagher of Oasis said the song was "one of the best songs written, in the history of pop, ever".
Also stating that without Slade, Oasis would have never formed. Writing in Slade guitarist Dave Hill’s autobiography, Gallagher said: “No Slade = No Oasis. It’s as devastating and as simple as that.”
I think Slade sometimes get overlooked as a band, they are seen as a novelty act, you only have to look who they influenced and their chart success. They can't have been that band if they have 6 Number 1 singles. The British Hit Singles & Albums names them the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles. They were the first act to have three singles enter the charts at number one.
Slade are anything but a joke.
So that brings the list to an end, we've had B-Town, Glam, Britpop, Two-Tone, and a whole lot more. The Midlands has given us some of the very best and most important songs in British history. Here's to many more.