Brum Shots

A lot has happened in the 15 years since Kids In Glass Houses released Dirt, their second album. Worldwide pandemics, new monarchs and momentous reunions to say the least! But tonight, we’re here to see if the album remains as good as we remember it with a full live anniversary rendition.

They perform Dirt in album order, coming on with Artbreaker I, then on to singalong friendly The Best Is Yet To Come and Sunshine.

Vocalist Aled Phillips bounces around stage energetically. You can hear his screams and stomps without amplification, and he maintains composure as a sound engineer re-wires his microphone mid-song.

Their last couple of tours have finished with the anthemic Matters At All, and hearing it so early in a set feels almost wasteful. But the crowd energy is maintained as the album rendition continues with with Youngbloood.

Much of the album is familiar, but some songs (Giving Up) haven’t been heard live in over a decade, sometimes since the initial release shows.

‘Who remebers 2010?’ Phillips asks the crowd as the band launch into the bop-inducing For Better Or Hearse. 

In an attempt to encourage a festive feeling among the group, Undercover Lover comes next (apparently the year’s most underrated smash hit – no records exist to prove if this was an actual record).

The Morning Afterlife acts as the token ballad of the set; an excuse to get the phone lights up and catch your breath. Then the album draws to a close with Hunt The Haunted and Artbreaker II before the foursome retreat from the stage.

The encore brings a selection of greatest hits and unexpected gems, from Peace to Give Me What I Want. But the final surprise of the night is finishing on their 2012 Christmas single Secret Santa – enough to bring out a festive smile on even the grumpiest Scrooge at The Institute!