March 5th: The Stage: Bronwynne Brent - Kitchen Garden, Birmingham

With due respect to Bronwynne Brent, the night she returned to the Kitchen Garden may have to take second place in the memory vaults to the birth of the infamous/famous stage. Yes, after a dozen plus years of hosting gigs on the floor of a daytime converted cafe, a new addition has sprung up in the guise of a temporary performing platform. So no more stepping over leads, instruments and any other assorted bric-a-brac, as a part-metaphorical/part-literal barrier now partitions the artist and the ever attentive front row. The end of an era or the dawning of a new one. 

On one hand it's a sign of progress, and logistically it may improve things all round. On the contrary, quirkinesses is at the very heart of the Kitchen Garden gig experience and maybe a little part of that will evaporate with the new addition. Time will tell whether the stage becomes part of the fabric thus consigning the flat floor area to the canyons of history. So please front row, no beer glasses placed on it, and you may even hear yells of joy from those at the back twisting their necks to get better views of the artist. 

Apologies to Bronwynne Brent for the very brief mention, but the night belonged to the stage. By the way our visitor from Mississippi and her touring companions from Brazil and Canada gave a first class performance. Worthy artists to grace the stage on its opening night.