It’s a nice February evening in the streets of Birmingham and I’m making my way down to the Academy with my mate when all of a sudden Dev walks past me! The guy is quite tall and yes, he was wearing that hat! The temptation to not steal the hat..I sure fight it!

So, we’re waiting in line to get in, and there is young boy who is the spitting image of Dev. If it was me, I’d probably freak out but hey ho..it’s all flattery!

The first act on are Doncaster trio The Warbirds, clearly a winner because of where they are from (well, my mum would say that anyway) They remind me of Bob Dylan meets The View and passes by The Kooks. Sounds odd yet awful to some, but it works. It really does. They have a killer stage presence which is vital. During one of the songs the singer seems to get a bit of a giggle on, it’s quite cute. They’re an awesome band worth checking out.
Next support act is Semi-Finalists, and Dev provides bass for them which is quite possibly the only highlight of their set. They’re not fantastic but they’re not overly shit. Well, they made the kids dance a little!

After a brief soundcheck, the lights are dimmed and Dev walks back on stage accompanied by some members of Semi-Finalists and an amazing violinist and drummer. The drummer also provides backing vocals. Her vocals are amazing.
Opening up with, Dev’s words, “a song about a prostitute” and it quite fantasticly fantastic!
Most songs are played off debut album, Falling Off The Lavender Bridge including Dry Lips, Tell Me What It’s Worth and Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk. The latter Dev labels as being dated due to its reference to mango frescato, The OC and chequered coats. He possess awesome charisma and professional stage presence.
He’s also dead set on bringing back Jim Carey speak, I suppose he could really!

Dev tells us the trouble of Travel Lodge as he woke up this morning with a rash on the side of his face. He says it could be elephantitis, others say shaving rash! Let’s just hope it’s the latter.
The set is ended with 10 minute beauty- Midnight Surprise, well…it’s not really the last track. It is explained that the night before, they played a bit of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In A Free World.” as a bit of a mess around, so if it turned out awful tonight then Midnight Surprise would be known as the last song. But, although the chosen cover track is a bit over some of the kids heads here it’s still a really cool way to end this memorable, personal gig.
The Bar Acadmey is tiny and everyone is dripping with sweat, and intimate venue with a hell of a lot of character.
There is something so beautiful about acoustic music in a tiny venue. You just know inside that you are witnessing something remarkable and unforgettable. None of Dev’s songs sound the same but they all have wit and meaning. He’s doing something that needs to be done in music right now- he’s sending messages from his heart.
It’s a grand leap from Test Icicles to Lightspeed Champion- both great acts.

Dev’s created the album of the year, and this quite possibly going to be one of the best gigs I’ll attend in 2008.