Gig Review: Ren Harvieu and Romeo Stodart - Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Sunday 25th January 2026

 

Thirty-five minutes of beautiful theatrical harmony described The R ’n’ R Show when first encountering the presence of Ren Harvieu and Romeo Stodart in full collaborative flow. It was quirky, slick, testing the elasticity of straight up rock ’n’ roll. This initial positive impression took place at Ramblin’ Roots Revue in 2025 and signalled an embryonic project about to explode. Both artists start from a solid base with Stodart, the joint architect of Mercury Music Prize nominated band The Magic Numbers and Harvieu, a renowned vocalist of industry distinction. Forward ten months and the pieces are slowly slotting into place. The album is on the horizon, though songs are still emerging and being tinkered with. What is locked in is a chemistry and musical alliance to pioneer a unique take on a time honoured mutual love. "A spaceship of sound" evocatively quipped Stodart, a quote for now but the metaphorical splendour is ripe for plagiarism. Extended appeal brought the Kitchen Garden near to capacity and the stage set for what proved an extensive and interesting evening.

The night evolved into three identifiable entities. Two from the billed act and one from the support. Juliet Garrett and Felix Holt have been invited to open each of the eight R 'n' R Shows during a two-week run. They announced their arrival to a humming backbeat with processional hand percussion, while descending the venue's wooden staircase clad in dark hooded cloaks and something akin to matching Greek tragedy masks. This was the prelude to an immersive performance, masks and hoods retained,  of continuous music mixing movement with harmonium, guitars, hand percussion, bells, sax and whistles. Occasional vocals broke the mould with Garrett's of exceptional quality when some remnant of a song surfaced. This bout of absorption had to be externally abruptly curtailed after the forty-five minute mark to allow for the overall show to stay on course. The performance was laced with vibes of a festival far out stage or something buried deep in the Edinburgh Fringe. Its experimentalism collided with the rules based order of an opening role in a commercial show. Invasive and claustrophobic from one angle; enthralling and enchanting from another. You can take your pick, with the parting shot of context, and whether its challenging nature was best suited to a billed performance.

From the mystery of the opening hour, Stodart and Harvieu emerged to forge a path in the first of two sets. At this stage you sensed the curfew coming into play. The pair's love for playfully re-interpreting the breadth of fifties rock 'n' roll shone through a couple of vibrant personalities. The intimacy of the gig led to a demo studio feel where things were tested in the midst of unconditional adoration. Deep quality guitar picking and vocal mashing frequently brought the work-in-progress songs to life, aided by the visual eminence of two artists groomed for effect. Maybe the slickness will return with the inevitable album launch tour, but for now it was engaging witnessing something toyed with and being partially stitched.

The final part of the evening saw Romeo Stodart revert to the lead vocalist of The Magic Numbers, playing requests, and accompanying his partner display her vocal supremacy through solo material. Ren Harvieu's exceptionally talented voice filled the air sharing songs bridging the space between a major label launch in 2012 and a new single due out in a matter of weeks. This forty minute finale had a smoother feel to the middle set and highlighted the esteemed starting point for each to explore the new venture.

There was plenty to mull over in the wake of this incarnation of The R 'n' R Show. The spaceship of sound, time management, spatial context and the scope of 'challenging art'. Eventually creative urge will settle in its rightful place. Seeds were randomly scattered around the Kitchen Garden. Blossoming was in the eyes of the beholder.