Bleak Squad

Bleak Squad is a Melbourne four-piece that brings together four Australian musicians with long careers in rock and art rock, performing in Birmingham as part of a concert at Hare & Hounds. The act is built around its debut album, Strange Love.

Bleak Squad is a four-piece from Melbourne, Australia. Its members are Mick Turner, associated with Dirty Three and Mess Esque, Mick Harvey, who has played with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey and The Birthday Party, Adalita of Magic Dirt, and Marty Brown of Art of Fighting. The group came together for the first time on its debut album, Strange Love, which was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize.

The record grew out of spontaneous jam sessions. All four members play several instruments and write songs, and lead vocals are shared between Adalita and Harvey. Described as noir rock, its nine songs deal with love, loss and loneliness, with fizzing guitars, slippery bass lines and the distinctive squawk of Turner's guitar.

The concert suits listeners interested in the members'earlier work or in the album's dark, moody sound. Hare & Hounds is a Birmingham venue whose programme centres on pop, rock and indie concerts, and this performance sits within that focus.