Description

Barry Fry is playing Redcorc Bar and Kitchen in Digbeth on Friday 23 October, and it's not a standard gig. Billed as an intimate evening with the blues legend, the night is fronted by broadcaster Tom Ross, who threads stories through the set and opens it up to questions from the room. It's as much a conversation as a concert, with Ross acting as the bridge between the stage and the crowd.

That's the core of it: the music is the main event, but the stories around it get as much space. Ross weaves them in between the songs, and the Q&A means you can ask Fry about the things you're actually curious about rather than just listening to what's on the setlist. It's a slower, more conversational way of doing a night of music than you'll find at a typical venue, and it's the whole point of the evening.

Bob Dylan

It's a long session, too. The night runs for around four hours, so there's plenty of room for both the music and the talking to breathe without one rushing the other. It's the kind of thing that works better when you've got the time to settle in, rather than a quick set and out.