Check out these beautiful giant flower sculptures by Hsiao-chi Tsai and Kimiya Yoshikawa at The Public in West Bromwich (until 6 May)
Editors: David O’Coy & Kerry Thomas dave@fusedmagazine.com | @davefused kerry@fusedmagazine.com | @kerryfused Writers: Lyle Bignon, Susannah Dickey, Gerrard Hartland, Kaye Patrick, Stephanie Potter, Charlotte White, James Wootton, Ross Wittenham Front Cover: Flower sculptures by Hsiao-chi Tsai and Kimiya Yoshikawa at The Public. Image by Kate Pritchard. Content Image: Kerry Thomas
ADVERTISING The Culture Guide is monthly and Adverts cost just £190 for a page. To book call 0121 442 6663 today for early bird offers or email kerry@ fusedmagazine.com. Full rates can be found at areacultureguide.co.uk. Our next edition is the MAY issue. Deadline: 15/04/13
AREA Culture Guide tel: 0121 442 6663 www.areacultureguide.co.uk www.fusedmagazine.com @areaguide / @fusedmagazine Facebook.com/fusedmag This guide is produced by Fused Media
DISCLAIMER Reproduction of all editorial/images in any form is strictly prohibited without prior permission. We cannot be held responsible for breach of copyright arising from any material supplied. While we aim to make sure all listings are correct we can not be held responsible for any incorrect entries. Readers should check venues before arrival. Views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily the publishers. This is a Fused Publication © Fused 2013 © Area Culture Guide 2013.
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ZED NELSON: LOVE ME
Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield Street, WV1 1DU wolverhamptonart.org.uk | @WolvArtGallery Light House, Fryer Street, WV1 1HT, light-house.co.uk | @ lighthousemedia Until 8 June 04
Beauty. It’s a big brassy world. It’s a 53.7 billion dollar world and it’s a world which is extensively and crossculturally explored by Zed Nelson in his latest exhibition Love Me. This investigation presents a somewhat thought provoking and challenging examination of youth and beauty; the power of commercial forces who paint an idealised image of ‘physical perfection’ leaving societies to preen, sculpt and starve their way to achieving it. Nelson presents the idea that an increasingly limited beauty ideal is shipping its way around the globe one billboard, glossy mag and cosmetic counter at a time. It is becoming universally accepted. And with this, men and women and teens, are undergoing a myriad of unnatural processes in order to obtain a prescribed package of natural beauty and youth. In order to formulate his ideas, the multi-award winning documentary photographer has spanned his research across a period of five years, 18 countries and five continents exploring what he considers to be a new form of globalisation. Images of cosmetic surgeons, housewives and body builders provide a narrative which tells of the extents people from all parts of the world are willing to go to in order to become so much more than “aesthetically average”. These people are in most cases trying to be
fitter, thinner, taller or tighter and in all cases they are trying to become what is considered beautiful. For some it requires Barbie-esque body parts and smooth skin. For others, a well sculpted nose or tiny toes. Bone hugging skin appears to be a must in order to encapsulate the heavily branded boxed-beauty ideal. Whilst his subjects appear to be willing and at times proud participants, Nelson’s exhibition suggests that they may also be seen as innocent prey at the mercy of societies bid for conveyer belt beauties. His work depicts an Iranian mother alongside her 19 year old daughter whose face is bandaged from forehead to mouth following a nose job; their country, it would seem, has the highest rate of rhinoplasty in the world. Next, a New York woman who has undergone cosmetic surgery in the shape of toe shortening - depleting her digits for the sole purpose of wearing designer Jimmy Choo shoes more easily. We see body builders formed from nothing but spirograph-like circles of muscle whilst in other images the ruler-straight line of bone is all that protrudes. The touring exhibition is divided between the two neighbouring galleries. KP Image: Katie Age 9. Zed Nelson, courtesy Impressions Gallery and Ffotogallery. 05
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TIMUR NOVIKOV Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, B1 2HS ikon-gallery.co.uk | @ikongallery Until 21 April
The UK’s most comprehensive collection to date of the definitive works of one of Russia’s most evocative contemporary artist, Timur Novikov. Co-curated by his stepdaughter the exhibition maps not only Novikov’s progressive career and artistic vision from the 1980s right through to his final works in the Noughties, but also tracing him and his contemporaries’ political and artistic ideologies, alongside visible representations of his decline in health. A key theme in Novikov’s work is the image of the horizon, often presenting itself clearly through the joining of two starkly different fabrics. CW
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BLACK COUNTRY LEGENDS
The Public, New Street, West Bromwich, B70 7PG www.thepublic.com @_the_public Until 6 May Celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Black Country, The Public’s series of exhibitions highlights the region’s unique and quirky characters. The exhibition includes the remarkable and startling images by Dudley born Turner Prize nominee, Richard Billingham whose photographs from the series Ray’s A Laugh include the brutally honest everyday portrayal of his alcoholic father Ray and heavily tattooed mother Liz taken in the nineties (pictured). A short film and artwork by Barney Snow concentrates on the mysterious AJW whose sketches of 1940s Hollywood star Mario Lanza have appeared on beer mats, postcards and scraps of paper, and left across the Black Country in pubs, shops, libraries and public buildings baffling locals for years.
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CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE
NEW ART WEST MIDLANDS
Exploring how artists grapple with both the brutality of war and the desire for peace Caught in the Crossfire takes the viewer on a challenging journey from the home front to the frontline and back again, as seen through the eyes of artists, soldiers and people affected by conflict. Taken from the Herbert’s own collection, and focusing on recently acquired pieces, the exhibition includes historical works by John Piper, Eric Kennington and Muirhead Bone alongside contemporary works by kennardphillipps and Banksy and works from a private collection featuring Peter Howson, Matthew Picton and Cornelia Parker.
Led by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, in partnership with the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Grand Union, New Art West Midlands provides a pivotal pathway for more than 20 recent Visual Arts graduates from the West Midlands five University Art schools. Aspiring applicants, stemming from Birmingham City University, Coventry and Staffordshire University, and the Universities of Wolverhampton and Worcester, were offered high quality professional development opportunities and a chance to showcase their new talents in a selection process carried out by three nationally renowned artists and curators. KP
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5QP theherbert.org | @The_Herbert Until 7 July
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B’ham Museum & Art Gallery: Until 19 May, Grand Union: Until 16 March, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts: 8 March -19 May
Image: Nelliel & Yachiru, DAvid Hancock, Watercolour, 2012
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DAVID HANCOCK: COSPLAY
Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield Street, WV1 1DU wolverhamptonart.org.uk | @WolvArtGallery Until 1 June The work of Manchester based artist David Hancock focuses on youth subcultures and in this latest solo exhibition he focuses on the world of ‘Cosplay’. Short for ‘costume play’ the relative recent craze is one that people have adopted to dress up as characters from various computer games, comic books and films. For this exhibition Hancock has chosen to render his subjects using photo realistic style water colour portraits. Even though the theme of Hancock’s work is modern, his style has its roots firmly based in the Pre-Raphaelites with signifiers taken from various historical sources. Particular focus is given over to the intentional real appearance of each Cosplayer and the intricate details present on their costumes. This has enabled him to capture both the personality of the sitter and their costumed alter ego at the same time. For this exhibition Hancock has not only immersed himself in the culture of Cosplay but has especially created pieces featuring Midland-based Cosplayers in various locations around the city of Wolverhampton. Hancock is interested in examining the world of escapist fantasy which Cosplaying allows its participants to enter and by using the city as a back drop he is able to show how Cosplayers transform the ordinary world around us into a realm of fantasy. SP 011
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METROPOLIS: REFLECTIONS ON THE MODERN CITY Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery www.bmag.org.uk | @BM_AG 23 March - 23 June
Ever since early hunter-gatherer tribes first sought and benefits of settlements – beginning with Uruk, Çatalhöyük – towns and cities the world over have source of fascination and inspiration for artists of
the protection Eridu, Ur and offered a rich all disciplines.
The Mesopotamians documented the beliefs of their society through obelisks, reliefs and statues. The Indus Valley civilization used their skills in pottery, painting and sculpture to depict their flourishing trading community. The Greeks and Romans gave the world architecture, music and literature amongst the other forms of art and expression born and nurtured in vast ancient cities. The representation of densely populated areas and the imcomprehensible number of lives, interactions and happenings contained within cities is obviously a significant part of art today, whether through the awe-inspiring and instantly recognisable photograph Lunch atop a Skyscraper, the fearful expressionism of Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis, L.S. Lowry’s scenes of industrial life in the North of England or the Chicago house music derivatives produced from ghetto culture clashes. It is from the multi-faceted theme of the metropolis that a major new exhibition in Birmingham takes its cue, presenting a collection of thirty-five contemporary works in a variety of media including photography, video and paintings. Visions of modern cities and urban life by internationally-recognised artists including Miao Xiaochun (pictured - Orbit), Zhang Enli, Grazia Toderi and Beat Streuli will go on display during a three month residency at Gas Hall, thanks to BMAG, New Art Gallery, Walsall and Ikon Gallery, all part of the £1 million Art Fund International Prize. Birmingham’s own Ladywood district, Pallasades shopping centre and mix of buildings old and new around St Martin’s Square will sit side by side with illustrations of metropolitan Beijing, eerie snapshots of modern India and the ‘forgotten’ banlieues of Paris. LB
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THRIFT RADIATES HAPPINESS Municipal Bank, Broad Street, Birmingham thriftradiateshappiness.com 13-17 March, 12-6pm
The imposing structure of the Birmingham Municipal Bank on Broad Street has stood overlooking the city as new buildings have emerged all around. Venues, bars, restaurants, hotels and office blocks have all sprung up around it over the years whilst the bank has sat redundant and unloved, until now. The historic Grade II listed landmark is set to open its doors to the public for the first time in ten years when it plays host to a captivating four day contemporary arts exposition showcasing a creative programme of drawings, images, sound and light, video and music from local, national and international artists. The showcase event is the result of an arts and business collaboration between Birmingham based gallery TROVE, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Birmingham Architectural Association (BAA), Birmingham City Council and global architect practice Aedas. At the launch event on the 14th March (5-8pm) attendees will be invited to ‘invest’ £2 in a key. The randomly selected key will open a safety deposit box which will contain a limited edition art print. A public debate will be held on Friday 15 March (5.30pm-7pm) on the subject of Design Culture Birmingham. 014
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THE HORES
facebook.com/#!/TheHoresAHA Instagram: TheHores Street art is here to stay, the streets are evolving with art as the global movement progresses. From Paris to San Francisco, artists are painting the streets with a passion. Take a walk around the back streets of Digbeth and you will see Birmingham’s contribution. We embrace the concept of art ordaining the dilapidated walls of an area that was once thriving with industry. The Hores is a player in the Birmingham street art collective, his work is reminiscent of Ralph Steadman in its detailed and sardonic style. 016
How would you describe your style? Zombie apocalypse meets Walt Disney, maybe that’s what the World’s coming to. My style is very aggressive yet quite comical. I take my work very seriously and a lot more of my detailed pieces have a lot more depth. I also use many of my life experiences within my work. How has being into street artist affected your own life? Street art for me is an outlet. Whatever goes on in my life, good or bad, I can just sit down and draw or go painting and get into my own little world. Something good always comes from something bad in my eyes, I just express that in my work. How much planning goes into one of your larger pieces of work? I don’t really plan my work, I’ll have a rough Idea and just start, I rarely plan, just go straight in for the kill. But if I do plan anything ill just think about it, picture it in my head and go for it. What do you like about Birmingham in terms of street art? I think the street art scene in Birmingham is good, especially down Digbeth. I think the people involved within the scene could do that little bit extra to push it. Back in 2010 me and Cujo started the AHA (After Hour Authors) which is a collective with me and other artists who are also really good friends of mine. As a collective we’re pushing the street art scene as much as we can and I think all the other individual crews have started to push their work more. What does the future hold for you? I’m pushing myself 24/7 at the moment and producing as much work as possible. My aim in life is to be able to live off my art work. I’m not in it for the money but it would be nice to just do what I love as a career and maybe become a prolific artist. I think since developing my work that’s all I want from my work. For me as an artist to be able to produce my work for the rest of my life and for people to just generally love what I do and see the amount of time and passion I put into my work. For me there is no other option. Being an artist is the only job option for me. JW
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SHOUT FESTIVAL
Various venues throughout Birmingham www.shoutfestival.co.uk | @shoutfestival 28 February - 10 March Now in to its fourth year SHOUT is back with another exciting programme of theatre productions, exhibitions and performances. With the 2013 theme of Generations and Legacies the noticeable addition this year is the widening of the events and venues to a larger variety of audiences. Artist Tom Marshman has been working with older LGBT people to produce Move Over Darling (9 March at mac). Focusing on the testimonies of the over 60s Tom will create a new work incorporating fragments of stories, memories, coded language and gesture to celebrate the full lives of gays and lesbians in Birmingham and the West Midlands, through their own stories. SHOUT’s first piece of theatre is presented by Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Aimed at young children and families, Pengy, tells the real life story of two male penguins, Roy and Soli, from New York’s Zoo who became a couple and adopted a chick called Tango. Throughout Birmingham’s vibrant Gay Village in the Southside of the city the work of photographer Nick Hynan (image pictured) will feature in bars and clubs (28 February - 10 March). Gender Blending examines how recent generations have used drag and dressing up to challenge, subvert and entertain. Festival brochures are available from the new Birmingham LGBT Centre (Holloway Circus), venues throughout the gay village and SHOUT Festival venue partners (including mac, The Public, Eden, Fox Bar and The Fountain Inn). An electronic version of the brochure, further information on artists and events, information on how to get tickets and Festival news is now available on the SHOUT website www.shoutfestival.co.uk. 019
HUEY MORGAN Huey’s getting some fresh ink when Area calls him, in the middle of a Monday afternoon. “Yeah I’m in my tattoo parlour. The one I own with (Israeli tattoo artist and star of NY Ink) Ami James called Love Hate Social Club. I’m getting a Mom tattoo – red outline and lettering in metal.” He tweets a photo later, just to prove it. It’s a relaxed start to a relaxed chat with Hugh Thomas Ángel Munger Díaz Morgan, aka Huey Morgan, vocalist-guitarist with NYC hiphop rock trio Fun Lovin’ Criminals, BBC 6 Music DJ and now also frontman of a newish musical outfit called Huey and the New Yorkers. Huey is a charming person to speak with, mainly due to his habit – and fans of his Sunday afternoon radio show will recognise this – of peppering his sentences with effortlessly cool phrases and sayings, whilst still getting right to the point. When we mention this, as well as his disarming reference to radio show listeners as “ladies and gentlemen”, Huey is more than happy to explain. “Well, look at where I’ve come from, man - the lower side of Manhattan. I used to say ‘yes ma’am, no ma’am’, that’s just who I am. Being a musician and playing gigs, you know, you want to thank the people for paying their money and coming. That transcends to radio – those ladies and gentlemen have been paying attention, listening and enjoying their selves. I guess I’m old school! When we (Huey and the New Yorkers) played Bush Hall last year, I introduced the band to my friends in London and vice versa - ‘y’all these are my friends from New York’ - that’s just how you do things you know? It’s personal.”
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The half-Puerto-Rican, half-Irish and fully lovable rock ‘n’ roll renaissance man, as his PR describes him, made the jump from the US to the UK some time ago, flitting between London and NYC. Huey has settled down a little from the wild years of touring and recording with FLC, but still keeps a tattoed finger on the pulse of his home city. “I’m back and forth – resident here because my wife’s English but I’m in New York a lot too. We’re not that far apart. New York is an island too, and it still has a little of the sensibility and humour of the first British settlers who landed there. We have more in common than people think.” “The best thing about New York City is that there’s always something going on, but one constant is Amy Sacco’s place Bungalow Eight, now called No.8. That’s my spot. If you’re in New York you gotta go there - Ninth Avenue and Sixteenth Street near the Port Authority. It’s a real nice joint. 022
Staying on the subject of geography, we tried something with Huey. In hindsight, we’re glad there was a phone line between us as we taught the ex-Marine a little phrase in Black Country dialect to help him prepare for the first date of his tour with the band…in Wolverhampton. “Owamyah, cock?! (long pause) Ohhhh! Yeah I’ve heard that before! I was on a TV show and someone gave me a copy of the draft script and I read it and took it the wrong way and so yeah I pistol-whipped the guy.” Gulp. Okay, so joking aside, it seems that Mr Morgan and crew specifically chose Wolverhampton to kick off their nine-date jaunt around the UK, and the frontman has plenty of fond memories of the Midlands city from previous gigs there. “I’ve been doing this for close to twenty years, we’ve played Wolverhampton more times than Wolverhampton’s played Wolverhampton! When we first wanted to do the tour we knew that the people there were really down for it and wanted to hear good music. For us, it’s you go big or you go home!” Of the tour in general, Huey is confident and characteristically upbeat. “I’ve been friends with the guys in the band for ever, we’ve played in the Tangiers Blues Band together, have been writing songs together – it seemed logical that if I was going to do anything, I’d do it with my friends.
We’ve always played but never had a record out. There’s mad energy and positive vibes when we play together - PMA man, positive mental attitude!” With fellow musicians Chris Scianni on guitar, King on bass, Pete Levin on keys and Frank Benbini (also of Fun Lovin’ Criminals fame) on drums, the tour – entitled March In Your Face – will pay something back to a cause close to ex-marine Huey’s heart. “We hope to visit as many hospitals, rehabilitation centres and places where we can play some music for the troops along the way. A charity called Tickets For Troops will be given tickets to each concert to avail service people a chance for a great night out.” “Everybody sings, everybody gets in on it – that’s why it’s gonna be a fun tour. We’ve purposely picked smaller venues so we have an intimate situation with the crowd. We’re a band that plays for the people, not to the people. We don’t just slap the shit down and walk off, we want every gig to mean something special for the crowd, they’ve paid money. It can only get better from here.” Huey and the New Yorkers play Wolverhampton’s The Slade Rooms on Saturday 9 March. www.wolvescivic.co.uk LB 023
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
O2 Academy Birmingham o2academybirmingham.co.uk | @o2academybham 8 March In possibly the biggest music news of the year so far, the original shoegaze pioneers, My Bloody Valentine are back. The new album m b v is their first in 22 years. It has received a lot of positive feedback from old fans, prompting a wave of optimism about a possible follow-up in 2035. For those who were just too damn young the first time round, comments such as ‘What the hell is this?’ have generally been followed by ‘Actually, yeah! This is awesome.’ And that kind-of fits. For the last few years there has been a growing wave of ‘Nu-gaze’ bands. Maybe now is the right time for the old masters to return and claim their place at the head of the column. Vocalist Kevin Shields has suggested that album is ‘more raw’ than previous offerings, which might reflect that it was recorded and produced by the band themselves. The O2 gig was added to the UK leg of their world tour after tickets for the other dates started selling fast. Shows in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia were on the cards before the album officially released in February, but a detour through the British Isles was always going to happen. With no further dates on the cards, it’s not clear what will happen to the band when the tour finishes. If you want to see them, the time is now. RW
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GIGS COMING UP Roddy Woomble 12 March The Glee Club glee.co.uk/birmingham @TheGleeClub Idlewild frontman Roddy Woomble (pictured) is in the house! This will be a good one. Not content with being the talent at the head of one of Scotland’s finest rock acts, Woomble has only gone and carved a killer career for himself. Listen To Keep is his third solo album to date, and it’ll be a knockout. We guarantee it.
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Bullet For My Valentine 12 March O2 Academy Birmingham o2academybirmingham.co.uk @o2academybham Do you like the thunder of the bass drum? Do you like the wail of the guitar? You my friend, like BFMV! This will be one heaving, sweaty, gig. Remember to wear two layers: one for inside where you will dance like crazy and sing your lungs out, and the other to put on outside before the sweat freezes. Ulrich Schnauss 24 March Hare & Hounds hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk/ @hareandhounds Schnauss lists My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields among his formative influences, so if you go to that gig at the start of the month (see page 25), you should consider coming to this one at the end. Schnauss’s music can be divisive. If someone isn’t going to ‘get’ it, leave them at home and enjoy the magic by yourself. The Black Crowes 25 March O2 Academy Birmingham o2academybirmingham.co.uk @o2academybham Oh hell yes! We know at least one guy who will be right at the front for this band. They’ve been on more ‘indefinite hiatuses’ than you’ve had hairstyles. They’ve just got too much
to give. This is only the second date of a tour that will rock so hard you’ll be numb to pain. Sounds good to us. Everclear 29 March O2 Academy 2 Birmingham o2academybirmingham.co.uk @o2academybham Last, but by no means least on this list. Everclear are back, and this time they have facial hair and responsibilities. In no way does this make them less awesome. It’s their twentieth anniversary tour, and they are going to make a mess of Birmingham. Are you going to let them get away with it? Supersonic Festival presents: Barn Owl, Grumbling Fur, Ex Easter Island Head 27 April St Paul’s Church, Birmingham www.theticketsellers.co.uk A perfect setting awaits these 3 acts whose experimental sounds will resound throughout the church thanks to the amazing acoustics. Barn Owl present a powerful and immersive experience in their live shows. Frequently playing in front of modified super 8 footage, the twin guitars intertwine instinctively, equal parts slow-burning twang and spaced-out feedback drone which will surely only be improved by the surroundings. RW 027
THE WONDER STUFF The West Midlands favourite 10 legged groove machine are back with their first new album in seven years. Oh No it’s...The Wonder Stuff is a double album package featuring eleven new up tempo crowd-stomping tunes with more hooks than a fisherman’s hat. Whilst CD2 is the long awaited From The Midlands With Love album, a collection of songs by Midlands artists reinterpreted by The Wonder Stuff. A winner! Lead ‘Stuffie’ Miles Hunt walks us through his influences and Midlands memories Early Midlands musical influences... That’s easy... my uncle Bill was the keyboard player in a late line up of The Move, he was then a founding member of The Electric Light Orchestra, but then accompanied Roy Wood when he split from ELO to form Wizzard. Consequently Wizzard was a very big deal in our house. Of course, this being around ‘72 to 75, Slade were omnipresent. They were blowing down doors with every single release during those years, so they were absolutely unavoidable, but knowing that they were from just up the road from where we lived was a major bonus. Punk Rock and New Wave cleared the decks shortly after that and that gave us the likes of The Killjoys, Suburban Studs, The Au Pairs, Fashion, and Dexy’s. I was massively into the reggae bands of the Midlands too, Steel Pulse still are 028
one of my all time favourite bands, Weapon of Peace knew how to lay it down too and the the first couple of UB40 albums were a huge sense of pride for the area. From just down the road in Coventry came the Two Tone explosion around that time, every direction we looked in, there was amazing music, great songwriters and singers coming at us. It was quite the scene... Hurst Street in Birmingham City centre was the place to spend our weekend nights out. The Australian Bar, or The Ozzy Bar as it was better known, brought in all sorts. Some of the guys that were part of the second wave of Punk bands, like Discharge, GBH and Drongos For Europe would be in there, a bunch of Skinheads from another pub up the street called The Crown would usually swing by and the high spirited young transvestites, amazingly costumed, would be around before a night of clubbing. It was quite the scene. The Powerhouse, just up the street from The Ozzy Bar, was the club of choice in the early to mid ‘80’s, that’s where I first heard the likes of Bauhaus and The Psychedelic Furs. The Tin Can Club, run by a man that would latterly become The Wonder Stuff’s manager, Les Johnson, was a strip joint that doubled as a live venue on the nights that Les promoted there. I used to play drums in my brother’s band back then and was lucky enough to support Flesh For LuLu there.
We don’t take ourselves overly seriously, it’s part of our charm... I would put it down to our self deprecating sense of humour, it runs deep, particularly through the character of the Black Country residents. We don’t take ourselves overly seriously, it’s part of our charm. But I think when it comes to national media we have done ourselves a disservice. Maybe they think as we don’t take ourselves too seriously, why should they? Bands from Liverpool or Manchester have always had a swaggering confidence and are happy to tell you that they are The Greatest Bands In The World, as they should, but you wouldn’t hear that from Noddy Holder, why would he bother? It’s not who we are. I’m learning how NOT to write my first book... Y’know, I never have found another writer that does it for me in quite the same way that (Charles) Bukowski did. Not that I hung on his every word and there definitely are a couple of his books that I really don’t like, but his output was huge. I’ve absolutely loved the three volumes of Simon Grey’s ‘Smoking Diaries’, they’re worth looking into. I’m writing a book myself this year, for publication around December, so I’m reading a lot of music biographies. There a a few good ones, but most of them follow the same blueprint and consequently I find a little boring. I guess, with my research, I’m learning how NOT to write my first book. 029
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REICH: INFLUENCES Town Hall & Symphony Hall www.thsh.co.uk 5 - 8 March
As accolades go, being hailed as ‘our greatest living composer’ by the New York Times is pretty high up there. When you factor in that US composer Steve Reich has won a Pulitzer Prize, is a contemporary of minimalist music maestro Philip Glass, has influenced artists as varied as Brian Eno, Sufjan Stevens, Bruce Nauman, Battles and Aphex Twin in addition to thousands of others…well, you get the picture: this man is one of the pillars of contemporary classical and electronic music. At 76, Reich is still making hugely influential and inspirational music, and it is to celebrate a newly minted commission that brings him to Birmingham for the first time ever. Radio Rewrite, a work based on two songs from the album In Rainbows by the revered indie-rock band Radiohead, will receive its second ever public performance at the city’s Grade I-listed Town Hall in an exciting coup for fans of minimalism. Indeed, such is the significance of the impending visit from the US composer, that city music organisation Town Hall and Symphony Hall has created a mini-series entitled Reich: Influences – a collection of free live events in addition to the main event. Included are performances of two new commissions from Birmingham jazz musicians Chris Mapp and Mike Fletcher, and a staging of John Cage’s infamous 4’33” and Reich’s Different Trains alongside György Ligeti’s Poème Symphonique: a piece scored for 100 metronomes which you can be a part of (see www.thsh.co.uk/metronomeappeal). If you’re lucky enough to have a ticket to Radio Rewrite, which will be performed by the London Sinfonietta, look out for Reich himself taking to the stage for a performance of his 1972 piece Clapping Music; an extraordinary work which maps tempo and phasing together to create a syncopation masterpiece. 030
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SWIM DEEP There’s a new movement stirring within the music scene in Birmingham and at the forefront is Swim Deep: a band formed through chance encounters and youthful pipe dreams who are blazing a trail for the city’s scene. “It started when Higgy and Austin were both working at Morrison’s,” Cavan, Swim Deep’s bassist, tells us, “They just sort of decided that instead of talking about music they’d have a go at making some of their own. Then they met Zach on a night out and they had a go at being a three-piece for a while. Then on another night out they met me and it all just took off from there.”
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Named after a song written by Austin and Higgy’s first band, Swim Deep has an entirely organic origin story, rarely heard of in today’s Simon Cowell produced world where nothing is left to chance. Swim Deep are freshly unpretentious and unassuming, qualities that give them a unique charm and sound, “We don’t really draw influence from other bands, I mean obviously we all listen to other artists and stuff, but we’re just doing our own thing really.” While it might seem daunting trying to break into the industry that is so dominated by the London crowd, the appalling named ‘B-Town’ movement has helped Swim Deep get their names on the musical map, “I think it has been pretty beneficial coming from Birmingham, just because there are a few of us around at the minute trying to make it, like Peace. We all kind of helped each other I think, and it drew attention to the bands in Birmingham.” And it looks like Swim Deep are showing no signs of slowing down. Having spent a week in Brussels recording their album with producer Charlie Hugall, the man who lent his magic touch to single Honey, the band also supported Two Door Cinema Club at the 02 in Birmingham, and have been invited to join indie favourites Spector on their UK tour. 034
Current singles Honey and King City are already available for download, and next single The Sea is released 11 March. Swim Deep’s lyrics are simple, but also hold a maturity that comes from years of dedication to their craft. The videos also reflect a degree of minimalism; Swim Deep aren’t trying too hard to impress, and the results are insightful and thought-provoking, but also reflective of their youth. The videos play heavily on their roots, and cast Birmingham in a different light. One track that encapsulates what Swim Deep are all about is Orange County: the B-side to Honey, complete with a DIY video. “Yeah, we were just in this room in a Travelodge on tour. We were bored and we had the photographer there, so we just did it.” Their sound is upbeat, sunny, and original, a combination rarely heard these days, and their achievements so far reflect just how ready the UK is for something different. 2013 looks set to be a bright year for Swim Deep. “Yeah, recording the album in Brussels was really cool, and I think we’re hoping it’ll be out around May. We just have to wait and see what happens.” Swim Deep’s new single ‘The Sea’ is out on 11 March. SD 035
COMEDY
JOSH WIDDICOMBE
21 April - Artrix, Bromsgrove | artrix.co.uk 28 April - Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton | wolvescivic.co.uk 16 May - Glee Cub, Birmingham | glee.co.uk 23 May - Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry | warwickartscentre.co.uk The star of Channel 4’s successful Paralympics spin off The Last Leg takes a break from analysing the week’s events with Adam Hills to bring his brand new stand up show to the Midlands. The follow up to his 2011 critically acclaimed début: If this show only saves one life. In which Widdicombe show cased his award winning observational skills and spot on timing as he ranted about subjects such as how his upbringing in Devon underprepared him for adult life, the problems when trying to sign for a parcel and the trials and tribulations of trying to shop in an Argos Extra. In his new show Widdicombe is now turning his attentions to his in ability to be more adventurous in life and the real reason why the thought of leaving his house fills him with dread rather than excitement, as he continues to battle the perils and bewilderments of everyday life. SP 038
PAM ANN: AROUND THE WORLD New Alexandra Theatre Station Street, Birmingham, B5 4DS atgtickets.com 10 March
After entertaining audiences high and low, the world’s most outrageous air hostess, Pam Ann will be touching down at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre to entertain the masses with a very special night of spectacular glee. The flamboyant performer will be waxing lyrical about the world of airline travel the only way she knows how; in a spectacular show of comedy, campness and outright fabulousness that has garnered her worldwide acclaim. A bevy of the world’s biggest stars have acquainted themselves with Pam’s brand of raucous performance, with the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna, leading the chorus of approval for the extravagant flight attendant. If that wasn’t enough superstar commendation, Pam was also chosen by Sir Elton John to provide her own brand of in-flight entertainment for his private jet travel and played support to Cher during the global star’s Farewell Tour in 2004. Pam has previously featured in an advertising campaign and training videos for British Airways, was the face of London’s Heathrow SkyTeam Terminal and starred on her own television talk show, ‘The Pam Ann Show’ in her native Australia. GH
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AS You like it
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s As You Like It in rehearsal Royal Shakespeare Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon from 12 April
Photographs: Keith Pattison
THEATRE
SHAKESPEARE’S AS YOU LIKE IT
RSC, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon Box Office: 0844 800 1110 | www.rsc.org.uk 12 April – 28 September 2013 Shakespeare’s As You Like It has been given a modern day twist as part of the final season programmed by Michael Boyd as outgoing Artistic Director of the RSC. As You Like it tells the complex tale of Rosalind who takes on the disguise of a boy named Ganymede, for reasons of safety, to seek the whereabouts of her exiled father in the Forest of Arden. Meanwhile lovestruck Orlando de Boys, who is in love with Rosalind, also finds himself fleeing to the Forest to escape a plot by his brother to kill him. Not before long Orlando encounters Rosalind but as she is disguised as Ganymede is unaware it is her. She persuades him that he should prove the strength of his love for Rosalind by wooing Ganymede as if he were his betrothed. So the fun continues with love blossoming around the forest amongst several characters until Ganymede’s true identity is finally revealed. Rather than fleeing to a forest for this production the cast are brought up-to-date and presented in a festival setting. Quite fittingly then that the music has been composed by Brit winner and two times Mercury Prize nominee Laura Marling. Directed by Maria Alberg, whose list of credits for the RSC include King John and The Winter’s Tale, this adaptation sees Pippa Nixon (pictured) and Alex Waldmann (pictured in rehearsal) in the principle roles of Rosalind and Orlando in the pastoral comedy.
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THEATRE
BIRMINGHAM REP AT 100 www.birmingham-rep.co.uk Throughout March
In February Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company celebrated its 100th birthday. The dramatic century was marked with a gala performance of Philip Pullman’s I Was A Rat! Following is a celebratory programme of exhibitions, activity days, guided backstage tours, an audio history project and a new website REP100.org which will make the company’s remarkable archives available to the public for the first time. REP100 - Behind The Scenes Tours Until 30 March The Old Rep was The Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s original home; funded and managed by Sir Barry Jackson. These backstage tours will provide a fascinating insight into the early days of the company – when producing and performing twenty or more plays in repertoire was quite normal. Stand in the wings and sit in the Green Room while The REP’s guides interpret both the building and the REP100 exhibition. Free. REP100 - Hidden Histories Until 30 March Interactive, theatrical and vivid; experience the Old Rep’s stories bursting to life. Try on costumes, write your own press report, and help get the theatre ready for its first ever performance. Lots of activities for all ages. Free. REP100 Weekender 23 & 24 March The REP100 weekender will be devoted to a series of talks and discussions on the REP’s achievements and significant influence on the development of British theatre over the last century. Heather Gardner - A version of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler by Robin French 14 - 28 March It’s September 1962. Beautiful socialite Heather returns from her honeymoon to her dream home in Edgbaston where Neville Chamberlain once lived – but nothing is turning out as planned. Heather soon finds herself on a spiral of selfdestruction, caught between her old flame Alec Lambart and the clutches of the predatory solicitor Peregrine Brand. There can be only one outcome. Directed by Mike Bradwell. Tickets: £8 to £28, with concessions available.
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MARCH EVENT LISTINGS
Friday 1 March ART Ceramic Structures and Forms Led by Andrew Matheson Royal Birmingham Society of Artists 11.00am MUSIC Party Duelling Pianos 6.00pm
Saturday 2 March theatre The Full Monty Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm theatre Mojo Hall Green Little Theatre 7.30pm
CLUB Dr Jekyll’s MUSIC Remedy Carrion, Night The Jekyll and Mistress Hyde, 7.30pm O2 Academy 3 6.00pm EVENT SHOUT Festival: THEATRE Sweet I Was A Rat! Nothings The Old Rep mac, 7.30pm Theatre, 7pm
COMEDY Alun Cochrane The Public 8.00pm MUSIC Among the Echoes, Drag The Flapper, 8pm MUSIC Lucha Libre Bodega Bar, 8pm COMEDY Patrick Monahan The Old Joint Stock, 8pm
EVENT SHOUT Festival: Queer Family Tree mac 9.00am ART Experimental Drawing Cadbury College 9.30am WORKSHOP Pendant Class The Quarterworkshop 10.30am
ART MUSIC Ceramic Open Mic Night Structures Suki 10c, 8pm and Forms Led by Andrew MUSIC Matheson March of the Royal Birmingham COMEDY MUSIC Russell Kane: Mods Society of Artists Live Music Posturing Adam And Eve Friday 11.00am Delivery 8.00pm Urban Coffee New Alexandra WORKSHOP Company MUSIC Theatre Family 7.00pm Alternative Workshop 8.00pm Dubstep Ikon Gallery, 1pm COMEDY Orchestra COMEDY Andy Askins, Hare & Hounds Paul theatre Ron Vaudry, 8.00pm I Was A Rat! Sean Percival, Tonkinson Glee Club, 8.00pm The Old Rep Joe Lycett Theatre Glee Club, 7.00pm 2.00pm & 7pm
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Sunday 3 March theatre The Full Monty Birmingham Hippodrome 2.30pm & 7.30pm MUSIC The Big Night Out Duelling Pianos 6.00pm MUSIC San Cisco HMV Institute, 6pm MUSIC Reel Big Fish O2 Academy 2 7.00pm MUSIC Tall Ships, Emperor Yes Sunflower Lounge 7.00pm COMEDY Andy Askins, Ron Vaudry, Sean Percival, Joe Lycett Glee Club 7.00pm THEATRE Mojo Hall Green Little Theatre, 7.30pm
MUSIC Black Bombers, Army of Shanks The Flapper 7.30pm COMEDY Patrick Monahan: Shooting From The Lip The Old Joint Stock 8.00pm MUSIC JuQebox Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm COMEDY Simon Bligh, Bruce Devlin, Keith Farnan, Joseph Wilson Highlight 8.30pm COMEDY Ryan McDonnell, Tanyalee Davis, John Scott, The Noise Next Door Jongleurs Comedy Club, 9.00pm
CLUB Dr Jekyll’s Potion The Jekyll and Hyde 9.00pm CLUB Vertigo The Victoria 9.00pm CLUB Face: Heidi’s Jackathon Rainbow 9.00pm
EVENT SHOUT Festival: Queer Family Tree FREE mac 9.00am MUSIC Sunday Chill Out Session Duelling Pianos 1.00pm CLUB Club Bebop Hare & Hounds 4.30pm MUSIC A Sunday Session Weekly Acoustic Evening The Flapper 6.00pm MUSIC UFO, 4Bitten HMV Institute 7.00pm MUSIC The Doors Experience Tour Show 2013 Hare & Hounds 7.00pm
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Monday 4 March
Tuesday 5 March
Spoken word John Berkavich: Shame mac 7.00pm
FILM Filum Night The Spotted Dog 7.30pm
WORKSHOP The Evening Academy: Adult Workshop Ikon Gallery 6.00pm
THEATRE SHOUT MUSIC Festival: Sunday Social: Shout Out The Courtesy Theatre Youth Group FREE Project The Yardbird mac 7.00pm 7.30pm MUSIC MUSIC Bethan and Jam Jah the Morgans Reggae Session O2 Academy 3 The Bulls Head 7.00pm 9.00pm COMEDY Laughing Cows @ Shout Eden Bar 7.30pm COMEDY Richard Herring Glee Club 8.00pm
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MUSIC The Virginmarys Hare & Hounds 7.00pm MUSIC Request Duelling Pianos 7.00pm ART Pat Kav Life Drawing Patrick Kavannagh Bar, 7.00pm SPOKEN WORD Birmingham CafĂŠ Scientifique The Jekyll and Hyde 7.00pm SPOKEN WORD Adverse Camber Kingdom of the Heart mac 7.30pm
MUSIC Lumiere Hare & Hounds 7.30pm COMEDY The Laughing Sole Comedy Club The British Oak 8.30pm
Wednesday 6 March SPOKEN WORD Conservation Tour of the Staffordshire Hoard Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery 12.30pm MUSIC Repeating Patterns: Steve Reich School’s Matinee Town Hall 1.00pm SPOKEN WORD Lunchtime Lecture The Barber Institute 1.00pm DANCE Tea Dance The Public 1.00pm MUSIC Foals HMV Institute 6.30pm MUSIC Wet Nuns, God Damn Rainbow 7.00pm
MUSIC Coasts The Yardbird 7.00pm MUSIC Steve Reich’s Radio Rewrite Town Hall 7.30pm theatre SHOUT Festival: Nineties Woman mac 7.30pm
Thursday 7 March
Friday 8 March
EVENT Crufts 2013 The NEC 8.30am
EVENT Crufts 2013 The NEC 8.30am
MUSIC Trivax, GlassBullet O2 Academy 3 6.30pm MUSIC Beth Hart, Pete Molinari HMV Institute 7.00pm COMEDY Mike Gunn, Lucy Porter, Kai Humphries Glee Club 7.00pm
MUSIC Music for Lunch Recital Birmingham Cathedral, 1.00pm MUSIC Mike Fletcher Symphony Hall 5.00pm
MUSIC Lianne La Havas, Rae Morris HMV Institute 6.00pm MUSIC THEATRE Party Sante Theatre Duelling Pianos - Passing On 6.00pm mac 7.30pm SPOKEN WORD Poetry and DANCE Pints Rosie Kay The Spotted Dog Dance 6.00pm mac 8.00pm MUSIC The Rollin’ COMEDY Clones Mark Thomas O2 Academy 2 Glee Club 6.30pm 8.00pm
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Saturday 9 March MUSIC My Bloody Valentine O2 Academy 2 6.30pm MUSIC Twisted Wheel, The Tricks, Stubblemelt Rainbow 7.00pm COMEDY John Ryan, Chris McCausland, Marlon Davis, The Noise Next Door, Laura Lexx Highlight 7.00pm MUSIC The Dan Reed Band O2 Academy 3 7.00pm COMEDY Mike Gunn, Lucy Porter, Kai Humphries, Matt Richardson Glee Club 7.00pm 050
MUSIC Breed 77 HMV Institute 7.00pm
MUSIC Open Mic Night Suki 10c 8.00pm
EVENT Crufts 2013 The NEC 8.30am
THEATRE WNO - Madam Butterfly Birmingham Hippodrome 7.15pm
MUSIC Funk Nation Birmingham Hare & Hounds 8.00pm
WORKSHOP SHOUT Festival: Queer Family Tree mac 9.00am
MUSIC Planes Hare & Hounds 7.30pm COMEDY Zoe Lyons Pop-Up Comic Glee Club 8.00pm DANCE Rosie Kay Dance mac 8.00pm CLUB Lucha Libre Bodega Bar 8.00pm CLUB Discographic Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm
COMEDY The Lovely Men mac 8.00pm COMEDY Sean Percival, Mark Maier, Paul Pirie, Daliso Chaponda Jongleurs Comedy Club 9.00pm CLUB Anarchy The Rooftop 10.00pm
FASHION Birmingham International Fashion Week 2013 Millennium Point 10.00am WORKSHOP Spoon Forging The Quarterworkshop 10.30am MUSIC The Big Night Out Duelling Pianos 6.00pm MUSIC Jessie Ware HMV Institute 6.30pm
Sunday 10 March MUSIC Bastille HMV Institute 6.30pm MUSIC The One Twos O2 Academy 2 7.00pm COMEDY John Ryan, Chris McCausland, Marlon Davis, The Noise Next Door, Laura Lexx Highlight 7.00pm COMEDY Mike Gunn, Lucy Porter, Kai Humphries, Barry Dodds Glee Club 7.00pm THEATRE The Inferno Kid AE Harris Factory Building 7.00pm MUSIC The Kingcrawlers, King
Canute O2 Academy 3 7.00pm THEATRE WNO - Madam Butterfly Birmingham Hippodrome 7.15pm MUSIC Disarm Goliath, Wraith, Watch Us Fade and Hidden Dictator Scruffy Murphys 7.45pm CLUB JuQebox Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm COMEDY The Lovely Men mac 8.00pm THEATRE SHOUT Festival: Move Over Darling mac 8.00pm
CLUB Dr Jekyll’s Potion The Jekyll and Hyde 9.00pm CLUB Vertigo The Victoria 9.00pm CLUB Face: Illusion Recordings Rainbow 9.00pm
EVENT Crufts 2013 The NEC 8.30am WORKSHOP SHOUT Festival: Queer Family Tree mac 9.00am FASHION Birmingham International Fashion Week 2013 Millennium Point 10.00am WORKSHOP Silver Earring Class The Quarterworkshop 10.30am MUSIC Sunday Chill Out Session Duelling Pianos 1.00pm WORKSHOP Family Friendly Workshop: Glorious Gift BoxeS
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Royal Birmingham Society of Artists 2.00pm
MUSIC Cancer Bats HMV Institute 7.00pm
EVENT Queers the Word Birmingham LGBT Centre 2.00pm MUSIC The Sunday I And I Suki 10c 4.00pm
COMEDY Sean Lock Artrix 7.30pm
CLUB Club Bebop Hare & Hounds 4.30pm MUSIC A Sunday Session The Flapper 6.00pm MUSIC Dizraeli & The Small Gods O2 Academy 3 7.00pm MUSIC Bird The Yardbird 7.00pm 052
Monday 11 March
TUESDAY 12 March
MUSIC Early Music Concert Bramall Music Building 12.30pm
SPOKEN WORD Tuesday Talks The Barber Institute 1.15pm
MUSIC Lunchtime Organ Concert Catherine MUSIC Dhoad Gypsies Ennis Of Rajastan Town Hall Hare & Hounds 1.00pm 7.30pm MUSIC Monday COMEDY Showcase Pam Ann: Around the Birmingham World Conservatoire New Alexandra 1.00pm Theatre COMEDY 8.00pm Marcus Brigstocke Artrix 8.00pm CLUB Jam Jah Reggae Session The Bulls Head 9.00pm
WORKSHOP The Evening Academy: Adult Workshop Ikon Gallery 6.00pm MUSIC Bullet For My Valentine, Halestorm O2 Academy 2 7.00pm MUSIC Roddy Woomble Glee Club 7.00pm MUSIC Request Duelling Pianos 7.00pm ART Pat Kav Life Drawing Patrick Kavannagh Bar 7.00pm MUSIC Layers &
Wednesday 13 March Scholars Sunflower Lounge 7.00pm MUSIC Olly Murs LG Arena 7.30pm COMEDY Jewellery Quarter Comedy @ RVT Rose Villa Tavern 7.30pm THEATRE Talking Birds - We’re Only Here Today mac 8.00pm MUSIC Nurvrax Jam: The John Morris Trio The Yardbird 8.00pm
SPOKEN WORD Science of Sound Symphony Hall 10.00am SPOKEN WORD A View of Florence The Barber Institute 1.00pm MUSIC Lawson Chapman Square Tour HMV Institute 6.30pm COMEDY Rich Hall Glee Club 6.45pm CLUB Canvas The Bulls Head 7.00pm MUSIC Saint Vitus, Mod Generator O2 Academy 2 7.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera
Thursday 14 March Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm MUSIC Marcus Malone Band Hare & Hounds 7.30pm THEATRE Talking Birds - We’re Only Here Today mac 8.00pm MUSIC Nurvrax Jam: The John Morris Trio The Yardbird 8.00pm
MUSIC Urban Fox Folk Sessions Bramall Music Building 5.00pm MUSIC The Alarm O2 Academy 2 7.00pm MUSIC Gabrielle Aplin HMV Institute 7.00pm COMEDY Tim Clark, Robin Morgan, Rob Deering Glee Club 7.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm MUSIC Stephen Kovacevich Town Hall 7.30pm
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Friday 15 March THEATRE Sing-a-long-a Grease New Alexandra Theatre 7.30pm MUSIC Searching Alaska, Hope & Chance, Fenrir The Flapper 7.45pm MUSIC Ne-Yo LG Arena 8.00pm MUSIC Joby Burgess - Powerplant mac 8.00pm CLUB Tropicalia The Bulls Head 8.00pm CLUB Manhattan Loft The Victoria 9.00pm
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MUSIC Music for Lunch Recital Birmingham Cathedral 1.00pm EVENT Zippo’s Circus Swanshurst Park 5.00pm & 7.30pm MUSIC Made in Belfast O2 Academy 3 6.00pm MUSIC Bouncing Souls, Cheap Girls, Luther HMV Institute 6.00pm MUSIC Party Duelling Pianos 6.00pm MUSIC The Domino Set, Artois, The Foundation, The Limelight O2 Academy 3 6.30pm
MUSIC The Travelling Band, Ellen and the Escapades Hare & Hounds 7.00pm COMEDY Johnny Candon, Pete Johansson, David Ward, Joe Lycett Highlight 7.00pm COMEDY Tim Clark, Robin Morgan, Rob Deering, Paul Pirie Glee Club 7.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm THEATRE Dick Barton and the Curse of the Pharaohs Tomb Hall Green Little Theatre 7.30pm
THEATRE The Johnny Cash Story New Alexandra Theatre 7.30pm MUSIC Olivia Newton-John The NIA, 7.30pm CLUB Dr Jekyll’s Remedy The Jekyll and Hyde 7.30pm MUSIC 12 Dirty Bullets Sunflower Lounge 7.30pm MUSIC The Identity Thieves The Flapper 7.45pm COMEDY Katherine Ryan Glee Club, 8.00pm CLUB Lucha Libre Bodega Bar 8.00pm
Saturday 16 March CLUB Discographic Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm
THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 2.30pm
MUSIC Open Mic Night EVENT Suki 10c Zippo’s Circus 8.00pm Swanshurst Park MUSIC 3.00pm & 6PM Corrupted Fate, Adust & MUSIC Immension The Big Night Out Scruffy Murphys Duelling Pianos 8.00pm 6.00pm COMEDY Raymond MUSIC Mearns, Kane Johnny Marr Brown, RichHMV Institute ard Morton 6.30pm Jongleurs Comedy Club MUSIC The 9.00pm Stranglers CLUB O2 Academy 2 Absolut 7.00pm Reggae Hare & Hounds COMEDY Johnny 9.00pm Candon, Pete Johansson, David Ward, Joe Lycett Highlight 7.00pm COMEDY Tim Clark,
Robin Morgan, Rob Deering, Paul Pirie Glee Club 7.00pm
CLUB Danny Kane The Vaults, Newhall Street 7.30pm
MUSIC City Lightz, Jimmy Davis O2 Academy 3 7.00pm
COMEDY Micky Flanagan The NIA 8.00pm
COMEDY Milton Jones New Alexandra Theatre 7.30pm
CLUB JuQebox Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm
THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm
COMEDY Raymond Mearns, Kane Brown, Richard Morton Jongleurs Comedy Club 9.00pm
THEATRE Dick Barton and the Curse of the Pharaohs Tomb Hall Green Little Theatre 7.30pm
CLUB Dr Jekyll’s Potion The Jekyll and Hyde 9.00pm
MUSIC The Script LG Arena 7.30pm
CLUB Vertigo The Victoria 9.00pm
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Sunday 17 March EVENT Zippo’s Circus Swanshurst Park 11.00am & 3pm MUSIC Sunday Chill Out Session Duelling Pianos 1.00pm MUSIC The Sunday I And I Suki 10c 4.00pm CLUB Club Bebop Hare & Hounds 4.30pm SPOKEN WORD Tell Me On A Sunday Ikon Gallery 5.00pm MUSIC Follow You Home O2 Academy 3 6.30pm THEATRE Soul City Arts - If Walls Could Speak mac, 8.00pm 056
Monday 18 March EVENT St Patricks Day Special The Arcadian 10.30pm EVENT St Patrick’s Day Foam Extravaganza The Institute 10.30pm
SPOKEN WORD University of Birmingham Arts & Science Festival University of Birmingham, 12pm
FILM Filum Night The Spotted Dog 7.30pm
THEATRE Soul City Arts - If Walls Could Speak EVENT Zippo’s Circus mac Swanshurst Park 8.00pm 5.00pm & 7.30pm CLUB Jam Jah MUSIC Reggae Tom Baxter, Session Sam Semple & The Bulls Head Sam Walker 9.00pm HMV Institute 7.00pm MUSIC Heather Peace Glee Club 7.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm THEATRE Dick Barton and the Curse of the Pharaohs Tomb Hall Green Little Theatre 7.30pm
Tuesday 19 March
Wednesday 20 March
SPOKEN WORD University of Birmingham Arts & Science Festival University of Birmingham 12.00pm
SPOKEN WORD University of Birmingham Arts & Science Festival University of Birmingham 12.00pm
THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm THEATRE Dick Barton SPOKEN WORD and the Curse Tuesday Talks of the The Barber Institute Pharaohs Tomb 1.15pm Hall Green Little EVENT Theatre Zippo’s Circus 7.30pm Swanshurst Park THEATRE 6.00pm Priscilla Queen of the WORKSHOP Desert The Evening Academy: New Alexandra Adult Theatre Workshop 7.30pm Ikon Gallery 6.00pm MUSIC Peacock MUSIC Angell - St Request Patrick’s Day Show Duelling Pianos mac 7.00pm 7.30pm ART Pat Kav Life COMEDY Drawing The Cheeky Patrick Kavannagh Monkey Comedy Club Bar The Cross 7.00pm 8.30pm
SPOKEN WORD Lunar Society 2013 Annual Lecture Millennium Point 7.00pm MUSIC The Mourning SPOKEN WORD Suns, Blue Nation Drawing the City The Yardbird The Barber Institute 7.00pm 1.00pm THEATRE The Phantom MUSIC of the Opera Nas & Meek Mill Birmingham HMV Institute Hippodrome 6.30pm 7.30pm MUSIC The Heavy O2 Academy 2 7.00pm THEATRE Hidden Histories The Old Rep Theatre 7.00pm CLUB Canvas The Bulls Head 7.00pm
MUSIC Olly Murs The NIA 7.30pm THEATRE Dick Barton and the Curse of the Pharaohs Tomb Hall Green Little Theatre 7.30pm MUSIC 2Cellos Glee Club 7.30pm 057
THEATRE Priscilla Queen of the Desert New Alexandra Theatre 7.30pm COMEDY Freddie Farrell’s Stand Up Comedy Night The Spotted Dog 7.30pm MUSIC Wild Nothing Hare & Hounds 8.00pm COMEDY Laughter at the Lamp The Lamp Tavern 8.00pm
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Thursday 21 March SPOKEN WORD University of Birmingham Arts & Science Festival University of Birmingham, 12pm
SPOKEN WORD Spring Lecture: Alys Fowler Winterbourne House & Garden COMEDY Tom Wriggles- 7.30pm worth, Dave THEATRE Johns, Mark THEATRE The Phantom Nelson United Artists of the Opera Glee Club, 7.00pm - For Their Own Good Birmingham MUSIC mac Hippodrome Theme Park 8.00pm 2.00pm HMV Institute CLUB FILM 7.00pm Tropicalia Flatpack Festival 2013 MUSIC The Bulls Head Fiction, The Custard 8.00pm Bombers Factory Rainbow, 7.00pm COMEDY 4.00pm Boothby Graffoe SPOKEN WORD THEATRE Glee Club Ikon: 15 Years The Phantom of the Opera in Brindley8.00pm Birmingham place Hippodrome MUSIC Ikon Gallery Matt 7.30pm 5.30pm Richardson MUSIC Hare & Hounds MUSIC Biffy Clyro Inspiral Car8.00pm pets LG Arena, 7.30pm CLUB O2 Academy 2 THEATRE Manhattan 7.00pm Priscilla Loft Queen of the The Victoria MUSIC Finch - What It Desert 9.00pm New Alexandra Is To Burn Theatre HMV Institute 7.30pm 7.00pm MUSIC Kvelertak O2 Academy 3 7.00pm
Friday 22 March SPOKEN WORD University of Birmingham Arts & Science Festival University of Birmingham 12.00pm MUSIC Friday Lunchtime Concert St. Martin in the Bull Ring 12.30pm MUSIC Music for Lunch Recital Birmingham Cathedral 1.00pm THEATRE Priscilla Queen of the Desert New Alexandra Theatre 5.00pm MUSIC Jazzlines: Jez Franks and Compassionate Dictatorship Symphony Hall 5.00pm
MUSIC Polica HMV Institute 6.00pm
MUSIC One Direction LG Arena 7.30pm
MUSIC Pout At The Devil O2 Academy 3 6.00pm
MUSIC Alfie Boe The NIA 7.30pm
MUSIC Party Duelling Pianos 6.00pm COMEDY Carey Marx, Alex Boardman, Anthony J Brown, Nathan Caton Highlight 7.00pm COMEDY Tom Wrigglesworth, Dave Johns, Mark Nelson, Marlon Davis Glee Club 7.00pm MUSIC Alex Rainsford, Dan Greenaway HMV Institute 7.00pm
THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm THEATRE Dick Barton and the Curse of the Pharaohs Tomb Hall Green Little Theatre 7.30pm CLUB Dr Jekyll’s Remedy The Jekyll and Hyde 7.30pm MUSIC Willy Moon Hare & Hounds 7.30pm CLUB Lucha Libre
Bodega Bar 8.00pm THEATRE United Artists - For Their Own Good mac 8.00pm CLUB Discographic Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm MUSIC Open Mic Night Suki 10c 8.00pm THEATRE Priscilla Queen of the Desert New Alexandra Theatre 8.15pm COMEDY Bryan Lacey, Matt Richardson, Gary Delaney, Keith Carter Jongleurs Comedy Club 9.00pm 059
Saturday 23 March WORKSHOP Ring & Bangle Class The Quarterworkshop 10.30am THEATRE Rep 100 Weekender The Old Rep Theatre 11.00am & 7pm SPOKEN WORD University of Birmingham Arts & Science Festival University of Birmingham, 12pm
Theatre 2.30pm & 7.30pm MUSIC The Big Night Out Duelling Pianos 6.00pm MUSIC Jagermeister Music Tour O2 Academy 2 7.00pm COMEDY Carey Marx, Alex Boardman, Anthony J Brown, Nathan Caton Highlight 7.00pm
MUSIC One Direction LG Arena COMEDY 12.30pm & 7.30pm Tom Wrigglesworth, Dave THEATRE Johns, Mark The Phantom Nelson, of the Opera Marlon Davis Birmingham Glee Club Hippodrome 7.00pm 2.30pm & 7.30pm MUSIC Blakcan THEATRE Priscilla Sunflower Lounge Queen of the 7.00pm Desert New Alexandra MUSIC The ‘Ones To
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Watch’ Showcase O2 Academy 2 7.00pm
CLUB JuQebox Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm
MUSIC Chapel Club HMV Institute 7.00pm
COMEDY Bryan Lacey, Matt Richardson, Gary Delaney, Keith Carter Jongleurs Comedy Club 9.00pm
MUSIC The Fores O2 Academy 3 7.00pm THEATRE Dick Barton and the Curse of the Pharaohs Tomb Hall Green Little Theatre, 7.30pm MUSIC Rolf Harris Symphony Hall 7.30pm CLUB Bleu Light Special The Vaults, Newhall Street 7.30pm theatre Babakas - Our Fathers mac 8.00pm
CLUB Dr Jekyll’s Potion The Jekyll and Hyde 9.00pm CLUB Vertigo The Victoria 9.00pm CLUB Face Rainbow 9.00pm
Sunday 24 March THEATRE Rep 100 Weekender The Old Rep Theatre 11.00am & 7.00pm SPOKEN WORD University of Birmingham Arts & Science Festival University of Birmingham 12.00pm MUSIC Sunday Chill Out Session Duelling Pianos 1.00pm MUSIC The Sunday I And I Suki 10c 4.00pm CLUB Club Bebop Hare & Hounds 4.30pm MUSIC A Sunday Session The Flapper 6.00pm
MUSIC Ulrich Schnauss Hare & Hounds 7.00pm MUSIC Frankie Cocozza O2 Academy 3 7.00pm MUSIC Go-X HMV Institute 7.00pm
Monday 25 March
Tuesday 26 March
MUSIC Lunchtime Organ Concert - Thomas Trotter Symphony Hall 1.00pm SPOKEN WORD Hidden Histories The Old Rep Theatre, 7pm
SPOKEN WORD Tuesday Talks The Barber Institute 1.15pm
MUSIC The Black Crowes O2 Academy 2 7.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm THEATRE Priscilla Queen of the Desert New Alexandra Theatre, 7.30pm CLUB Jam Jah Reggae Session The Bulls Head 9.00pm
MUSIC Emeli SandĂŠ O2 Academy 2 7.00pm MUSIC Black Rebel Motorcycle Club HMV Institute 7.00pm MUSIC Lord of the Mics HMV Institute 7.00pm MUSIC Request Duelling Pianos 7.00pm ART Pat Kav Life Drawing Patrick Kavannagh Bar, 7.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm
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THEATRE For the Love of Mrs Brown LG Arena 7.30pm THEATRE Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour - Cirque Du Soleil The NIA 8.00pm MUSIC Nurvrax Jam: The John Morris Trio The Yardbird 8.00pm
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Wednesday 27 March DANCE Tea Dance The Public 1.00pm THEATRE Little Shop of Horrors International Convention Centre 2.30pm & 7.30pm THEATRE Hidden Histories The Old Rep Theatre 7.00pm CLUB Canvas The Bulls Head 7.00pm MUSIC Steve Harris: British Lion O2 Academy 2 7.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm THEATRE Priscilla Queen of the
Thursday 28 March THEATRE Desert The Phantom New Alexandra of the Opera Theatre Birmingham Hip7.30pm podrome 2.00pm & 7.30pm THEATRE For the Love of Mrs Brown MUSIC Folk For Free: LG Arena The Cadbury 7.30pm Sisters SPOKEN WORD Symphony Hall Tales and Ales 5.30pm Session COMEDY Prince of Wales Dave Fulton, 8.00pm Paul Thorne Glee Club MUSIC Micky Greaney 7.00pm & Friends MUSIC Hare & Hounds Scar 8.00pm Symmetry, Beholder, MUSIC Bloodshot Nurvrax Jam: Dawn The John O2 Academy 3 Morris Trio 7.00pm The Yardbird 8.00pm THEATRE Little Shop of MUSIC Horrors Jazzlines: World Service International Convention Centre Project and Ozma 7.30pm Hare & Hounds THEATRE 8.30pm Priscilla Queen of the Desert
New Alexandra Theatre 7.30pm MUSIC Ian McNabb Hare & Hounds 7.30pm THEATRE For the Love of Mrs Brown LG Arena 7.30pm MUSIC The New 4 Poofs and a Piano Jongleurs Comedy Club 7.45pm COmedY Justin Moorhouse Glee Club 8.00pm THEATRE Rep Foundry Night The Edge 8.00pm CLUB Manhattan Loft The Victoria 9.00pm
Friday 29 March MUSIC Friday Lunchtime Concert St. Martin in the Bull Ring 12.30pm THEATRE Priscilla Queen of the Desert New Alexandra Theatre 5.00pm MUSIC Everclear O2 Academy 2 6.00pm MUSIC Party Duelling Pianos 6.00pm MUSIC Futureproof Plus Taking Hayley & Mike Dignam with The Headstart HMV Institute 6.00pm MUSIC Kastella, Reaside O2 Academy 3 6.30pm
COMEDY George Egg, Curtis Walker, Erich McElroy, Mickey Sharma Highlight 7.00pm COMEDY Dave Fulton, Paul Thorne, Ro Campbell, Josh Howie Glee Club 7.00pm MUSIC Bob Log III, John J Presley Rainbow 7.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm THEATRE Little Shop of Horrors International Convention Centre 7.30pm
THEATRE For the Love of Mrs Brown LG Arena, 7.30pm CLUB Dr Jekyll’s Remedy The Jekyll and Hyde, 7.30pm CLUB Lucha Libre Bodega Bar 8.00pm CLUB Discographic Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm MUSIC Open Mic Night Suki 10c 8.00pm COMEDY Rhodri Rhys, Mike Gunn, Slim Jongleurs Comedy Club 9.00pm CLUB Face: Warehouse Rave Rainbow 9.00pm
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Saturday 30 March WORKSHOP Silver Ring Class The Quarterworkshop 10.00am THEATRE Hidden Histories The Old Rep Theatre 11.00am & 2pm SPOKEN WORD REP 100 Bricks and Mortar The Old Rep Theatre, 1pm THEATRE For the Love of Mrs Brown LG Arena 2.00pm THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome 2.30pm & 7.30pm THEATRE Little Shop of Horrors International Convention Centre 2.30pm & 7.30pm
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THEATRE Priscilla Queen of the Desert New Alexandra Theatre 2.30pm & 7.30pm MUSIC The Quiet Pioneer: Film Showing The Old Rep Theatre 4.00pm MUSIC The Big Night Out Duelling Pianos 6.00pm MUSIC Eels O2 Academy 2 7.00pm
Sharma Highlight 7.00pm COMEDY Dave Fulton, Paul Thorne, Ro Campbell, Josh Howie Glee Club 7.00pm THEATRE For the Love of Mrs Brown LG Arena 7.30pm MUSIC JuQebox Rose Villa Tavern 8.00pm
COMEDY Rhodri Rhys, Mike Gunn, Slim Jongleurs Comedy MUSIC Left for Red & Club Left 9.00pm Unscarred O2 Academy 3 CLUB Dr Jekyll’s 7.00pm Potion COMEDY The Jekyll and George Hyde Egg, Curtis 9.00pm Walker, Erich McElroy, Mickey
Sunday 31 March CLUB Below Easter Bank Holiday Special Rainbow, 12.00pm MUSIC Sunday Chill Out Session Duelling Pianos 1.00pm MUSIC The Sunday I And I Suki 10c, 4.00pm CLUB Club Bebop Hare & Hounds 4.30pm MUSIC A Sunday Session The Flapper 6.00pm MUSIC Voodoo Six O2 Academy 3 7.00pm MUSIC Gilles Peterson, Troumaca, Romare Hare & Hounds 9.00pm
COMPETITIONS
WIN: STK GROOVEZ BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES We’ve teamed up with STK Accessories to offer four lucky readers the chance to win Groovez Bluetooth Headphones by STK. Groovez Bluetooth Headphones by STK are ideal for music lovers who want good quality sound at an affordable price. Enjoy your music wire-free with control functions on the headset and an automatic pause function during incoming calls. Easy to pack with a retractable design and carry case included! STK accessories specialises in mobile accessories and gadgets to help you get the best out of your device and ensure you are always connected. If you aren’t lucky enough to win on this occasion the Groovez Bluetooth Headphones are available in black or white for £64.95 from www.accessoryvillage.co.uk. To enter just send your name, address and date of birth to competitions@ fusedmagazine.com and we’ll pick out four winners at random. Deadline for entry is: 22/03/12. Please put STK Headphones in the subject box.
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Venue Directory MUSIC VENUES Actress & Bishop 36, Ludgate Hill, B3 1EH 0121 236 7426 BOTANICAL GARDENS 12A Westbourne Road Edgbaston, B15 3TR 0121 454 1860 birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk Bramall Music Building University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT BULLS HEAD 23, St. Marys Row, Moseley, B13 8HW bullsheadmoseley.co.uk
Institute 78 Digbeth High St, Digbeth hmvinstitute.com The Jam House 3 - 5 St Pauls Square Birmingham, B3 1QU 0121 200 3030 thejamhouse.com
The Victoria 48 John Bright Street, B1 1BN. 0121 633 9439 thevictoriabirmingham. co.uk YARDBIRD Paradise Place, Birmingham, B3 3HJ ART VENUES
Jekyll & hyde 28, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6BJ KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE 17 York Road, Kings Heath. 0121 443 4725 O2 Academy 08444 772 000 o2academybirmingham. co.uk
Barber Institute Univeristy of Birmingham Edgbaston, B15 2TS 0121 414 7333 barber.org.uk BM&G Chamberlain Square, B3 3DH bmag.org.uk CUSTARD FACTORY Gibb Street, B9 4AA custardfactory.co.uk
Civic/Wulfrun Hall North Street, WV1 1RQ. 0870 320 7000 wolvescivic.co.uk
The Rainbow 160 High Street Deritend, B12 0LD
The Flapper Kingston Row, B1 2NU. 0121 236 2421
Suki10c 21 Bordesley Street Digbeth, B5 5PJ
The Fox Bar 17 Lower Essex Street, B5 6SN, 0121 622 3213
SUNFLOWER LOUNGE 76, Smallbrook Queens way, Birmingham, B5
EASTSIDE PROJECTS 86 Heath Mill Lane, B9 4AR, 0121 771 1778 eastsideprojects.org
Hare & Hounds 106 High Street, B14 7JZ. 0121 444 2081
Town Hall Victoria Square, B3 3DQ 0121 780 3333 www.thsh.co.uk
Grand Union Fazeley Street Birmingham B5 5RS grand-union.org.uk
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The Drum 144 Potters Lane, Aston, B6 4UU, 0121 333 2444 the-drum.org.uk
THE HERBERT Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5QP 024 7683 2386 theherbert.org
The Glee Club The Arcadian, B5 4TD. 0871 472 0400 glee.co.uk
BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME Hurst Street 0844 338 5000 birminghamhippodrome. com
HIGHLIGHT 259-262 Broad Street, B1 2HF
CRESCENT THEATRE Sheepcote Street, B16 8AE, 0121 643 5858
The Lighthouse The Chubb Building Fryer Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1HT 01902 716 055 light-house.co.uk
JONGLEURS 240 Broad Street Broad Street B1 2HG jongleurs.com
The Old Joint Stock Pub and Theatre 4 Temple Row West B2 5NY, 0121 200 1892 oldjointstocktheatre.co.uk
MAC Cannon Hill Park macarts.co.uk
AE HARRIS 110 Northwood Street Birmingham, B3 1SZ aeharrisvenue.co.uk
Ikon Gallery Oozells Square, B1 2HS 0121 248 0708 ikon-gallery.co.uk
The Public New Street, West Bromwich B70 7PG 0121 533 7161 thepublic.com WARWICK ARTS CENTRE University of Warwick Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL 024 7652 4524 warwickartscentre.co.uk Wolverhampton Art Gallery Lichfield St, WV1 1DU 01902 552055 wolverhamptonart.org.uk
COMEDY VENUES
THEATRE VENUES
BLUE ORANGE THEATRE 118 Great Hampton Street Birmingham B18 6AD, 0121 212 2643 blueorangetheatre.co.uk HALL GREEN LITTLE THEATRE Pemberley Road, Acocks Green, B27 7RY hglt.co.uk
NEW Alexandra Theatre Station St, Birmingham 0844 847 2302 alexandratheatre.org.uk
THE OLD REP Station Street Birmingham, B5 4DY 0121 605 5116 oldreptheatre.org.uk RSC
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6BB rsc.org.uk OTHER BODEGA 12 Bennett’s Hill, B2 5 0121 448 4267 bodegabirmingham.co.uk ORT CAFE Moseley Road ortcafe.co.uk 067