some blogs

OxjamBrum is back for a third year taking over some of the city’s best independent music venues.  On Saturday 15th October Birmingham will play host to Oxfam’s national music festival by showcasing over 25 of the region’s most exciting emerging bands and artists.  Be a part of an amazing day by exchanging an advance £6 ticket for a festival wristband. OxjamBrum are extremely proud to announce ska funksters 360 as this year’s headliner, fresh from sets at Glastonbury and Shambala.  The Young Runaways have got right into the Oxjam spirit by planning not one but two sets during the day, including an EP launch at The Yardbird.  Their headline set at OxjamBrum’s sold out barge gig was something to behold! The Flapper will host an early evening set of singer-songwriters finishing with the beautiful tones of Vijay Kishore.  But don’t be late or you’ll miss out, live music upstairs at The Flapper from 5-8pm.  Then it will get all loud and sweaty downstairs in the gig room with God Damn and Romans – earplugs at the ready. Over at The Sunflower Lounge OxjamBrum have persuaded the city’s best indie pop and post punk bands to cram themselves into the...

Read more »

BAtC-PUBLIC MEETING (08.09.11)PRESS RELEASE.docx Download this file Email: birminghamagaingstthecuts@gmail.com               Website: http://birminghamagainstthecuts.wordpress.com ‘BUILD THE ALTERNATIVE, BROADEN THE RESISTANCE’ (BIRMINGHAM AGAINST the CUTS/ RIGHT to WORK joint PUBLIC MEETING) Date: Thursday, 8th September 2011 Time: 7.00 p.m. Venue: Birmingham and Midland Institute (Lytlleton Lecture Theatre)             Margaret Street, Birmingham Event: Public Meeting Speakers: Jack Dromey MP (Birmingham, Erdington) Bob Crow, General Secretary RMT union Jody McIntyre, journalist and political activist Paul Brandon, Right to Work (more speakers to be confirmed) Chair: Caroline Johnson, Birmingham Unison / Birmingham Against the Cuts This meeting is being held to continue to raise the debate of the unfair cuts to jobs, services and pensions being suffered by the most vulnerable in society, and to raise awareness of the protest demonstration to be held on Sunday, 18th September, in Birmingham against the Liberal Democratic conference being held in the city. #                            #                           MORE                #                                 # Notes for editors: 1.      Birmingham Against the Cuts is an umbrella organisation made up of many concerned about the cuts and include representatives of Birmingham Trade Union Council, Birmingham People’s Charter, Birmingham Right to Work, Save Our Services, NSSN West Midlands, many trade unions, including: Unison; PCS; GMB; NUT; UCU;...

Read more »

First ever West Midlands Human Rights Film Festival launches in Birmingham next month 6 September – 4 October 2011 The national-award-winning Birmingham International Film Society (BIFS) is pleased to announce it will be hosting the first ever West Midlands Human Rights Film Festival, next month. ‘There are so many films coming out at the moment that raise a variety of human rights issues, we thought the best way to present them would be in a Festival,’ said film programmer, Max Simpson, one of the four local film enthusiasts who founded BIFS in 2008. ‘We hope the Festival will help promote awareness of human rights in the West Midlands and encourage debate.’ The Festival will be launched on Tuesday 6 September at 6.30pm at the Birmingham Library Theatre, with a reception and opening address from special guest speaker, Simon Davies, Director of Privacy International. The reception will be followed by an exclusive preview screening of the acclaimed Iranian film The Green Wave (12A) at 7.30pm at the Birmingham Library Theatre. Professor A.C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, London, author, philosopher, and renowned supporter of Human Rights, has voiced his support for BIFS’s West Midlands Human Rights initiative: ‘One...

Read more »

Usual mix of stuff that may well have been touring anyway, local stuff that gets gets a promo boost and some other stuff… - Full line-up announced! - Big TV stars and up-and-coming names! - Over 50 events! - Tenth anniversary! Birmingham Comedy Festival returns this October with another great line-up featuring big shows, fast-rising stars and top new talent. Highlights include Legally Blonde: The Musical, plus appearances from Russell Kane, Jack Whitehall, Stephen Merchant and Andy Parsons. Music acts, brand new comics, pub quizzes, visual arts, special events and more…. For further details, including full listings, see attached documents, or see: www.bhamcomfest.co.uk, where you can also see full listings. BIRMINGHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL Friday 7 October to Sunday 16 October 2011 www.bhamcomfest.co.uk  |  twitter.com/BhamComFest Highlighting great comedy in Britain’s second city since 2001… bcf2011_full_listings.pdf Download this file BCF2011 – PR2.pdf Download this file A piece of PR we couldn’t be bothered to re-write.

Read more »

Will Self confirmed as the Birmingham Book Festival 2011 announces its line up Will Self, Tony Harrison, Alan Hollinghurst and Ian Rankin will be among the international writers, poets and artists involved in the 13th Birmingham Book Festival (6-16 October) this year.   Birmingham Cathedral will host Will Self (Thurs 13 Oct – 7.30pm) as he offers his ‘alternative’ sermon based on Jean Jacques Rousseau’s observation that we all think at walking pace and therefore driving, by contrast is an intrinsically thoughtless undertaking. He will also be talking about his latest novel Walking To Hollywood; a triptych in which Self burrows down through the intersections of time, place and psyche to explore some of our deepest fears and anxieties.   Tony Harrison – Britain’s leading theatre and film poet – will make a rare appearance (Sat 15 Oct – 8pm) to talk about his work which has included The Gaze Of The Gorgon (awarded the Whitbread Prize for Poetry) and The Shadow of Hiroshima And Other Film Poems (awarded the William Heinemann Prize 1996). Tony was the recipient of the Wilfred Owen Award for Poetry in 2007 and the European Literature Prize in 2011 and is currently working on...

Read more »

Makeshift Flyer-1.pdf Download this file The event has been organised by Makeshift for Fairbridge Charity to support young people, local artists & the community by providing free tables and space for the event. It will be a great family day with over 27 stalls, music, food, refreshments and face painting for children. A piece of PR we couldn’t be bothered to re-write.

Read more »

Home of Metal Black Country Weekender which takes place from 1-4 September. There is so much going on over the weekend across the region from a touring Vintage Mobile Cinema and Heavy Metal conference to concerts and Heavy Metal bingo. You can also have a peek at the Weekender brochure here: http://issuu.com/capsulebrum/docs/hom_blackcountryweekender Home of Metal Weekender.pdf Download this file A piece of PR we couldn’t be bothered to re-write.

Read more »

Sept 2011 Events Listings.pdf Download this file September Events Listings Performance: Theatre First Bite Festival Sat 24 Sep – Afternoon Showcase: 2.30pm; Evening Showcase: 7.30pm Both showcases £10 (£8); Single showcase £6 (£5) Theatre, Foyle and Hexagon Following the huge success of the 2009 festival, First Bite is back! Join us for a celebration of new ideas from some the region’s brightest theatre talents. Two of the pieces seen at First Bite will be guaranteed commissions by mac birmingham and Warwick Arts Centre, and developed by China Plate for Bite Size next Spring at Warwick Arts Centre. Performance: Music Tuesday Tunes: Frutaloka Tue 6 Sep, from 7pm Free entry Our last Tuesday Tunes of the season is rounded off by Frutaloka – a 9-piece collective of talented musicians from different cultural and musical backgrounds. Their style is a unique cocktail of world music with whole bits of latin, funk, soul, reggae and more. Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick – 70th Birthday Tour Sun 25 Sep, 8pm Tickets £13 (£10), Theatre Two of English music’s living legends celebrate their 70th years. We welcome a startlingly intense reunion from this legendary ground-breaking duo. All the old skills are demonstrated with a...

Read more »