I have a problem. Or so I’m told. Over the last year or two, my nearest and dearest have been telling me that I’m addicted to my mobile phone. Or at least I think that’s what they said; I was on Twitter at the time and didn’t really hear what they said during their intervention. […]
October
15
Annie – A Review by Louise Oram
posted by @brumpic
A visit to the Birmingham Hippodrome is always a thrill but when I heard that one of my favourite musicals, Annie, was coming here, I was doubly excited! I’m sure most people will know the story, but for those who don’t…
October
12
The Accidental Gangster
posted by @brumpic
In the early 1960s Ronnie and Reggie Kray are the new princes of the London underworld and business is good.Their clubs and protection rackets stretch from the East to the West end of the Metropolis, but they need to expand. Hemmed in on all sides by the other ever encroaching London gangs they need to […]
October
08
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
posted by @brumpic
David Ian Productions and the Ambassador Theatre Group are delighted to announce the full cast for the UK tour of the international smash hit musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical at the New Alexandra Theatre from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 October 2015. Joining the previously announced Jason Donovan as ‘Tick’, are Simon […]
October
06
The Crown and Cushion
posted by @brumpic
These are the words I never wanted write – Perry Barr’s Crown and Cushion has closed. The pub which has been the heart beat of Perry Barr for over 150 years has gone the way of countless boozers up and down the country and has called time on itself. There was disbelief when the gaffer […]
October
02
Birmingham Conservatoire
posted by @brumpic
A season of spectacular music-making of the highest quality, and exceptional ticket prices, is just waiting to be discovered this autumn. Featuring world-class artists and prodigiously talented young musicians, the series of lunchtime and evening concerts is devised and programmed by Birmingham Conservatoire at the Adrian Boult Hall and Recital Hall. Tickets for most concerts […]
September
29
Shawshank Redemption
posted by @brumpic
We arrived early at the New Alexandra Theatre as we were keen to see the newly refurbished Piano Bar (and sample a glass or two of their excellent vino!) and I’m so glad we did. The whole feel of the bar has changed – it’s now much more sophisticated and relaxed – with elegant furnishings […]
September
21
New Alex Theatre: Piano Bar 2015
posted by @brumpic
A brand new Piano Bar has been unveiled at the New Alexandra Theatre, following the latest phase of a £1million investment plan in the venue. A total of £250,000 has been spent by Ambassador Theatre Group redeveloping the two separate bar areas in the Station Street theatre to give the impression of one larger luxurious […]
September
16
‘Forward – A Film for Birmingham’
posted by @brumpic
John Lewis marks Birmingham arrival with short film to celebrate the city and its people
September
15
Building B’ham by Donna Taylor
posted by @brumpic
Walking through town a few days ago, I was struck by the intensity of construction works, right across the city centre. Roads are being dug up near the Madin Library for the Paradise development and further along, on Corporation Street, there are roadworks preparing for the tramline extension. And then, of course, we have the […]
September
04
Welcome Back Sir Simon!
posted by @brumpic
Welcome back Sir Simon! Symphony Hall gets set for an historic return
September
02
A View from the Tower
posted by @brumpic
This concrete edifice was just nine years old when this photo was taken, not from the usual vantage points available to the public but from the Post Office Telecommunication’s car park off Lionel Street.
August
26
Birmingham Innovations
posted by @brumpic
‘Birmingham innovations: the steam engine, electroplating…and the airbag’ by Jonathan Reinarz. In March 2015, I was asked to speak at a pathological society in Birmingham about one of their late members. This is a feature of the group’s biannual meetings, a difficult task, not least because the group started in the 1940s and its oldest […]
August
14
Owl Fun Day at Winterbourne
posted by @brumpic
Winterbourne House and Garden is best known for seven acres of beautiful botanics, alongside a rare surviving suburban arts & crafts villa. But with owl fever sweeping the city, there’s a more feathery reason to get down to Edgbaston this August. With two Big Hoot owls tucked away on the University of Birmingham […]
August
11
Review – The Bodyguard
posted by @brumpic
‘The Bodyguard’ at Birmingham Hippodrome At the outset, I feel I need to qualify what follows with these two facts:
August
04
42nd Street at the New Alex Theatre
posted by @brumpic
The stars of tomorrow are set to bring the golden age of musical theatre back to the stage next week, with a brand new production of the classic musical 42nd Street.
July
29
Reuben Colley’s Birmingham
posted by @brumpic
Reuben Colley is, in every sense, a Birmingham painter. He was born in 1976 in Hodge Hill, and the industrial urban setting in which he grew up has provided him with a source of inspiration throughout his career. Reuben Colley’s talent was spotted at secondary school. Having studied A level Art he gained a BTEC […]
July
27
My Birmingham by Paul Fulford
posted by @brumpic
Those distant days of my childhood in the 1950s are remembered in black and white but are far from drab. The hustle and bustle of the old Bull Ring market hall, roofless after a Second World War air raid, the shell of an unexploded Second World War serving as a charity collection box near its entrance, […]
July
24
Competition – Two Towers Brewery
posted by @brumpic
Enter our Two Towers Brewery competition to win a brewery tour for two and a Two Towers presentation gift pack
July
23
Vote for the Coffin Works!
posted by @brumpic
Get voting! Help Birmingham Conservation Trust bring back a Heritage Angel Award 2015 for Brum Birmingham Conservation Trust, the charity behind the rescue of several historic buildings in the city, have been invited to London on 7th September for Historic England’s Angel Awards. They are up for the Best Rescue of an Industrial Building award […]
July
07
Trinidad to Brum by Carl Chinn
posted by @brumpic
From Trinidad to Birmingham: Prince Albert ‘Jake’ Jacob When war came in 1939, the people of the West Indies did not fail Britain. Separated by thousands of miles from the conflict in Europe though they may have been, yet for them it was not something either distant or irrelevant. They had been brought up to […]
July
06
The Night Owl, Birmingham
posted by @brumpic
Midlands First Northern Soul & Motown Club In Decades
July
06
Psychogeographer’s Guide : Brum 2015
posted by @brumpic
Traversing Birmingham city centre on foot is, currently, no simple feat. 2015 sees the demolition of John Madin’s Central Library and the redevelopment of Paradise Place, a complete renovation of Birmingham New Street station, the installation of tram tracks joining New Street and Snow Hill, various points of heating and electrical maintenance throughout the city […]
June
26
My Birmingham by Suzanne Virdee
posted by @brumpic
So what does Birmingham mean to me? Well as I scroll through Twitter and come across images posted by @brumpic I always stop and look. Often they’ll be photos taken way before my time and I get a wonderful glimpse into yesteryear imagining what life was like then. Sometimes the pictures posted will […]
June
25
Stuck in the Mud by Craig Deeley
posted by @brumpic
I love camping. I love music. And I never felt the need to combine the two. I’ve always been a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, but never fancied being stuck in the mud at an outdoor music festival. I could never get enthused, for example, when I was at university and fellow students would be preparing […]
June
16
GHOST STREETS OF BALSALL HEATH
posted by @brumpic
Ian Francis (Flatpack Film Festival) has been exploring the forgotten geography of Balsall Heath, through a series of photos taken by an American student in the late 1960s.
June
11
Breaking News! Highbury Studio
posted by @brumpic
HISTORIC UK RECORDING STUDIO LAUNCHES ALBUM CAMPAIGN TO HELP SECURE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE – BIRMINGHAM ARTISTS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR LIMITED EDITION ANALOGUE-ONLY ALBUM – UNIQUE OFFERS INCLUDE AN EXCLUSIVE PLAY OF DURAN DURAN DEMO TAPES AND EARLY STEPHEN DUFFY RECORDINGS – CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF STUDIO OPENING
May
31
Revisiting The Superprix
posted by @brumpic
Revisiting The Birmingham Superprix Would you like to take a trip around mainland Britain’s only open wheel street circuit? Well you can in Birmingham, where the UK’s answer to Monaco Grand Prix was held for 5 consecutive years between 1986 and 1990. The circuit hosted international racing series including, Formula 3000, Formula Ford and […]
May
30
My Birmingham by Joe Schuppler
posted by @brumpic
‘Are you watching closely?’ At this very moment in time, when I have been tasked with writing about ‘My Birmingham’ and what this city means to me, I sit here at my laptop watching the rain cascade down the window and reflect upon how, perhaps, I wished I lived somewhere with just a little more […]
May
30
Carl Chinn – Old Square Mural
posted by @brumpic
Old Square Mural By 1966 the new Birmingham was triumphant and even a reporter in ‘The Times’ was moved to exclaim that it was one of the showpieces of Europe. The old Bull Ring had been swept away from the landscape so swiftly and thoroughly that now it was merely a memory. In its place […]
May
30
Birmingham Postcards – Part 1
posted by @brumpic
We’re often asked when we meet me people, where do you get all your stuff from? Well, we get images from all over the place: BMAG, The University of Birmingham, LoB, Network Rail, and occasionally people drop items in to my place of work. (To be honest, we get items and images from here, there […]
May
30
Eastside: by Ally Standing
posted by @brumpic
Eastside: History, Creativity and Possibility Walk eastward from the Bullring and you will find yourself within one of the most rapidly changing areas of the city. Eastside is a part of Birmingham which, especially over recent years, has been developed almost beyond recognition, much of this urban progress forming part of the council’s Big City […]
May
30
The Beorma Social – June in Brum
posted by @brumpic
Bringing you a few of the events we’re looking forward to in Birmingham this June. Keep an eye on the Beorma Social for more events and updates
brumpic 