When: Saturday 26th May, 19:00 onwards

Yes, we know Eurovision can be Eurotrash, but with friends, a drink and a sense of humour, it can actually be a bit of a laugh!

The Spotted Dog will be showing the contest in it’s full Eurotastic glory on Saturday, along with a DJ, BBQ and an opportunity to show Graham Norton how it should be done on the karaoke.

Free entry, fancy dress optional along with the accompanying drinking games. DiG does not condone drinking games, but if you want to take part there are forfeits for:

• Over-elaborate performance/costume/stage design
• Performers singing a ballad sat on stools, and then standing up at the key change
• Streakers/stage invaders
• Singing in a language that is not the country’s own or English, e.g. a Romanian singing in anything other than Romanian or English would be counted
• A sarcastic comment from Mr Norton
• “Wardrobe malfunctions”
• Other Eurovision cliches besides

See you there!

Acoustic Bites returns to the Bay Leaf on Sunday 3rd June.

Join in with an afternoon of live acoustic music in a chilled atmosphere with some fine singers, songwriters, musicians and spoken word artists, accompanied by fresh coffee, beers, wines, and bangladelicious bites.

As ever, kids are more than welcome, with the Custard Factory’s courtyard safe for scooters, skateboards and running about!

Monday, 21st May
The Spotted Dog
From 9pm
Traditional Irish Music – All musicians welcome to participate.

Tuesday, 22nd May
Jazz at The Spotted Dog – Richard Foote’s (bink!)
Music Starts at 9pm
Free Entry
Adam Jackson – Alto Sax
Richard Foote – Trombone
Rob Anstey – Bass
John Lowrie – Drums

Wednesday, 23rd May
Adam & Eve
Free Entry
Khaos Theory

An afternoon of some famililar classics and some lesser known standards by Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin and more, performed by two trios.

Exams will be nearly over, so put on your top hat, white tie and tails and come and celebrate. Anything goes!

Trio #1 – The Music of Cole Porter
Allan Young: guitar
Stuart Barker: double bass
Alicia Gardener-Trejo: saxophone

Trio #2 – Music Associated with Fred Astaire
Ben Lee: guitar
Nathan England-Jones: drums
Alicia Gardener-Trejo: saxophone

Monday, 14th May
ALL-ACOUSTIC SHOW
Adam & Eve
Free Entry
The Railway Social Club
Farisle
Lauren Pryke

Tuesday, 15th May
Jazz at The Spotted Dog – Lluis Mather Trio
Music Starts at 9pm
Free Entry
Luis Mather – Tenor Sax
Rob Anstey – Bass
Dave Hamblett – Drums

Wednesday, 16th May
Adam & Eve
Free Entry
Gucci Pimp
Dru-Amelia

Friday, 18th May
Hennesseys
SILVERSIDE
Silverside are a local band from Coventry playing upbeat popular covers including The Kaiser Cheilfs, Kings of Leon, The Fratellis, Sterophonics, and The Killers.

Sunday, 20th May
Music in the Garden
The Spotted Dog
An afternoon of some famililar classics and some lesser known standards by Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin and more, performed by two trios.

SILVERSIDE

The Bay Leaf restaurant in Digbeth’s Custard Factory is hosting a live music event tomorrow, Saturday 12th May. The event is intended to take place outside, busker-style, in front of the restaurant. The Bay Leaf’s owner, Aftab Rahman, is a great supporter of local music, and has really engaged with local musicians through regular jazz and acoustic nights at his restaurant.

The music is being organised by local musician, Ronan Fitzgerald, from the band Nerve Centre. Ronan is no stranger to music events in Digbeth, having played a sold out gig at the HMV Institute with Nerve Centre, regularly hosting gigs at the Adam and Eve, and organising the music at last summer’s Digbeth Fun Day.

• Jimmy Eff: the solo acoustic alter-ego of Nerve Centre lead guitarist, James Foster.
• Kris Halpin: singer songwriter from Tamworth.
• Dennis: acoustic duo playing lively originals and covers.

The music starts at 1pm.  If the weather doesn’t want to be nice, the music will be moved into the restaurant.  With the Vintage Fair taking place in the Custard Factory at the time, it promises to be a fun and busy event.

In 2010, ZAKOPOWER appeared in the exclusive line up of artists representing the best of Poland at Nigel Kennedy’s Polish Weekend at London’s prestigious South Bank Centre. Having sold out the Queen Elizabeth Hall, their performance caused quite a stir and gained them critical acclaim.

With a steadily increasing fan base here in the UK, ZAKOPOWER have added extra dates to their UK tour, coming to Birmingham on the 12th May.

Digbeth’s very own traditional Polish restaurant, The Karczma, will be hosting an audience with ZAKOPOWER on Friday 11th May at 8pm, giving diners a unique opportunity to meet with the band, including popular violinst and front-man Sebastian Karpiel Bulecka.

The Karczma only has 50 invitations for the VIP Dinner with ZAKOPOWER; the cost of £45 includes:

• Dinner with ZAKOPOWER on Friday 11th May 2012 at 8pm (two courses and a half-litre of Polish beer)
• A ticket for the concert at the HMV Institute on Saturday 12th May – doors open at 7pm

Bookings can be made in person at The Karczma restaurant on Bordesley Street, which is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 23:00, and Sunday 11:00 to 21:00. Click here to see a map.

When: Friday 25th May, 22:00 – 04:00

KRYPT returns to PST (People Stand Together) for its second outing.

The night is strictly for over 18s, with more information on the Facebook event page.

Words and Image from Skiddle.com

Digbeth, a district on the outskirts of Birmingham, was once the heart of the industrial Midlands – boasting a battery, tea, and even a custard factory.

Nowadays these works have been swapped for high-spec retail premises and entertainment ventures, marking the redevelopment and regeneration of the area.

LAB11
LAB11 and its flagship night TRMNL is a subversive house and techno delight, stripping everything back to basics from the exposed brickwork, unfinished wood and raw edges.

Set in a derelict railway arch owned by Network Rail, LAB11 has been transformed into a hip dance music venue. Boasting a SMART lighting system and custom-built Funktion One soundsystem, headline acts to have already played include Radio Slave, Carl Craig and Barem, with many more headliners billed each Saturday.

Gibb Street Warehouse
Gibb Street Warehouse has taken over the old Space2 venue at the Custard Factory and has a raw industrial feel that brings to mind the heady acid house days. Curated by the masterminds of one of London’s most successful clubs, Fabric, Gibb St has already hosted a number of big-name promoters and artists such as Defected, Renaissance with Sasha, and Arkitekt with M.A.N.D.Y, proving its versatility as an accommodating dance venue.

The Arena (Pictured)
In addition to indoor warehouse venues, Digbeth has its own outdoor dancefloor in the form of The Arena, a 4000-capacity venue brought to us by the team behind the renowned Rainbow spot.

The Arena has been designed like an auditorium with a natural stage bordered by viaducts and complete with a multi-tiered viewing platform, cementing the coliseum feel and charm. With an aim to host six large-scale shows throughout the year – covering genres from house to techno through to drum & bass and old-school – revellers can look forward to collaborations from key-players such as Cocoon and Space Ibiza.

We Are Industry
Then there is We Are Industry, another outdoor concept débuting on the Jubilee weekend with two very special live shows from Booka Shade and Carl Craig, as well as sets from Dubfire, DJ T, and Huxley. Located just off Floodgate St, the details of this venue are still top secret, but if the standard is as good as the acts they have booked then it looks to be an exciting arrival.

HMV Institute and Club Air
Finally, the loyal HMV Institute and Club Air have been staples on the Digbeth skyline for some years now, with the former offering a combination of live gigs (Alabama Shakes are due to play soon) and student nights, whilst the latter continues to stay faithful to the trance and drum & bass scenes that made it famous with nights from the likes of Armin Van Buuren.

With so much springing to life in the little industrial area of Digbeth, a new lease of vivacity has been injected into the once stale clubbing scene of Birmingham. The closure of the likes of The Custard Factory and Q Club had left a longing hole in the electronic nightlife, resulting in clubbers travelling further afield to the likes of Manchester and London for their fix. Now the future looks bright, with the England’s second city finally gaining a music landscape deserving of its size and status.

Is Digbeth set to become the new clubbing capital of England? Time only knows.

What are our readers’ thoughts on this? Is Digbeth set to become a destination for clubbing? Is Digbeth set to become louder? We’re interested to hear what you think.

Tuesday, 8th May
Sam Watts’ Choro Project
Jazz at The Spotted Dog
The Spotted Dog hosts Jazz every Tuesday. Music starts at 9pm – free entry with collection.

Saturday, 12th May
Digbeth Shuffle The Spotted Dog
See more details here.