We are deeply shocked by the tragic incident on Saturday night when four people were shot at an “urban music” event in Digbeth. We are hoping against hope that the gun shot injuries inflicted are not life threatening. Thankfully present indications are that they are not.
We are concerned by suggestions that the Custard Factory was somehow associated with this event. We were not. The “urban music” event did not take place in the Custard Factory – it took place in a converted factory next door.
The “urban music” event not hosted organised or managed in any way by the Custard Factory. It was organised and managed entirely by a company called Factory Events Ltd. The Custard Factory has no connection with the ownership or management of Factory Events Ltd.
Pending the result of the police investigation which is now under way it is difficult for us to throw any more light on this tragic incident.
Although the mistaken connection is unfortunate, it’s easy to see how it’s happened. Factory Events clubnights are often seen as ‘a night out at the Custard Factory’ and I was under the impression that the Custard Factory owned the Space2 building. For a long time now people haven’t seen the two as separate things in their minds, but I’m guessing from now on the difference might be marked out a bit more clearly.
It was a very busy and bright afternoon, with lots of pretty things for sale and interesting things to look at when the money ran out, such as the rather good Emerging photography exhibition in the gallery.
And that’s what this post would have talked about – the Custard Factory pulling in lots of people to enjoy the sunshine and while a few hours mooching around the arts, crafts and clothes stalls and exhibition spaces. The nice things I purchased and spotted whilst I was there. But then, at the Urban Music Gathering in Space2 later that night, this goes and happens:
As has been well documented in the local and national news, four partygoers were shot in a fracas at the clubnight. And that’s possibly what will sum up the Custard Factory in many people’s minds for a while, which I find thoroughly depressing because I know how extremely far removed that is from the warm and welcoming vibe of the place. The most sensible reaction I’ve read about the incident so far has come from a person called Kiesnor on the DJhistory.com forum:
The Custard Factory is in Digbeth, an area I love and which is hosting some great nights, from Irish boozers to air/code nightclub, The Sanctuary (formerly the Institute), Rainbow pub and warehouse, Custard Factory and adjoining warehouses, The Irish Centre, Wagon and horses and other underground venues… but I think at one time it did have the worst rates for violence, low population and high number of drinking venues possibly to blame.
Anyway, I really hope this is not a sign of the bad old times returning, I have been feeling a bit uncomfortable walking around the city at night lately and I think there seems a bit of tension, it really is the last thing these venues need as well because the Rainbow has had problems with hosting live music a great deal, nimbys are moving in and the Conservative council seem very unenthusiastic about ground roots music in the city with the last major open air music concert cancelled after poor policing.
With forums and facebook groups bemoaing the Factory Club’s move from the main Custard Factory to the nearby Space2, Factory Club felt the need to make an official announcement. It is not The End, but ‘a new beginning’.
The Factory Events team, have decided to focus their energy on financing the redevelopment and complete refurbishment of some exciting new spaces within the Custard Factory, to include the 1500 capacity Space 2 warehouse, two large adjoining railway arches and a new, never used before ‘secret room’. These new spaces will herald a wave of bigger and bolder club events organised by some of the most successful promoters in the business.
The Rainbow is expanding it’s venues. We are recruiting…We feel that Digbeth is in need of a little bit more. We have been scouring the city for more hidden gems and have found some jaw dropping spaces some intimate some not. There is a certain criteria for the spaces to fit in with our plans but what we have added to the triangle exceeds our expectations. They will wet your appetite some for many years to come.
Official Statement on Police closure of our event on Sat 13th June | factoryclub – Thankfully rumours on Twitter about a man falling to his death trying to sneak into Stupid Underground on Saturday night are untrue. The drunken man did fall into the River Rea, meaning the police and emergency services had to call a halt to the night in order to pluck him to safety, did he but apparently escaped with minor injuries. The organisers are understandably gutted:
“We worked solidly for 7 weeks promoting and conceptualising this massive event and over 1200 clubbers were either in the venue or making their way to the venue when the incident occurred. Our sympathies obviously go to the man as none of our promotional team wishes injury on anyone….although we were pretty angry with him on the night of the event due to the fact that he brought it on himself and it was neither the venue nor the promoters fault.”
YouTube – STUPID UNDERGROUND – SATURDAY 13TH JUNE – THE CUSTARD FACTORY – I’m really liking this – they’re giving this Free Warehouse party a bit of an illegal rave feel by making peeps search for the dodgy looking door and cross over the River Rea bridge under the viaduct. Ah, this take me back to the good old days. I was young and edgy once. Honest.
A 1800 capacity venue like Space 2, put simply, will never be able to attract the chart topping acts simply because the venue can’t house the amount of people needed to cover the cost required to aquire such a band…So where from here for a venue that is reaching its terminal velocity in terms of ability to attract artists that consistently fill up the venue. Does it host developing bands at the risk of poor ticket sales or does it aim to in greater bands past their peak, cashing in on the onslaught of newly reformed legends (Stone Roses, Blur etc)? Can Space 2 open out into the North Yard, or open Gibb Street into an open air venue? Does it move away from music hosting? Basically how can the Custard Factory continue to grow despite its physical limitations.
YouTube – Trailer Part #9 – Bo Pilar and the Mountain Valley Boys at the Wagon and Horses in Digbeth. ‘Unfortunately the carmera person was pissed on cider and couldn’t figure out how to use the video camera, so this is the only footage that has anything like a complete song…’
Galvanized, or How to Embed a Picasa Slideshow into WordPress – Melinda Schwakhofer does this using her fantastic photos of the derelict Arkinstall Galvanizing Factory in Digbeth. ‘I walked around all three floors, including the catwalk, the spooky boys’ locker room and a lovely skylit room at the very top. This was one of my favourite spaces on the ground floor – a high ceilinged, cathedral-like room with the sun shining through a skylight. So empty and peaceful.’
Memory 1 – Derrick May – Derrick May is playing The Factory 13th Birthday Party tonight, which reminds John Mostyn of ‘my old mate Neil Rushton released Derrick’s ground breaking records in the UK at the very start of Techno when Neil and only a couple of others from the UK saw what Derrick, Kevin Saunderson and Co were doing in Detroit.’
Outer Sight Hallowe’en Horrorshow – Created in Birmingham gives a timely reminder of the frightening films on at The Edge tonight, with an invitation for you to print off for reduced entry price.
