Reviews of Birmingham’s best independent entertainment venues:

Bars Cafes Restaurants Music Culture

Bars: Ginger’s Bar

Loki Wine

Old Joint Stock

Cafés: Boston Tea Party

Canalside Café

Café Blend

Yorks Bakery Café

Blackroot Bistro

Restaurants: Chilacas

Manzils

The Shakespeare

Woktastic

The Lost and Found

Music: The Concept

Fake Obsession

The Ruby Dukes

Upload Tour

Culture: BBC Tours

The Electric Cinema

Mozart and Messiaen

Matthew Bourne’s

Sleeping Beauty

Contents:

As one of the most multi-cultural and

exciting cities in the country, Birmingham is without

doubt a prominent player in the dining and

entertainment game. The city is home to a vast

collection of hidden gems, both in the city centre and

further out, and the aim of this magazine is to draw

attention to them and to heap on the praise these

establishments truly deserve.

Access Regional is here to provide bitesize

reviews for Birmingham’s best independent

entertainment venues at your fingertips, making it that

little bit easier to decide where to go, although actually

managing to choose one establishment above the rest

proves to be another challenge.

To make this choice simpler, Access Regional

is split into five sections: Bars, Cafés, Restaurants,

Music, and Culture. Within these sections you will find

a wide range of establishments that cater to all tastes,

with mouth watering dishes and exciting events that

will have you desperate to try them.

Sarah Moloney, editor

Note from the editor

Bars

Ginger’s Bar

f you are looking for a night that’s a touch more special

than the rest, Ginger’s Bar should definitely be where you’re

heading. Ginger’s is a small venue right in the center of town

with a friendly, laid-back and classy atmosphere. Cocktails

like you will never have tasted, made by the most welcoming

of bartenders and hostesses.

Their menu of cocktails and wine is somewhat alternative and

not to be faced narrow-mindedly, but there is no doubt

whatever you order will be beyond delicious and never quite

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Bar

11 Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 3NY

Average cocktail £7

what you expect.

You’ll always

remember your first

cocktail at Ginger’s.

Of course perfection

comes at a price… It

is 3 or 4 pounds more

expensive per drink

than your average

venue, however, this

really is a case of you

get what you pay for.

I

Ginger’s Bar

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Bar

It is worth that extra few

pounds for a phenomenal

drink. Another issue with

this venue is its size.

Although the small comfy

layout is ideal for the

atmosphere it achieves, it’s

not ideal for big groups.

On the other hand its style, influenced by Fred Astaire

and Ginger Rogers, looks like it came straight out of the

30s and is perfectly set out for smaller groups by keeping

the spacious feeling. The music at Ginger’s is the icing

on the cake, embracing its 30s influences and topping off

the chilled out, retro, classy feeling.

Loki Wine

first stumbled upon Loki when a

colleague at work told me about this

great new wine tasting place in

Birmingham, I reluctantly went

along even though wine tasting isn’t

usually ‘my thing’, but my

colleague assured me that Loki was

special. And special it is. It’s a wine

shop that also offers tasting, with

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Bar

36 Great Western Arcade, Birmingham, B2 5HU

Samples start at 30p and£2.50 per glass

fancy gadgets at every angle you look. It’s clear that Phil

Innes, the Director, has a love of technology and wine;

with a tablet device for a till and top up cards you insert

into machines to get a glass of vino, you’re sure to be

impressed.

You’ll get a Loki card for use in the machines that you can

top up on your subsequent visits, and with reasonable

prices for tasting glasses, and much larger ones - you’ll be

arranging your next visit within no time.

I

Loki Wine

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Bar

As well as the ‘tasting area’ you have a cosy lounge

upstairs that offers customers a chance to sit down and

soak up the atmosphere. It’s a great place to meet other

young professionals, or just to try something a bit out of

the ordinary. It’s also great as anyone can give it a go, you

don’t have to be a wine expert at all, so no need to feel

intimidated!

Phil is incredibly

friendly and really

knows his wines. I was

never a wine lover as

the idea of anything

other than a Merlot or

Pinot Grigio was alien

to me. However, with

Phil’s handy labels for

the wine, you can

easily see which ones to try.

Old Joint Stock

had always been

intrigued by this old

building, and although

I had enjoyed a drink

there in the past, I had

not, until now, had the

pleasure of eating. The

Old Joint Stock is

located opposite Saint

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Bar

4 Temple Row West, Birmingham, West Midlands B2 5NY

Average drink £3.50, meal £10

I

Phillip’s Cathedral and is a Grade II listed building; so

much of the design has remained the same. As well as

being a pub, this venue doubles as a theatre. Located

upstairs, the stage hosts companies from around the

country as well as music and stand-up comedy.

Reviewing this part of the Old Joint Stock, however, will

have to wait for a future edition.

The pub is beautifully decorated with a large bar located

in the centre. Unfortunately given its shape and size, this

can mean that you can go unseen by bar staff for a long

time, and endure a long wait to be served.

Old Joint Stock

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Bar

They stock an impressive

number of guest ales as

well as all the standard

drinks you would expect

to find.

On this occasion, I also

enjoyed food from their

menu. Although they do have a selection of main courses and sharing platters, the

menu is clearly focused around their homemade pies.

I very much enjoyed a chicken, chorizo and sundried

tomato pie with exquisite homemade pastry, mash and

vegetables. It really was delicious; I would go as far as to

say the best pie I’d ever eaten. The price, however, may

deter some people from sampling the food, which would

be unfortunate.

Cafes

Boston Tea Party

he prospect of a

‘traditional’ American

breakfast has always appealed

to my somewhat greedy

nature, so when I heard of

Boston Tea Party which offer

a pancakes with maple syrup

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Cafés

190 Corporation Street, Birmingham, B4 6QD

Average price: coffee £3, food £5

and bacon breakfast needless to say I was one of the first

customers on a sunny Thursday morning. To my surprise,

however, there is a diverse and interesting range on the

menu; substantially more than a standard pancake house.

As a chorizo lover I was drawn towards the chorizo and

egg bake (instead of the pancakes which I had previously

set my heart on) so I decided to take the risk. Although

accompanied with a delicious rich tomato sauce with

onions and new potatoes, I found myself struggling to find

these pieces of chorizo. The new potatoes were delicious

and provided in abundance so I would not have had reason

to complain had the title of the dish been potato and egg

bake.

T

Boston Tea Party

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Cafés

The fried eggs placed on

top, however, were cooked

to perfection and the crispy

bread on the side was a

tasty addition. Overall, the

decoration of the place

gives a general ‘American

diner’ atmosphere, along

with the friendly staff and the intriguing toilets which are

covered in pipes seen by all for the waterworks; it is well

worth a visit. Perhaps if I was to give a piece of advice; go

with your heart and stick to the pancakes which my

companion so wisely did. Either that or demand your

rightful amount of chorizo!

Canalside Café

nter this café, on the

canal between Brindley

Place and the Mailbox,

and step back in time. The

cramped but cosy building

dates back to c.1770 when

it was a lock-keeper’s

cottage and is an ideal

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Cafés

Gas Street, City Centre, Birmingham

Average price coffee £2.50, food £5

setting for the unpretentious breakfasts, snack and meals

on offer.

The menus offers a range of breakfasts as well as

sandwiches (hot and cold), baked potatoes (with various

fillings) and sausages and mash. The Sweets and Puddings

on offer includes a Clotted Cream Tea at £3.95. In

addition, there is a daily board offering “home cooked

favourites”. A big plus point for many customers will be

the excellent range of Vegetarian and Vegan dishes,

savoury and sweet. My choice was the Cream of

Cauliflower with Cheese soup which certainly tasted

“home made” and the bread with it was crusty and fresh.

E

Canalside Café

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Cafés

Sadly, my companion wasn’t so pleased with her Panini

which was bland, and, at £4.95, should have come with a

side-order of chips. (A bowl of chips is £3 which is also

over-priced to my mind.)

Another disappointment

was the coffee which

lacked flavour; my

Mocha just wasn’t what I

expected (but, to be fair,

it was made at my

request, and is not on the

menu).

I am glad to say that the service was efficient and friendly

– and it was obvious that some of the customers were

regulars (which is a considerable recommendation).

I shall definitely go back to the Canalside Café for the

atmosphere and to taste their Breakfast menu, preferably

on a beautiful morning when the canal is sparkling in the

sun.

Café Blend

stumbled across Café Blend

by accident. It is a little bit off

the beaten track; however this

should be no reason not to try

something. As soon as you

enter, you notice the vast

selection of coffees and teas on

offer.

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Cafés

Orion Building, 90 Navigation Street, Birmingham, B5 4AA

Average price £3

They have a selection from across the globe, and although

the menu needs to be studied in order to decide what to

order, the range cannot be knocked.

As well as those coffees on the menu, their display board

is full of seasonal selections, including some alcoholic

coffee cocktails. I have visited Café Blend more than once

in order to sample their range. Their speciality coffees are

inventive, delicious and well presented with a mini

chocolate accompaniment on your saucer.

I

Café Blend

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Cafés

However on one occasion, I decided to order a simple

coffee, in order to sample their coffee beans. I must admit

that I was a little disappointed. It was still a nice cup of

coffee, but I’ve had a nicer coffee

from a café in Birmingham.

Café Blend has won several

awards and was shortlisted for

the Café of the Year in 2011.

As well as the drink selection,

they have a small selection of

homemade sandwiches,

pastries and paninis, all very nice.

Where Café Blend comes into its own, is with its live

Acoustic Nights, which take place every fortnight on a

Tuesday evening. It’s helped by nice, modern decoration,

which creates a sociable atmosphere, helping it become a

nice meeting place for friends.

Yorks Bakery Café

hat makes a

café special? Is it

the atmosphere? Is

it the vast array of

food and drinks on

offer? Or is it the

friendliness of the

staff?

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Cafés

1 Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 3NH

Average price coffee £2.50, food £6

Yorks Bakery Café has all of these by the bucket load! On

first glance, it’s a typical coffee shop filled with young

professionals on a lunch time, with their laptops and smart

phones. Walk through the doors, and the atmosphere sucks

you in. The staff are incredibly friendly and more than

happy to offer suggestions for you, should you become

spoilt for choice.

On my first visit I ordered an Earl Grey and the

Mushroom Ragout. Both parts of my order resulted in a

smile from the member of staff and a compliment – ‘good

choices!’.

W

Yorks Bakery Café

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Cafés

An infectious smile later and a full belly, resulted in me

leaving Yorks with a plan to return soon.

And return I did. Without

fail, each time I order the

same. And each time I

order it, it never

disappoints. Porcini and

field mushrooms on

toasted granary bread With a creamy sauce and poached egg - something I know

I can never cook correctly myself. Last time I ordered it,

the chef came out to check that I liked that it was

flavoursome enough and that I enjoyed it.

Oh yes. Yes I did.

Cafés

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Blackroot Bistro

As a teenager, the

suggestion from my

parents to accompany

them on a morning stroll

was inevitably met with

little enthusiasm; however

the promise of a hot chocolate stop at Blackroot Bistro was certainly an incentive.

The tranquillity, the picturesque view, the simplicity. A setting

to be appreciated and cherished; Blackroot Bistro enables this

appreciation. Situated at the heart of Sutton Park, enjoy food

and drink away from Birmingham’s buzz. Take a seat inside to

shelter from that wonderful British weather we all know and

love. Take a seat outside on those rare occasions where topping

up your tan is possible.

From the classic soup of the day dish to the more adventurous

Goat’s cheese, asparagus, sticky onion marmalade and walnut

salad, the Blackroot Bistro aims to please, successfully

achieving this goal by providing a range of sophisticated dishes

at reasonable prices. However, if you have children do not

worry; the bistro offers a kid’s menu, opening their doors to all

ages, creating a family friendly atmosphere.

By Rosie Finnegan

Blackroot Pool, Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, B74 2YU

Average price drink: £1.85-£2.30

Food: £5-£7

Cafés

Blackroot Bistro

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Even the drinks showcase that extra spark. You may be

wondering why the promise of a hot chocolate motivated me, it

is because this is no ordinary hot chocolate, oh no, it is a white

hot chocolate topped with vanilla whipped cream, marsh

mallows and Maltesers. Sugar heaven.

Being a vegetarian, however, I do have one criticism, and that

is the lack of vegetarian food available. The majority of the

dishes devoid of meat are found under the ‘Salad’ heading and

although it is said that we vegetarians love our “rabbit food”,

we do sometimes appreciate a bit of stodge in the form of a hot

baguette or Panini. However, a polite request for the removal of

meat from certain meals is met with a warm smile and results

in numerous veggie options. Yet it would be nice not to feel

like a bit of an inconvenience, after all, the most recent

statistics estimate there to be over 1.2 million vegetarians in the

UK.

Whether you fancy an afternoon feast, a hot tea to warm you

up following a winter walk, an ice-cream to cool you down

following a summer stroll, or simply desire relaxation away

from busy Birmingham, the ideal location is Blackroot Bistro.

Restaurants

Chilacas

o describe Chilacas

in its simplest form; it

is the Mexican

equivalent to Subway!

Just with cocktails,

teapots and tequila.

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Restaurant

BrindleyPlace, the Waters Edge, Birmingham, B1 2HL

£5

Chilacas takes the canteen style restaurant to a whole new

level providing delicious Mexican food on the go or to eat

in. The restaurant itself has a traditional Mexican feel

combined with a quirky bohemian twist giving diners a

sophisticated feel to what is just quick, tasty food.

Chilacas has a simplistic menu, diners pick a meat (that is

what you pay for and the most expensive is less than

£5.50. BARGAIN!), then burrito, naked burrito, tacos or

nachos and toppings. The phrase “less is more” could have

been written for them as everything is delicious, quality

over quantity.

Not sold yet? Well Chilacas takes it’s quirky décor onto its

drinks too, fizzy drinks come in jars and cocktails come in

teapots accompanied with teacups.

T

Chilacas

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Restaurant

As well as having a range of beer and wine. Cocktails are

Mexican themed and as you would expect, mainly contain

tequila for Mexican reasons, and if that wasn’t all exciting

enough, between 5 and 7 is happy

hour so 20% off cocktails!

Awesome drinks and with money

off, who wouldn’t jump at that?

The best part is Chilacas is

located in Brindley Place so only

a short walk from the city centre.

A must try for all fans of Mexican

food or those who just want a new

experience. With some of the

friendliest staff in food, Chilacas

is a must try.

Manzils

anzils is

located a stone’s

throw away from

the Bullring

Shopping Centre in

Digbeth, in the up-

and-coming cultural

hub of the city. A

smart and spacious

family-run

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Restaurant

112 Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DT

restaurant, Manzils has gone from strength to strength

since 1966 and has a long list of loyal customers. Manzils

has gathered all the right ingredients for success, including

a diverse range of modern and classic Indian dishes. What

looks like a small venue from the outside is in fact

spacious and can easily accommodate 100 covers. Visitors

are immediately put at ease with a warm and friendly

welcome from the staff and relaxed, well-chosen

background music.

M

The Shakespeare

his old pub is a 10 minute walk

from the city centre and it’s well

worth going out of your way for

their lunchtime menu. The place is

“unspoilt by progress” and has all

the features of a Victorian pub, with

cosy, side rooms as well as the main

bar. There is also a city garden. No

doubt many of the customers were

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Restaurant

Summer Row Birmingham, B3 1JJ

£15.95 Sun – Thurs, £19.50 Fri and Sat

regulars but there was nothing exclusive about the

atmosphere.

The Shakespeare’s dining room (decorated by theatrical

pictures and photographs of old Birmingham) offers a

“Lunch and drink” menu at £7 (between 12 Noon and

4pm.). I had an excellent BBQ Pulled Beef Sandwich with

plenty of salad on the side which was more of a meal than

a snack. My companion enjoyed the equally generous

serving of Scampi and King Prawns which was also

attractively served, at a good temperature.

T

The Shakespeare

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Restaurant

There are nine choices

altogether, including Stew

and Dumplings, Haddock

Mornay, toasted

sandwiches (Fish Fingers

are on offer!) and a salad.

The drinks included larger,

beer, wine and soft drinks.

(As I didn’t want a cold

drink, I was offered a

discounted coffee instead.)

The service was friendly and efficient, with only a short

wait for the food (crucial for most people who have a

limited lunchbreak).

I enjoyed eating at the Shakespeare and I look forward to

discovering their evening menu.

Woktastic

alling all sushi lovers! Is

this the place for you...?

I love the atmosphere of this

restaurant each time I walk

through the doors (which I

must say, has been a lot).

Located by Paradise Forum

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Restaurant

Paradise Forum Paradise Circus Queensway, Birmingham, B3 3HJ £15

in Birmingham, there is an immediate oriental feel in

Woktastic.

Much like most traditional sushi restaurants found in the

UK, there are seats around a conveyor belt carrying the

sushi dishes available to diners. It is not just this feature

that makes this restaurant a joy, but also the added touch

of the trained chefs making the delicious food in the

middle of the room before your very eyes. It is this that

makes the restaurant not only a fine dining experience for

all who visit, but also an evening of pure entertainment.

C

Woktastic

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Restaurant

To my delight, there is

always a possibility of

ordering dishes on demand

should they not appear on

the conveyor belt at your

time of dining. Saying this,

however, it could be noted

by sushi connoisseurs

(unlike myself) that the dishes on offer are not 'classic

sushi'. For example, a firm favourite of mine is the

battered prawns and calamari dish, yet some people would

argue that this is not authentic sushi. Furthermore, the

Chinese style soup offered is another highlight at this

restaurant but lacks the authentic feel of a sushi dining

experience. Yet, it should be noted that there are a lot of

rice and fish dishes available in the traditional style, but

not so much the authentic sashimi.

Restaurant

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The Lost and Found

The Lost and Found is a conversion

of the Grade II listed building on

Bennett’s Hill which previously

housed a banking hall and promises

a ‘Victorian botanical hideaway’.

The decor certainly lives up to

expectations and the interior is

elegant and old-fashioned, dotted

with quirky Victorian bric-a-brac.

The slightly higher than average prices reflect the pub’s

exclusive location close to the business district, but the

service was faultless and the atmosphere was relaxed and

pleasant on a weekday evening. Friday and Saturday nights

are far busier and the influx of mostly young professionals

makes it hard to find a seat in the bar area, but the sharply

dressed bartenders are keen mixologists and offer a wide

range of delightful original cocktails.

8 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham B2 5RS, www.the-lostandfound.co.uk/

Average cocktail price: £7.95 Food: £12.95

Restaurant

The Lost and Found

Although the Lost and Found is unlikely to become a

regular haunt of mine, it is definitely worth popping in at

least once during happy hour to sample a unique cocktail

and to take in the pleasant atmosphere and decor.

In terms of food, the vegetarian main offering was

disappointing (Chargrilled thyme polenta with courgette

spaghetti- the tomato and feta wellington was sold out early

on a Monday evening), but the pork belly was tender,

succulent and demolished entirely. The melting chocolate pot

pudding and peanut butter parfait were also wonderful.

By Emma Gardiner

Music

The Concept

he Concept played at

“Ones To Watch” and are the

definition of “Ones To Watch”.

They are a 5 piece melodic

rock band that formed in late

2011. In less than two years

it’s very impressive how far

they’ve come. Their constant

gigging and marketing really

showed in their performance.

The Concept were finalists at

the International Finals of

Surface Unsigned Competition

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Music

at the London O2 arena and they played at the

Glastonbudget festival. In this time they have also

released a self titled EP available on iTunes and physical

copy. Live they had a very professional attitude and air

about them. They played all original material that showed

a notable skill for song and lyric writing. All the songs

were catchy, memorable and captivated the crowd,

however their genre is a little difficult to place. Having

said this, the style would appeal to any audience.

T

The Concept

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Music

This could be both an

advantage and

disadvantage. The sound

is distinguishable but

not particularly

revolutionary, but

appealing to a wide

range of people is never

a bad thing. Their set

was well rehearsed and very precise with each member of

the band demonstrating impressive skill. Their songs have

a marketable and ‘stadium-ready’ sound and are easily

sing-a-long contenders. Unfortunately the set was cut

short on this occasion, which was the biggest

disappointment of this performance. I look forward to

seeing what happens next with the concept and will

definitely be keeping an eye on what their next move is.

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Music

Fake Obsession

ake Obsession are a four

piece band from the West

Midlands. Their style is

mainly Pop-Rock and they

were lucky enough to support

McFly on their “Calm and

Play Louder” tour in 2012.

This band have done well for

themselves and got a fairly big

and enthusiastic following. For

their gig at the O2 “Ones To

Watch” they were well

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Music

prepared, set up quickly and efficiently and had prepared

their EP to give away. The members are notably young so

there is plenty of time for honing the performance skills.

Despite this they are already becoming successful and

drew a very passionate crowd to this particular gig. Their

creative spin on “Gangnam Style” was particularly

memorable. It showed a creative, comical take on the

music in the charts.

F

Fake Obsession

Unfortunately their original material was not as memorable

but showed definite promise. As I mentioned this band are

only young so this will only improve with time and work,

things that this band obviously showed they are more than

willing to put in. One factor that may help this is less time

for the vocals to warm up as it was difficult to understand

the singer for the first section of the set. Also, more crowd

involvement and stage presence would help to make this

band stand out and build their audience. There is definitely

lots of areas this band could improve in but they are

dedicated and willing to do so.

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Music

The Ruby Dukes

here is no other way

to describe the

performance by “The

Ruby Dukes” at the O2

Academy at the ‘Ones to

Watch’ event other than

they rocked it! This

Stoke-on-Trent band

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Music

really took the place by storm and really demanded the

attention of the audience. The stage presence of the band

was quite something and they captured the full attention of

people who had never seen or heard of them before. When

the band came out they did appear to have somewhat of a

mix and match style... a cross between the Gallaghers, 60s

fashion and floral madness combined with indie pop

crossed with psychedelic rock.

T

The Ruby Dukes

Although this seems too much of a mixture this band get it

right and really pull this off. They were well presented and

looked like they were ready for a good time with the

chemistry and friendship between the band members

clearly showing. As a band there was no note not rehearsed

and were incredibly accurate but struck the balance

between this and keeping the gig fun. Their music and style

is very memorable and captures you instantly. Individually,

these five boys are all very talented musicians and their

skill comes together very well. In general, this performance

was great and pleasantly surprised me. I would highly

recommend listening and seeing this band. They are still

young so there will be a big future for “The Ruby Dukes”

with room for improvement, change and maybe a more

focused style.

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Music

Upload Tour

n late February these

four men visited the

Rainbow in Digbeth on

their Birmingham leg of

the ‘Upload Tour’. The

tour, organized by Dave

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Music

The Rainbow, 160, Digbeth High Street, Birmingham, B12

0LD

£8

Giles himself, toured the entire of the UK and took it by

storm. The YouTube sensations BriBry, Eddplant and Tom

Law had little live performance experience but blew

Birmingham away.

The gig was impeccably organized and was completely

professional throughout. Each act also took the time at the

end of the gig to meet every fan that had attended. Adding

to this personal feel the venue was small and so the acts

managed to make each member of the audience feel

included. This audience participation was particularly well

done by Dave Giles and BriBry who told stories and jokes

throughout their set – the friendships between all the acts

was very clear and endearing.

I

Upload Tour

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Music

They even stood in the crowd and watched each other

perform. The gig was reasonably priced and worth every

penny.

The host introduced every act,

however this did break the

flow of the gig a little. Tom

Law was clearly a hit with the

female fans, BriBry enchanted

the audience with his stories and hit ‘Your Life Over

Mine’, EddPlant’s vocals were second to none and Dave

Giles headlined showing off his fabulous new material

from his latest album ‘Love, Life Loss and Tea’. For a

night of great music for not much money but a guaranteed

great night… this was the gig for you. The tour will

possibly be returning in May. Keep an eye out.

Culture

BBC Tours

rom BBC

Birmingham’s Public

Space, visitors can look

into BBC WM and the

BBC Asian Network

radio studios and into

the gallery which puts

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Culture

BBC Broadcasting House, Level 10, The Mailbox, Birmingham B1 1RF

£8

out BBC Midlands Today. There is a shop and interactive

areas giving people the chance to read and record a news

item and weather report! Open every day and free to visit.

BBC Birmingham also offers the chance to take a tour of

the state-of-the-art studios situated in The Mailbox. Take a

peek behind the scenes of programmes such as BBC

Midlands Today and take part in a special game of the

CBBC Copycats game and a unique recording of a radio

drama, complete with sound effects and music! Tours last

approximately 1 ½ hours and offer a fascinating insight

into the world of broadcasting.

F

The Electric Cinema

irmingham has many

hidden treasures, none more

so than The Electric Cinema.

Hidden behind The Bullring,

on Station Street, The

Electric is the oldest

working cinema in the UK

providing visitors with a

unique experience.

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Culture

47-49 Station St Birmingham B5 4DY

£7.40/£5 concessions

The Electric Cinema makes going to the cinema

glamorous again and takes patrons back to the cinema of

the 1930s, complete with an art deco bar and ticket stubs

as seen in old movies. You can forget popcorn and a slush

puppy here also; they offer everything from homemade

cakes to hummus. Just not popcorn, who wants the loud

crunching and the sigh as someone manages to kick their

tub over anyway.

Then if none of that takes your fancy the cinema offers

another snack unseen to the modern day cinema, alcohol.

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The Electric Cinema

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Get a beer to cope with the chick flick your girlfriend has

made you go see or a glass of wine to help cope with the

death of the handsome hero. After the excitement of the

bar, the cinema has

two screening

rooms showing

current and old

movies, both

bright red with

red seats like a theatre. Although if tickets are booked

early enough you can be lucky and get the black leather

sofas complete with waiter service, just text in and get a

brownie brought to you during the film!

The Electric Cinema provides a great evening out and a

unique experience, for film listings and tickets go to

ww.theelectric.co.uk.

Mozart and Messiaen

his concert would

have made a

wonderful

introduction to

classical music: a

Mozart piano

concerto as well as

three contrasted

C20th. pieces.

Webern’s ‘6 Pieces’

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Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall,

Thursday 2nd May 2013

was written for a huge orchestra; the fourth piece uses the

large percussion section to build to one of the loudest

climaxes I have heard in Symphony Hall. Mozart’s Piano

Concerto No.17 had, as soloist, Mitsuko Uchida who is a

world famous musician and audience favourite (and

probably the reason why this concert was repeated two

days later). She also played Messiaen’s ‘Oiseaux

Exotique’ (based upon bird song) which is a challenging

piece that ends with 31 repetitions of the same chord.

T

Mozart and Messiaen

The concert ended with another piece for huge orchestra,

‘Poem of Ecstasy’ by Scriabin which lives up to its name,

the huge orchestra producing what can only be called an

orgy of sound.

The playing throughout was stunning, and yet another

example of why Birmingham’s orchestra has a world-wide

reputation (as does its conductor and msucial director,

Andris Nelsons). It is also typical that the programme was

an adventurous one, giving fans of Mozart the chance to

hear some other, rarely performed music.

For this concert, I sat (as usual) at the back of the Grand

Tier, for £10 – an amazing bargain. The design of the

building means that, however high up, you don’t feel far

from the stage, and the acoustics are excellent wherever

you sit.

Symphony Hall offers a wide range of musical events (by

no means all classical) For example, on June 14th., they

are showing the sci-fi film ‘2001’ but with live orchestral

music; prices from £9.50. (Also look out for their ‘What’s

On Free’ brochure with its long list of daytime and early

evening events.)

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Matthew Bourne's

Sleeping Beauty

s a relative newbie to ballet,

I was slightly apprehensive about

this performance, particularly

given that this is Tchaikovsky’s

longest ballet. The first

experience I had had was a few

months earlier, seeing Swan

Lake, which included intervals

every 30 minutes, which for an

easily distracted individual such

as myself, is useful.

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Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Hippodrome, Birmingham

What sold Matthew Bourne’s production at the

Birmingham Hippodrome to me was the inclusion of

vampires, which continued with Bourne’s tradition of

revamping traditional works.

A

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping

Beauty

I was familiar with the story from the fairy tale and so I

wasn’t expecting the vampires! Needless to say, they

didn’t appear in the original 1890 ballet but this should not

deter any experienced supporters of classical music. At

times, I struggled to keep up with…….’bad’ ones but

Bourne has created some spectacular dancing and stage

effects for them.

The music was easily recognisable which kept the interest,

and I definitely have a new found respect for ballet

dancers, who were simply majestic.

If I had to identify any weaknesses, there was no live

orchestra, with a recorded soundtrack in its place, and the

story was at times difficult to follow. I saw this at the

Birmingham Hippodrome, which boasts excellent

acoustics, but the theatre seemed to get progressively

hotter as the performance drew on, and was quite

uncomfortable towards the end.

Despite these few negatives, I would recommend catching

the production whilst it continues to tour the UK for

experienced enthusiasts as well as newbies like myself.

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