Birmingham: Live Music Venues
Birmingham possesses three major live music venues: the National Indoor Arena, Symphony Hall and the LG Arena at the NEC. There are also three middle-ranking venues at the Barfly, the O2 Academy and the recently-refurbished Town Hall.
The grassroots scene continues to thrive with live sets at many bars, pubs and clubs. There are also several arts centres where bands regularly perform.
Symphony Hall at the ICC in Centenary Square in the Convention Quarter. It is the resident stage of the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and a world-class concert venue as impressive as the Musikverein in Vienna or the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
The hall, which has a capacity of 2,262, has been carefully designed to avoid external noise and vibration, particularly from the Birmingham Loop of the West Coast Mainline which passes beneath Centenary Square, less than thirty metres from the stage.
Both the hall and railway line have been mounted on rubber cushions that eliminate vibrations whilst external noise is excluded by a double-skin of concrete. Volume may be increased by up to 50% through the use of concrete-lined reverberation chambers along the sides of the hall and behind the orchestra
A counter-balancing canopy may be raised or lowered above the orchestra and dampening curtains extended or retracted. The hall contains a 6,000-pipe symphony organ, the largest of its kind in the UK.
Links: Guide Convention Quarter Symphony Hall Website
The National Indoor Arena (NIA) is located on King Edwards Road in the Convention Quarter. It overlooks the Old Turn canal junction and is connected to Brindleyplace and the Malt House Pub by two separate footbridges.
The NIA stages live music gigs by major stars such as Coldplay, Oasis and Sir Cliff Richard. It can seat up to 13,000 through a combination of temporary and permanent seating configurations.
However, the the layout is extremely flexible and so a smaller more intimate auditorium with a capacity of around 4,500 is sometimes created for live music performances.
Links: Guide Convention Quarter National Indoor Arena Website
The LG Arena is by Pendigo Lake at the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull. It first opened in 1980 and is named after its sponsor LG, the electronics giant.
The Arena, which hosts gigs by major stars, has recently been refurbished. The seating and backstage areas have been improved and more bars, restaurants and hospitality zones have been created; capacity has been increased from 11,000 to 14,000.
Links: LG Arena Website
Barfly is a live
music chain with a venue at 78 Digbeth. There are gigs most nights of
the week. The chain, which specialises in live music by the "stars of
tomorrow", also hosts resident club nights with live DJ's.
Birmingham Barfly is divided into four areas: Barfly (the Main House), Back Barfly, the Temple Bar and the Dragon Bar. The main house can hold around 400. The venue recently closed for refurbishment and is expected to reopen in the near future.
Links: Guide Digbeth Barfly Website
The O2 Academy is a live music chain with a venue at the former Dome Nightclub on Horsefair in Southside. This venue contains three rooms: the Main Room, Academy 2 and Academy 3.
The Main Room can hold around 3,000 including seating for 600; Academy 2 holds 600 and Academy 3, 250. The total overall capacity is around 3,850.
All three rooms can operate independently of each other and have their own queuing system and box office.
The academy is also used by the Propaganda nightclub which merges all three rooms in order to hold indie/pop nights, and by Subculture: a metal and hard rock music club.
Links: Guide Southside O2 Academy Website
The Town Hall, which was built in the 1830's, has recently been refurbished to the standard of a modern live music venue. It stages rock, pop and classical concerts.
The capacity is 1,100, half that of Symphony Hall. The auditorium contains a 6,000-pipe organ, installed in 1834, whose case is taller than two double deckers stood on end.
Links: Guide Business Quarter Town Hall Website
Adrian Boult Hall is on Paradise Place in the Business Quarter. It is the main concert platform of the Birmingham Conservatoire. The hall, which opened in 1986, is named after Sir Adrian Boult who led the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 1924-1930 and 1959-1960.
The hall is designed in the style of a theatre with a single tier of 520 seats. It can accommodate a symphony orchestra and be converted into an opera theatre or conference centre. The building contains a coffee lounge, licensed bar and exhibition space.
The Adrian Boult stages performances by students of the Conservatoire and touring musicians. Concerts are mainly classical although some rock, jazz and folk is also played.
Paradise Place has been earmarked for redevelopment and the Conservatoire and Adrian Boult Hall will be moved to a new site in Eastside.
Links: Guide Business Quarter Birmingham Conservatoire Website
Barber Institute
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is on the Edgbaston campus of the University of Birmingham. The Institute contains a museum, art gallery and concert hall.
The concert hall, which has a capacity of around 350, is on the ground floor. It stages recitals by local organisations such as the university music department, the university music society and the early music festival.
The Institute also holds a cycle of seven celebrity concerts each season. Guests attending these concerts may also visit the upstairs art galleries.
Links: Guide University & Environs Barber Institute Website
The Carillon is beneath a copper cupola on the tower of the primary school on the Green in Bournville. It was installed by George Cadbury in 1906 who had been impressed by the carillon that he had heard on a visit to Bruges.
The Bournville carillon is the largest of just three in the UK; the others are in Newcastle & Loughborough. It consists of 48 bells made from a bronze alloy of copper & tin. The largest, the bourdon, weighs 3.5 tons whilst the smallest, the trebles, weigh 12lbs each.
The carillon is played via a clavier whose keys and foot pedals are connected to wires that strike the clappers & tongues of the bells which remain motionless. The bells are also struck by the chiming mechanism of the school clock.
The Carillon is played for one hour at 12 noon and 3 pm on Saturdays. Tickets are available from the visitors centre in the Rest House on Bournville Village Green.
Links: Guide Bournville Bournville Community Website
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