A daily look at the last 12 months
May saw Spring kick in with Festivals a plenty coming into view and one in particular dominating proceedings.
The Fierce Festival saw me trying the preview / review thing again and I managed posts on The Sky Orchestra (which still hasn’t happened!), The Opening Party, Franko B, Platinum, The Pandora Effect / Frozen Sea, Ballet on the Buses, Noise Forecast, Mmm… Stravinsky Project and The Long and Winding Road
Town Hall Symphony Hall got a lovely new website which prompted some questions about who exactly owns them.
The much hyped Straightheads film kinda bombed critically and theatrically. I wonder how the DVD sales went?
Einstellung did an acoustic show with Rich Batsford in support which I hyped because I like them and you can’t always be objective.
Digital Central got a new website which I was involved with for a short while.
Hi8us were looking into establishing a school for comic art.
Artsfest was announced foreshadowing months of speculation – was it to be the last? Was it being promoted properly? What was it for anyway?
The Multipack monthly meetups for web design nerds crossed my path. Still haven’t been to one yet. Must do that.
The Rootsville festival was announced bringing an absurdly varied lineup of musicians to the Custard Factory.
Having been woo’ed by the lovely Kate Spragg I reach beyond my remit and start plugging stuff at Wolverhampton’s Light House with the Shedding Light exhibition and their Flair Designer Maker Fair. I retained a soft spot for Light House throughout the year and wish there was somewhere with a similar vibe in Birmingham.
The Festival of Xtreme Building is announced and confuses the hell out of me for a bit. I later meet Dave, the brains behind it, and it all makes sense.
The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath has a refit after being bought by the same people as own Moseley’s rather swish Bulls Head. We all get a little worried but, on reflection, it all worked out rather well with the H&H now one of the best pub venues in the city. IMHO.
Architecture Week is announced.
The BASS Festival is announced (British Art and Street Sounds) run by those lovely Punch Records folks.
The Flip Animation Festival is announced over at Light House.
The Mr Silke collective pops into my consciousness and never appears again. How curious. One to follow up I think.
The annual Jazz Festival gets its dates.
A bit of a CiB exclusive saw me hearing that UCE Birmingham were planning to close Margaret Street, home of their art department and a venue where art has been taught since 1885. They later changed their minds. Yay!
Out Of The Shadows and ArtPride were a couple of queer arts exhibitions co-inciding with Pride.
Shimm1’s The Main Event took place at the Custard Factory.
An arts and crafts market was scheduled for July in the Jewellery Quarter.
BRB did their Dynamic Dance shows which, if I remember rightly, went on to win awards of note.
Not so many profiles this month but I did showcase Clare Galleries, The Heathers, Devil and Casey Jones, Augustine, Tamsin Mae and Sue Rowe