• Marc Reeves: Why ‘business as usual’ is a fatal response to Birmingham’s riots
  If you only read one thing in this round-up, make it this
• ACE dancer Letty on new challenges « ACE dance and music
  A nice peek behind the scenes
• Birmingham Hippodrome Autumn Season 2011
  A few musicals (Top Hat, Evita, End of the Rainbow), some dance (plenty of BRB, Some Like It Hip Hop, Burn The Floor), opera (WNO doing Don Giovanni) and acrobatic craziness (Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe of China and Cirque Eloize). All to be squeezed in before the panto
• BCMG Concerts, Workshops and Events Sept 2011 – Jan 2012
  A new season brochure’s out for you to browse if you fancy
• 70-Eight.com
  Or 78. Maybe even Seventy-Eight or 7eventy Eight. The replacement for the Medicine Bar at the Custard Factory opens this weekend
• Bring Out Your Dead
  “We are working with Grand Union, an artist-led studio and exhibition space, that support the development of artists and aim to establish a dialogue between contemporary visual artists and art organisations”
• 7 Inch Cinema – Event – Adventures in freelancing
  “At this free one-day event you can explore what it takes to be a freelancer in the film and moving image industries, getting inspiration and advice from professionals in a huge range of fields – from art to animation, from gaming to graphics.”
• Heritage Lottery Fund workshop | The Moseley Exchange
  “To find out more about Heritage Lottery Fund grant schemes, top tips for filling in the application form and a chance to meet the HLF Development Team come along to a workshop at the exchange on Tuesday 4th October – 10am til 12.30” You’ll need to register for this.
• Birmingham Ballroom Wall Of Fame Open Day – Saturday 3rd September
  “Following the unrest not only in the second city but throughout the UK, we were very sad to announce that the original date for the Open Day had to be re-scheduled, however we’re very happy to inform you all that the show is now most definitely going on and we will now be opening the venue to you all on Saturday 3rd September to welcome you all back to the bosom of Dale End once more!”
• transmissions from the hub
  “A volunteer based radio venture homed in the Our Place Community Hub, Sutton Coldfield” Volunteers wanted
• News from Writing West Midlands
  Plenty of good stuff in their newsletter
• Home of Metal Black Country Weekender
  On the first week in the Sept the folksters will be in Moseley for the festival, the metalheads will be in the Black Country for this
• Programme Support Scheme Awards 2011/12 « Museum Musings
  Some museums have gone some money for doing some things

On 26 March, Home of Metal are hosting their forth and final open day at The Public, “Think Antiques Roadshow for metal fans”.

Metal fans of all ages are being invited to share their memorabilia and stories with the digital archive , further cementing West Midlands as the birthplace of Metal.

Home of Metal celebrates the music that was created in the West Midlands, its legacy and influence across the world and how the social history of the region was a fundamental ingredient in providing the backdrop against which Heavy Metal was created, defined and reshaped over the past decades.

They’ll have activities going on throughout the day, hosted by Kerrang! Radio DJ Johnny Doom who’ll be talking to former ‘Raw Power’ presenter, Ozzfest compere and all round Metal expert Krusher (he’s the jolly looking chap below).

Artist duo Juneau Project, will also be on hand with family activities including creating your own D.I.Y guitar, plus rock photographer Steve Gerrard will be dishing out advice during his photography masterclass.

The masterclass is limited to 15 places – to guarantee a spot on the day, call The Public on 0121 533 7161.

Pitchfork: Have you ever had any kind of personal interaction with any of the Sabbath people?

Dylan Carlson, Earth: No. Sabbath is from Birmingham, England and Tony Iommi supposedly came to a festival we played there once, but I didn’t actually see him. The two women who put on that festival are always trying to get the Birmingham City Council to recognize that it’s the city of heavy metal and put up a plaque or a statue to acknowledge it.

Pitchfork: That’s not a bad idea.

Pete took a break from the CiB Shop to give an update 2 weeks in, The Photography Collective formed and held their first meeting and We Are Eastside launched linking up Eastside’s creative organisations. Project Brutal was announced too.

The Bulls Head shared a few mixes from some of their guests and residents, Tindal Street released Alan Apperley’s Indeterminate Creatures, we had a look at As One’s work (as it seemed to be springing up all over the place) and Juice Aleem asked us to rock his hologram, with the video being filmed at Boxxed.

At the beginning of July 2010 – exactly six years from the day they opened – we closed the doors at TAK! Towers to explore new ideas & ventures. It’s been fun, thanks for having us!

Recently, Tak had been responsible for the Home of Metal website, the branding for British Dance Edition and had picked up a run of awards for their work on BMAG’s Pre-Raphaelite website.

Meanwhile, I’ve just heard (via Dave Allen) that Script, the West Mids agency for dramatic writers, are shutting up shop:

It is with great regret and reluctance that the Board of Script has taken the decision to dissolve the company as of the end of August 2010.

The loss of RFO status in March 2008 has had a serious impact on the company’s resources, and the reliance on ever-decreasing pots of project funding has made its future existence unsustainable.

See Script’s August newsletter for further info and to see a slew of opportunities for writers.

As the flyer rightly says, it’s free to pop along on Thursday 17th, Friday 18th and Saturday 19th June between 10am and 6pm.

In other Midlands metal news, Ozzy Osbourne is playing an intimate show at Town Hall on 26th June. But I wouldn’t get your hopes up of catching it Sabbath fans, it’s already showing up as sold out.

Dave Harte pointed out the Aston Triangle Cinema Club, with the website proclaiming:

The Aston Triangle Cinema Club has been created in order to put on high quality and interesting films from around the world for the benefit of Aston staff, students and the public

Screening programme here. Facebook group here.

Dom (from Tak) says of Home of Metal:

Maybe you could feature the new website which has now gone live & ask your audience to dig out any memorabilia they might have – photos, videos or just stories.

Which sounds fair enough. We’ve mentioned this one a few times already, but it’s a good project so what the heck. Go here and get involved:

If you’re in the area it might be worth popping in. If not, I reckon it’s just nice to know how these things are being pushed on.