NXNE 2013

Area Culture Guide – MAY edition

Check out the latest edition of AREA CULTURE GUIDE featuring art, music, fashion & shopping, comedy plus the opportunity to win tickets to over 30 festivals. Click here to see the digital edition or pick up your copy from outlets around the West Midlands.

Win a pair of tickets to Bearded Theory Festival

Bearded Theory’s  (17-19 May) main stage hosts an extensive number of major artists including New Model Army, Reverend and the Makers and Stourbridge’s finest Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.

Saturday’s billing is topped by the legendary Asian Dub Foundation. Joining them are Seth Lakeman, Macka B, The Quireboys, Ruts DC, Citizen Fish, AHAB and Zombie Met Girl.

WIN TICKETS TO SEE BON JOVI ON THE ‘BECAUSE WE CAN’ TOUR

The best just got bigger…. Bringing rock ‘n’ roll back to the people, Bon Jovi will hit the road in 2013 to fill stadiums and arenas worldwide with “BON JOVI Because We Can – The Tour.”  Blazing a trail across the globe Bon Jovi’s tour kicked off in North America in February and is traveling throughout Europe, the Far East, Africa, Latin America and Australia. The band’s return to the road in 2013 will cap an incredible run which has secured Bon Jovi’s status as the essential live rock band – having performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 35 million fans and earning the #1 grossing worldwide tour twice in just three years.

Win tickets to see Il Divo & Katherine Jenkins

Operatic pop superstars Il Divo – Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, French vox populi Sebastien Izambard, US tenor David Miller, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler – and Welsh mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins are coming to the LG Arena in Birmingham on Sat 13th April and you can be there courtesy of Area.

Area Culture Guide – March/April edition

Check out the all-new sparkly edition of Area Culture Guide for March and April. Take a look inside for Art, Music, Comedy, Theatre and listings…

The Bronx, Slade Rooms, 15 Feb @Wolvescivic

The Bronx exploded onto the scene a decade ago with a sound reminiscent of L.A. punk’s heyday, heavy percussion and artillery-fire guitars alongside anguished lyrics about society’s dysfunction and the perils of street life. Ten years on, the band’s sound has evolved tremendously, thanks to an act of defiance in 2006. Being asked to do an acoustic performance did not sit well with the punk rockers, and they stormed the stage donning sombreros and performing a mariachi version of their hit ‘Dirty Leaves’. What was intended to be an angry ‘two fingers up’ had an unforeseen result however, and alter ego ‘El Bronx’ took on a life of its own, offering a fresh and infectious take on the genre and winning them fans worldwide.

Valentine’s Day Inspriration

So, it’s the time of year when everyone gets dewy eyed and love struck – yes Valentine’s Day is coming. Not that we’re keen on falling in love with the ‘commercialism’ of it all but it’s good to have an extra excuse to party or wine and dine the ones we love, right? Here’s our pick of what to do, whether you’re coupled up or single and ready to mingle.

Midnight Bonfires & Friends: Sat 2 Feb, 7pm @mac_birmingham

Following on from last summer’s One Beat Sunday event, mac birmingham is proud to present Midnight Bonfires & Friends – a special night of new music from across Birmingham.

REVIEW: Orbital, 9.12.12 @o2academybham

Anticipations heighten in the darkened Birmingham Academy, as hums break through the silence, preparing for the on course of a rave revival. Four torch lights slowly push forwards into focus – the duo’s iconic headlamp glasses – overwhelming the intoxicated people in front of me, who were already bobbing effortlessly to the continual introductory tones.