AREA GUIDE > NEW CULTURE EDITION

For the third year in a row we have teamed up with New Art West Midlands to present a special culture edition of Area Guide.

Featuring a wealth of new graduate talent New Art WM chooses the best of the graduate shows to present 4 unique curated exhibitions of work that focuses on cross-art forms. This year the exhibitions, which start this month, will take place at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, mac birmingham, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Herbert Museum & Art Gallery, Coventry.

This edition also features upcoming exhibitions, festivals and cultural events taking place from now until May.

Read the edition online here or pick up an issue at the venues mentioned above.

Festival Finder

Click image to open interactive version (via thetrainline.com).
Yes there are too many festivals to wade through and find your favourite bands this year BUT if you want an easy way to follow who is playing where then check out this handy little site that will do all the hard work for you…

Competition: Win DVDs

Boulevard Entertainment presents four fantastic music documentaries: All You Need Is Love – The Beatles, Leonard Cohen – Bird On A Wire, The World Of Liberace and the truly original surrealist film Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels from celebrated journalist and film director Tony Palmer, which have just been made available on DVD. We have two copies of each one to give away.

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.

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.

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.

Steel Panther – @Wolvescivic 6th November 2012

They wear ridiculous clothes, have long lush hair, pout more than Barbie and they’re hitting Wolverhampton in fine spandex glory in November. Welcome Steel Panther and their crimes against fashion.

Michael Starr (vocals), Satchel (guitar), Lexxi Foxxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums) released their second album last year and toured with Motley Crue and Def Leppard. Now they are hitting the UK with a tour to follow on from their successfully received support slots.

Here’s a little impromptu set from them at 2010’s SXSW.

Tickets priced £17.00 will be available from today at Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk

Mistys Big Adventure 18.11.11

“And we start with a minute of noise”,  says lead singer Grandmaster Gareth, who clearly sets the theme for the rest of the night.
Total insanity. But tonight, it seemed like a gradual sort of insanity, easing those unfamiliar, fresh pairs of ears and eyes into the madness, which enhanced after every track. Though, it wasn’t just Misty’s who oozed in oddity, their cult like fans were just as to blame, if not more.

Lewis Floyd Henry at Urban Outfitters 14.11.11

Nudie Jeans and Urban Outfitters proudly present a live tour of the ‘One Man and his 30W Pram’ music sensation Lewis Floyd Henry.

For the past few years, like a Mississippi bluesman in the early 20th century, Lewis has pitched up on street corners around London, at Brick Lane, Borough Market and the South Bank, every time trousering a pocket full of loose change, but also gradually spreading the knowledge of his extraordinary genius.

The tour will take in six of the UK’s major towns and cities on the following dates:

EDINBURGH –  MONDAY 7TH NOVEMBER
GLASGOW  –  TUESDAY 8TH NOVEMBER
LEEDS  – WEDNESDAY 9TH NOVEMBER
BIRMINGHAM – MONDAY 14TH NOVEMBER 
BRIGHTON  – WEDNESDAY 16TH NOVEMBER
SPITALFIELDS  – (LONDON) THURSDAY 17TH NOVEMBER

Lewis will play a 30 minute live set in store from 6pm on each date of the tour.