Culture

Modern music

In the late 1960s Heavy metal music first evolved in the city and its neighbouring districts with bands such as Black Sabbath, The Fortunes, The Move and Robert Plant (singer of Led Zeppelin).

Birmingham-based tape recorder company, Bradmatic Ltd helped develop and manufacture the mellotron. Over the next 15 years, the mellotron had a major impact on rock music and is a trademark sound of the era's progressive bands.

Early progressive rock and blues bands to evolve from the Brum Beat era include: The Rockin Berries, The Honeycombes, Wizard, The Spencer Davis Group, Idle Race, The Moody Blues, Judas Priest, Traffic, and The Electric Light Orchestra.

Other successful Birmingham singer/songwriters and musicians include Joan Armatrading, Steve Gibbons, Mike Kellie (of Spooky Tooth), Jeff Lynne, Phil Lynott (who formed Thin Lizzy), Carl Palmer (of Emerson Lake and Palmer), Ruby Turner, Toyah Willcox, Steve Winwood and Roy Wood. Nick Mason of Pink Floyd was also born in Birmingham, but had no home there and left within days..

Mothers rock venue ran in Erdington from 1968 - 1971 and The list of bands who played there reads like a roll call of rock legends: Pink Floyd recorded part of Ummagumma, The Who performed Tommy and Traffic staged their debut gig. The club was voted number one rock venue in the world by America's Billboard magazine.

During the 1970s Birmingham's large West Indian population spawned what is arguably one of the earliest roots reggae bands in the UK, Steel Pulse. With their ground breaking 1970s album Handsworth Revolution they proved that English Reggae music could offer something more than just sound system. They were soon followed by the first truly mixed race UK dub reggae band, UB40. Other 1970s Reggae orientated groups were 2 tone band The Beat and Musical Youth who (along with UB40, Pablo Falconer and Pato Banton) were part responsible for bringing UK reggae into the homes of everyday 1980s Britain.

The city also plays host to one of oldest community radio (or pirate radio) stations in the UK, in the form of P.C.R.L., which began in the early 80s and mainly plays reggae.

The early 1980s brought New Romantic pop group Duran Duran, who worked in Birmingham's famous Rum Runner nightclub in the 1970s.

Napalm Death and Stephen "Tintin" Duffy, also emanated from late 70s/early 80s Birmingham, as did Dexy's Midnight Runners.

Birmingham Hip Hop scene developed in the 1980s.

The late 1980s/1990s Indie music scene saw bands such as The Charlatans, Dodgy, WonderStuff, Pop Will Eat Itself and Ned's Atomic Dustbin.

Bhangra Rap evolved in Handsworth in the early 1990s with Apache Indian who later went on to host his own radio show on BBC Radio 1. Many other Bhangra bands are based in the city.

Jazz is popular in the city. The Birmingham International Jazz Festival takes place annually and is the largest of its kind in the UK. A branch of Ronnie Scotts opened in the 1990s but went bust within a decade. Some of the city's Jazz musicians include Soweto Kinch and King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys.


Birmingham has embraced House music since the late 1980s. Acid House nights such as Spectrum took place at the Institute (now the Sanctuary) and the Hummingbird (now the Carling Academy Birmingham). Some of the UK's most influential dance nights including Gods Kitchen, Chuff Chuff, Wobble, Miss Moneypenny's, Gatecrasher, Sundissential, Atomic Jam and the original C.R.E.A.M have their roots in the city and have been supported by local figures such as the late Tony De Vit, Steve Lawler and Steve Kelley. (Most of the above have hosted major events across the world including Ibiza).

More recent artists include Electro Dub creators Rockers Hi-Fi, Big Beat musicians Bentley Rhythm Ace, Garage/House band The Streets, Electronica craftsmen Broadcast, R&B Soulstress Jamelia, Kelli Dayton of The Sneaker Pimps, saxophonist/rapper Soweto Kinch and the rock band Ocean Colour Scene.

Party in the Park is Birmingham's largest music festival, at Cannon Hill Park, where up to 30,000 revellers of all ages enjoy popular chart music.

Some of Birmingham's other music venues include Academy 2, the National Exhibition Centre's Indoor Arena, Scruffy Murphy's, the Custard Factory and Edward's No. 8.

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