Birmingham City and Accommodation Guide 2021/22 bimm.ac.uk Contents Welcome Welcome 3 As Principal of BIMM Institute Birmingham, I’m hugely excited to be at the helm of our newest UK college, About Birmingham 4 located at the heart of this vibrant creative and artistic My Birmingham 10 musical city. About BIMM Institute Birmingham 12 At BIMM Institute, we give you an experience of the real BIMM Institute Birmingham Lecturers 16 industry as it stands today – it’s our mission to create BIMM Institute Birmingham Courses 18 a microcosm of the music business within the walls of Location 22 the college. If you’re a songwriter, you’ll find the best musicians to collaborate with; if you’re a guitarist, bassist, Your City 24 drummer or vocalist, you’ll find the best songwriters and Music Resources 28 fellow band members. If you’re a Music Business, Music Production, Event Management or Music Marketing, Media Accommodation Guide 34 and Communication student, you’ll have access to the best Join Us in Birmingham 38 emerging musical talent the city has to offer. BIMM Institute is a hotbed of talent and being a BIMM student means you’ll be part of that community, making many vital connections, which you’ll hopefully keep for the rest of your life and career. The day you walk into BIMM Institute as a freshly enrolled student is the first day of your career. While you’re a BIMM student, you’ll be immersed in the industry. You’ll be taught by current music professionals who bring real, up-to-date experience directly into the classroom, and the curriculum they’re teaching is current and relevant because it constantly evolves with the latest developments in the business. You’ll attend Masterclasses and industry events, giving you unparalleled access to an array of notable music business movers and shakers, such as Hozier, MNEK, Sid Wilson (Slipknot), Mabel, Nuno Bettencourt, Roger Daltrey, Chuck D, Thurston Moore, Guy Garvey, Chad Smith, Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, and Creation Records founder Alan McGee. If it’s a creative, successful and sustainable career in the music industry you’re after, there really is no better place to be! Antony Greaves College Principal BIMM Institute Birmingham 3 About Birmingham It’s 1965. In a sheet metal factory in Industrial Birmingham, Surrounding Area Tony Iommi injures his hand, which would ultimately Digbeth result in the creation of Heavy Metal. This would become A stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of the city so much more than a genre of music to come out of a centre lies the creative neighbourhood of Birmingham and rehearsal room in Aston. It was the birth of a movement home to BIMM Institute, Digbeth. With its walls adorned with a religious-like following across the globe. with street art from artists all over the world, mixed with historic buildings and architecture, it’s not surprising this Birmingham’s music heritage is as diverse as its has been voted the coolest place in the UK by The communities, from the beating drums of Bhangra, Sunday Times. distorted guitars still echoing around the city’s streets from the last of the 70’s punks, to the vinyl scratches of early 80’s rave scene. Today, you can walk ten minutes The trendy streets of Digbeth have become home to the through the city and hear an orchestral piece from city’s creatives and musicians, and it’s a melting pot of Symphony Hall, the next big Indie band sound-checking sound. From major touring acts gracing the stages of the in the Sunflower Lounge to the burgeoning Grime scene Digbeth Arena, O2 Institute, The Mill and Mama Roux’s, to pouring out of a warehouse in Digbeth – the music scene Irish musicians passing through the area dropping by The here is unlike any other you’ll find in the UK. Spotted Dog for an impromptu performance and some of the UK’s best house music spilling out of warehouses, With three Arena’s (The NIA, Genting Arena, Digbeth Digbeth is at the heart of Birmingham’s music scene. Arena), Birmingham hosts some of the biggest names in the music business, sporting events and festivals. Birmingham City Centre If intimate singer-songwriter gigs are more your thing, Don’t be fooled by Birmingham’s quiet confidence, once you’ll find it throughout the city in spaces like Centrala you scratch the surface it’s a city with so much to shout and The Kitchen Garden Café, as well as regular SoFar about. Boasting more canals than Venice, more Michelin Sound events. star restaurants than any other UK city outside of London, and home to the busiest theatre in the UK, it is bursting With heavy metal still firmly rooted in Birmingham, you can with heritage and culture. head to The Flapper, Subside and The Asylum to get your fix! If Indie and Alternative is more your thing, check out Birmingham has the youngest population in Europe, so it’s The Sunflower Lounge, The Castle & Falcon and the perfect city to be a student. From unrivalled nightlife Mama Roux’s. and club nights, world-class library facilities and inner-city festivals, it’s a city shaped by youth culture. 4 5 6 7 Shopping & Food Shopping Student Associations and Clubs Birmingham has its iconic bullring centre that offers BIMM Students Association (BSA) is a platform for over 110,000 square-metre of retail space, including the students to organise student-led societies. This means you eye-catching skin of the Selfridges store with its 15,000 can start any sort of club you would like, from an LGBTQ+ aluminium disks. With the largest Chinatown outside of Society to a badminton club. There are so many exciting London and the biggest jewellery quarter in Europe, it’s opportunities to get involved with! Whether you’re a Gig little wonder it’s in England’s top three most visited Goer, a fan of Musical Theatre, into Football, or want to get places to shop. The Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas involved with the POC society, there’s something Market has over 200 stalls and brings an unrivalled sense for everyone. of merriment to the city at Christmas time. Throughout the year, other highlights include the Mailbox complex and the Societies are a great way to meet other students with Grand Central Birmingham. similar interests and try out new activities. Eating Out The Student Services team host and coordinate a variety Birmingham boasts a flourishing and diverse restaurant of activities, workshops and awareness campaigns to help scene catering to all budgets and tastes. Foodies flock to increase student well-being and the sense of community the Balti Triangle - home and birthplace of the Balti Curry across the college. Along the way, we help raise money for - whilst the city’s Chinese district sits alongside traditional local charities such as Mind (a mental health organisation) pub grub, meaning you really are spoilt for choice. and Love Brum. Regular food festivals offer Michelin star food at student prices throughout the city and monthly food, and farmers’ markets, such as Moseley’s, provide fresh local produce. For those with more expensive tastes, Birmingham also has a number of Michelin star restaurants, including Turners at 69, Purnell’s and Simpsons. There’s more to Birmingham’s cuisine than a good Tikka Masala too. The city is a foodie’s heaven, with award- winning dishes from vendors at Hockley Street Social based in Jewellery Quarter , Earth’s Kitchen and Cherry Reds. Plus, with Three’s Coffee Lounge serving up some of the best vegan food in the city, there’s something for every appetite. 8 9 My Birmingham Birmingham is the second-largest city in the UK, yet favourite of mine for clothes. Of course, there’s the mighty has the youngest population. This means it’s a place that’s Bullring, which you can wander around for hours without quite literally geared for student life – from live music, getting bored. clubbing, shopping and restaurants to local festivals, arts and loads more. Don’t Miss... The Birmingham Music Awards’ monthly networking First Things First events. The awards are a great thing to experience and be As BIMM Institute is based in Digbeth, there’s nowhere a part of. better to start than right there. Located right next to our college, The Custard Factory is an amazing cultural space I’d also recommend going to some of the free events at with shops, bars, cafés and galleries all ready for you to The Night Owl, such as Kaleidoscope and Neighbourhood explore. (jam night) – both are seriously good events. The IKON Gallery is also a must if you want to be inspired! Culture Club The MAC Centre, The Gay Village, Chinatown and The Birmingham is such a welcoming city with a huge range of Custard Factory are all bursting with culture! Birmingham cultures and experiences, so you’ll never be bored. is home to people from all four corners of the globe and immersing yourself in different people’s passions and lifestyles can teach you a lot. Some other cool student hangouts I’d recommend are The Darius Zaltash Ruin, Gosta Green and Baked In Brick. Songwriting Live Music Birmingham has an incredible number of venues, ranging from iconic spaces such as The Sunflower Lounge and The A creative quarter, canals and a strong musical Flapper to Mama Roux’s, The Mill and the O2 Academy. heritage are paired with vibrancy and culture Mama Roux’s and The Sunflower Lounge are personal in this city located in the centre of the UK.