Before I came to Birmingham in September of last year, I had spoken to many of the university’s current students about all aspects of life here. Responses varied; of course people have different experiences at university and this should have been reflected in their answers about what they enjoyed about their new lifestyles. However, one thing remained consistent them all, and that was that Birmingham’s nightlife was nothing short of fantastic.
Coming from Manchester, a city with a widely recognised clubbing and music scene, I was initially sceptical that Birmingham would be able to match – let alone beat – the nightlife of my northern home. To my delight, I found this scepticism was very much misplaced, as Birmingham has offered me no shortage of incredible nights out, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Birmingham’s main strip is Broad Street, which is essentially a road with several clubs, bars (crucially, a Wetherspoon’s) and what seems to be a nocturnal legion of taxis, as expected. The standard of these clubs is average to middling. In the week, student based are offered, such as Stupid Tuesdays at Players, or Vodbull Thursdays at Rosie’s. The main appeal with events such as these is the price: entry and most drinks are reduced to cater for the typical student’s financial position. Also, because it is primarily students that attend, many consider the nights to have a friendlier atmosphere. On the whole these clubs provide a standard night out, and although they aren’t anything particularly special, they won’t dent your bank account too much and on occasion do offer some very memorable times.
Outside of Broad Street, there are other clubs such as Snobs, found by New Street, which is reliably a good night out. Though nothing special upon initial inspection, it holds a certain charm and is a refreshing change to the occasional monotony provided by Broad Street. Another club I am fond of is Nightingales, found in the gay village, which is something a bit different. If you’re a fan of cheesy singalongs, it’s the club for you.
For the drum and bass, techno, soul, house, garage lovers (essentially anything that isn’t mainstream club music), there are no shortages of venues for you. Lab11 and The Mill in Digbeth put on numerous events with completely different atmospheres to a standard club, often hosting MCs and DJs of great prestige. Two of my personal favourite events that occur fairly regularly are Tektu and Cirque du Soul, which are amazing time and time again. Many of the happy memories I have made at university have been from Lab11, which is why I will keep going back.
So, if I were to give advice to a prospective student regarding the quality of nights out here in Birmingham, I would have no shortage of positive things to say. What’s more, there are plenty of amazing venues and clubs out there that I am yet to visit, proving you can literally never get bored here.
My next blog will be out soon. Will