The sixth biennial Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Photography Prize opens today (February 27) with a Private View, that anyone can attend, (so not that private) from 6pm to 8pm.
Vanley Burke, the Godfather of Black British Photography, will be opening the exhibition and will also be selecting one photographer to hold a solo show at the RBSA's gallery, in the JQ, in 2026.
It all takes place on Brook Street with the show running until March 22. Entry is free. Almost 150 snaps came from all around the world but, predictably, the ones that caught my eye are from right here. Here's seven highlights including S is for Saxophone by Alan Daniel, the shot taken on New Street above.
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Damien Walmsley, Tracks of the City
Our tram lines now run from Digbeth to the HS2 terminus. The tracks lead into the city past the colourful street art towards the high raised buildings pushing up into the night sky. The city is changing. This view, taken as dusk rolls in, combines the warmth of the tracks and the cool colours of the city. Follow Damien
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Jessica Groves, Paved Paradise
Jessica aims to capture her urban environment taking inspiration from the everyday, exploring themes of identity and a sense of place. This photograph is taken from her ongoing project called Shared Spaces which documents the often overlooked elements of the urban environment. The shot invites the viewer to question notions of paradise in the city, exploring the subtle humour found in the banal. Follow Jessica
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Stacey Barnfeld, Moor Street Station
Stacey evokes places through their colours, signs, heritage and architecture. In this shot he has captured Birmingham's past and present, old and new, framing the city that is never finished. Follow Stacey
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Ronnie Ackling, The Search for Nostalgia
The Search for Nostalgia is an ongoing project where Ronnie explores the ideas and sentiments surrounding nostalgia. One facet of this journey is revisiting and documenting places from his past to observe the changes that have occurred. By doing this, he is recalling experiences, feelings and emotions — both positive and negative. Follow Ronnie
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Richard Morris, St. Martin’s in the Bull Ring
Richard’s captures the unremarkable — quiet streets, weathered signs, people in their work and leisure — with a clear, unflinching eye. His subjects, from rural to urban settings, reveal the quiet dignity of ordinary lives, their stories etched in the fabric of their surroundings. Follow Richard
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Michael McIlvaney, Stepping Out
McIlvaney (a.k.a Mike McStreet), is an internationally acclaimed street photographer who is captivated by Birmingham, where the public and private spheres jostle and where micro moments of street theatre play out. Follow Mike
For more information about the RBSA Photography Prize head here
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BLOSSOMS: SAVE THE DATE
It's March in two days and you know what March means, right? Meteorological spring! And you know what meteorological spring means? No, me neither. But it's not meteorological winter and that's good enough!
As the temperatures get milder we can all start emerging from our domicile cocoons like bleary-eyed butterflies and the first date for your spring diary is Sunday, March 23 and Brindleyplace's Cherry Blossom Day. Yes, you'd be right in thinking they can't predict the exact day their beautiful Japanese cherry blossoms burst into life but, by March 23, it's a sure-fire thing that they'll be peppering Oozells Square with their pinky plumage.
From painting the blossoms on easels, to printmaking and an art picnic, Ikon Gallery (pictured poking through prettiness) will be adopting the Japanese ‘hanami’ — the traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of blossoms — with art activities for the whole fam.
Elsewhere at Oozells Building, 9 Brindleyplace, there'll be a Japanese-inspired craft market while the National Trust will be conducting a cherry blossom ‘trail’ starting from Central Square. Collect a trail sheet from their stand and follow the clues to find all the letters which spell out a blossom-inspired word.
Also with the National Trust, kids can take inspiration from the blossom trees and create a blooming beautiful mother day’s card, or any other card of their choosing then, at 3pm, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group will perform at their fourth Cherry Blossom concert, playing sounds inspired by nature. You can even visit the Array4Hog stall and learn about hedgehog rescue.
Expect a street food truck selling bento boxes plus the restaurants in Oozells Square and further afield will be open offering other foodie options. More
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MOSELEY FOLK: SEE THE WHOLE OF THE MOON
The Waterboys, The Lightning Seeds, Peter Doherty and Mercury Rev are among the latest additions set for Moseley Folk and Arts Festival (August 29 to 31).
With Lisa O'Neill and Brògeal also added to the bill, they'll be joining the previously announced Father John Misty, Doves, BC Camplight, Fisherman's Friends and This Is The Kit.
From the early ‘big music’ and the roots-inspired Fisherman's Blues eras, to the genre-fluid records of the last decade, Mike Scott’s The Waterboys have evolved through countless line-ups, winning a fearsome live reputation along the way. Expect to hear such classics as The Whole Of The Moon alongside choice tracks from their much anticipated 16th album, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper, due for release on 4 April 2025.
Hot on the heels of The Libertines' 2024 chart-topping All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade and sell-out tour, Peter Doherty returns to his solo career with his fifth solo album (and first in nine years), Felt Better Alive. Out in May, it’s a collection of poetic vignettes — acoustic and orchestral, indie-folk and country, poignant and outright comic.
Ian Broudie’s The Lightning Seeds made an instant impact with debut single Pure in 1989. The band went on to amass over a dozen hit singles including Perfect, The Life of Riley and (of course) enduring footy anthem Three Lions. The band recently celebrated their 35th anniversary with a new compilation album, Tomorrow’s Here Today, and tour.
Since forming in 1989 in Buffalo, New York, Mercury Rev have continued to evolve, borrowing from countless genres. Their 1998 breakthrough, Deserter's Songs, has been a firm fixture of countless respected Best Of... lists, while their ninth album, 2024’s Born Horses, wowed critics with a glistening and perfectly balanced mix of psych, jazz, folk, baroque and ambient stylings.
Falkirk-based five piece, Brògeal, came together over their love of Scottish and Irish folk music, punk and garage rock while Lisa O’Neill is a five time BBC Folk Award nominee. It's going to be a vibe. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Feb 28) at 10am, here.
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ATTACK OF THE 50FT BEETLE
I wrote a remarkably witty, probably award-winning intro to this piece about cockroaches and nuclear wars only to realise, four minutes before hitting send on the e-magazine, that that is indeed a beetle attacking Solihull. And I'm fresh out of time to make this replacement opening paragraph anything other than perfunctory. Big soz.
Paul Newman's nightmarish vision of Mell Square is one of a host of pieces that make up new exhibition Surreal Solihull, running March 6 to May 31. The exhibition takes as its starting point the work of Solihull’s pioneering Surrealist artist and poet Emmy Bridgwater who founded and worked with the Birmingham Surrealists throughout the 1930s and 40s. As well as featuring several art works by Emmy, 29 local artists, like Paul, have been commissioned to create new Surrealist artworks which will be shown for the first time on Solihull High Street.
On the opening night, a week today (March 6), the surreal fun starts with a High Street dance performance by local professional dancer Rob Hemming, a devised music and dance piece by musician Kris Chase Byrne, and an imagined meeting between Frida Kahlo and Emmy Bridgwater performed by theatre company Itzatna.
On Saturday (March 8) meet the exhibition’s curator, author, writer and all round cool cat, Ruth Millington, at 11am by Metro Bank for a 30-minute personal tour of the pics then, at 1pm, on the High Street, and 3pm in Touchwood, join musician Isaac Boothman as he creates an array of sounds in a musical tribute to surrealism. There are also workshops for families at The Core including the chance for kids to create presumably harrowing mini dreamscapes inspired by Solihull.
The opening weekend’s events finish with more performances and the chance to help theatre makers Amber Gollay and Annie Brighton make a puppet for a performance based on a surrealist game and Disorderly theatre will present their new piece Lobster Phone.
That and much more bizarre goings-on can be found here, with the free exhibition itself staying put until May.
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Venue: The Ivy Lounge, 15 Ladywell Walk, B5 4BN; website
Choice: Beef Ho Fun (£12.80) Chooser: Nell Cullen (aged 8)
"You're making those noises you make," whispers Mrs Choose who, for the last five years now, has drawn parallels between my happiest restaurant noises and my happiest, y'know, other noises. We're at the Ivy Lounge in Chinatown to mark half a decade of her putting up with me When Harry Met Sally-ing and to say it's one of the best Brum meals I've had in that time might just be true. I've got food all over my face, the white table cloth is speckled with noodle bits and our kids are ploughing through basket after basket of dim sum.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and a Chinese lady on the table next to us says "you must have good taste, you've ordered the beef ho fun. It's the best thing they do." I take the credit, of course I do, but actually my eight-year-old ordered it. The ho fun is £12.80 and the portion is huge. It's got punch, balance, nostalgia and a gentle wok hei throughout the bouncy noodles. The beef is yieldingly supple and the delicate saltiness excuses another order of Asahi.
Out come steamed roast pork buns that are unreasonably good and at £5.80 very affordable — the marshmallowy clouds of chubby warmth are prised apart and popped in like candy floss. Sweet and savoury. Smiles all round.
Singapore vermicelli is being snaffled by the youngsters who are, by now, enjoying the chaotic surroundings of this old school Hong Kong food hall. They're even wolfing down entire king prawns, cooked pitch perfect, with almost no snap to them, while I'm hammering the full-flavoured beef short ribs — sweet, salty, gnarly and garlicky, they won't win prizes for appearance but belong on the final bill, velveted accurately and with a smackalackin' flavour.
The GM, Paul, is of Chinese decent and has the broadest Brummie accent you'll ever hear. He's a hospitality natural, buzzing between tables and banging out 'Happy Birthday' for a nearby guest until the entire restaurant joins in. He brings over roast pork rice rolls (£13.80). They're slippery suckers and that the three kids persevere with eating them is testament to the judiciously weighted sweetness of the meat inside.
The Ivy Lounge is a colossal 200-cover, L-shaped space that's been open for 11 months but looks — and I say this with pure warmth — like it launched in the 80s. The Lazy Susan is the stuff of dreams for Henry (7) and the endless stream of people coming through the door only adds to the grin-filled culture shock the kids are experiencing.
Steamed gelatinous rice wraps are an indelicate riot of fat-enriched flavour, the youngsters agog as I unfurl the lotus leaf and dish up. They ditched their chopsticks long ago and are spooning bits and bobs into their beaming mouths at a rate that makes me truly happy. This is what dining out is all about.
The food is arriving in a perfectly paced out staccato. Each time a bamboo steamer lid is lifted, the entire table leans in to see what's inside. The springy prawn dumplings pack a lingering riptide of homely flavour competing well with the ho fun for dish of the day.
This dim sum is as good as any I had in 13 years of eating it in West London and with a bill of just £88 for two adults and three kids, it's probably half the price. I'm not saying it's the best meal I've had in our five years — Happy Anniversary, Catherine — but I can't think of one that's made me smile more...
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The AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run will be back May 3 and 4, with a Junior and Mini event at the famous Alexander Stadium on the Saturday followed by the city-centre 10k and half marathon on the Sunday. Enter
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Watch new Steve Coogan movie, The Penguin Lessons, for free at one of four Brum cinemas, on March 17. Book
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The multi-award winning Film Stories – produced and published from the heart of the West Mids – is bringing its live shows back to MAC, March 5 and June 4. More
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Tickets are on sale for the Lexus Birmingham Open which takes place at the Priory Club, May 31 to June 8. Watch some of the world’s best in the buildup to Wimbledon.
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Comedian Chris Ramsey has announced a new tour with, for the time-being, just one Birmingham date. He'll play Symphony Hall on March 7 of 2026 with tickets going on sale tomorrow (Feb 28) here.
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Jess Phillips is one of a number of speakers at Queensbridge School, Kings Heath, to mark International Women's Day, March 8. £4
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