Feel The Heat - Why Brum Tries Too Hard In All The Wrong Places
In a few other pages I've moaned on about some aspects of Birmingham's cultural identity and I'm afraid this will be no different. Read em and weep.
Lately by the side of major roads and in the national press adverts have popped up extolling the virtues of Birminghams arts scene. 'Feel the Heat...Over half a million works of art...' boasts one, as if quantity could possibly be more important than quality. I can't help feeling this (most likely six figure) campaign is severely misjudged. Surely cultural reputation stems from a healthy curatorial, educational, grass roots 'scene' that is nurtured from within. Only then will it attract national and international attention through its own merits. Simply putting a poster up saying 'We've got lots of art y'know' just isn't good enough.
'Gigbeth - The UK's Most Diverse Music Festival' - is another case of running before you can walk. I have to admit to only attending the opening event here but with such a shambolic organisation who can blame me? With an open mind a bunch of us turned up fashionably late to the free event on the high street an hour after the published start. Unfortunately so had the sound crew it seemed. With a 200 strong crowd in a 5,000 capacity arena we waited for another half hour while the crew farted around trying to get the first band on. Reports of seeing them playing footie and not working during the day even though the stage was ready filtered through... Another case of advertising superlatives not delivering, made all the more embarrassing as a major music conference that coincided with the event can't have failed to notice the events shortcomings.
Come to think Birmingham is always harping on about the biggest this, the most that, so i suppose it's no surprise that's bled into the arts market from, say, 'The largest billboard in the world!!!!!!!!!!!' or 'The most places that look like the back of somewhere.'
I don't want to be entirely negative so i've got to include how much I like the newly refurbished Town Hall. The opening programme was well thought out and suitably eclectic. You couldn't help thinking someone was testing the water to see which events drew which crowds, spent what money. I only hope whoever was doing that doesn't then close up the doors and shy away from programming such wide ranging, quality acts.