Birmingham: Rave's underdog

On the city's 'ultimate uncovered' musical history

Dear Patchers — Welcome to your Wednesday briefing. 

We recently had a sneak peek at an upcoming edition of a popular book about UK rave culture — now featuring Birmingham. Read on for the best anecdotes and insights from the author in today’s story. This one is for paying Dispatch members so if you are a free subscriber, you will hit a pay wall after reading the opening. But fear not! You can join today and get access to all of our writing at the click of that lovely green button:

Elsewhere, while we can’t promise to have any say in the monotonous cloudy and damp weather, we can promise to give you some activities to take the edge off. In today’s briefing we have notes on a wallet-lightening Jewellery Quarter tour — one which has left us very intrigued — and a railway-themed weekend adventure.

We also have our usual run-through of news: there are notes on continued unionisation efforts at Amazon’s warehouse in Coventry, a fire in Balsall Heath (the subject of online rumours) and an update on how government investment is being spent in Walsall. 

Enjoy and have a great rest of the week.

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Brum in Brief

👷Unionisation at Amazon: In a critical step forward, the government body which oversees worker-employer negotiations has sided with GMB’s request for a vote on union recognition at Coventry’s Amazon warehouse. The Allesley warehouse has made national headlines over a year-long period after multiple protests and thirty strike days. If the unionisation attempt is successful, Amazon will have to negotiate with GMB on wages, hours and holidays. “Workers have won against the odds and will now be given a legally binding say on forming Europe’s first recognised union at Amazon,” said, Amanda Gearing, organiser at GMB.

🚒School fire sparks rumours: A fire has broken out at a disused former school in Balsall Heath, with firefighters making good progress on controlling the blaze but not yet able to ascertain how it began. This is despite various well-received claims on social media about why the fire might have started. The building, on Clifton Rd, previously housed Balsall Heath Primary School and current and former staff have paid homage to their memories there. Teacher Dr Sarah Allen wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “We are so sad to see our old Clifton building on fire. There are many of us who have happy memories of teaching here.” More as we get it.

🚏Bus stop homeless crisis: “It’s a stark illustration of Birmingham’s homelessness crisis,” begins the BirminghamLive article. A homeless couple have turned a disused bus stop into a temporary shelter which they have been living in for seven months. However, plans are underway for the stop to be removed. A charity has stated it has offered the couple housing but they do not want to be separated. Tensions are already high around the shelter with local businesses claiming it’s use a shelter is affecting their trade. Further details on this story and the widespread nature of homelessness in Birmingham at a click. 

🖥️Digital future for former Post Office: Plans for a new £3m Walsall digital hub are close to approval. The centre, housed in an old Post Office in Bloxwich, aims to support start-ups and boost the public’s IT skills. The plans are part of a wider government-funded £25m investment in the area which has helped Walsall Council purchase the former post office in order to turn it into a learning and development centre for locals, with a full floor of computers avaliable for use. Full story.

💸£300 Jewellery Quarter tour: For an eye-watering £344, spend-happy punters can get a tour around this famous city centre area and learn more about The Coffin Works, James Watt and the importance of the area to the country’s trade and industry. We don’t expect many to take this up but thought it worthwhile noting if only for how high the price is! If anybody does go on this, please do tell us about it — we’re intrigued. 

🚂Trains away: Fans of railway models can head down to the NEC this weekend for Model World Live. Even for those not au fait with this past time, it sounds like there’s lots on offer: from best scale model displays to replicas of famous railway journeys to a presentation from the Warley Model Railway Club in Birmingham. Details at a click.

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Birmingham: Rave's underdog

By Kate Knowles

“Fuck them all” — that’s the attitude Birmingham has towards naysaying outsiders. At least, that’s what veteran Brummie DJ Sir Real (AKA Neil Spragg) thinks. His theory, as told to music journalist and author Jim Ottewill for a new chapter of his bestselling book, is that the music media’s habit of overlooking the city has allowed it to grow without an ego.  It’s an attitude that Spragg thinks comes from “the Brummie underdog nature”.

Ottewill is a freelance music journalist with 15 years in the game, writing for dance music publications such as Resident Advisor and Mixmag. In 2022 he released the book Out of Space: How UK Cities Shaped Rave Culture, which unpacked how urban spaces — from dingy rooms above pubs, to vast warehouses — have impacted music. The book is based on Ottewill’s own experiences in the rave scene, as well as interviews with the figures dotting the distinctive constellations that make up the nation’s homegrown galaxy of sound. A new edition of the book, out on Friday, features a brand new chapter on Birmingham.

“It's the ultimate uncovered history. Such a huge amount has happened in Birmingham, but it’s just not shouted about,” Ottewill tells me. “It seemed like a really good opportunity to delve into that.”