I will not moan about Brum: the reluctant bar that’s trying to stay positive in Digbeth

‘Birmingham is always up and coming. There’s always the promise that it’s going to get better’

Dear Patchers — Welcome to your midweek Dispatch.

“Instead of putting down a deposit for a house, I spent the money opening a bar in a city I don’t like,” the owner of the Digbeth bar/living-room Pan-Pan told our reporter recently. Birmingham gets more than its fair share of flack from outsiders but it’s not often that someone who admits to disliking the place sticks around to try and improve it — especially when it costs their life savings. That’s the topic of today’s article: the story of the man who reluctantly opened a bar with — in his own words — “no clear vision”.

This is the first in a couple of Digbeth-themed stories this week, as we try to understand the changes this inner-city enclave is undergoing and what that means for the independent organisations that have made it their home. As always, our mission is bringing you nuanced long-form journalism that takes time and care to produce. Like most good things in life, it costs money to do it properly. To make The Dispatch sustainable, our mid-week stories are only accessible to our paying members, so if you want to read today’s article in full, you’ll need to subscribe for £8 a month for access to everything, including our archive and upcoming events.

Before that, we’re often so distracted by up-and-coming developments in the city that we forget to peel back the curtain on that which has come before. Luckily, archivists in South Birmingham have been looking into how Bournville got its reputation for charity, and what that means for one peculiar housing estate in the area. More below.

We also have notes on a recent Brum production that got a royal seal of approval and a couple of events that might keep the rain at bay. (Disclaimer: They might not keep the actual rain at bay but they should warm the soul).

As ever, stay safe. Dan. 

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Brum in Brief

🔴 Councillor furore: Suspended councillor Jack Deakin has criticised the Labour party for its “abusive and cruel” and “unnecessarily torturous” suspension process. Deakin had the whip removed in mid-January over claims he harassed a party staff member — an allegation which he claims is untrue, adding that he has supplied evidence. Furthermore, Deakin claims that the person who submitted the complaint is a “powerful individual in the party” who was previously reported for harassment themselves. In a thread on X, Deakin says he is speaking out because he has been unable to fulfill his role and his mental well-being has taken a hit. “I simply want this to be over & resolved. No other organisation would deem this duration to be acceptable,” he wrote. We reached out to the Labour party for comment. Full claims here.

👑 Royal seal of approval: A recent ‘first-ever’ production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman was always going to be worthy of note — not least because it was Black and Asian led, created by Byron Jackson and Iqbal Khan (who made a name for himself directing the 2022 Commonwealth Games’ opening ceremony). But it has come to light that King Charles himself has personally congratulated Jackson ahead of the performance, which took place at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in early July. In a letter, he wrote: “As a Wagner enthusiast myself, I was especially glad to see his work being brought to new audiences for all to enjoy.” You can check out the letter here and full notes on performance here.

🏘️ Bournville archive: Marking the 125th anniversary of the Bournville Almshouses (known as the Quadrangle), Bournville Village Trust and the University of Birmingham have released archival photos and stories to showcase what life was like in these charitable abodes. Opened in 1899, they were a Cadbury alternative to harsh workhouses, providing accommodation for those most in need. Speaking on the release, Daniel Callicott, Heritage Manager at Bournville Village Trust, said: “Richard Cadbury saw almshouses as an alternative […] and Bournville’s version, which he spearheaded, offered well-built, safe and warm homes for older people with little money.” Details here.

📈 Price hikes at Brum attraction: With cash-strapped Birmingham City Council signing off startling cuts earlier this year, one popular attraction has been in the firing line: the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park on Pershore Road. It has already seen a rise of 10% in entrance fees, bringing the cost of an adult ticket to £8.40 but ‘peak time’ price rises are now being touted, with an adult ticket rising to £10. A family day ticket could rise to £33 if these prices are agreed — up from just £25 a year ago. This is hardly what Brummies feeling the pinch need to hear. Full story.

🎭 Birmingham Weekender: There’s fun on the horizon this August bank holiday with the Birmingham Weekender. From the 23rd to 26th of August, free performances, fantastical installations, and pop-ups are on offer at no cost at all. Punters can expect a range of circus performances, inflatables fun and orchestral experiences in malls. More here.

☀️ Caribbean Cov: For some sunshine, head to Coventry (yes, rain is forecast — but the vibes will be sunny) for the Caribbean Carnival parade. Bringing good times from the sunny isles, there are steel pan performances, creative workshops, gospel singers and interactive art from 11 am onwards. Read about the lineup here. 

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I will not moan about Brum: the reluctant bar that’s trying to stay positive in Digbeth

By Ophira Gottlieb

“What I want to make very clear is that none of us actually wanted to open a bar,” says Vlad seriously. We’re in Pan-Pan in Digbeth, the bar that Vlad opened, though he denies the fact that it’s a bar at all, even while mixing us a drink. Instead, Pan-Pan functions as a makeshift living room, the reluctant creation of a few local makers and musicians — they couldn’t find the community they wanted in Birmingham, and decided to make it themselves.

Vlad and I conduct our interview to the sound of jazz drumming in the room next door, to the effect that our entire conversation sounds uncannily like a beat poetry recital. The Monday Jazz Jam is about to begin, and various musicians come through wielding drumsticks and copper-coloured saxophones, and steadily more and more people end up joining us on the deep-set sofas for a chat.

“It’s emerged to be the case that this is all just one big cry for help, socially,” Vlad explains when I ask him about the name of the venue. ‘Pan-Pan’ is a radiotelephony distress signal that stands for Possible Assistance Needed — but Vlad didn’t actually know this at the time of coming up with the name. “To tell you the truth it was an aesthetic choice to start with. I just liked the repetition,” he explains. “But I realised later that it’s like a soft SOS. There’s a situation on a ship or a vehicle… but that ship is not sinking, and no one is dying. It kind of felt relevant.”

Relevant in two ways, that is. Firstly, from the floundering but not quite sinking state of the Birmingham arts scene. But to Vlad it also applies more to his difficulty finding a community of friends, particularly friends who wanted to create things together, within the city. This is why he claims the bar functions as a social cry for help. “We just needed a place to be with one another,” he explains.

Pan-Pan not only functions as a living room, it also resembles one. The venue describes itself aesthetically as “the illegitimate child of an underground bar and a mid-century airport waiting lounge,” but to me it looks a bit like an elderly couple’s lock up where they keep their beautiful if a little dilapidated conservatory furniture. It’s fair to say that the bar teeters on the verge of the pretentious. Yesterday I was here for a gig and all the customers were groups of thirty-somethings with haircuts, some of whom brought their own fava beans from home. But today at the jazz jam Pan-Pan is transformed, and feels entirely real and familiar. Most of the people here know each other, everybody knows Vlad, and the customers all group together naturally around the sofas like a dinner party.

Pan-Pan: The illegitimate child of an underground bar and your nan’s lockup after it got squatted by some Jazz musicians. Photo credit: Ophira Gottlieb/The Dispatch.

This is precisely the sense of community that Vlad felt was starkly missing from the city, and prompted him to start the not-a-bar. Originally from Romania, Vlad had lived in Sweden, Hungary, Indonesia, and Argentina before he’d even started high school, and when he came to study in England in 2010, he found it lacking. He’s been in Birmingham since 2011. “I’ve lived in five different countries,” he explains, “and this is by far the place I’ve loved the least.” At a loose end, Vlad considered leaving the country, but opted instead to have one more go at creating a life he could love in Brum. “Instead of putting down a deposit for a house,” he says, “I spent the money opening a bar in a city I don’t like.”