Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands

I have loved the Black Country ever since I worked at Wordsley General Hospital in the late eighties.  Arriving in the West Midlands from Manchester, I was amazed to find the Black Country full of warm, kindhearted people that reminded me of home.  Sadly Wordsley hospital is no longer there but I still retain a deep-rooted love for the Black Country and its people.  

Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Enjoying the excellent music at the Festival.

The Black Country Folk Festival took place over two days.  I attended the Sunday show and on arrival, I learnt that Saturday was a success and the sun had been seen.  The weather forecast for Sunday was not good but in true British spirit the music played on regardless.   I met Festival co-organiser Steve Edwards who was very enthusiastic about the day’s music.  Steve runs the Black Country Hub and is also founder of the Black Country Day.  

Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Steve Edwards, Festival co-organiser.

The music had started when I arrived and the first artist I saw was Susy Wall.  Her songs resonated with me bringing back memories of visiting the Black Country.  The next band Shotgun Marmalade injected a furious mix of Ska and Punk to the proceedings.   They were followed by Sam Draisey who is an amazing musician making good use of a partial left arm for strumming his guitar.  Sam played songs from his extensive back catalogue. 

Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Susy Wall performing on stage.
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Shotgun Marmalade
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
There is some marmalade in those colours.
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Sam Draisey with his unique style of guitar playing. Alongside Sam is Ewan Stevens.
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
A sought after selfie with Sam.

James Stevens and Rachel Slater from The Empty Can played an entertaining set and even their dog howled in unison with them.  I enjoyed the energetic Atilla the Stockbroker.  You must read the Wikipedia pages on this remarkable punk poet and musician. He has been influential in music, football and politics.   I found his set really tuned you into the present problems besetting the world.  

Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
James Stevens and Rachel Slater from The Empty Can.
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Attila the Stockbroker, punk poet, musician and activist.

I was left wondering how you could beat all these performances and as the Jess Silk trio took to the stage expectations were high.  Jess has been likened to a new Billy Bragg.  I met Jess prior to her performance finding her to be an engaging individual.  On stage she was full of fire and enthusiasm.  Her songs strike a chord with you as they cover social topics that need to be heard.  I loved the band and they produced a super performance to end the festival.

Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Jess Silk on stage

A comment on the rain.  It hardly stopped but it failed to dampen the spirits and the fun of the Festival.  The beer was supplied by the Fixed Wheel brewery,  the Black Country flags were proudly displayed and Himley Hall, the former home of the Earls of Dudley provided a striking backdrop to the stage.

Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Picnic in the rain.
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
A chat under the umbrella.
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Making friends at the Festival.
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
Black Country Merchandise for sale.
Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
The Festival site at Himley Hall, Dudley.

Thank you to the organisers for a fantastic day and you may also wish to read the official BBC reaction to the Festival. Bring on 2024 and the third Black Country Festival.

Black Country festival 2023, Himley Hall, Dudley, West Midlands
A view from the sound desk.

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Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023

The Colmore Food Festival provides a great opportunity to sample food from some of the best restaurants in Birmingham.  I was determined to visit and sample the food at the festival.  There was one drawback, the rain.  Waking up on Saturday, the forecast was not good with the prospect of a soggy day ahead.  Motivating the family to go into Birmingham on such a wet day was not easy and the train strikes compounded the problem.  Once I had convinced everyone, we set off for the city centre.  Parking turned out to be straightforward and we made our way from New Street station to St Philips Cathedral.  The area around the Cathedral is known as Pigeon Park and in the northern quarter nearest to Snow Hill station, the Colmore Food Festival was set up and in full flow.  

Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
Enjoying the food on offer.
Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
Queuing up for soft drinks
Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
Eating whilst sheltering from the rain.
Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
Lots of colours and tastes.

So was it worth the effort to get there?  The answer is Yes.  We enjoyed the festival.  There was so much to like.  The choice of food outlets was excellent and for the family we were split between Asha’s and Purnell’s.  We went for dishes from both and were not disappointed.  The food was well cooked and so tasty.  There was a chance to wash it down with a glass of Purity’s session IPA from Purecraft beer stall.  Once the main course was finished, we browsed the other stalls and kept going back to Miss Macaroons for dessert.  The brightly coloured meringue-based sandwich cookies were in many different flavours.  Our choice included the following Pistachio, Rhubarb and orange, strawberry, and caramel. There were many more there.  We all agree that the food stalls were excellent and I apologise that I cannot review more of what was on offer but there is only so much we could eat.

Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
The Festival was well attended despite the rain.

My grandson was spoilt rotten.  He received a free spiderman face paint, free drawing materials, a book, and a balloon. He was very happy which also made mum and grandparents very pleased.  This was the detail that made the food festival a success for the family.  Not only was the food good but the children were well looked after.  The music was good as well even though dancing on the wet ground was a challenge.  Everyone was in a happy mood despite the rain.  I am already looking forward to next year’s food festival and I don’t think it will be a problem motivating the family to go whatever the weather.

Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
A happy grandson with Spiderman faceprint.
Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
Enjoying ourselves in the rain.
Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
Singing in the rain.
Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
Happy vibes.

I hope you enjoy the pictures which were all taken on my Fujifilm x100v.  The camera is weatherproofed which makes it ideal when the weather is wet.  I even had someone come up to me to ask about the camera as he liked the look of it so much. 

Colmore Food Festival, Birmingham, 2023
Making sure we all enjoyed the day.

Finally a big thanks to Colmore Row Business District for organising the food festival.  I have provided a link to CBD and the food festival so you can make a note of the event for next year. 

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Key to the City Brum, Fierce Festival, 2022

Now that the #keytothecitybrum project is over, I can reveal my full journey around the sites. I have grouped them into themes whether I visited the sites on the same day or the story of the unlocking the venues were linked together by themes. The first Chapter was described earlier in my blog where I picked up my key and visited my first venue “Artfull Expression”.

This chapter covers the story of my visits to the IKON Gallery, Symphony Hall and Selfridges.

kon Gallery 

My second key venue took me to the IKON gallery.  When we arrived, the receptionist on the front desk gave us directions.  Our key opened a rather inconspicuous cupboard in the entrance hall.  Once opened there were the letters ‘Miss You’ lit up in Neon.  That was the surprise and I laughed out loud.  I loved the installation.  

Key to the City Brum, Fierce Festival,
Art work by Savage

My photo buddy, Nicky was convinced there was something else and looked for some form of opening beyond the cupboard space.  The reception staff were very knowledgeable and helpful, explaining that this neon letter writing was created by the artist Savage who had lifted the letters from Graffiti in the City of Birmingham.  I did return to the IKON gallery to see the “Made in Birmingham/Made in Sydney” exhibition as this was advertised during my visit.

Symphony Hall

I realise that the #keytothecityBrum is a large undertaking and that many people are going to descend on your location.  The Symphony Hall had placed an ornate box which the key opened.  Once inside there was a QR code to scan which linked to a YouTube channel. I understand that if you were lucky there were prizes to be gained but we were not winners.  

I was disillusioned with the venue as the Symphony Hall looked uninviting, and the box office personnel were not that interested in what was taking place.  Compared to the other venues, this was the most disappointing.  The success gained from this location was that we had used our key, opened the box and therefore another key location was done.  I left thinking that so much more could have been done and it was an opportunity missed.

Selfridges 

This was a fun door to open and Selfridges had put a lot of thought into what you would find.  The key gave you access to the music system in the menswear floor of Selfridges.  It was a bright yellow compartment with a bright yellow door.  Once inside you accessed a touch screen that allowed you to add your choice of music being played in the store.  My choice was “Whiskey in the Jar” by Thin Lizzy.  The bright yellow colours against the dark surrounds were a photographer’s dream and I had fun taking lots of pictures.  Well done Selfridges.  To oversee the music in the menswear department was an inspired choice.

My Journey with the Key
If you wish to review my journey then I have published all my visits on my blog as follows.


Taking concert pictures is not easy for me as I am not as young as I used to be and do not like being squashed at the front of the concert. The chance to take some close up pictures came when I went to see Steve Gunn, a guitarist and songwriter, who is prolific songwriter. Steve’s style is influenced by blues, folk and rock and he is a pretty good guitarist as well.

The first song is done

The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath, Birmingham is an intimate venue and there is the ability to move through the audience and get very close to the artist. I had my Sony RX100v5 camera on manual settings with a shutter speed of 1/200, aperture f/2.8 and ISO 2000. Getting close and taking the pictures meant that the lighting was a little easier to control. I expect I could have changed the settings a bit more but I am generally pleased with the results. Also we got a selfie with the man himself after the concert.

Lets get to the microphone

The concert had some great music. He was good to listen to and he is an excellent guitarist. The small venue meant that the sound was good and the different parts of the band came together well\\. The guys sorting out the sound were not so happy but it was a good night all round.

The band is working well
I have a few guitars to use yet
Thanks for coming along tonight
Putting that song over
Tuning up
The light garden at the Hare and Hounds
Andy, Steve Gunn and myself