Edinburgh Festival Comedy Previews at The Gunmakers Arms
What a fabulous excuse to get down to the beautifully refurbished Gunmakers Arms. Two hilarious comedians previewing new shows before taking them to the Edinburgh Fringe. Laura Monmouth will be presenting her ‘LGBTQZX’ show exploring the links between being transgender and playing retro video games. UK Pun championship finalist for the last two years Roger Swift will be machine gunning the audience with every pun variant possible in his ‘Pneumatic’ show. Free but booking essential.
Mon 26 Jun 8pm at The Gunmakers Arms, 93 Bath St, Birmingham B4 6HG www.facebook.com

Sam Watts Octet at The Spotted Dog
Drawing on a raft of influences and styles, from jazz to tango and through old film scores, local hero Sam Watts returns with his Octet to the Spotted Dog. Wowing audiences since 2012 their eclectic and inventive style has garnered airplay on BBC Radio 3 and even an appearance on the BBC Proms.
Tue 27 Jun 8.30pm at The Spotted Dog, 104 Warwick St, Birmingham B12 0NH www.facebook.com

ADHD at The Cuban Embassy
ADHD have been busy for years lighting up venues with their infectious brand of pop-rock-punk mayhem across the city. Engaging and charismatic live performers their shows are gloriously good fun. You won’t a find a more affable bunch of friendly geezers armed with instruments anywhere.
Wed 28 Jun 8pm at The Cuban Embassy, 23 St Mary’s Row, Birmingham B13 8HW www.facebook.com

for-Wards with Percy Pursglove at Northfield Baptist Church
The wildly inventive for-Wards project continues as regional sonic experimentation lands in Northfield. With the help of reknown multi- instrumentalist Percy Pursglove; Year 5 students from Jervoise Primary School in Weoley Castle have created the participatory piece ‘Nord Feld Stefn’ which allows audiences to listen to unique sounds recorded in Northfield on a free app and engender their own special soundscapes. ‘Nord Feld Stefn’ continues at the Naf Cafe, situated at Northfield Baptist Church, during the evening and features a performance from community musicians. Admission is free but tickets need to be booked on the links below.
Thu 29 Jun 11am at Weoley Castle Community Church, 115 Quarry Rd, Birmingham B29 5LE www.eventbrite.co.uk
Thu 29 Jun 7pm at Northfield Baptist Church, 789 Bristol Rd S, Birmingham B31 2NQ www.eventbrite.co.uk

Italics at 1000 Trades
Italo disco fans rejoice. A whole evening of hi-nrg Italian dance music will be bouncing off the walls of the gloriously funky 1000 Trades tonight. DJ’s George Bate and Matt Cottom are your hosts for the retro-electro synth meltdown that will take you on a journey through 35 years of musical history. If we hear La Bionda’s ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ we may go a little crazy.
Fri 30 Jun 8pm at 1000 Trades, 16 Frederick St, Birmingham B1 3HE www.facebook.com

Launch of Liquor Friday’s Summer Garden Sessions at No. 21 Digbeth
A launch that has been delayed by the weather but hopefully today the sun will be kind and things will get moving. Every month the Taste and Liquor crew will change the theme of their new Summer Garden Sessions but for the first blast it’s a full on rum rumble. Rum cocktails, rum punch, rum everything. In addition to lashings of the sailor’s favourite tipple there will be the usual array of delicious street food all complemented by some of the coolest DJ’s spinning wicked grooves all night.
Fri 30 Jun 5pm at No. 21, Milk Street, Birmingham B5 5TR www.facebook.com

Feel The Vibe Launch Night! At Hawker Yard
This is going to be epic. The Feel the Vibe DJ Crew are launching a whole series of events at the unique scaffold magic of The Hawker Yard. A hardcore lineup of Hip-Hop heavyweights will keep the dope beats pumping till the early hours with DJ Jam Fu, DJ Unpronounceable and DJ Silence spinning the grooves. Special guest is the almighty Psykhomantus.
Fri 30 Jun 8.30pm at Hawker Yard, 62-70 Pershore St, Birmingham B5 4RU www.facebook.com

Colmore Food Festival at Victoria Square
Two days of food, beer and entertainment (and if we’re really lucky sunshine). Bands, artists, street performers and cooking demonstrations will complement the stunning array of culinary delights available. Slap bang in the middle of the city at Victoria Square it’s a perfect place to chill and watch the world go by. All dishes are capped at £4.
Fri 30 Jun to Sat 1 Jul at Victoria Square, Birmingham  www.colmorefoodfestival.com/