Gig: Valis Ablaze at Subside
Gloomy Bristolian tech metal five piece Valis Ablaze will be shredding through a set at Subside to get your week started in the noisiest way possible. Support comes from progressive German rockers Unprocessed and Birmingham’s own Elate.
Mon 2 Jul 7pm at Subside, 57 Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DA www.facebook.com

Gig: Arch Echo at Subside
Instrumental progressive metal from Nashville, Tennessee that is beautifully constructed and realised exhibiting an almost jazzy feel beneath the towering riffs. Support comes from virtuoso guitarist Chris Schiermann and Hereford’s prog metallers Brocken Spectre.
Tue 3 Jul 7pm at Subside, 57 Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DA www.facebook.com

Film: The Torch Song Trilogy at Journey Film Club
Paul Bogart adapts one time Warhol alumni Harvey Fierstein’s play for the big screen starring a baby faced Matthew Broderick as the tragic Alan, a sympathetic, almost nostalgic portrayal of the problems facing gays before the darkness of Aids.
Tue 3 Jul 7pm at Birmingham LGBT,  38-40 Holloway Circus, Birmingham B1 1EQ www.journeyfilmclub.co.uk

Comedy: Mitch Benn at Patrick Kavanagh
Musician, sci-fi novelist and presenter. Comedian Mitch Benn is a talented geezer. Trouble is he’s getting old now, only three years off the big 5-0 and with age comes not wisdom but the overwhelming compunction to share the misery such landmarks engender. Luckily for us Benn’s bitching is hilarious and very musical too.
Wed 4 Jul 8pm at Patrick Kavanagh, 142 Trafalgar Rd, Birmingham B13 8BX weebly.com

Gig/Arts: Kaleidoscope #5 at The Night Owl
Summer holiday over for the wonderful arts and music cultural explosion of Kaleidoscope which is now impossibly up to its fifth event. You know the drill. The finest local bands making a beautiful racket and a chance to enjoy, even purchase, the work of challenging local artists. Sounds come from the indie folk noiseniks Robert Craig Oulton, the gloriously monikored Truman Dinosaur and troubadour/hooligan Miles Cocker. Several artists to check out including R J Davis, Beth Nicol, Amber Knight and more with Brain Food DJs filling in any gaps with wildly eclectic tunes.
Thu 5 Jul 8pm at The Night Owl, 17-18 Lower Trinity St, Birmingham B9 4AG www.facebook.com

Gig: Cantaloop at The Dark Horse
Local funksters Cantaloop know how to get a party started, their infectious grooves have been wowing audiences for years. Fiercely proud of their unique brand of throwback funk their mix of blazing horns and trigger happy bass is impossible to resist.
Fri 6 Jul 9pm at The Dark Horse, 145 Alcester Rd, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8JP www.facebook.com

Club: Glittershit at The Nightingale
Get glammed to the max at Birmingham’s gay super club The ‘Gale in a mass of multi-coloured glitter, pumping House tunes and spiky attitude. Glitter girls will be on hand to spice up your skin so there’s no excuses to miss the shiny disco fun, last time round this event attracted a thousand revellers, secure your free golden ticket now.
Fri 6 Jul 11pm at The Nightingale, 18 Kent St, Birmingham B5 6RD www.fatsoma.com

Arts: Digbeth First Friday
Is it really a month since the last Digbeth First Friday? Here we go again, another stunning day in the cultural heart of the city enjoying an incredible array of cutting edge art happenings. Eastside Projects reopens its doors with the shows of mixrice and General Public, enter Another Dimension at Vivid Projects and get your senses scrambled in a dizzyingly inspired range of optical illusions and listen to your Gut Feelings at Centrala with Artists and performers Nicole Goodwin,Lizzie Masterton and Liberty Antonia Sadler. Check out the full guide to what’s going on here.
Fri 6 Jul at various venues.

Illustration by Beth Nicol appearing at Kaleidoscope #5