Gig/Dance/Art: B-Side Hip Hop Festival 2018 at Birmingham Hippodrome
Showcasing the city’s finest Hip-Hop talents and world-class names and a Hit the Ode poetry jam brought to you by rap auteur Juice Aleem’s AFROFLUX. Elsewhere there are break dance competitions, rap battles and family-friendly workshops, graffiti and street art in and around the theatre and live sounds from DJs and guest artists. Read our full preview here.
Weds 9 May – Sun 13 May, The Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB. www.birminghamhippodrome.com

Gig: P. E. T, Dead Summers, Solsara & DJ Jacky P at Get The Fear
You’re invited to Par-Tay down at one of Digbeth’s more unique live venues with three riotous local bands and all the booze you can carry. Grrl punkers P. E. T headline, live they are a glorious cacophony of bubblegum thrash and spiky attitude. There’s also an opportunity to catch Wolverhampton’s finest indie rockers Solsara and the trash talking Dead Summers.
Sat 12 May 7.45pm at Get the Fear, 1 Bordesley Street, Birmingham, B5 5PG www.facebook.com

Club/Food: Make it Reggae at The Night Owl
Our favourite rocksteady crew up sticks from the Jewellery Quarter’s 1000 Trades bar for a summer residency down in Digbeth at The Night Owl, where they’ll be celebrating half a century of Trojan Records with DJs Joe Turner, Simon Cobb and Rob Chewey Wilson, complementing the finest reggae vinyl sounds will be a delicious jerk BBQ, so that’s Sunday dinner sorted too.
Sun 13 May 2pm at The Night Owl, 17-18 Lower Trinity St, Birmingham B9 4AG www.facebook.com

Gig/Spoken Word: Sunday Xpress at Centrala
The Sunday Xpress cultural cavalcade returns in a stripped down version this month but still brimming with ideas, now in its twelfth year, the monthly event has been a wonderful platform giving exposure to bands, poets, comedy and a plethora of arts throughout. It’s an open mic special this time, the equipment and know how is there, just come along and fill the bill.
Sun 13 May 5pm at Centrala, Fazeley Street, Birmingham, Digbeth B5 5RS www.facebook.com

Gig: The Jigsaw Project at 1000 Trades
Jazz collective The Jigsaw Project bring the sophisticated noodlings of renown musicians Alex Woods, Tobie Carpenter, Stefan Lievestro and Peter Lenz to the salubrious confines of the JQ’s 1000 Trades for a one off special performance. Following the performance there will be a jam session with instruments provided, just bring your horns. Whilst you’re there sample one of the 1000 Trades delicious Sunday roasts, available from 1pm.
Sun 13 May 6pm at 1000 Trades, 16 Frederick St, Birmingham B1 3HE www.facebook.com

Arts: Medicine Bar Gallery
The Project Birmingham presents Medicine gallery relaunch offers all of life’s best stuff in one beautiful spot, making this an instant art hit in the city. Food, music and art combine at the launch of this funky new exhibition space, conveniently located above Birmingham’s notorious Medicine Bar Bakery with the likes of cronuts, sourdough pizza and cruffins fuelling the B’ham based colourful cultural pursuits. The launch weekend kicked off on May 5th (see details birminghamwire.co.uk) and the exhibition A Sense of Place runs until Mon 14 May.
Sat 12 May & Sun 13 May at Medicine Bakery and Gallery, 69 New St, Birmingham B2 4DU. 10am – 4pm.

For more art-based freebies see our May Arts updates including Life & Death Fest at various venues and Miss Black & Beautiful at the mac see here.