Monday Night Jazz
Great little venue right in the heart of the city. Enjoy jazz energy provided by John O’ Gallagher, a saxophonist straight from the New York jazz scene, pianist Matt Ratcliffe, in demand double bass player Mark Hodgson and Birmingham jazz lecturer and drummer Andrew Bain.
Mon 22 Aug 7.30pm at Yorks Bakery Cafe, Stephenson Street, Birmingham www.yorksbakerycafe.co.uk/

Latin Jam Sessions at The Cuban Embassy
If you can play an instrument then bring it along and join in the jamming action at The Cuban Embassy and you’ll get free drinks as well as free entry. If you just want to relax and enjoy the music, the chilled out vibe is perfect for whiling away a few hours.
Tue 23 Aug 7pm at The Cuban Embassy, St. Mary’s Row, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8HW www.facebook.com

Jazz Tuesdays at The Spotted Dog in Digbeth
A great little boozer with a wonderful covered garden area. On Tuesday it’s taken over by Johnathon Silk, Richard Foote and friends for an evening of cool and enthusiastic live jazz. Bring along your beard and stroke it enthusiastically, nice.
Tue 23 Aug 9pm at The Spotted Dog, Warwick Street, Digbeth Birmingham B12 0NH  www.spotteddog.co.uk

Gregory Peck’s Jazz, Funk & Soul Open Mic Night at The Night Owl
The Night Owl is always a cool venue to spend time in, throw in some free live funk music and, if you’re that way inclined, bring along your own instruments to plug in and make some tuneful noise.
Wed 24 Aug 9pm at The Night Owl, Lower Trinity Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B9 4AG. www.facebook.com

Pokemon Go for Good
Hosted by Eastside Projects. This event aims to gather cultural and community organisations together to discuss the benefit of games, and how we might use digital technology and offline elements of them to motivate people to collaborate and make change locally and globally. Ampersand Projects, a Birmingham based organisation are interested in how we can use games to explore and solve some of the world’s social problems.
Thu 25 Aug 6pm at Eastside Projects, 86 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham B9 4AR eastsideprojects.org/

King Kong Comedy Club at The Gunmaker’s Arms
This venue is fast establishing itself as a cultural hub featuring several free events a week. The comedy club is a riot, featuring 8 comedians of various competencies, and all kept ticking along good naturedly by compere Jonny Cocker.
Thu 25 Aug 8pm at Gunmakers Arms, Bath Street, Birmingham. www.facebook.com/events.

Summer sessions at the mac with Tom Peel
Tom Peel is a well-known figure on the Birmingham scene and has collaborated with bands such as Boat to Row, Victories at Sea and Goodnight Lenin. Tom is a promoter and performer who stages his own shows and has featured at the popular All Years Leaving festival at the Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath. Tom describes his music as “abstract folk music that takes in everything from Americana through to warp records-esque experimentation”.
Fri 26 Aug 6pm at mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH macbirmingham.co.uk/

Poets Place
Organised by the Library of Birmingham and Apples & Snakes, Poets’ Place is an informal gathering of poets that meets twice a month. The Poets’ Place is an opportunity for local poets to meet like‐minded people, where poets can give and solicit feedback on poetry, or just sit back and write for a couple of hours without interruption. Poets’ Place can be used to make new friends, discover new poets, find out about poetry events, share and have your work critiqued, make useful connections, set a writing schedule.
Sat 27 Aug 3pm at Library of Birmimngham, Centenery Square, B1 2EA www.facebook.com/

Big Wolf Band
Heavyweight blues to help your Sunday dinner go down at the king of all dad rock venues. Big Wolf is a talented and fearless performer drawing inspiration from Freddie King, BB King, Albert Collins, Hendrix, SRV, Clapton, Green, Gallagher and many more. Sun 28 Aug 3pm at Brasshouse, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2HP www.bigwolfband.com

Canon at The Dark Horse
Round off your free week by watching some of Birmingham’s best young jazz musicians performing their interpretations of classic compositions from the Great American Songbook.
Sun 28 Aug 7.30pm at The Dark Horse, 145 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8JP www.facebook.com/darkhorsemoseley

10 Guitars + Arc Vel + Loopular + DJ Du Jour
Excited about this one. Quality bands at a quality venue all performing for free.  We’re especially excited to see the electronica of Birmingham based Arc Vel. Described as a ‘gloriously Technicolor headphonic trip, the melodies smooth, sleek and spacious …whose application of mood, atmosphere and ear candy arrangements appears second to none.’
Sun 28 Aug 8pm at Sunflower Lounge, 76 Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham B5 4EG birminghampromoters.com/

Free Culture: Ikon Gallery, Birmingham.
A whole series of incredible exhibitions running until Sep 9, read our feature here

Free exhibition: Birmingham People and Change in the Inner City at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Fascinating exhibition running until 2017. Read our feature here