Vibrant Digbeth a focal point for Birmingham creatives
Ever since the Custard Factory opened its doors in the early 1990s, Digbeth has been seen as one of Birmingham’s main centres for music and creativity.
John Mostyn, who has worked in Digbeth for nearly 20 years and was instrumental in creating a vibrant venue out of the derelict Digbeth Institute, said he was worried about the area’s future as a thriving music centre.
He said: “In the last few years we have seen considerable investment in both time and money going into venues in Digbeth.
“We got the regeneration of Digbeth Institute going and we have seen a great effort to turn The Rainbow from a grotty pub into a vibrant music centre.
“We have got more stages between Birmingham city centre and The Rainbow than on any other street in town. There is the Irish Centre, the Institute [Barfly], several at the Custard Factory, the Dubliner, the Spotted Dog and of course the Adam and Eve, so we can say that Digbeth is the music centre of the city.
“It provides entertainment for people from the city and a lot of visitors come to the area to visit events in Digbeth.
“For example Capsule’s Supersonic festival attracts 20 per cent of its attendees from European countries, so it is of massive cultural as well as economic significance.
“And it’s also an area where new artists get to play their first gig and cut their teeth and as such it’s an integral part of the city’s infrastructure. It’s an alternative to the blandness of Broad Street and Brindleyplace.”
Mr Mostyn, who works with Three Ones Music which is setting up a new record label and ‘Music of Distinction’ as the first contemporary live music agency in the city for decades, added: “I’m worried and frustrated about what’s going on.
“There is also an argument that with the banning of music in The Spotted Dog’s garden, Digbeth residents have lost a place where people could practise their culture. For years the Irish community had been using that garden as a place for family birthdays, weddings, christenings and that has been taken away.”
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