List of Open Mic Nights in Birmingham UK

Last Updated: April 2012

There doesn’t seem to be much useful or up to date information online about Birmingham’s open mic scene, so i thought i’d publish my own list of open mic nights. Will try and keep this information as up to date as possible.

If you would like to suggest an OM not included here or correct any inaccuracies then feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

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Tuesday

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Venue: The Patrick Kavanagh, Moseley, back room

When: Kicks off around 9
Run By: Iain Gough
Average number of songs: 3
Monitoring/sound: No Monitor. Generally not easy to hear yourself all that clearly.
Attendance: Generally pretty low
Audience Attitude: Pretty Good

What are the regulars/performers like?: Very varied. This night seems to attract some of the more eccentric members of the local scene.
Do Performers get a free drink?: Yes

Would you recommend it?: Yes. The low turnout and poor monitoring can be a bit of a drag  but it’s still usually an enjoyable night out.

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Wednesday

Venue: The Yardbird, City Centre, Next to central Library

When: I think this is some sort of gig that you have to pay a couple quid to get into which starts at about 7 but has free entry from about 8 and the guest acts are eventually followed by the open mic which tends to start at 9.30 or 10. Get there before 9 to get your name on the list.
Run By: Jason Pegg
Average number of songs: 2
Monitoring/sound: I always have trouble hearing myself, but i think that has more to do with the noisy audience than the sound system.
Attendance: Generally very good
Audience Attitude: Not great. People talk over you a lot and quite loudly too. As mentioned above, monitoring becomes problematic.
What are the regulars/performers like?: Trendy. Expect rappers, irritating young people and jazzed-up cover versions of 00s hits.
Do Performers get a free drink?: Don’t think so.

Would you recommend it?: Maybe. A two-song limit and a noisy audience can make this something of an alienating experience. On the plus side i often catch some of the guest acts (usually bands) and they’re often pretty entertaining.

Wednesday

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Venue: The Tower of Song, Cotteridge

When: Kicks off around 9.
Run By: Bill O’Brien
Average number of songs: 2
Monitoring/sound: No monitoring per se, there is a tiny sound system which sits behind the performer, but this works well and you can hear yourself well because the audience are so quiet.
Attendance: Generally pretty good. There are often 15 or so separate acts on in one night, so just with the other performers alone you can have a pretty decent sized audience. This place seems to have a pretty devoted following.
Audience Attitude: Excellent.
What are the regulars/performers like?: Middle aged folkies. Expect lots of bob dylan covers and A capella traditional folk. The audience likes to sing along too.
Do Performers get a free drink?: No
Notes: Very popular night, so you’ll probably have to contact Bill In advance to guarantee a slot. They have a band in the middle of the night that play for about 30 mins and a hat is passed round so the audience can make a contribution to the band if they like.

Would you recommend it?: Yes. Can’t beat a good audience and good sound.

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Thursday

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Venue: The Station, Kings Heath

When: 9ish?
Average number of songs: 3-5
Monitoring/sound: Not great. No Monitor and only 1 microphone.
Attendance: Good
Audience Attitude: Ok.

Would you recommend it?: Have only been there once. It was OK, not very well organised. Only having one microphone is a big disadvantage for anyone whose guitar doesn’t have a pickup.

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Venue: The Island Bar, City Centre

When: about 8.30
Run By: Jason Pegg
Average number of songs: 3-5
Monitoring/sound: Excellent sound system but the noisy audience makes it impossible to hear yourself.
Attendance: Good
Audience Attitude: Terrible. No other OM has an audience that is so completely disinterested in listening to the music.
What are the regulars/performers like?: Expect cheesy pop and a few A capella X-factor Auditions.
Do Performers get a free drink?: Don’t think so

Would you recommend it?: Only if you like playing to a room full of noisy people who completely ignore you.

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Venue: The Roadhouse, Stirchley
When: Thursday, starts at 8.30, Get there for 8 to guarantee a good slot
Run By: Esther Turner or Nick Holmes and Helen Jones (alternate weeks)
Average number of songs: 3
Monitoring/sound: No monitor, sound is ok.
Attendance: Decent
Audience Attitude: Moderate.
What are the regulars/performers like?: Expect to hear lots of covers sung by harsh young voices. Some moderate beatboxing.
Do Performers get a free drink?: Don’t think so.

Would you recommend it?: Yes.

Website: http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheRoadhouseLiveLounge