It has an amazing atmosphere, I went to see Sigrid there in December. The only downside is it has…read moreno parking nearby.

Over the years I have seen some amazing live music at both this O2 Academy and at its previous…read morelocation on Dale end. Its one of those place that you can only say 'it is what it is'. Last night we spent a good amount of time fighting our way to the front of the bar to spend £5 on some of the worst beer I have tasted. The thing is......you kind of don't mind! It's always been like this and I have honestly come to expect it. If you want to see a great live show go to the academy. Don't be expecting cocktails or anything fancy, just a good sound system, sweaty room and usually a top night out.

Villa, Villa, Villa. This was on my husbands bucket list, so we made the trip to Villa Park…read more Located in Birmingham England, this iconic stadium holds about 45000 fans. The Villa store is located on the Trinity side and opens an hour before the stadium opens. Here you will find all your fan gear. Not like the US, everything here is actually affordable. The sold out stadium was energizing and loud. I felt like I was in a real live episode of Ted Lasso. The fans scream , yell, sing the chants...best experience ever.

I once walked into this stadium and Aston important question, but I was Villafied for it. And for…read morethat reason I don't like this club. First-Hand Experience: Most recently I saw Villa play (in person) at Anfield in late 2014. Sadly, I saw them beat Liverpool 1-0 in that game. They played very well and Agbonlahor and Benteke terrorized us. The sad thing is that most days, Villa played awfully, but on that particular day, they decided to ruin our season (lol). So be it. I've seen Villa play live 3 or 4 times at their huge, but ageing, home. And maybe 4 or 5 times away (in either Oxford or Liverpool). I've always respected them, but I don't like their kit nor their current level of ambition. And they've always underachieved considering they're the biggest team in the second biggest city in the country. Especially when you consider what the teams in the 3rd (Manchester) and 5th (Liverpool) cities have done. The fans have a bit of a connection to fascism in the past (along with Chelsea and my hometown Oxford among others), and while they're a more interesting team than Birmingham City, I also think sometimes that I like them less. They play in awful maroon and blue kits, and they haven't been good for a long time. They were one of the original football league members in England, having been formed in 1874. They are currently lots of fun under Tim Sherwood, helping them avoid relegation and getting them to the FA Cup Final. They are currently for sale for 200 mil. The Royal Family support this club which is an extra reason to hate them. David Cameron does too. Ew. Also Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Hanks, Al Saunders the NFL coach, and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran. As does Daniel Sturridge of LFC. Villa have spent 103 seasons in the top division, only Everton have been in the top division for more seasons. They have won the Premier League 7 times, four of those were in the 1890s, and one was in 1900, then again in 1910, and then amazingly they came out of nowhere and won it in 1981 which is an amazing achievement. They've won the FA Cup 7 times, including three in the 1800s, but haven't won it since 1957 and are hoping to change that this year. They have also won 5 League Cups, in 61, 75, 77, 1994 and 1996. Very impressive. Most impressive of all is that they are one of the few British clubs who have won the European Cup, which they did, miraculously, in 1982. For all these glories I have to give them a 4 instead of the 3 I want to give them. By the way, when in Birmingham, try a Chicken Madras from Akbars and a Mixed Kebab from Lahore on Ladypool Rd.

One of the most traditional festivals in Birmingham, Mostly Jazz Festival should be a compulsory…read moreitem in your bucket list. It's an incredible event and a wonderful way of getting closer to what Moseley village is in fact. This is a very lively part of Birmingham. Many culture events, fairs and concerts are held in Moseley pubs, cafés and spaces open to art, in general. Such an eclectic festival like this wouldn't be held in a better place. I have been to Mostly Jazz Festival last year and it was the best choice in leisure for a very hot summer in Brum. The weather was amazing, which helped to enjoy the concerts outside. Moseley park is gorgeous and it has to be highlighted all amazing job done by the local community that keep the place preserved. Food and drinks are not a problem in the area. The festival itself caters for the public with plenty of choice. From curry to a simple ice cream for the kids. Refreshments and alcoholic drinks are also sold inside the venue. By if you want to have a look around, Moseley have plenty of bars, restaurants and cafés available and open during the whole three days of events. Sometimes it's much better to go for these places for a meal. We had more options of food and also caught up with the news about Wimbledon ( in the pubs) because the Festival is held at the same time the tournament is on. And what a vibe in the village. 2013 edition was pretty especial because we could see the legend Nile Rodgers ( and Chic) at the main stage of the festival and the experience was unique indeed. One of the best gigs I ever seen and according to Nile, one of the best audiences he had. ( You're welcome!). Mostly Jazz Festival is for everyone. families, young and elderly ones. Everybody in the same vibe, enjoying sunshine ( if you are lucky) and nice music. it is great to see kids running in the park with parents sharing their Pimm's without being worried about their security. It's a big family festival indeed. And everyone is more than welcome. After the gigs, transport is not a problem. Buses are running until late in the trajectory back to the city centre ( takes 10 minutes or less). But if you are young and still want to party, Moseley pubs and bars are going to be there to help you carrying on the night. I love it. And I think Birmingham should be proud of such a great event. If you still don't have the tickets for the event this year, hurry up! It's on days 11-13 of July!

This was my second year at Mostly Jazz festival and I am happy to report that the event just got…read morebetter. Tickets for the Friday and Saturday sold out fairly early this year, and I was gutted to have missed out, but I managed to secure a ticket for the Sunday. The entrance points were well managed meaning that there were no delays getting in. One good thing about this event is that you can bring in as much food and drink as you like (unfortunately no alcohol or glass bottles) which means that many people were tucking in to their own little picnics. For those who wanted something a little more substantial, there were a variety of street food vendors serving a selection of cuisines including pizza, Thai and Indian. The main bar was huge and I didn't have to queue at all. The event was busy but not overly crowded and there was a great atmosphere. The line up at Mostly Jazz is always great and this year did not disappoint. There were a selection of local and national acts keeping the crowd entertained, culminating with George Clinton on the Sunday night - a fantastic performance. I will definitely be booking this event again next year.

I didn't quite make it to any Flatpack Film Festival events the first year I moved to Birmingham…read morebut once I figured out what it is all about I made up for it in 2012. This year, it's become a longer 5 day event encompassing 'Film Bug', a 'festival within a festival' in conjunction with Colmore Business District. Various venues show independent, foreign, cult and documentary films amongst the varied events. From what I saw this year, I enjoyed the Belgium/French slapstick comedy, 'The Fairy' at the retro The Electric cinema but the highlight was 'Blank City', a documentary about the 1970s New York's underground film scene featuring clips and interviews with Debbie Harry and John Walters. Look out for next years in March 2013.

Flatpack film festival has taken place in Birmingham every year since 2003. It's a great festival…read morethat see's film, art and performances all over the City. With a vast array of ticketed and free events, there really is something for everyone. The nice thing about Flatpack, is that despite it bringing film and culture from all over the world, it has a distinctly "Birmingham" feel to it. Many of the artists and performers are from the West Midlands and it uses existing cultural events/phenomenons (see the collaborations with the Birmingham Museums "Home of Metal" experience for an idea) to create a canvas showcasing the biggest and best that the area has to offer. Flatpack mainly takes place over March, but also does a few events scattered over the year. December has seen "Silent Night" take place at Christmas at St Phillips Cathedral for the last few years. It's a film night which shows a classic silent movie with live piano accompaniment (and festive drinks and snacks being served), as well as showing home movies from Birmingham with a Christmas theme. A couple of years ago we went to a UK premiere of a Japanese Anime film being shown at the Electric, which was a real treat. Ticket prices for events vary, but don't break the bank and you can buy a pass to go to as many of the events and screenings as you wish. Now coming into it's 7th year, it's easy to see why locals and visitors treasure and enjoy the varied offerings of Flatpack festival. If you have never been, I recommend you keep an eye on the website to see what offerings are posted for 2014.

Moseley Folk really are the Kings of the local folk revival and their main festival held annually…read morein Moseley Park and Pool is a real highlight on the Brum music calendar. Growing this successful brand this year they attempted their first camping festival and were wise enough to start with a very small acorn. Only 500 tickets were available and even though some of the names were fairly big (Fionn Regan, Scott Matthews, Benjamin Francis Leftwich) the festival had a lovely, intimate, family feel. The site itself is a real find, very near the home of Nick Drake, in Tanworth in Arden. There was yummy food from the Soul Food Project and local booze from Purity. They've started some nice traditions already including an outdoor fire that was kept alight the whole time the festival was running. No, the weather didn't help. But it is a great start from these chaps and I imagine a great oak will grow from this . . .

Newly launched in 2012, The Lunar Festival is run by the same team who brought us Moseley Folk…read moreFestival and the Mostly Jazz Festival. The setting was Nick Drake's spiritual home of Tanworth-In-Arden. A festival of acoustic music with folky-leanings, Scott Matthews, Fionn Regan and Benjamin Francis Leftwich headlined the main stage on each night, while singer-songwriters from the local area and further afield played sets on both the Northern Sky and the Riverman stages. With only 500 tickets on sale, most of them were snapped up by those preferring a more intimate festival, a welcome change from the corporate, sponsored rock-based behemoths. With this small amount of people you see familiar faces, the queues for food and toilets are small, and everything is more amiable and easier. Kids can get into Umberslade Farm Park to look at the animals and to play in the adventure playground. The highlight of the weekend for me was Fionn Reagan whose witty, wordy, highly poetic songs with references to literature, historical figures and odd places are among the best that I believe have been written. You don't believe me? Buy his 2006 album 'The End of History and you might be converted. Keep a watch of the website for details of next year's festival.

It seems rather strange that a city like Chester doesn't have a decent cinema closer than this,…read moreanother cloned multiplex in an out-of-town retail park in the middle of nowhere, but there it is. Actually I say the middle of nowhere, that's just what it felt like during the 20 minute drive in the dark - it's actually on the edge of Ellesmere Port, but that's hardly a hub of civilisation in itself. It's the typical retail park scenario, you know the kind of thing - windy roads, lots of roundabouts, a steady breeze sweeping the tumbleweeds past as you're dazzled by the neon glow from Burger King, Nandos, Pizza Hut, Frankie & Benny's, Bella Italia, and the other usual suspects. The cinema experience itself was just like any other Vue, I just hate this universal trend towards corporate blandness that insists on building these huge conglomerate retail parks in the middle of nowhere.

This is really the only choice of cinema in the Chester area if you are looing for decent screen…read moresize and a good amount of leg room. It's annoying to get to without a car as the buses can be quite bad and sometimes don't show up at all. If you can get there then it is a far better venue than any cinema nearer to the city. With a large number of screens there are a lot of films on offer at any one time. In fact last time we visited, my wife ended up watching a different film to me, and this worked out great with only a 20 minute wait for one of us. The food is obviously a massive rip off, but that is true of every cinema these days. Luckily the rest of the retail park offers a range of restaurants to suit al tastes so it is worth eating before or after the film rather than spending a similar amount on a drink and some ice cream.

Large multi-screen cinema within the Dome. My party visited screen 7 (I think there were several…read moremore), so that's the only one I can comment on. To get to the cinema you go up some neon-decorated escalators. Very flash! The foyer is pretty much what you expect of a cinema, with popcorn, ice cream etc available. From there we went up another escalator, with some interesting views of the inside of the dome. The 'screen' was a really nice room. The seats were a good size and pretty comfy with plenty of leg room and a drink holder. They did however suffer from a bit of vibration transference, so you knew when your neighbours were moving around! Sound was excellent without being deafening.

A large multi screen cinema in the dome, this is good to visit if you fancy a bit of a drive out of…read moretown. There's lots of bars and restaurants surrounding it so you can make a nice night of it. The screens themselves are large and the seats very comfy. I found there to be more leg room than in normal Vue cinemas. Watch out though if you're driving, it says on the website that you can get free parking if you're going to the cinema, but then it doesn't tell you in which car parks when you arrive. We parked in a pay & display but were refused a refund.

Best pride yet this year. As always it was great to see so many people take to the streets of…read moreBirmingham for a huge party over the whole weekend. This years event was two full days of colour, glitter music and dancing bringing together world class touring acts and local acts/brands. The parade...amazing....the overall vibe....amazing..,,the drag....fierce....what is there not to like!! If you haven't been to a pride event I would say you are missing out. If you want to meet loads of wonderful people and see some insane levels of creativity then get a ticket for 2017 as soon as they go on sale. You save a whole load of $$ as the price goes up throughout the year. Commit early and save them coins for. New hairpiece, dress or pair of size 12 platforms.

Birmingham Pride is a two day festival that takes place every year on the second bank holiday in…read moreMay. I.e. the end of May. (Apart from when it was moved to coincide with the Queen's jubilee in 2012. There's a joke in there somewhere....) It's one of the biggest gay prides in the country rivaled only by Manchester in it's size, output and running time. This is, like all Prides now, a ticketed event which helps to reduce homophobic people coming along for a free party and throwing abuse at pride goers (I have seen it in the past). There was once a time where pride was grassroots and a protest however nowadays they are more a chance to celebrate who we are and where we've come. The protest is still there with local community groups, gays bars and clubs and national charities marching in the parade on the Saturday (Usually kicks off at 12pm from Victoria Sq). This is a great visual statement to the City of Birmingham that 'we're here and we're queer' as the parade runs all the way down New St and finishes in Hurst St. Tickets are very reasonable, at just £15 for a weekend ticket IF YOU BOOK IN ADVANCE. They are £15 on the day, for a day ticket. That gets you entry into the pride area and allows you to go to all the gays bars, which will be open and free. They usually extend the bars by erecting tents and marquees outside of them allowing for the increased amount of people to all find a place to grab a drink. There are a variety of areas which include: The Mains Stage The Cabaret Tent The Village Green The Women's Tent The Chic Dance Tent The fairground Market stalls So you will not be short of places to go and thing to do! Support pride and equality whilst having a truly fabulous time!

Winterbourne is a great place for a sunny day. £5 gives you access to the Arts and Crafts house and…read moregardens, both of which are lovely. Behind the more formal gardens are woodland trails (you might even see a beech tree I helped to coppice as a student many years ago) and Edgbaston reservoir, a calm expanse of water populated by ducks, moorhens and crested grebes. There are beautiful waterside rock gardens with stepping stones, which I love. The whole place feels like a sanctuary from the city and is conveniently located close to the Barber Institute and the university campus if you want to make more of a day of it. There's a tea room which sells serviceable scones (with that really aerated cream rather than proper whipped or clotted cream though) and also sandwiches, soup and potatoes etc. You can get plants and gifts at the shop- and if you go during the week you may be able to get some advice from the gardeners, too.

Beautiful House and garden just 5 minutes away from Birmingham University. Amazing greenhouses…read morefilled with various flowers, cacti, plants. Such a lovely place to visit on a summer day especially if you check out their tearoom by the terrace!

The best thing that can be said about Uttoxeter Railway Station is that it's useful. The most…read moresignificant thing that can be said is that it's next to the main Uttoxeter Racecourse. And that's all the attributes that it can really boast in the 21st century. It's unstaffed, there's no ticket sales point, no refreshment point, no toilet facilities, no waiting rooms and no lots of other things. It's a two-track station, with each side of the platform having a covered shelter. The seats inside are that awful slanted bench style (to discourage Special-Brew swilling itinerants and teenagers?) and they aren't always any too clean (proof of the failure of their purpose?). On the small walkway up there is a public payphone. Hooray. But don't expect to be able to catch a taxi into town .. The Uttoxeter Taxi service is legendary - in that many people have heard of it, most people believe it probably exists, but no-one you ever speak to has seen it for real. I kid you not. If you do manage to get hold of a taxi number then be sure to book well in advance - at least a day or two, if you have a shed-load of luggage to porter. There are town buses that stop here, although in all my years of travelling to Uttoxeter I've never actually seen one. Another myth I hope to disprove one day. The other down-side is that whilst Platform One can be walked straight onto from the car park, you have to cross the track on foot (no bridge or tunnel) to reach Platform Two. I've done this with luggage and a small toddler in a buggy in the past, and it's actually quite scary, worrying if a wheel is going to get stuck. It wasn't always like this - the town has been rail-linked since 1848, and at one stage in it's 19thC history had three railway stations to boast of. But progress dictates change and at the end of the 19thC these were amalgamated into the one station that still stands today. A fire destroyed the station building back in the late 1980's and was never rebuilt to it's full glory. Now, however it simply serves the Crewe/Derby line, with it's gateway to larger stations are Stoke and Stafford. The trains are faily regular - hourly - and if they run on time (reasonably so) then at least the station is soon a thing of memory!

This station really is a waste and could be used for better routes to Birmingham and further afield…read morebut it only goes to either Crewe or Derby. The station is very simple and small, the timetables are clear and readily available to view. It does get a bit busy at peak times but the queues are not normally too bad. The biggest problem is the lack of parking here.