Omega Sektor is basically a giant gaming centre equiped with hitech gear for the ultimate gaming…read moreexperience. It is based in the old Virgin megastore building in Birmingham city centre at the top nearly of Corporation Street. I was lucky enough to visit the day before opening of this place along with the press, and got to try out pretty much everything there, consequently I have returned a couple of times and its fantastic. There are different themed rooms, all with state of the art systems loaded with all the latest games. There is also a familly room downstairs, a VIP area, a beanbag and movie area and a bar. Also as an added bonus the chairs are so comfy. Its free to join, and its £5 each time you go but you can stay as long as you want and theres loads of things from Wiis, Xbox to PS3 and of course the computers. Its definatly a gamers heaven, although not for me.

I'm not a gamer myself, and hearing about Omega Sektor I had to check it out. I can honestly say…read morethat I've never seen anything the size/scale of this when it comes to gaming, it really is a cyber paradise, the gamer's dream come true. The budget must have been astonomical, and i cannot understand how they have spent so much money on this place. It opened in teh summer of 2007, and it provides a 21st Century arcade style gaming, providing a casual yet high-tech social experience for all ages and abilities. You pay £5 membership which is a one-off fee, and then can roam the club, and play consoles, buying time on a particlar station at your leisure. There are many chill out areas and cafes to relax in between games. I heard of a week night 18+ gaming night that they were doing, where you can have a few drinks and play a few shoot-em up games with mates, sounds great to me, with the academy just round the corner for after...well worth checking out i think! I can see something like this taking off, as there's nothing on the same scale in Brum, and with its prime location just 2 mins away from teh Bull Ring, i wish them the best of luck, and encourage you guys to check it out!

Don't do it - crap place.read more

Yes! I love planetariums! The night sky is a damn beautiful thing, and planetariums are a great…read moreplace to learn a little more. Pay £1.50 for the privilege for adults, I'm not sure how much for children, sorry, and queue up on the third floor. The seats are comfy, filling from the middle where the best view is. The show isn't too long, and gives you an idea of the night sky on the night that you watch the show, visible planets, constellations and where to look for them, with the zodiacs marked in red. The voice is clear, but there are a couple of stumbles that they were too lazy to re-record, come on, think tank! There's also a nice section on the ISS with Tim peak too. Two things: One, there are a couple of dizzy bits, not too bad, but something to think about if you suffer badly. Two, please, for everyone's sake, control your kids, it's not fair if they're kicking off, running around and talking, and you will get ejected for it.

Many of us I'm sure remember visits to the Planetariums of yester-year where a big ball of light in…read morethe centre shone a pattern of stars above and all around. Well things have certainly moved on, as my recent visits to the Thinktank Planetarium or, 'Fulldome' (to use the up-to-date name) have confirmed. The old star-ball that I remember being in the middle of Planetarium domes has disappeared and been replaced with state-of-the-art digital projectors and computers. So instead of sitting and watching a fixed pattern of stars in the night sky I held onto my seat as I orbited the moon, flew past constellations, across entire galaxies and was still back home for tea time! Gone seem to be the days when all you would see at a Planetarium were Astronomy and Space films, as a quick visit to the Thinktank's Planetarium web site told me. I found the best place to check out all the latest events was the Thinktank Planetarium's own Facebook page. With interesting and buzzing contributions from over 3,000 followers I found it well worth visiting and re-visiting. When night time comes the Thinktank Planetarium are throwing open their doors open to put on shows featuring a new breed of Fulldome films now being made by creative people locally and world-wide. I have now been to a couple of these night time shows and can say without a doubt they are something special. The hosts are likeable and enthusiastic with a passion for what they are doing and this really adds to the experience. In the interval we had a drink in the IMAX, 'I-Bar'. The Millennium point complex also houses a full-on giant screen IMAX cinema which made me think of combining a visit to the Planetarium Fulldome with an IMAX visit to see the latest 3D blockbuster like Pirates 4! The experience of watching these new films I found quite difficult to explain to my freinds. Whether it's the music of Pink Floyd set to amazing visuals or any of the other prize-winning Fulldome films now being shown, I was transported somewhere new and exiting. The experience can be very immersive and that's why after my first visit to a Thinktank Fulldome show I never quite viewed a normal cinema film screening in the same way - not even the IMAX! As Morpheus said to Neo in the Martix, " No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself" The same can be said about the Thinktank Planetarium Fulldome. So why not, "Take the red pill" and give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

Scary Canary is a cool little bar / venue at the top of Stourbridge High Street, housed in the…read moreformer McDonalds building. On entering through a fairly plain black door you walk upstairs to find yourself in a lovely room filled with quirky lighting, mis-matched chairs, tables and sofas and with loads of art by local artists on the walls, (most of it for sale). The venue regularly hosts gigs, film nights and quizzes with a different theme each week. Last time I did a film quiz there, one of the rounds was 'who can draw the best picture of Steve Buscemi'! The bar is well stocked with a good range of beers, wine and spirits and also sells snacks like crisps and nuts. It also has a really great sound system and a small area that serves as a stage and dance floor. I went to Scary Canary last night for a birthday party and had a great evening, I would really recommend it as an alternative to all of the chain / old man pubs that are in Stourbridge.

Hooray to the independent music venues!…read more I love the fact that the Ballroom has been refurbished by private developers in a bid to restore the heart in Birminghams central music scene. Nowadays, bands tend to be left with 2 options. Either play at a small dingy venue where a limited number of fans can afford to come and see you, or play at a large arena which not only costs fans a ridiculous amount of money to come but you also need to be pretty big time to fill the gig. That's where the Ballroom shines and continues to make its mark on the industry. Large enough to put on a memorable gig but so reasonably priced it enables everyone to come and enjoy the experience. The sound system was OK, I have heard better but overall it was a good night, crackin atmosphere and the drinks weren't too expensive either.

Although it's early days, the Birmingham Ballroom already shows signs of settling down as the city…read morecentre's premier mid-large music venue experience. Having laid empty and derelict for over a year, the venue was bought up by disillusioned ex-employees from the Academy group with a view to open a venue that openly challenged the O2 Academy. Having refurbished the old Academy 1 and 2 (and the Bar Academy next door), there is a nostalgic familiarity attached to The Ballroom that its owners have knowingly traded in on: Although the floor is no longer notoriously sticky, it feels like visiting an old friend. The bar is far more reasonable than the new O2, and is constantly offering night-specific drinks promotions. Touring acts are becoming more frequent as the venue becomes more established and it will be competing with the O2 and the Institute within a few months, arguably. But the Ballroom's real lure for me is knowing that an independent venue lies within the city centre once more (the Flapper is perhaps too far a walk to be considered truly 'central'), and that goes a long way with me.

Free museum in Birmingham city centre focusing on contemporary art. It's in a very grand building,…read moreso I thought the museum would be big too, but it wasn't. Well there is a lot of empty space, and not that much to see. Few different rotating exhibitions, I saw some on the rave scene in the 80s and also racial violence from the 60-90s. On the way out I accidentally insulted one of the artists, but he just brushed it off.

We visited this museum yesterday and we really liked it. Both the exterior and interior of the…read morebuilding are beautiful. The museum has a terrific selection of paintings from the 15th, 16th & 17th centuries and a particularly good selection of Pre-Raphaelites. There's a *gorgeous*/large Edwardian tea room and also a separate café (the latter is small and attractive). The gift shop isn't very large, but it had some nice items. Also, I had a wonderful conversation with one of the guards; she was very friendly and kind-hearted.

Lights out, and away we go to Birmingham's best Kart track…read more This track stands out above all the others in the local area due to its challenging layout and new (as of May 2015) Bizkarts that present a challenge to the experience and novice karter alike. The circuit is almost a Kilometre in length and rewards experienced drivers, so not only will you notice an improvement in your lap times over the course of your event but repeated bookings will lead to a serious lowering of your times. And there's always a helpful member of staff around to give you advice on how to further improve your technique. Novice karters will have all the advice and equipment needed to ensure their first time behind the wheel is as enjoyable as possible, while more experienced karters are free to bring their own race suit and helmet if they so desire. Despite being outdoor, the track isn't weather dependant either, waterproof race suits will be issues and a lot more fun is had in the wet for those brave enough to master the slippy conditions! The circuit caters for the usual stag dos,birthday parties and corporate team building events, but once a month the always popular "open" events are for more experienced Karters to really tear up the track. These usually happen on the first sunday of every month. There is an arrive and drive option too, on Saturdays from 10-3pm. There is also a Junior circuit, for children from the age of 8 upwards, which is ideal for kids Birthday parties.

This is a nice play to go with a group of friends or work colleagues for fun. It's normally busy on…read morethe weekends, but the best way to beat this is by booking your session in advance. They provide one to one lessons if you're interested in taking your karting skills to the next level, but that you cost you more.

Good social club have good tribute bands on here most months good priced tickets an a food platter…read morethey do for two quid each is great value nice little club in small village

I love Birmingham; it is a vibrant, creative, diverse and historical city. Digbeth lies at the…read morecities south side and has changed dramatically over the years. I never ventured to Digbeth in my childhood; it was an area of industry and manufacturing, not a shopping centre or a high street. In terms of architecture, little has changed in Digbeth since then. The industrial buildings are part of our cities history and they have stood there since the industrial revolution, yet their purpose now has changed. The end British manufacturing ensured Digbeths decline. That, however changed as arts and creativity took hold of the area. The Custard Factory is now a hub for the arts and independent businesses. Sadly, Digbeth lacks an intimate music venue. That is until now. Today I found what I was looking for; a newly opened hidden gem in Digbeth's gentrified core. If you take a short walk up Meriden Street you will know what I'm talking about. Walk past the red letter box on Meriden Street and Suki10c is instantly recognisable by its artistic frontage. They have taken a traditional old boozer and have covered the frontage in stunning works of contemporary urban art. The artists that have contributed to painting on the outside of the pubs walls are Mac 1, Juice 126, Tempo 33, Ouch!, N4T4 and Philth, some seriously talented and well recognised artists. When most people think of urban art they think of Banksy. In creative terms, Banksy is just the tip of the iceberg in what has become a global phenomenon in art. At the core of the iceberg lies Suki10c (pron. Suck it and see) When I stepped inside Suki10c I was welcomed to an intimate and inviting environment where it was clear that the pervasive theme of this establishment is as a creative hub in an ever expanding artistic and creative community. The music policy is across the board, they have open mic nights fortnightly on a Thursday. The remaining Thursdays are dedicated to DJ Dojo night where they play breaks and old school Hip Hop. I hope they start a battle rap night. The venue would be perfect for it. There is a stage that is perfect for bands and DJ's and they have quality 5k soundsystem. The acoustics are perfect for heavy bass and midrange beats. I can't wait to see a band play here. The staff were friendly and told me that the establishment was galvanised by a talented soul that died age 26 in a car crash. His name was Chris 'Kreios' Lloyd. He was heavily involved in the Birmingham music scene for many years and will be sorely missed by his friends and family. A portrait of him sits in pride of place behind the bar. The most touching aspect I found was the stained glass window at the entrance that was made by his mother in her son's memory. Rest in Peace Kreios. Suki10c is the next main venue in Birmingham; it will have a great future and will give many great memories to a great number of people.

I sucked it; I saw; it was pretty damn good to be fair…read more Suki10c is the new and improved version of The Spotted Dog, on the corner of Bordesley and Meriden Street; just over the road from Latif's. The venue is a joint venture by Dave Whittall of Drop Beats Not Bombs fame and Laur Beech. Now officially open to the public, this tiny bar and music venue is sure to appeal to the fallout from the Medicine Bar with a great mix of live music from many up and coming dubstep, rap, hip-hop and grime artists. You can't miss it as it stands proud in matte black, covered in vibrant street art. The interior also boasts some fine artwork and there is a seating area plus a cosy courtyard. The capacity may be small at around 150 people but this doesn't stop Suki10c from feeling busy and full of new faces. The bar is closed from Mon to Wed but is open Thursdays and 24 hours all weekend. So if you, like me, are missing the glory days of the Medicine Bar then this is the place to go. It's close to town but far enough into Digbeth to have that edge, the artists are raw and exciting and the sound is immense. Find them on Facebook for more info.