Birmingham Open Media, 1 Dudley St, Birmingham B5 4EG
Karaoke(ART) activates video through invitation - for contemporary artists to reinterpret the available space of karaoke, to use it as they wish, to add, unbalance, distort or reveal truths that can be pulled from the undercurrents of their chosen song. Review by Cathy Wade.
Eastside Projects, 86 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham B9 4AR
I got all kinds of reactions from friends and family when I told them I was off to sleep with a curator. Your idea of hell or unique, horizontal networking? Kate Self reviews
The Old Print Works, 506 Moseley Rd, Birmingham B12 9AH
Miguel Gutierrez makes performances ‘that are about things and are things themselves. The things they are about are big: how to live in the world, how to love, how to feel about being yourself’. Kim McAleese reviews
The Drum, 144 Potters Ln, Birmingham B6 4UU
Season Butler is a maker-upper of stories. She plays provocatively and evocatively with truth and fiction, musing on the difference between what is unlawful and what is against the rules. Marlene Smith reviews
DanceXchange, Thorp St, Birmingham, West Midlands B5 4TB
There is a power struggle between us, the audience, trying to fix our own meaning onto these multiplicitous bodies, and these bodies constantly tricking us, evading us, sending us on a wild goose-chase. The show teases us, castigating us lightly for trying to force the violence of our own perception and interpretation on these bodies. Louise Orwin responds to Supernatural.
Various locations, Birmingham
In Victoria Square, performers play with the topographical change of the public realm, rolling their bodies against the Town Hall wall like water settling at the bottom of a valley. Review by Alessandro Columbano
COW, 82-85 Digbeth High Street, Birmingham B5 6DY & The Drum, 144 Potters Ln, Birmingham B6 4UU
In the YouTube/Spotify universe where we expect flashy visuals and every song present at our fingertips, in a world where recorded music is so often the sound of the background, the gentle fumbling of the record player and clumsiness of the vinyl is charming. The liveness of the performance offers an alternative mode of being together, a difference pace for our communal rhythm. Review by Phoebe Patey-Ferguson
The Old Print Works, 506 Moseley Rd, Birmingham B12 9AH
The short songs are beat heavy, rhythmic and repetitive, perfect for dancing, right? But to close your eyes and freestyle doesn’t feel right. This is observation dance music. Review by Sarah Lafford
Lakeside Gallery, Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Birmingham B9 4AA
Culture, when the administration is sophisticated (as it is here), will often leave us trembling; our knowledges questioned, comforts challenged and consumerist engagement practices interrupted. Benjamin Sebastian reviews
Moseley Road Baths, Moseley Rd, Birmingham B12 9AN
SLIP, Fierce Festival’s two-day take-over of the disused Women’s Slipper Baths at the historic Moseley Road Baths, is reviewed by Phoebe Patey-Ferguson.
Birmingham Open Media, 1 Dudley St, Birmingham B5 4EG
Race Cards is a stream of consciousness that emerges from an epic durational work. The questions are a mapping of Thompson’s thoughts containing humour, tragedy, irony and pathos. Harold Offeh reviews the project.
mac birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, West Midlands B12 9QH
Performers are so frequently on stage as the audience enters that it barely warrants notice, but in McIntosh’s piece it is significant - it is the first instance of her observing us as a collective. She is not just sitting of course. She is watching and apparently noticing. Deborah Pearson responds to All Ears.
The Mockingbird Theatre, Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Birmingham B9 4AA
Martinez appears in a crisp white suit and a flash of jewellery. She's dressed elegantly, so when she whips out a trowel and mixed cement, any preconceived ideas a chauvinist might have on gender are called into question. Eloise Fornieles reviews the performance at Fierce Festival.
Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Rd, Coventry, West Midlands CV4 7AL
I am greeted by the following sign when I arrive: ‘‘Weaklings’ performance contains scenes of a sexual nature and content that some viewers may find disturbing’. I can’t wait! I don’t leave the house for anything less. Review by Leo Francisco
