New this year as part of Paradise Summer Live is the B:music lunch time take-over. Usually based in the Town Hall and Symphony Hall, B:Music seeks to inspire a love of live music, through performance, participation and learning across Birmingham and beyond and we are excited to welcome them to Paradise.
The pop up sessions are bringing those artists who usually perform as part of the Live at B:eats series at the B:eats café at Symphony Hall out into Chamberlain Square for a week of musical fun from songwriters to space funk and everything in between! Daily between 12:30-1:30pm. The Live at B:eats series runs throughout the year at Symphony Hall, and more information on that series (and the menu for the delicious food at B:eats café) can be found here: B:Music | B:Music
Friday 1st August
Nashville Sounds in the Round
Birmingham’s premier country songwriter event Nashville Sounds in the Round in partnership with B:Music invites artists to tell the stories behind their songs in a Bluebird Café style ‘in the Round’ session, stripping the songs back to their origins and transporting the audience right back to the writing rooms. Three different acts are involved: Gasoline & Matches, Outpost Drive and Rhiannon Paige.
Gasoline & Matches
Gasoline & Matches are a high energy, multi-award winning, dual fronted British band combining close harmonies, melodic guitar licks and serious musicianship. Fronted by Birmingham natives Sally Rea Morris and Stephen Marks, they are fierce entertainers known for their tongue-in-cheek and much-loved song “Never Have I Ever” described by Bob Harris as “Clever, funny, totally original…and it’s Country!” They built momentum after multiple spins on BBC Radio 2, and never fail to get festival goers on their feet to participate in the infamous drinking game which inspired the song. As resident hosts of Nashville Sounds in the Round, their Bluebird Cafe style songwriter round at Birmingham Symphony Hall, it’s clear to see their contribution & influence on Country and Americana music in the Midlands.
Outpost Drive
Outpost Drive is a transatlantic country duo where the American South meets England, featuring Mary Bragg Robinson from Alabama and Willow Robinson from the English countryside. They blend southern storytelling with British edge, delivering fiery vocals, anthemic guitar, and raw chemistry. Married in Alabama after meeting in L.A., they now record in rural England. With viral videos, sold-out tours, and support from BBC and Absolute Radio, they’ve shared stages with The Shires and Myles Smith. Their singles have charted on iTunes UK Country, and their explosive live shows are winning fans worldwide — defining a bold new frontier in country music.
Rhiannon Paige
The country-pop rebel with a big voice and bigger dreams. Hailing from Bristol, Rhiannon Paige is a country-pop-rock powerhouse with a story as inspiring as her songs. Born with significant hearing loss, she didn’t let that stop her from falling in love with music. She is now making serious waves in the music scene. Think Alanis Morissette’s raw energy meets Kacey Musgraves’ cover story telling, all wrapped up in powerful vocals and irresistible stage presence.
Saturday 2nd August
B’Opera
A B’Opera family concert featuring all creatures great and small, through beautiful live musical storytelling. A chance for little ones (and their grown-ups!) to dance, prance, jump, move and sing along in the heart of the city!
B’Opera create immersive musical experiences for babies, toddlers, and their grown-ups through a blend of weekly workshops, relaxed concerts, and original baby operas.
Led by professional musicians and educators, they blend classical music, storytelling, and sensory play into relaxed, child-centred performances.
From libraries to hospitals, community gardens to theatres, B’Opera collaborate with partners across the West Midlands. They are weekly Visiting Artists at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and partners on the Birmingham Early Years Music Consortium, Sounds of Play, working to nurture and develop best practice in early years music across the city.
Find out more at www.bopera.co.uk
Sunday 3rd August
Dal Singh
Dalbir Singh Rattan, ‘Dal’, is a Leeds born drummer who likes to be known as the ‘Tabla Jedi’. He is a gifted player from the Beneras style and introduces the future of British drumming in the shape of his mighty Tabla!
Dal has worked and recorded with the Mod Father Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene and Richard Ashcroft.
Tuesday 5th August
Black Fridays
The Black Fridays are a Birmingham-based band, eclectically influenced by the likes of Talking Heads, Steely Dan and The Teardrop Explodes, to name but a few. While “unpigeonholeable” there are unmistakable elements from genres like Soul, Funk, New Wave and Indie within their sound. They’re a musical force to be reckoned with – and not to be missed!
Wednesday 6th August
Oomparty Band
Dust off your lederhosen, fill your steins and warm up those vocal cords — The Oomparty Band will be here to take you to the baddest Bavarian bash you’ve ever seen.
Roaming through the crowd and stirring up mayhem, The Oomparty Band performs unique covers of huge club classics, throwback anthems and noughties dance hits — all with their signature oompah twist. Get ready to dance, sing, and party all lunchtime long!
Thursday 7th August
Bluebird Belles Duo
The Bluebird Belles are a sensational female vocal group known for their captivating harmonies and vintage charm. With a musical style firmly rooted in the golden era of the 1940s and 1950s, this UK-based group has been enchanting audiences nationwide since 2015.
The Belles’ repertoire spans classic hits from the Andrews Sisters, the Chordettes, and other iconic vocal groups of the era and their performances are a journey back in time, complete with glamorous attire and impeccable vocal delivery that transport audiences to a bygone era of elegance and romance.
Beyond their musical prowess, the Bluebird Belles have garnered a dedicated following through their commitment to preserving and celebrating the vintage aesthetic. They’ve graced stages at renowned venues, festivals, and even appeared in film and television productions.
Friday 8th August
Ben Dwyer Xperiment
Travelling from the far reaches of outer space, The Ben Dwyer Xperiment invites you to experience something truly extraordinary – a musical voyage that knows no boundaries. With their unique blend of grooves, improvisation, and cosmic rhythms, they invite listeners to experience something truly otherworldly – an immersive journey into uncharted musical territory.
Saturday 9th August
The Lost Notes
The Lost Notes are a Folk/UK-Americana band from Birmingham, renowned for their energetic, joyous, live shows, with a sound that “Fits in amongst peers like Fleet Foxes, …Fairport Convention… Crosby Stills Nash and Young.” (Rocking Magpie). Their three albums showcase original songs rooted in “three-part vocal harmonies that would make even a Beach Boy sit up and take notice…” (At The Barrier).
Help amplify and protect the past, present and future of Town Hall
B:Music, which runs both Town Hall and Symphony Hall, is putting a call out for anyone with pictures, stories or memorabilia about the various events and concerts they’ve enjoyed at Town Hall over the years to drop them a line.
Culminating in a permanent on-site exhibition and the creation of a fully accessible digital archive, making the history of Town Hall available to a national and worldwide audience for the first time, the Amplify programme wants to hear about a favourite gig, show, exhibition or event. Get in touch by visiting bmusic.co.uk/amplify-memorabilia-stories