Is this the best party space that Birmingham has EVER had? I think it could be. Outdoor dancefloor…read morethat's undercover, Funktion one sound and a bar that's undercover.....just ideal for dancing in the summer months. Overlooking the rainbow arena and warehouse spaces of the city this is a venue with a view as well as some seriously good music. Special shouts so SOUP who have been providing an amazing crowd to the space for many weeks over the summer as well as djs that can keep the place moving until the very early hours. If you havent been there yet....there is still time! The terrace will be on over September while it's still warm enough to do so. Check the Rainbow venues facebook or website for details!

If you're looking for either a glam night out with the girls, or a night out with the guys checking…read moreout the glam girls then Mechu is the place to go. A firm favourite with the cities footballers and high earning business professionals, you can expect to see bottles of champagne all over the place. I'm 26 and the last time I went I felt quite overwhelmed with how many older men were in there. If you're looking for a wild drunken night with a younger crowd then this probably won't be for you unless you go on the student night which takes place on a Thursday. However if you prefer the idea of drinking with a more mature crowd in quality surroundings then it's definitely worth checking out on a Saturday night. Some of the cities best DJ's can be found playing so you'll be provided with the perfect soundtrack all night long.

Although it seems a bit perfunctory to diss Mechu for its VIP-style snobbery and expensive bar…read moreprices (after all, that's the point!), it has to be said that this is not for the likes of people like me who spent most of their formative clubbing days spilling snakebite over their converse in various dark and dingy indie discos. However, having attended the upmarket Mechu on a couple of occasions for work parties, I'm happy to report it's not without its pleasures. It's a swanky bar and relatively spacious, the music from the decent DJs supplying both a mix of dance and urban cuts. The booths are good if you're in a group, but make sure you have a stacked wallet. The thing that generally puts me off - and why I'm probably not the intended audience in the first place - is the 'footballers wives' vibe it gives off. I'm not into my footie, so I wouldn't recognise the much purported cameos from Villa FC players - however, there are lots of glam, slightly orange women 'coyly' approaching the blokes in smart threads at the bar and suddenly I'm humming the tune to that Amy Winehouse tune 'F### Me Pumps' as it could have been written about this place. If you've got the cash and you want to avoid the lower-rent version that is Rococo on Broad Street, then by all means splash that cash here. I'd rather lounge about in Island Bar, thanks.

Excellent establishment came up all the way from Evesham highly recommend it particularly good for…read morewinding down after with dealing with the stresses of LUSA

If you have not been to the Nightingale yet.....GO! Over the last few years it has been going from…read morestrength to strength giving the Birmingham gay community a club to be proud of! From week to week the events here do change so be sure to check the website for what's going on but you can expect drag shows from international queens and music from the likes of Ms Dynamite and Aqua?! Door price is usually around £10 but you can usually pick up cheaper advance ticket options. This place can be a seriously good night out and worth every penny :)

Lab 11 I'd somewhere I haven't been to many times but when I go I have to say it's an amazing…read moreexperience. It is everything it need to be its dark it's nasty but you have an amazing time. Everyone is there to have fun and everyone is there to enjoy themselves! No matter what night they are hosting check it out you won't regret it! It's played host to some awesome nights in birmingham and allows everyone who goes to he themselves it's a truly mixed venue and a credit to Birmingham fantastic club scene.

It's not shiny, glamorous or fashionable, but it is fantastic…read more As far as modern venues go, Lab 11 certainly goes against the grain. If you are looking for luxury this isn't for you. If you are open to new experiences, vibes and people step this way! With exposed brick walls, incredible lighting and a distinct lack of décor, oddly enough gives it it's exclusive raw and underground character. The smoking area is fully covered and seems to be under an old railway arch which adds to the covert character of the place. The party spilled out to the smoking area throughout the night which is always a great sign! The bar is small but with a decent enough selection of drinks and a surprisingly short waiting time. The women's bathroom was spacious, with enough mirrors (yes I am being a girl) and well maintained which is always a big plus. Unfortunately their website isn't up-to-date so I am confused as to what nights are held there and when, which is a shame for them and those like us looking for offbeat fun. I was introduced to Lab 11 via 'Massive Events' - massive events for massive party people. Please look for a separate review from me later because their events definitely deserve their own evaluation (nothing less than great FYI).

PST is fairly new to the Birmingham club world and started life out in Balsall Heath as a small get…read moretogether. The club now finds home on the emerging side of Digbeth, where many other venues establish hiding places from the usual taxi drop offs. In other words, be prepared to explain to taxi drivers exactly how to get here before starting off, otherwise you'll be driving around the back streets of Digbeth for hours! The club itself looks like a Tardis in the form of a small house from the roadside. But in fact, the venue is home to three large rooms. The basement, the main room and the newly extended rooftop. Nights on the rooftop are the perfect events for smokers, as they don't have to leave their position or miss out on any of the music. There is also food served on the roof, which to me is ingenious. Many times I have had to walk miles after a club night, in hope to find an open takeaway. But at PST, you don't have to go anywhere. To me, PST is Birmingham's defining reggae club, and holds a reggae and dub night every Thursday on the roof. These nights are always packed full of exceptionally friendly people, and the whole ethos behind the venue name People Stand Together (PST) also reflects this welcoming atmosphere perfectly. You really will struggle not to fit in here, and if you enjoy the sounds of underground music, then PST is definitely the venue to be at. I personally enjoyed a psychedelic trance night in the main room called Kanyini, which transported me back to what I'd except the 90s dance club scene to be like. Fluorescent walls, glow sticks and adrenalin driving beats!

PST is the only club in Birmingham that I can officially and honestly say has 'roots'!…read more Seeing as I love funk, reggae, soul and all other classic tunes that puts all this modern malarkey to shame - PST is the place to come and soak up the good vibrations. Everyone I have ever come across there are some of the soundest, wildest and most chilled people I have ever met, they are enjoying life to the full, with some cool beverages, the occasional salt-fish patty and the finest music. I have witnessed a pop-up break dancing crew on one of the funk nights when there was a lot of 'old-skool' break being mixed, I did attempt to participate and whipped out my best wild, arm-flailing two-step. Once I realised I had just swiftly exhausted my whole dancing resume whilst they were still spinning on their heads, I decided to retire to the rooftop yard and lay-low for a while to avoid embarrassing myself any more. The rooftop yard just adds to PST's supremacy as a venue - the party goes on up there too when the skies are clear. PST is a venue that's on another plane in comparison to these big establishments - it's got character, authenticity and a crowd unlike any other. Get to PST and revel in the best vibes that Birmingham has to offer.

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.

Ever since I first moved to Birmingham in 2003, I have had a love affair with Eddies. From the John…read moreBright Street venue (sadly burned down and now redeveloped) to the temp relocation to the Newt (the worst incarnation of the venue) and then to Gough Street and it's current home at the Tunnel Club; it has always been a part of my life. When it was announced that the Gough Street venue had been sold by the owners; I was gutted. Where else would I get my fix of alternative music, cheap drinks and lovely locals on a Friday night? Luckily, the Tunnel Club stepped in and gallantly provided a new home for this weekend institution. I hadn't managed to make the opening night or the many weekends following, but on Friday the wonderful Squeaky F. was hitting the decks and it was Gem R's Birthday; so it was finally time to see if the club had retained it's rock cave charms. I am pleased to say it has (and it might just be better than ever). The Tunnel Club (as the name suggests) is a warren of a venue. On the night I was there only 3 of the rooms were open, but on a busier Saturday night more of the club is available to explore. I was never a regular at Subway City before the name change (so I can't really remember what it used to be like), but I love the layout of the rooms and the vibe of the venue is perfect for a dirty rock night. The bar is stupidly cheap. A pint of Somersby Cider was £1.50 and spirits and mixer were being sold for £1.40 a go. There is a humble selection of spirits, beers and alcopops on offer and the bar staff were friendly and helpful (telling us what brand their house spirits are allowing me to avoid a very nasty Saturday morning). Friday and Saturday nights vary in the venue now. From the hugely popular goth/rock/metal genres to the EBM nights, you have to keep an eye on their webpage to be up on whats on; but many of the old favourites are still going. The sound was a little off and on on the Friday, but that's something I have come to expect from Eddies over the years. I am so pleased that despite the venue moves, fires and various hardships the club has experienced; Eddies still continues to soldier on. I am a fan of the new venue and hope it continues to be a haunt of the rock community in Birmingham for years to come.

When Eddies announced at the start of June that they would be closing their doors due to a 'change…read morein ownership' of the 'property', a lot of their fans were very disappointed and the response to the announcement was phenomenal. However, the club did not remain closed for long - Colin, its owner, found a new venue in The Tunnel Club on Livery Street, which is where Subway City used to call home. I had been to the Tunnel Club once before, but it was years ago and during a Subway City night. I must admit I didn't enjoy that evening - I hardly recognised any of the music and when I did, it was generally awful (Oasis comes to mind). Consequently, I wasn't sure whether to go to Eddies' re-opening night on the 5th of July, but a few friends and I decided to go and check it out anyway. The club was nothing like what I remembered - as you walk in there is an entrance hall with a seating area and there are some stairs up to a bar with yet another seating area. If you don't take those stairs and go straight ahead instead, you get to the main dance floor, which is massive! There is a balcony all the way round for those who like to survey the room, with seats if you are tired and films for entertainment. There is also a stage, for those who like to show off their dance moves (not me, I might add!). Off to the right from the main dance floor is a set of stairs up to the hair metal room (as I call it - I think it's the 70s/80s metal room?) and off to the left is the goth room. Behind the goth room is yet another seating area. All in all, there is oodles of space and the inclusion of two smoking areas makes sure that there is plenty to explore! It's a little disorientating to start with but I quickly got used to the layout. Just beware of those hidden steps that you can't spot in the dark! The music was pretty good all night, with the main room playing the usual rock mainstays, upstairs catering for those who like their vintage metal and the goth room playing a nice mix of trad and EBM. Everything you could want from a single alternative club, all under one roof. My only complaints are that the club has a distinct smell of damp (quickly goes once you've had a few though!) and the sound upstairs wasn't great - others who like that style of music said they could hardly distinguish one track from another. However, making up for that is the masses of space, the labyrinth to explore with many seating areas for those with sore feet and toilets which were a unexpectedly quite posh! Oh and I forgot about the drinks offers - £1.40 for a house spirit and coke, not bad at all. The opening night ended up being great, perhaps a little overly busy but that should die down in time. Will this new venue stand the test of time? Only one way to find out...

Fairly cheap drinks, and usually an alright night with a real varied set of customers. It's one of…read moremy friends favourites, and we came here recently for her Birthday- booked a booth, which had a reasonable amount of stuff provided, leis, balloons, weird finger torches to cut off your blood circulation, sweets, temporary tattoos (not sure it's hygienic with spit and drinks, but oh well)- and a drinks tab- however, after showing a couple of people to the booth- that was that. It was chasing down the tab and arguing for it and all manner of other humans trying to jump in and nick stuff. I think you have to expect a standard stocked bar, and dodgy loos. You can certainly still have fun here. Find it weird that they pat down guys to get in and not girls- as they could quite as easily be carrying something. DJs are often rude about requests or Birthday shout outs- I don't know if it's been the same guy the few times I've been in but whoever certainly had a serious dose of arrogance going on. I preferred it when it was flares.

I have been going to popworld since last year and I have to admit I love it every single time!…read more It's a 90's/cheesy pop music themed club so if that music isn't for you this isn't going to be your cup of tea. This club used to be flares (70's themed club) but sometime last year it got converted to popworld. Yes it has it's downsides like the dance floor can be very crowded at peak times during the night and the loos are pretty small but there minor issues when your having a laugh and partying away. It's def a place where you leave your ego at the door and just bust a move to 5ive and backstreet boys haha. The drinks are around the same price bracket as reflex so knocking around the cheap/average price range. All the decor is funky colours and cheesy pics from the 90's and the music always gets people on the dance floor, all the way round the dance floor there's tv screens showing the videos of the music being played which is pretty cool. A good little tip when you go there always go to the upstairs bar when upstairs is open because most people just head to the main bar so it leaves upstairs pretty empty and you get served much much quicker! So if you don't mind cheesy music and maybe getting alittle sweaty from dancing like a mad person then you will enjoy this place!

Another worthwhile addition to Birmingham's gay scene, Chic is not devoted to disco as the name…read moremight suggest but is definitely one for nightbirds. When all the other gays have stopped dancing, you can head to Chic and continue pulling shapes thanks to the club's late late license. If you plan on checking it out, be aware it's a bit of a trek from the gay quarter, located more or less opposite the new Academy on Horse Fair, just off the Queensway. It's not the prettiest side of town, but the venue is good for a big night out - although as I prefer my bed now to catching the first train home, I've never been able to last more than an hour after heading to the after-hours night on Saturday. The few times I've been there the music has been big club house anthems, including remixes of popular chart hits, and the drinks prices haven't taken too much advantage of the fact that not many other places are open at 5 in the morning! The crowd is mixed but heavier on the gay quota than perhaps the Loft Lounge, so put your dancing shoes on and make sure you're loaded on Red Bull to see it through to closing time.

I love, love, love this club!…read more If you're looking for a cracking night out with the most up for it - and extremely camp - crowd then you need to check out Chic. We use to pretty much live in there when it used to be called Kudos and speed garage dominated the party scene. Nowadays you'll be provided with a soundtrack that oozes a combination of classic vocal sing-a-longs to bassline anthems. The bars are good, 1 in the side room when you fiirst walk in, 1 large bar in the main room, and another upstairs. Even if the club gets busy the staff are really quick and you always get served without ever having to wait long which is great as the musics that good you won't want to be away from the dancefloor for long! There's also a really cool outside terrace which has a tree house effect with an upper tier full of bean bags... it really is a fabulously fun venue.