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hello,

Once again an event-light summer has been followed
by an autumn pileup of gigs and screenings. To help
sift through some of this we have compiled one of our
occasional Birmingham listings mailouts. As ever we’re
not responsible for these – we just thought they
looked interesting.

Firstly, some Flatpack notices…

BIRMINGHAM – THE MAGIC CITY
Last week we were part of a Birmingham contingent
at Liverpool Biennial, launching a section of the City
States exhibition. (more…)

In a break with protocol, I’m pasting below our listings email for this month. If you’d like to receive these in your inbox, sign up for the email list on the lefthand side.
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hello,

During a rare breathing space we have found time
to compile a list of interesting things happening
around Birmingham over the next 31 days or so.
As you’ll see there is an embarrassment of festivals
(seven at least) and plenty more besides. As usual,
we’re not responsible for any of these events, and
apologies in advance if we’ve missed something out.
Happy heatwave!
(more…)

As you might know we send out regular emails about our gigs and other things going on. We used to post all of these online, but on the whole I like keeping these things email-only; the format just seems wrong for a blog. But then again sometimes we’ll stick them up here… This one includes a spate of upcoming filmnights. To receive future updates, stick your address in the box on the left.

hello,

This Wednesday sees 7 Inch Cinema visiting the Victoria pub
for a one-off special to mark the close of the Birmingham Book
Festival…
(more…)

A brief word for Living by Henry Green, a 1929 novel set in a Birmingham foundry. Not sure how it took me so long to hear of this but it’s one of the most lovely things I’ve read in ages. Strange, elliptical style with very few definite/indefinite articles and amazing eye for detail, although maybe not such an ear for dialect (played more west country than brummie in my head). Anyway, worth picking up.

Please find below our most recent listings splurge…
(more…)

A mountain of knitted mice, created by Joyce Hall. We’ve been steadily handing these out as we trundle around on the Travelling Picture Show, and will be distributing the last few this month. Beyond the jump is a list of the remaining tour dates, and a copy of this month’s copious listings mailout. If you want to receive these things on a regular basis fill out the box on the left.
(more…)

Ok, so a few things have been sneaking up on here that we should draw your attention to…

TRAVELLING PICTURE SHOW
Project page for this summer’s kids tour, following a storming weekend of matinees at the Electric. Dates already booked in Bromsgrove, Brum, Pershore, Shrewsbury, and plenty more to come;

WORCESTERSHIRE ON FILM mk2
Worcester and Bretforton, lock up your granddaughters. Actually, don’t;

MAKING DO
Walsall knees-up on 7th May in tandem with Capsule and featuring Pram, July Skies, and the Winter League. And most imminently;

7INCH no.36
Back to the Hare and Hounds, with a crate of good short stuff and guest DJ Jonny Costello. Includes Jeff Keen’s cut-up comic-book overload MARVO MOVIE (pictured above, from the ace new BFI dvd set), a taster for Jo Hamilton’s tour diary GOWN (ditto, and vimeo’d here) and Lucy McLauchlan’s timelapse mural in TACIT (embedded below). Beyond the jump I’ve pasted this morning’s emailout – to receive these as nature intended, sign up on the left.

Beat13 / Lucy McLauchlan “Tacit” from Beat13 on Vimeo.

(more…)