So much music. We really do need you to send us your memories and memorabilia to make this page glow.
Ron Brinsdon sent in these tickets from gigs he went to at the Hummingbird
So much music. We really do need you to send us your memories and memorabilia to make this page glow.
Ron Brinsdon sent in these tickets from gigs he went to at the Hummingbird
Saw Yngwie J Malmsteen there on his Eclipse Tour in 1990?? Talked some of my friends from work to come along who hadn’t experienced a rock concert before. Yngwie was so loud I was deaf afterwards for a few days but my friends were deaf for two weeks to a month and didn’t speak to me for a while. One friend was a student from Tanzania who had never experienced anything like it before….what a culture shock for him!!
I saw The Prefects there 25th March, 1978 (Slits, Buzzcocks too). At that time it was called THE TOP RANK SUITE, Dale End, Birmingham..It was kind of a hole in the wall which lead to a big space. Latter I saw The Sugarcubes and latter still, The Fall there. Not the best place, too big really, but glad I saw The Prefects.
I see the ramones there about 1989 i think.
they were brilliant, glad i got the chance to see them.
Remember seeing The Blues Band there in the late 70s / early 80s after walking back from Aston University Printing College. Also in the 90s saw Joe Satriani there and a few times there was a rock disco there on a Friday night.
For the archivists, I’m looking at a poster at the moment for the Slade Alive tour in 1972. It says Slade played there on May 15th when it was known as The Top Rank. Anybody with memories of that night, please post, I’d love to hear them.
I remember the Pretenders/UB40 gig shortly after they changed the name. For some reason, they’d decided it should be a members club and anyone not a member needed to have a member sign them in. It took about an hour to process the crowd into the venue. I think I caught UB40’s last number. I think they were due to have The Clash on around that time.
Another vaguely memorable gig was Martha and the Muffins. They were still pushing their first album and ran out of material before the encore so they had to play the single again.
Rory Gallagher. Enough said.
Saw loads of memorable gigs at this venue in the 1980’s. REM played a superb gig there in (I think 1986) . But also saw Wall of Voodoo, Stars of heaven, Sisters of mercy with Hussey etc and later with the gorgeous Patricia M. these were the ones that stand out. Think i saw Husker Du there too around 1986/7. Also the fall.
ups sorry can you delete the above. have mixed up the Powerhouse and the Hummingbird. The above comments relate to the Powerhouse not the academy. But re the academy did see some fantastic bands from the 1980’s onwards eg Thin White Rope, The Sugarcubes, The fall, The church, to name just ahandful. Will re post on the power house site.
Loved the Hummingbird (along with Barrel Organ and Edwards) for gigs and club nights … Saw so many including
Slayer Helloween Ramones Discharge Nirvana Mega City 4 Dinosaur JR GBH New Model Army Onslaught Too many remember and always a good sat night indie club that name escapes!
Was called Menagerie on Sat nights with Jon playing Wobbles theme tune as last song. Best night around, brought people from miles away, what went on in there & the car park next door made the Swinging Sixties look tame!
Wombles! Stupid autocorrect! Thank God no mobile phones back then, imagine all those screens ruining the atmosphere and if you could have been photographed or videoed…
Ha! Remember “wombles” always a good night !
Do you know Jon the DJ’s surname? Would be good to track him down. Great days in The Hummingbird on Menagerie nights. I’ve set up a Twitter account about 90s indie if you’re on Twitter follow me! Old Skool Indie @indiekid1974
His surname was Henebury
I remember seeing the great
YELLOW MAN think it was earlie 1980 s
Then tfe great STEEL PULSE WHEN THAT STARTED OUT WOW HOW TIME FLYS
I saw Carter USM there,think it was 1992,great night,Frank and Walters and PWEI supporting.
Had to share!
Enjoy 😊
https://open.spotify.com/user/indiekid1974/playlist/6iFghq7RNY33PMBmOtu075
Hi Kimberley, thanks for sharing – that’s my playlist! I was talking about the tape it originated from with Lauren Laverne on BBC 6 Music last November. I have also tracked down DJ John (Henebury) and we have met up with a view to putting on a reunion night soon! Cheers, Dave (Indie Rewind. Twitter @indiekid1974)
So The Hummingbird is back….kind of. A club night is now on called Menagerie Rewind where myself and John (original Menagerie DJ) are DJing. First one is 3rd Feb at Boxxed, Digbeth. Follow the Menagerie Rewind Facebook page for future events.
We also have an original Menagerie night in Hull at Fruit coming up Saturday 12 May 2018 from 9pm – if you’ve never been to Hull, here’s one reason lol….tickets £5 plus booking fee :o)
The Clipper Club at The Hummingbird, 1990. Rave, hardcore, acid. Young Brummies of their faces on LSD, massive Union Jack with an acid smiley in the middle on the stage. The best times.
Nancy Griffith. Unplugged. 1988. Driven out by noise from upstairs 🤣
Red Hot Chili Peppers, c.1991! Legendary venue, loved every minute in there. Stumbled home back to Aston Uni digs through the subway many a night, not that I can remember much about it.
Good old hummingbird (not to mention Barrel Organ, Powerhouse plus small downstairs venue that put on psychobilly gigs for a while, can’t remember the name). Went a few times around 1989/1990 to see The Fall, The Damned, Faith no more, Dan Reed Network while some sort of new category – embracing in equal parts music, roadie fighting, glass throwing, toilet seat hoisting (no joke) and general mayhem – would have to be invented for the unforgettable 1989 Macc Lads gig.
“Splash” either 84 or 83, can’t remember, unusual all dayer with Nick Cave and the Cavemen. Anyone recall further details? I think I recall dwarves wrestling.
We saw Joe Satriani here in 1988 on his Surfing with the Alien tour
Saw Yngwie Malmsteen, Helloween, Bruce Dickenson (solo tour with Janik Gers before he joined Maiden). Plus several DJ nights. I remember Red Stripe lager and a very sticky carpet. Not good when the DJ played James “Sit Down” and everyone did. Also Edwards No.8 was a regular haunt. All followed by the night bus back to Sutton. Fond memories, sore hangovers and ringing ears…
I may be wrong but I’m sure I saw ‘Mary j blige’at the ‘hummingbird’in the early eighties,can anyone please confirm my thoughts as I recently had brain surgery and lost nearly all my memories,I think it was just after she released her ‘what’s the 411’album 😷😷😷😷👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
It was the early 90s around 1992 or 1993. I was there, H Town supported.
Footprintz performed with naughty by nature dj was tim west wood
Hi all, it’s great to read all these stories about the venue! I work in it’s latest incarnation which is Forum Birmingham. This may be a long shot, but does anyone have any pictures from nights out etc? I’m hoping to put together a history of the venue, so anything would be appreciated!
My email is jack@globalvenueshq.co.uk