Town Hall Symphony Hall has announced the initial line-up for the Symphony Hall: Inside Out festival.
Building on the success of last year’s festival, Symphony Hall: Inside Out will now run over two days; from 5pm on Friday 20th July until 10pm on Saturday 21st July.
The free two day festival will see Symphony Hall turn itself ‘inside out’, producing unexpected sounds in unexpected spaces. With performances and activities taking place across all corners of the venue, visitors will be able to experience Symphony Hall in a completely different way.
The festivities begin at 5pmwith a special edition of Friday Night Jazz in the Symphony Hall Café Bar courtesy of Tom Hill’s Jazz Funk Machine.
Kicking off the festival’s Loading Dock stage in style is costume clad trio, GorillaBot , with their unique funk-rock sound. Fronting the band is Ben Bot, an all-singing, all-dancing (literally), guitar-wielding robot. Dressed in a high viz vest and what appears to be chef’s trousers, Ben Bot is straight out of a Frank Zappa inspired fantasy. Slapping the bass is El Bajo, a Mexican wrestler bringing bass riffs thicker than a Kit Kat chunky. And lastly, we have J’Rilla, raining down beats like its monsoon season.
Birmingham’s original street food event Digbeth Dining Club will be serving a whole host of culinary delights from Symphony Hall’s Bay C car park, on Friday evening and from lunchtime on Saturday! The multi-award winning Digbeth Dining Club (DDC) has changed the face of Birmingham’s alternative food scene since it started in 2012. A regular fixture at festivals and large-scale events, DDC will ensure festival-goers don’t go hungry!
After an incredibly popular secret orchestra pit drum and bass session at last year’s festival, Birmingham based DJ and producer HEADGEAR will make a welcome return with funk and soul beats throughout the weekend.
Digbeth Arts Market will be joining us with five of their talented local artists from 10am on Saturday, as they create stunning art across the Box Office windows and foyer glass panels. Keep an eye out on levels 4 and 5 where you’ll find artists creating a jaw-dropping 3 metre long street art spectacular on the Symphony Hall glass panels!
Ever wondered what it feels like to conduct an orchestra? Well now festival-goers can. Birmingham-based community orchestra, The People’s Orchestra, will be holding interactive sessions on Saturday giving children a chance to try their hand at conducting a live orchestra playing tunes from their favourite films!
Staying true to form, we’re turning our VIP lounge ‘inside out’ to create a silent disco complete with a DJ for just one day only. No fancy furniture, no restricted access, no need to dress up. Everyone is welcome to grab a set of headphones, and bop along!
Other highlights on Saturday include Dressing Room Discoveries; enter the backstage world of our Symphony Hall dressing rooms with our immersive themed rooms; there’s the aristocracy room, futuristic room and forest room – which one will you choose?; acoustic performances throughout the day from local musicians, a kids’ cinema showing a selection of family-friendly films and special performances for our younger audiences in the Loading Dock.
Fresh from representing Birmingham at the Commonwealth Closing Ceremony, rapper Lady Sanity will be hosting a takeover in the Orchestra Pit – one not to miss!
On Saturday evening the Symphony Hall Loading Dock will play host to an eclectic group of bands; Muntchako will be bringing their universal rhythms mixed with electronic beats, guitars, samples and synthesisers; also joining us are Leeds-based 7-piece Têtes de Pois who will be mixing jazz, Afrobeat, hip-hop, and neo-soul – relaxed grooves and silvery horns setting you up perfectly for a Saturday night.
Toks Dada, Programme Co-ordinator at Town Hall, Symphony Hall said;
“Music should be available to as many people as possible and what better place to experience that than at Symphony Hall. You’ll get to see areas of the building that you don’t normally get to see and hear a whole mix of music including classical and jazz, through to hip-hop, neo-soul and afrobeat. And best of all it’s free to attend!”
