Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is asking the public to help in exploring the history of Birmingham. The first opportunity to do this in person will be at the Museum Collections Centre Open Day on Sunday August 22nd. We want you to bring along your personal objects, stories and memorabilia which relate to your lives in Birmingham and Birmingham’s history from 1945 to the present day. Tell us about your own experiences of living or working in Birmingham. Perhaps you have an object or story to share about Birmingham sport, music, fashion, shopping, schools, landmarks, hospitals, transport, faith, migration, politics or industry? Your stories and objects will be documented and museum staff may later ask to borrow your object for the Your Birmingham gallery opening in autumn 2012.
Inner Ring Road 1971 Commemorative coin
Undercurrents radio shows from 1981 with Charlie’s guests being UB40 and Joe Lung. Both talking about the independent music scene at the time. UB40 , who’s debut album was high in the charts chat about their influences and how they got started and play music from The Clash and Gregory Issacs etc. as well as featuring tracks from “Signing Off” which they made in a bedroom studio in Birmingham.
Anyone in the Birmingham area who wants to join a mod-psych band playing Vox Continental or Farfisa, let me know!
Female polka band does world’s best cover of Slade’s ‘Gudbuy T’Jane’
via Dangerous Minds:
“There are no words. Thank the internet these ladies are immortalized forever. One minute and 15 seconds of musical genius.
Filmed sometime in the 70’s in Switzerland, this video and group are shrouded in mystery. Anybody know who they are?”
Journey times to Birmingham New Street throughout the day by Matthew Somerville
|This video shows the public transport journey times to Birmingham New Street from the surrounding areas over the course of a day. The whiter the area, the quicker the journey time at that point. For example, whenever Wolverhampton (in the top left corner) pulses, that is when a fast train to Birmingham has just pulled in, and so the journey time to New Street from that area is at its minimum. There are various limits imposed, but this is an old video and I’ve forgotten what they are - probably things like 10 minute walk maximum at the start, 5 minutes interchange, etc. It’s more art than useful, and quite hypnotic :-)
The top right pulse is Tamworth, and you can clearly see e.g. the Cross City line pulse out to the south of the centre every 10 minutes, curving up from Longbridge/Redditch.”
