REVIEW: Walking with Dinosaurs, NIA Birmingham

Huge and incredibly lifelike dinosaurs, including this T-Rex, took to the stage at the NIA Birmingham.

We headed out to the NIA in Birmingham to catch  the “arena spectacular” Walking with Dinosaurs.  That’s a huge claim, but then we are dealing with huge animals, and I’d heard really good things. 

We were greeted with a Palaeontologist who acted at the narrator for the show, introducing the individual dinosaurs through easy-to-digest information or sometimes comical interaction. 

REVIEW: Alfie Boe and Emilia Mitiku, The NIA

Alfie Boe performs to a sold out venue at The NIA in Birmingham. (Photograph: Jack Kirby)

Braving the cold and snow last night was no easy challenge for the fans of Alfie Boe, who kicked off his Storyteller tour with a sold out show at the Birmingham NIA last night, but with the queue stretching around the building, there was no denying the eagerness to watch the Les Misérables star in action.

The Storyteller tour will be his first UK arena tour, however with three platinum albums under his belt, a score of shows and the fact that he has sang for the Queen herself, Alfie is no small fish.

REVIEW: Phantom of the Opera, Birmingham Hippodrome

Earl Carpenter plays The Phantom alongside Katie Hall as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera at the Birmingham Hippodrome (Photograph: Alistair Muir)

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of The Opera has arrived at the Birmingham Hippodrome for a three week run.

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The sold out performance has a lot to live up to if it is going to compete with Webber’s original from more than twenty five years ago.

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REVIEW: NME Awards Tour, Birmingham O2 Academy

Birmingham band Peace performed at the O2 Academy in their home city as part of the NME Award Tour line-up

When you get the opportunity to review a performance at the O2 Academy you’re rarely disappointed and this night was no exception. In fact, in many ways it surpassed expectations.

As you can probably guess the evening was dedicated to showcasing the best new British music talent, soon to be officially voted in by the readers of NME magazine. It is quite easy to say that the guys at NME picked one tasty line-up, with Birmingham’s very own indie newcomers Peace and Palma Violets, followed by the northern star Miles Kane and headlined by the Scottish techno-rock group Django Django.

Review: Madagascar Live at the LG Arena, Birmingham

Madagascar Live! impressed audiences as it took to the stage at the Birmingham LG Arena

With the UK falling foul to snowy weather, I braved the equivalent of a mini Ice Age in order to check out the film-to-stage live adaptation of Dreamworks’ blockbuster movie Madagascar.  

While there may have been panic in the supermarkets and on the roads due to adverse weather conditions, the LG staff and Madagascar Live team did their best to honour the show,  keeping the public aware it was still going ahead via social networking platforms and ensuring that no matter how cold it seemed outside the venue, the cast was determined to create a beautiful sandy beach inside drenched in the light (if not heat) of a tropical sunshine.

REVIEW: One Beat Sunday @the mac

One Beat Sunday was held outdoors at the mac venue in Birmingham

After one of the wettest beginnings to summer on record there were fears that One Beat Sunday would be a wash out, but that was not to be.

Amazingly the sun came out making it a beautiful day and so the sunny stage was set for the massive line-up of bands, and they did not disappoint!

REVIEW: Dirty Dancing at Birmingham Hippodrome

Musical Dirty Dancing is on at the Birmingham Hippodrome

When I heard Dirty Dancing was coming to the Birmingham Hippodrome I couldn’t quite contain my excitement, after all it’s one of my all-time favourite chick-flicks.

It’s a movie that every young girl watches and dreams of falling in love… but would a stage play have the same sort of impact? Well, I was about to find out!

REVIEW: Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria at the NIA, Birmingham

Cirque du Soleil Alegria is showing at the Birmingham NIA this week

This week, the Birmingham NIA is playing host to one of the most dynamic, awe-inspiring, and downright spectacular circus troupes in the world of the performing arts.

Cirque Du Soleil, the world-renowned entertainment giant, brings you Alegría, arguably their most successful and popular show.

REVIEW: Enter Shikari at Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Rou Reynolds and band Enter Shikari perform at Wolves Civic

British post-hardcore band Enter Shikari, who since their Hertfordshire formation in 2003 have travelled the globe amassing a huge fan following, performed live in the Midlands on Tuesday where they played new songs from their third and latest studio album A Flash Flood of Colour.

With only three more UK dates before the band jet off stateside for their Atlanta show, they graced the stage at Wolverhampton Civic Hall preceded by their support acts Tek-One and Young Guns.

Strictly Come Dancing Live raises the roof at the NIA

The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour's launch had audiences cheering in their seats

With more fake tan than the cast of TOWIE, the Strictly Come Dancing tour is back in town at the city’s National Indoor Arena and brings the magic of Saturday night television to Birmingham.

The nation’s favourite celebrities from the hit BBC show, who’ll be in town until the end of the weekend, are performing some of their favourite routines to the eager audiences.