Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : Birmingham - March 2010

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The city that birthed heavy metal and 1980s bouffant-haired pop is all about big sounds this month. Lady Gaga shakes her money-maker at the LG Arena (lgarena.co.uk) on 5 March, followed by 50 Cent on the 19th. The NIA (thenia.co.uk) welcomes Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins on the 3rd and Ronan Keating on the 5th, while those with young eardrums gather at Digbeth venue The Place I Love for Club NME every Thursday. Sally Howard plugs in

Getting around

Birmingham International

Bus: Buses from the airport to the city centre leave every 30 minutes and a single fare costs €1,95/£1.50.
Train: Trains run from Birmingham International to New Street Station; the journey will take around 10-20 minutes and a return ticket will cost €7/£5.30 before 9.30am and €4,50/£3.40 after 9.30am.
Taxi: A taxi from the airport into the city centre will cost around €22/£17 and take about 40 minutes.
Tourist information: The main tourist office is at The Rotunda, 150 New Street (tel. , beinbirmingham. com).

ASTON

Forget the eponymous football club and Spaghetti Junction: this down-to-earth suburb’s greatest claim to fame is being the childhood stomping ground of the king of darkness and slurred consonants, Ozzy Osbourne.

Culture vultures – Black Sabbath fans should see where it all began with the new Birmingham Heavy Metal Tour (birmingham-tours.co.uk; other tours available) – first stop, the Osbourne terrace. Alternatively, visit The Drum (144 Potters Lane), a national centre for black British arts and culture with regular spoken word, film and theatre events. Visit Aston Hall (Trinity Road), a 17th-century mansion with period décor and re-enactments of Jacobean life.

Must eat – The Drum’s Frontier Café Bar (144 Potters Lane, tel. ) serves up live entertainment alongside its flavour-packed African and Caribbean cuisine.

Must drink – Pull up a bar stool and order a real ale at the recently reopened, CAMRA-accredited King Edward VII pub (Lichfield Road).

SUTTON COLDFIELD

A well-heeled suburban enclave to the north of the city, Sutton Coldfield is the birthplace of octave-hopping rocker Rob Halford, of Judas Priest.

Sleep soundly – The Royal Hotel (High Street, , theroyal- hotel.co.uk, rooms from €86/£75) is a traditional hotel in the heart of Sutton, offering fine wines and regular live acts in its elegant lounge.

Culture vultures – Take a stroll in Sutton Park (Park Road), the largest English urban park outside London and a national nature reserve with lakes, wetlands, thick forest and donkeys.

Dance the night away – Come nightfall, nurse a whisky sour and kick back with the beards at Sutton Coldfield Trad Jazz Club (Sutton Coldfield Town Football Club), the Midlands’ best, hosting national acts each Wednesday.

Shop til you drop – In the heart of the town centre, The Mall (210a Parade) has all the high street big-hitters.

DUDLEY

Perhaps this Black Country town’s thick-as-custard accent is the reason so many of its sons have expressed themselves in song – from Led Zeppelin and Slade to, erm, Babylon Zoo.

Culture vultures – Highlight of the area for kids is The Black Country Museum (Tipton Road, bclm.co.uk), an award-winning insight into the everyday life of a Victorian mining community. Don’t miss the traditional mint humbugs in the general store. Then take a walk in historic Leasowes Park (Leasowes Lane), with its recently restored 18th-century cascade and pools (thanks to a €2.28m/ £2m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund).

Must drink – Dudley boasts a profusion of pubs that ooze character. The Old Swan/Ma Pardoe’s (87-89 Halesowen Road) has local ales on tap, while The Windsor Castle Inn (7 Stourbridge Road) serves home-cooked British classics, washed down with beers brewed on site.

MOSELEY

Victorian Birmingham’s best address, Moseley’s handsome heritage properties have long been colonised by creatives and musicians (including two members of Duran Duran, and Ocean Colour Scene).

Must eat – Tapas bar La Plancha (113 Alcester Road, ) arrived in Moseley in 2005, and its classic patatas bravas, jamon plates and flowing rioja were an immediate hit. Or grab a plump croissant to go at iconic Moseley bakery Lukers (21 Woodbridge Road, ).

Must drink – An iconic Moseley boozer famous for its glorious art deco tiling, The Fighting Cocks (1 St Mary’s Row) serves drinks to yoga mums by day and hard-partying locals by night.

Dance the night away – Head to Moseley Dance Centre (572-574 Moseley Road) for its pick‘n’mix of DJs and live acts, and a deliciously downbeat, school hall ambience.

Compiled by Sally Howard