Situated on Horsefair, Bristol Street, the O2 Academy Birmingham is one of the city's favourite nightspots, with plenty of live music and club nights to entertain revellers. There are three auditoria in the complex, with the O2 Academy Birmingham being the largest. It has a capacity of over 3,000 audience members, while its sister venues can handle 600 and 200 attendees respectively. The venue was relaunched by its current owner, the Academy Music Group, in 2000, when it occupied a site in Dale End. The entire operation was subsequently relocated to its current position in the heart of the city and took over the building that had previously housed the Dome Nightclub. There is a balcony with tiered seating at the venue, which has its own bar facilities.

O2 Academy Birmingham events

Before being rebranded as the O2 Academy Birmingham, the Dale End site was known as the Hummingbird, a near-legendary venue that had hosted the likes of the Beastie Boys, Nirvana and Sonic Youth. When it reopened in 2000 following a six-year closure, the venue mixed performances of big name acts, such as Ocean Colour Scene, with up-and-coming acts from around the city. Indeed, the venue staged weekly nights called Catapult Club, specifically aimed to shine a spotlight on new local talent. An American rock band, The Used, were the last ever act to play at the old site.

Following the move to Horsefair in 2009, there have been many notable gigs at the Academy. It has hosted performances by the Streets, Disclosure, Biffy Clyro and Two Door Cinema Club, for example. The pop singer Paloma Faith has played at the venue, as well as acts as diverse as Them Crooked Vultures, Bombay Bicycle Club and the Black Crows. More recently, the venue has staged gigs by the legendary George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, as well as solo performances by Brandon Flowers and George Ezra.

O2 Academy Birmingham information

Located in a central part of Birmingham, the O2 Academy is easy to reach via New Street railway station. It is also on a number of bus routes, such as the 62 and 63, for instance. On-street parking is possible in the vicinity but you may need to pay and display a ticket at certain times. A 24-hour private car park is located next door to the auditorium. Disabled parking bays can be found on Bow Street and Irving Street, which are behind the venue.

Similar venues to the O2 Academy Birmingham

If you are looking for alternative gigs in the city, then you can find them at StubHub. For example, check out the listings for the O2 Institute 2 Birmingham or the Town Hall.