What's On in Birmingham

Rhythm Of The 90s — If the 1990s were the best decade of your life — or even if you just wish they had been — then XOYO is the only place to be from 7:00pm tonight. This is a full-throttle live celebration of the era that gave us Britpop, R&B, and dance anthems that still fill floors thirty years on, and at £24 it's an evening of nostalgia done properly rather than cheaply. Expect big sounds, a crowd that knows every word, and that rare feeling of an entire room being absolutely united.

The Crooks - Birmingham — Dead Wax is one of Birmingham's most beloved intimate venues, and tonight it hosts The Crooks for what promises to be a Friday night of raw, energetic live music from 7:00pm. At just £14 you're getting the kind of up-close, no-barriers gig experience that money really cannot buy at a larger venue — the kind where you can feel the bass in your chest and the sweat on the walls. If you like discovering bands before everyone else does, this is exactly the room you need to be in.

THE RECIPE: Classic Hip-Hop & Neo Soul — For £5–£9, The Cuban Embassy at the Bulls Head is serving up one of the best-value Friday nights in the city from 8:00pm, with a deep, soulful selection of classic hip-hop and neo soul that feels like a warm embrace after a long week. The Recipe has a loyal following for good reason — this is music that actually means something, spun by people who love it, in a room that has serious character. Dress sharp, arrive with good people, and let the groove do the rest.

Rust presents: Jerome Hill — Just as the Pigs Pigs Pigs crowd filters out of the Hare and Hounds, the Kings Heath venue shifts gears entirely as Rust brings in Jerome Hill from 9:00pm for a night of forward-thinking electronic music at £10–£12. Jerome Hill is a name that serious heads in the underground scene will already know, and this is the kind of booking that reminds you why small venues matter — intimate, no-nonsense, and completely focused on the music. Don't sleep on it.

Alan Fletcher (Dr Karl Kennedy) — Here is the Friday night wildcard you absolutely did not see coming: Alan Fletcher, the man who has played Dr Karl Kennedy in Neighbours for decades, takes to the stage at Thimblemill Library at 7:30pm for what is shaping up to be a brilliantly unexpected evening of live music. Tickets range from free to £15, making it one of the most accessible and genuinely curious things happening in Birmingham tonight, and Thimblemill Library is a community gem of a venue that deserves to be discovered. Go with an open mind and you will almost certainly leave with a grin.

Freshers Week Secret RAVE. — Club Colette opens its doors at 10:00pm for what might be the most infectiously energetic night of the entire weekend, as Freshers Week collides with the old-school thrill of a secret rave format for just £3–£9. It is chaotic, it is youthful, it is gloriously unpredictable — and honestly, that price point means there is absolutely no excuse not to go and find out what the fuss is about. Whether you are a fresher experiencing your first big night in the city or a veteran looking to recapture that feeling, this one promises to deliver.