Award-winning author Alex Wheatle was in the West Midlands visiting pupils at Yardleys secondary school in Birmingham.

He spoke to nearly 200 pupils, aged 12-13, about growing up in challenging circumstances and how he coped by writing poetry and song lyrics and even turned his hand to DJing in his teenager years in Brixton, South London.

Alex found that by writing about characters in similar situations, he was able to deal with his emotions and express his frustrations.

He grew up in a children’s home, which he says was violent and traumatic. In his adult life he spent time in prison for his part in the Brixton riots in 1981. While serving his sentence, a cellmate gave him a book to read, which Alex told pupils helped to save his life.

Alex also held interactive workshops with students, giving them a chance to write their own stories and come up with plot themes and characters based on their own experiences.

Thanks to BookTrust, each pupil also got their very own free copy of his ‘Liccle Bit’ book, a YA novel and the first book in his Crongton series, about a teenage boy who gets caught up in gang culture on an inner-city estate.

In discussing why books and reading are so important Alex said: “Children and young adults can find it hard to express their emotions and sometimes struggle to show vulnerability because it may not be considered cool but books, poetry and written word make it easier to do that. I was delighted at the students response to my life story presentation and creative writing workshops and my dearest wish is that they believe that reading books can change lives.

Pupils Imaan Mazar and Amina Younis said: “We really loved hearing about Alex’s story and learning about different cultures. He talked to us and told us that no matter your background, culture or the hard things you’ve been through in your life that anything is possible and inspiration can come from anywhere.”

Eddie Halliday, Asst Head, Yardleys secondary school, said: “The morning was fantastic with an entire year group sat in rapt awe and the workshops took this to a different level with our pupils loving hearing the stories behind the books. They left deep in discussion about how wonderful it was cluthing their signed copies. As an inner-city school, we strive to get our pupils to love reading and this was a massive step towards that.”

Director of Children’s Books, BookTrust, Jill Coleman, said: “Alex is a hugely talented writer and the students were energized and motivated by his visit.”

Alex Wheatle concluded: “For me it's crucial for young people to have their own books, something they can treasure and read. Reading leads to empathy and an understanding of so many other things. This is especially important for young vulnerable people who might not necessarily have a bookshelf in their home”.

A significant drop in music tourism and an exodus of firms vital to the local infrastructure are amongst a number of Brexit-related concerns voiced by Birmingham’s music industries sector, according to a new report.

The Birmingham Live Music Project report, authored by researchers at Aston University, Birmingham City University and Newcastle University, reveals Brexit-related concerns voiced by policymakers, academics, industry figures and media representatives during a one-day event held in Birmingham earlier this year.

One of the main issues raised was the way that Brexit could lead to fewer artists and productions travelling to the UK from Europe, which in turn could mean a marked decrease in the number of ‘music tourists’ visiting the country and region specifically for live music experiences.

Other key issues raised in the report include:

-       Concerns that the summer festival season of 2020 in Birmingham would be negatively impacted by Brexit. It’s feared that the potential costs of running major events such as Moseley Folk & Arts Festival or MADE Birmingham could spiral and lead to heavy losses due to disrupted supply chains.

-       Brexit is likely to generate a massive administrative cost for Birmingham-based artists. While larger acts will have labels, promoters and investors to support them, smaller acts in the city will not be able to afford such costs to build up their presence on the Continent through touring and cultural exchanges.

-       The future of the high number of production-companies located in Birmingham, which provide lighting, staging and tour management, is also clouded by Brexit, with a large number of jobs possibly moved elsewhere to minimise disruption and maximise sales.

-       Fears over a ‘cultural pushback’ as music fans grow less interested in overseas artists. This is already discouraging venues and promoters to book foreign acts and could lead to stagnation of Birmingham’s and the Midlands live music industries.

Dr Patrycja Rozbicka, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Aston University who led the report, said: “By bringing a variety of stakeholders together, we aimed to explore the way Brexit is likely to impact everything from the thousands of people who follow and support the live music industry, through to the musicians themselves and the regional authorities that legislate and administrate for cultural economies.”

“This report is the first step in a bigger project which aims to provide much needed creative solutions and recommendations to secure the future of the music industry as we know it pre-Brexit.”

Dr Craig Hamilton, Research Fellow at the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research, Birmingham City University, said: “Crucial to exploring the problems, questions and opportunities related to Brexit will be the mapping exercise we have built into our research plans, which will be the first time a systematic survey of the live music ecology of Birmingham has been undertaken.”

“With so many complex, inter-related parts and relationships to map we will rely on partnerships with local stakeholders to help us gather useful and reliable data. The event that helped generate this report demonstrates the willingness of stakeholders to work with us on this exercise, and reveals the potential for growing further key partnerships in the region.”

Birmingham city-region organisations who contributed to the report include: Arts Council England, Aston University, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham City University, Birmingham Music Archive, Birmingham Music Coalition, Hare & Hounds Birmingham and Leftfoot Venues, Musician’s Union, Newcastle University, Town Hall & Symphony Hall Birmingham, and West Midlands Combined Authority.

Lyle Bignon, founder of Birmingham Music Coalition highlighted the city-region’s long-standing international relationships currently under threat, saying, “Birmingham’s music community – from a long and vibrant music heritage right through to the exciting contemporary scenes producing global stars such as Jorja Smith, Lady Leshurr, Chris Lorenzo, and Jaykae – is built on the very principle of freedom of movement; artistically, economically and socially.”

“The rich musical future of this multicultural city, whether new Home of Metal exhibitions, the 100,000 capacity St Patrick’s Festival, underground club nights at the Hare & Hounds, or the talent pipelines for new generations of musicians, artists, producers and vocalists through organisations like Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, is all at risk in a post-Brexit world.”

“We urge the music industry and academia regionally and nationally, local and central government, and supporters and fans of music everywhere to come together to support this important research and identify opportunities to develop and progress, in order to safeguard a hugely valuable element of society.”

Following his sold-out tour earlier this year, British soul icon Billy Ocean has announced a huge UK headline tour for autumn 2020, including dates at Symphony Hall Birmingham on Monday, 16 November 2020. Billy will be performing the best of his greatest hits and songs from his upcoming new studio album ‘One World’, which is due for release in spring 2020.

Billy Ocean is the biggest selling black recording star Britain has ever produced and has sold over 30 million records in his lifetime to date. Having achieved extraordinary success as both an artist and a songwriter, Billy has collected multiple gold and platinum records across the world, and hit the number one spot worldwide in the pop charts including the USA, Australia, Germany, Holland, and the UK.

2016 saw the ‘Here You Are: The Best of Billy Ocean’ album released in the UK. Gaining a number four chart position, this was Billy’s highest charting album since 1989.

This year Billy celebrated the anniversary of his ground-breaking album, ‘Suddenly’. Originally released in 1984, the record spawned the monster hits ‘Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)’, ‘Mystery Lady’ and ‘Loverboy’.

Gearing up for the highly anticipated release of his new album, 2020 is set to be another big year for Billy.

Award-winning comedian Trevor Noah has added more UK dates to his Loud & Clear tour, including a date at Arena Birmingham.

The most successful comedian in Africa, and host of the Emmy award-winning ‘The Daily Show’, he has sold out shows over five continents and has written, produced and starred in eight comedy specials.

Last year, ‘The Daily Show’ won a GLAAD award for Outstanding Talk Episode, and received nominations for a Writers Guild Award (Comedy/Variety Series) as well as two NAACP Image Awards, for Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information Show. Noah also won Best Host at the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards, as well as a 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series for his hosting role on ‘The Daily Show – Between The Scenes’.

For ‘The Daily Show’ Trevor recently received three 2018 Primetime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Variety Talk Series, Outstanding Interactive Program and Outstanding Short Form Variety Series and he received the 2019 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, as well as nominations for Outstanding Talk Series, Outstanding Variety Show, and Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information Show.

Born in South Africa to a Black South African mother and a White European father, Noah has hosted numerous television shows including South Africa’s music, television and film awards.

In April 2018, he launched ‘The Trevor Noah Foundation’, a youth development initiative that enhances youth preparedness for higher education or entry into the workforce. Noah’s vision is a South Africa that advances because each generation builds and must grow beyond its predecessor.

Through a partnership with Microsoft, the foundation is able to provide under-resourced schools with the opportunity to use technology as a tool to enhance the learning experience, as well as increase digital literacy beyond the classroom.

As part of his UK tour, Trevor Noah will be at Arena Birmingham on Saturday 23rd May 2020.

The era defying, chart-topping, button-pushing, mega-group is back!

The Pussycat Dolls have announced they are reuniting for a U.K. Tour, performing together for the first time in over a decade. The voices of a generation will be taking their Pussycat Dolls 2020 Tour on the road next year, hitting arenas across the U.K. calling at Dublin, Cardiff, Birmingham, Nottingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds and London.

The multi-platinum pop sensations – Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, Kimberly Wyatt, Jessica Sutta and Carmit Bachar are bringing back Doll Domination. Having sold more than 54 Million records worldwide and streamed over 1 Billion times, X2 Winners at the MTV VMA and achieved eight U.K. top 10 singles the dolls have Stick Wit Ya throughout the decades.

Nicole Scherzinger says “I love all my girls so much and cannot wait to show you what we've got in store for you. It’s been a long time coming but this feels like the perfect time to remind the world what it means to be a Pussycat Doll”.

The Pussycat Dolls’ founder, Robin Antin, says: “I created The Pussycat Dolls back in 1994 and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it would become one of the most iconic girl groups of our time. I’ve been working on making this reunion happen now for years, so I am very excited that the stars have aligned for THE PCD REUNION! It’s with gratitude to our fans and during this amazing time of female empowerment, to be able to announce the launch of our PCD reunion, celebrating ALL GENDERS, & the brilliant success and talent of the girls that helped influence a movement that was long overdue”.

In their first television performance in ten years, The Pussycat Dolls will return to the X Factor with an exclusive performance on Saturday 30 November which is set to back the PCD sparkle, excitement and anthemic hits.

The Pussycat Dolls will embark on a nine date U.K. wide tour bringing hits such as ‘Don’t Cha’, ‘Stickwitu’, ‘When I Grow Up’, ‘Buttons’ and more fan favourites back to life with their iconic dance routines and show-stopping vocals.

It has been announced that ‘Bang Bang!,’ a brand new comedy by John Cleese, and starring Tessa Peake-Jones, Tony Gardner and Wendi Peters, will be at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Cleese makes his stage writing debut with a hilarious new adaptation of this classic comedy – a delicious blend of French Farce and Fawlty Towers - based on Monsier Chasse by Georges Feydeau.

When Leontine, a respectable society lady, discovers that she’s been hoodwinked by her husband, Duchotel, who’s always pretending to go hunting but really chasing after other ‘prey’, she vows to take revenge on the philanderer! But while Duchotel’s away, his lifelong friend comes calling – and he’s on the hunt too.

Will Leontine get caught in his sights, or instead set a trap of her own?

Secrets unravel as the devilish Duchotel finds himself snared in a door-slamming, trouser-dropping, balcony-climbing night of chaos set amidst the stylish apartments of Paris.

Peake-Jones became a household name with her role as Raquel in the iconic comedy ‘Only Fools and Horses’. Her extensive stage work encompasses the National Theatre and RSC, recent credits include ‘The Winslow Boy’ and ‘Shirley Valentine’.

Gardner first made his name in comedy as part of the award-winning comedy duo ‘Struck off and Die’. Since then he has appeared on TV in roles ranging from the ‘My Parents are Aliens’ to ‘Last Tango in Halifax’ and on stage in Alan Ayckbourn’s classic ‘Bedroom Farce’.

Peters is most widely known for her role as Cilla Battersby in Coronation Street and has just finished appearing in the West End smash-hit musical ‘BIG’ at the Dominion Theatre.

‘Bang Bang!’ will run from Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 May.