Well, this is disappointing… What was billed as “a flagship summer concert series” for Birmingham and the people of the West Midlands, the inaugural Centenary Square Summer Series will no longer be happening. The four-day outdoor concert series for ‘high-profile bands and musicians’ was due to take place over the bank holiday weekend next month (August 23-26).
The 4,999-capacity outdoor concert series also aimed to be “one of the greenest events on the summer calendar”. With headliners The Streets, Jungle, Cian Ducrot and Ocean Colour Scene already signed up. Powered solely by the national grid and single-use plastic-free, that’s seemingly all gone up in smoke with no explanation as to why the event will not be going ahead.
Birmingham’s very own The Streets would have started the Centenary Square Summer Series on August 23, followed by Jungle on August 24. The Streets gig has now been moved to the O2 Academy and Jungle will play at the Utilita Arena. Tickets for the council-supported will remain valid for these new venues.
“All tickets will remain valid for the new venue. Please look out for an email from your point of purchase,” said organisers. “We apologise for any inconvenience and hope you can enjoy the show. For any questions regarding accessibility please contact your point of purchase. If you are a VIP customer you will automatically receive a partial refund for your VIP package.”
Now here’s the bad news. The gigs for Cian Ducrot (August 25) and Ocean Colour Scene (August 26) have been cancelled. Tickets for those dates will automatically refunded: “Please allow up to seven working days for the refund to be processed.” Tickets were priced at £55.45 per day or £165 for the weekend.
The Centenary Square Summer Series was to mirror similar shows at London’s Somerset House and The Piece Hall in Yorkshire. If successful, it would’ve given locals the opportunity to see high-profile bands and musicians in the heart of the city centre for years to come. It was programmed by Metropolis Music and produced in partnership with Cuffe & Taylor. The city council,l alongside B:Music and key stakeholders around Centenary Square, supported Metropolis Music to develop this event.