The Rainbow

This cheeky little Victorian drinking establishment in downtown Digbeth has to be the best place for live music in Birmingham right now. As if the pub itself isn't impressive enough, and by golly it is. Just wait until you get out onto the courtyard!!! With a retractable roof for when it gets really steamy and room for five hundred people to boot - this place is guaranteed, and often does raise the roof...

Cant help but sing that when we come in here, altho the waitresses dont tend to find it as funny as us. Its a trendy place with its own taste in music in here, and thats the selling point which gets people to return. The booze is also a bit cheaper than town prices.

The rainbow in Digbeth is a great venue. A little bit grimy with a fairly small selection of drinks and atrocious toilets but it’s a bit different and there’s a great atmosphere. The front of the venue is standard pub territory but equipped with a DJ booth and a small dance floor. Out back there is a covered courtyard where the bands play. There is even a BBQ serving up burgers and vegetarian kebabs for when you get peckish.

I've spent at least three new years at the Rainbow, testament to how good a party these guys and girls throw. The beers are reasonable cheap and the music is as wonderfully eclectic as my record collection. Ska and Acid Jazz to minimal house and techno all is fair game.

Recently the back of the pub has been skill fully renovated to cater smokers as well as a large bunch of rowdy party goers.

Check out the nights at their website above, then go. Lookout for munch-break, my personal favourite.

This pub has transformed itself in recent years to one of the hippest places in Birmingham. Situated in the heart of Digbeth (just outside the city centre), The Rainbow is a great place for a Friday or Saturday night out. Live DJs, bands, graffiti competitions, a BBQ garden out the back- this place has it all! It is generally frequented by the trendy crowd of Brum- lots of Marc Jacobs wearing, messy hair sporting individuals who look too cool for school, but who actually add to the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Beer is relatively cheap (around £2.40 a pint, compared to £2.90 or so in the city centre) and there's a good selection, particularly of continental beers. Bar staff are friendly and polite and the door staff are usually pretty good-humoured too- even on a weekend when the place is generally packed to the rafters. Sometimes you have to pay to get in after around 22:00 or so, but it's usually only a couple of quid, and it's worth it, as The Rainbow's usually open till about 1 ish and the chances of getting in anywhere in Brum that isn't a proper club (where you can expect to pay £8 upwards) is pretty slim. It's not just a 'party' pub though- it's just as nice to rock up on a Sunday afternoon with your papers and have a chill out, maybe grab a bite to eat and relax!