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ePaper created 2014-04-01, 00:50:16 | version 1.29.01
. 6 then and now: 10 years of the rainbow Looking out for alfresco quirky spaces became a bit of an addiction after working summers in Ibiza and attending summer session at Secretsundaze in London. BELOW had a couple of parties one in the basement of the sunflower lounge and another in the Jewellery Quarter at the Boiler Room. Both events were ridiculously good fun, with a strong travelling crowd of friends from all over the UK. Nothing had prepared me for the feelings when I walked into the Courtyard. Outrageously quirky, raw, edgy, the open-air vibe had so much character it was difficult to believe you were in the UK. So, we begged Joe Ward to give us a date, he ran it past his partner and we opted for a Sunday daytime party. We had it right off and queues were formed all down Digbeth High Street to see this old Victorian boozer with a twist. We had invited Birmingham to see a new gem with deep underground beats. With its popularity about to peak the authorities condemned the Courtyard as unsafe, due to a lack of fire exits. This was when I realised the biggest bar the Rainbow did was probably BELOW. I cheekily asked the question, you don’t want to sell? Joe replied: yes, Chris is selling 50%. We begged and borrowed to get the money together. Within a few weeks we were in, knowing nothing at all about running a pub, just how to have a rave. It was a damn tough lesson. So from the taste of The Rainbow Courtyard we wanted to expand the parties. As luck would have it there was a really raw unpretentious space on Adderley Street on the same road as The Rainbow Pub. The old Victorian warehouse had a large garden that stretched underneath a disused viaduct. It had so much charm it was contagious, the large warehouse adjacent just had something, a bit of magic. With many successful years in the Warehouse and Garden, to a Beach, to a Garden again we licensed Adderley Street with the ability of throwing 6 shows a year with good damn huge sound systems. This was pretty much unprecedented anywhere in the UK and really sealed us as a unique place to party. With an itch to ever evolve and to push the boundaries of what’s expected from a night out. With the popularity of FACE The Rainbow’s weekly Saturday flagship brand we needed more room, I thought about going up (still could be an option) into the living quarters or down into the Cellar. I went south and excavated a real cool spot digging into the ground to produce an intimate low ceiling club with a real heavy system. The same thing happened with the Warehouse, the popularity of certain shows meant we had to create more space so we produced a Mezzanine that looks over the main dance floor of the Warehouse and out in to the outside terrace with views of the city. The Arena was another addition a former scaffold yard that we thought would be better suited with heavy production and a full on show. Circo Loco in the Arena would be the first event to grave the floor with 7000 people coming to Birmingham with the very brand that inspired me to do what I do today. I feel it’s really important to keep the customer and the promoter excited so I don’t think sitting on a great venue is enough. You have to mix it up, move things around, play with the lights, the production the system no two parties should be the same. So the Rainbow Pop up concept was born. First off was an out of order space that had been subject to a fire in the past. It was so different. 10:31 sold out every show in there through the summer with its natural light and open spaces. The Rainbow Pop up gives us the flexibility to test new spaces and if the reaction is good from the punter, the artists and promoters we can quickly develop the space. Pop Up 2 was NextDoor to Spotlight that happened by accident it was a double booking from the team! The promoter didn’t want it one level so we created some tiers that really worked well. We thought it was a good idea to make this feel a lot different to any other Rainbow spaces felt more like a ‘club’ so we decided it was better suited to ‘Trinity Venues’ and let the baby go to respected Spotlight to help them curate a line of bars and venues on Trinity Street. Our ultimate goal is to produce a massive festival for 25’000 people utilising all of The Rainbow Venues and Trinity Venues and adjoining roads. We are already in talks with authorities about the legalities in making this happen. Our ultimate goal is to produce a massive festival for 25’000 people utilising all of The Rainbow Venues and Trinity Venues and adjoining roads. - Lee McDonald Tickets for 10 Years of The Rainbow Venues available at: www.TheRainbowVenues.co.uk It was a text from Slobadan that changed my world. He was sat in The Courtyard with a bag of scratchings and a pint of John Smiths ‘mate you got to check this place out great place for a rave’. The Rainbow Venues has watched the birth of some incredible household brands. Bigger Than Barry, Hott Date, Secret Wars, Bam Bam, Below, Rocknrolla, Seedy Sonics, Shadow City, EBL, Zombie Prom Fidget Friday, GLAS, FACE, 02:31, 10:31 have all flourished here – there is some magic in the spaces that works, the constant development means it doesn’t get stale for the punter or the promoter. the transformation of a handfull of our beloved spaces in years gone by. opposite page: