We visit the Birmingham sports bar bringing a whole new nightlife concept to the city

In the midst of an escalating cost of living crisis impacting the hospitality industry, venues across Birmingham are thinking outside the box to draw in customers. However I’m here in The Box, a fairly recent addition here at Brindleyplace for a unique nightlife experience.

Bar manager Andre says: “It’s funny to watch, quite nerve wracking to actually go out there, obviously. But once the drinks start flowing, I’m sure everyone just goes up and performs. Before working here I had never heard of it. It was brand new to me. I didn’t know what it was. I was like, that’s interesting. And different. Very different.”

Bandeoke is a novel entertainment concept here for Birmingham’s nightlife scene. On the stage of The Box at Brindleyplace, performers join an experienced live band to deliver various songs from an extensive playlist. This unique event seems to be a crowd favourite, charming the city’s Thursday night revellers. The venue bursts with energy and engagement as an array of talented performers ascends the stage to showcase their exceptional vocal prowess to a captivated and sizable audience.

Amidst the increasing cost of living crisis, which has posed significant challenges to the hospitality sector, nightlife venues have been devising innovative strategies to appeal to patrons. This includes adding unique spins to classic deals, such as bottomless brunches. Evidently, these creative initiatives have yielded positive outcomes, with Birmingham witnessing a surge of new venues. Among these, The Box in Birmingham has emerged as a thriving venture, accentuating the city’s vibrant nightlife scene.

Andre says: “It’s just a huge response. I think a lot of us were surprised before - maybe putting a Box in Brindleyplace or sports bar in Brindleyplace wasn’t going to be the perfect place. But we’ve made adjustments - massive adjustments - to kind of just bring in more people and bring in that kind of audience and that fun.”

Even though the industry grapples with numerous challenges, recent trends underscored the significance of crafting engaging interactive entertainment experiences as the essential tool for enticing individuals into the dynamic nightlife scene.