Spotlight

This NYE we went to Spotlight and Next Door as every time I have been here it has been packed full of fun and dancing! New Years Eve can be a tricky night to guarantee but it succeeded in being a fun night. The crowd was a bit different to the usual but everyone was having a good time. The music was advertised as 80’s disco vs 90’s hip hop, but leaned far too much to the hip hop and grime side for my taste, I still managed to pull out some of my finest shapes despite being very merry indeed! We left to go elsewhere after the music went a bit downhill but I had great time here and was a suitable way to start the New Year!

I have been here several times for the Digbeth Dining Club and also for a 40s event. I very much like the space, it is small for the numbers that can be using it (let’s call it intimate) but very cool. Standard design, kinda warehouse like. Always a nice space outside too for the digbeth dining club.

So many great things happening at this venue.
Friday’s are dedicated to the finest Street Food and amazing resident DJs. Sometimes they have live bands, live Art and even Dead pixels (retro gaming). Free entry and delicious food. Everyone welcome.
Saturday nights there’s always something cooking but more on a club vibe. There’s Holiday night which is 80’s and MoHo. Keep an eye on the venue to see what’s on.
Highly recommended xxx

This venue has a fantastic range of events going on weekly. One week you can be at an all out disco night, the next the very best house/​techno. Every night I have been to here has a top vibe and a crowd of like-​minded music lovers.
I would say that due to the diversity of the events they have on here, check the website and make sure the what’s on is up your street musically before making the journey. I would also say to get the postcode into your phone before setting off, it’s pretty out of the way and you could easily walk past it if you don’t know where you are heading.

Never been to a night out here but this venue is used in conjunction with the digbeth dining club. What I can say is it offer great seating and some comfy looking sofas.
But u need to get there early to bag one. It has a lovely ambience with soft lighting and also has some good beats playing from a DJ. The bar is okay too service is good and prices for drinks are very reasonable. The entrance is very strange looking but when your in its fine.
This place has in street parking outside or down one of the other side streets. But again get there as soon as you can as these disappear fast too. Places of interest close by include club air, the custard factory and rainbow club.
Overall its a good venue that’s all I can say about it.

I’m going to start this review with an admission… I’ve only ever been to Spotlight when it’s been hosting a food based event. I’ve never been to their club nights, only for Digbeth Dining Club (
) and more recently, UK Burger Battle (
).
To be honest, I don’t think I would have ever heard of Spotlight if it hadn’t been for DDC being there. Being a little hidden off the main stretch of Digbeth (behind the beer garden of the Old Crown), it’s not somewhere you would stumble upon or plan to go to unless there was something advertised there you wanted to attend. Saying that, it’s only really a 10 minute walk from the Bullring and just around the corner from the Custard Factory, so it’s not difficult to find.
Spotlight and Next Door are technically two venues but are the same building. They’re the kind of place you would head to for a night of raving, rather than a quiet drink. The main entrance is technically past the railway arches and around the corner, but for the purpose of events, it’s normally in the loading/​parking area.
Now this venue is pretty cool. It’s essentially a warehouse on multiple levels which has been kitted out with top quality sound equipment and a couple of bars, but I can see it’s appeal for «underground» parties. It’s got a bar in the main room and a second bar upstairs. Unfortunately, I haven’t ever really been impressed with the drinks offerings. A pint of Tiger (the only beer handpull, I believe) is nearly £5 and other than that it sells a range of spirits and bottles.
The smoking area is the parking area and is pretty generous. Loads of space for grabbing a quiet chat or enjoying an outside drink in the summer. It is still essentially a car park though, so don’t expect glitz and glamour. The toilets are servicable in this venue, but not pleasant. There are two cubicles downstairs (as well as the gents) with a ladies toilet block upstairs. The doors mainly lock and I haven’t ever had «paper issues» here, which is about the nicest thing I can say about them.
If you’re into raving in a warehouse, I can imagine you having some pretty good times in Spotlight. The main reason to visit is the vast amount of events they put on throughout the year (Madame Moonshine’s speakeasy being a big draw for swing fans). This place is big, it’s well kitted out for a party and it has a couple of bars. That’s about all I can say about it really. It’s fit for purpose, but it’s not the pinnacle of glamour.

Spot*light is a brand new bar and nightclub which has just opened on Lower Trinity Street in Digbeth close to the Custard Factory and the old Air nightclub.
From the exterior you’d be forgiven for missing it as it looks like it could be easily mistaken for a shop or salon. It’s a unit underneath the railway arches.
But appearances can be deceiving! Inside is a very spacious room with plenty of seating, hip décor, a large dance floor area, fully stocked bar and a well-​equipped DJ Booth.
The bar staff were friendly, helpful and welcoming. Outside there is a decent sized beer garden/​patio area.
I visited during their brilliant Street Food Festival event. Food on offer included yummy churros (dougnut type sticks dipped in sugar, cinnamon or chocolate), goan curry, burgers with 28 day aged beef, pulled pork baps and wood fried pizzas.
All the staff at the food stalls were really friendly and the food was delicious! Hopefully they’ll be doing another event soon!