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Midlands metal bands show spirit of Black Sabbath

John Bray
BBC News, Birmingham
Josh Sandiford
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC A woman with long red hair on stage in a spider's web outfit. There is a large screen behind her. BBC
Cherrydead lead vocalist Emily Drummond said being asked to "be noisy" on the special occasion was "mind-blowing"

Birmingham's love affair with heavy metal music was loudly amplified by hundreds of fans who filled Birmingham Town Hall for a night of celebration.

Four West Midlands bands proved the music genre, so closely associated with Birmingham pioneers Black Sabbath, is very much alive in kicking at Metal in the Midlands.

The event, staged by BBC Radio WM and B:Music, provided a platform for Defects, Cherrydead, Meatdripper and Gans to showcase their music.

The show was created as part of a huge week for metal fans in Birmingham - with Black Sabbath performing at Villa Park on Saturday.

A woman in a white top and black tracksuit bottoms playing guitar
Birmingham's Meatdripper found themselves on the stage used by Black Sabbath in 1971 and 1972
A man in a black vest playing drums on stage
Gans drummer Euan Woodman left the stage at one point to perform among the crowd at Birmingham Town Hall
A man in a black T-shirt playing a bass guitar
Euan was joined on stage by his lifelong friend Thomas Rhodes
A large crowd of people stood in front of the Town Sall stage with their arms pointing upwards
The crowd at Birmingham Town Hall caught up in the excitement of the Gans set
A lead singer on stage with arms outstretched taking the applause of fans. The stage lighting is read and he's wearing a denin waistcoat
The night was rounded off with Birmingham band and headliners Defects who have been on a European tour
A guitarist on stage wearing a beanie hat. He is illuminated by red stage lighting
The band's drummer Harry Jennings said: "The Town Hall holds a lot of memories for family members of the band, and it's a real honour to perform"
A man with grey hair and grey beard wears black glasses and a black jacket with a black top underneath.
Simon Delahunty-Forrest, from Birmingham City Council, said: "It's important to get our culture to the forefront of everything we do. It feels very much like it did for the Commonwealth Games. There's a real excitement, it's brilliant and there's a real buzz in the city"
A woman with wavy white and pink hair wears a black top and sunglasses on her head
Jill Drummond, whose daughter Emily is lead singer in Cherrydead, said: "They've worked so hard for this and deserve it. It's a wonderful chance for them to show what they can do. They have a sound all of their own. First time I ever saw her live I thought 'this is what you should be doing'
A man in a black jacket covered in band logos wears a green baseball hat with sunglasses balanced top. He is making a heavy metal sign with his index and little fingers next to Birmingham's Iron: Man statue.
David Gange, history professor at University of Birmingham, said: "I live in the home of metal and it's just become life now. My jacket represents all of the metal that I love and I'm more interested in what bands like Black Sabbath have given to the future"
A woman with long hair, part of which is tied up in a bun, wears a black T-shirt with writing and a logo on. She is making a heavy metal sign with his index and little fingers. She has tongue and nose piercings and tattoos on her left arm
Birmingham-based culture journalist Kirsty Bosley said: "I couldn't miss this for the world. There are young people on this line-up which is really exciting. It's a testament to the ongoing strength of Black Sabbath. It gives young people something to aspire to"
A man on stage in a T-shirt and baseball cap pointing to members of the audience
Black Country-born comedian Darren Harriott, a BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio WM presenter and metal fan, hosted the evening
A woman with long hair in a black T-shirt with Cherrydead written in red letters on the front. She is stood outside on a brick pavement.
Cherrydead fan Donna Luck said: "I'm a rocker and coming to see Emily doing something like this is brilliant. I'm very, very proud"
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