The Devil’s Dog sits in the heart of Digbeth in Birmingham. Billed as Birmingham’s most brutal music venue, bar, restaurant and hangout joint, they have just celebrated their first anniversary. MetalTalk were there for the opening night, and watching the venue grow in this time has been a pleasure.
This 300-capacity venue promised a fantastic selection of national and local talent with a particular emphasis on heavier and more fierce genres, offering a new, needed experience on the local music scene it delivers.
The venue is the brainchild of Asad Abrar, Director of the Devil’s Dog. He spoke with MetalkTalk’s Andy Shaw about his hopes for this fantastic venue, something Heavy and Extreme Metal fans have been screaming out for years in this area.
“That’s what we’re reacting to,” Asad said, “and it had been a long time coming. We’re here, and we are going to be as brutal as possible to make this one of the venues to talk about.
“The plan for the venue is to have a platform for local bands and national bands, and we’ve got enough space to do touring bands as well. So we’ve got continuing big plans for the site in this area.”
Having been a regular visitor to the venue over its first year, it is clear to see the development in all aspects of the experience. The lighting and sound have markedly improved, and it is easy to see why bands are asking to play there.
Asad was keen to talk about the independence of the venue. “We’re not corporate,” he said. “We’re not a franchise. We’re just two individuals. We had a vision and a dream, just about enough money from our savings and family loans and just piecing it together, and it has started to grow.
“We are hoping it will get bigger, bigger, and bigger. We’re learning as we go along as well. My phone and email are full of bands requesting to play as part of their upcoming tours.”
The venue took quite a time to get off the ground after encountering a tough time with the local council, but thankfully, it all got sorted. The development took three years, from highlighting a potential venue to the opening, and we will see the fruits of their labour in the next weeks, months and years.
Asad said there has been an amazing reaction to a new venue appearing in Birmingham. “It’s been very humbling and terrifying at the same time,” he says, “because we did not anticipate this kind of reaction. The Metal community here in Birmingham has been absolutely fantastic on socials.
“I’m amazed at how they’ve reposted and talked about the whole thing. We’re just glad that we’re here. We’re not going anywhere, and hopefully, we will show what this venue’s about and make it as brutal as possible.”
Already, they have had bands of the quality of Heriot, Saint Agnes, Of Virtue and Xentrix, and with Conan, Mastiff, and Krysthla planned for the coming few months, it is easy to see how they are going to be growing from strength to strength.
If your musical disposition is of a heavier variety, then get down to the fantastic Devil’s Dog, Digbeth, where you will greeted by a fantastic team of people.
Make sure you have a chat with Asad because he only has a passion for growing this as a place where we can get together to enjoy the music we all love.
You can find the Devil’s Dog Digbeth MetalTalk Venue page here. Find out more about our MetalTalk supported venues here. #saveourvenues.
More info is available at DevilsDog.co.uk.
