factoryclub

The next Stupid Underground…

SATURDAY 28^TH MARCH 2009

HABIT PRESENT … UV Party! Ft LAYO & BUSHWACKA!

Factory favourites LAYO & BUSHWACKA are back! Relentlessly they tour the globe and recent highlights include Space Ibiza and playing the final closing party at the ‘End’ nightclub in London. They also have a reputation for liking to party!

From continually pushing the underground sound to massive crossover hits like ‘Love Story’, these guys really have done it all. Now, fresh on the back of their 2nd Birthday at the Rainbow and hosting a rammed Poolside at January’s Stupid Underground event, HABIT welcome LAYO & BUSHWACKA as their biggest guests yet to what promises to be a monster party.

Supporting in the Factory are HABIT resident duo JACK2FRONT, who continue what has already been a massive year for them and local talent Chris Woo.

At Poolside are RE-INDULGE, who will be taking us back to the 90s House and Rave scene dropping massive rave classics! A booming sound system will transform the back of the poolside into a very unique space!

Plus for one night only we’ll be installing extra UV lighting in the Factory, so wear white and bush your teeth!

This is a massive return to Birmingham for two London Legends, don’t miss it! £10 tickets available now at

Click here to buy tickets.

See you on the floor!

FACTORY CLUB:

HABIT - HOUSE / TECH HOUSE / TECHNO
LAYO & BUSHWACKA
JACK2FRONT
CHRIS WOO

POOLSIDE:

RE-INDULGE - RAVE CLASSICS
REZA
MARK HODGES
NEVILLE THOMAS
PAUL HART10-5am

http://www.myspace.com/custardfactory

http://www.layoandbushwacka.com

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Info: 07852178159

Tell us about the lay-out of The Custard Factory and how and when it was converted into such a hip hang out…

The Custard Factory used to be exactly that – A Factory where they made custard. It was built by Alfred Bird and Son’s to produce his world famous Custard Powder back in the 1880’s. By the 1980’s Mr Bird and his family had long since gone and this 5 acre sprawl of Riverside Factories had fallen derelict. In 1990 the whole site was sold for 1p and the new owner began to restore the buildings and announced “open house” to the best of Birmingham’s young creative talent.

In 1995 The Medicine Bar opened and it quickly became a night time haunt for people with a left of field musical taste. Night’s such as Athletico and Leftfoot established themselves as the underground for a hip crowd that spurned the bright lights of the populist Broad Street, Birmingham’s “West End”.

Now in its final phase of development The Custard Factory houses art galleries, a theatre, café bars, delis, studios and offices as well as a nightclub all of which surround a large ornamental lake. The lake itself is often drained and a huge marquee is erected over it to accommodate large club shows with high profile artists.

A recent addition to the myriad of spaces and venues at The Custard Factory is SPACE2, a converted Victorian warehouse with a capacity of 1800.

Which nights stand out in your mind as being your most successful and who are some of the most respected artists you’ve had playing?

You name them they’ve probably played here. One of the most successful events in recent times was when we had Radio Soulwax here last April. There were over 2000 people in the venue that night and the atmosphere was electric. The boys are back on Friday March 13th in their 2manydjs guise which will be a pool / marquee event. Over the past year we have also had Pendulum, Public Enemy, Derrick May, Simian Mobile Disco, Chase & Status, James Zabiela and Plump DJs to name but a few.

The most famous bar inside the Custard Factory has got to be ‘The Medicine Bar’ – for people who haven’t been - what makes this bar stand out from the crowd?

The Medicine Bar is the main club venue within The Custard Factory. It was actually rebranded as Factory Club a couple of years back although it is still referred to as The Medicine Bar or “Med Bar” by the majority of regulars – old habits die hard. Despite getting a slick make over a few years back the venue still has that industrial / warehouse feel with exposed girders and wooden beams. With a state of the art sound and lighting system it competes with any venue in the UK. There are also two levels of mezzanine floors with seating areas should it all get a bit too much for you!!

Tell us a bit about the other bars inside the Custard Factory…

On the opposite side of the lake from The Factory Club is The Kitchen. This serves as a café bar by day with a varied menu of good quality value for money food. At weekends the furniture is cleared out and this becomes room two for large club shows.

Birmingham is one of the most rainy and cold cities in the UK – as the Custard Factory is predominantly and open air complex, should people be put off going if the weather is bad?

Are you having a laugh!? Have you ever been to Manchester? I can assure you it rains a hell of a lot more in Manchester than it does in Birmingham. The fact is it rains EVERYWHERE in the UK. The Custard Factory was recently ranked in the top three outdoor dance floors in the UK by The Guardian. Obviously with the smoking ban it is essential for clubs and bars to have outdoor spaces. This was never a problem for The Custard Factory as the lake and its surrounding decked area is open air. However the venue is not completely open air and even the outdoor areas where smoking is allowed have covered sections. So in answer to your question people should certainly not be put off from attending the venue if the weather is bad.

The Custard Factory is very popular with the students of Birmingham but people shouldn’t be mis-lead with the impression that it’s going to be full of a load of rowdy scruff bags every night… What is your target audience and do you set out to please different crowds on different evenings?

That is the really exciting thing about The Custard Factory. The diary is exceptionally varied appealing to every type of crowd imaginable. The last weekend being a perfect example with Radio One’s Bobby Friction hosting his own night of East meets West Asiatic vibes on Friday, Xstatic, a hard dance night with Andy Farley headlining on Saturday plus a separate Warehouse party with Felix Da Housecat, James Zabiela & Erol Alkan also on Saturday. There was also an under 18s event on Sunday night.

What happens during the daytime at the custard factory – can you go for a drink at your venue on a Sunday afternoon for example?

The Custard Factory is a hive of activity during the day time with artist studios and offices for a huge array of creative business from record labels to design companies. It really is the creative hub of Birmingham. There is even a Flea Market on Saturday’s with vintage clothing, jewellery and accessories for sale.

What are your plans for 2009 at the Custard Factory and what DJs should we be getting excited about seeing over the next few months?

2009 has already been a great year for us. In January we held our annual Free Party hosted by Stupid Underground, Deuce Soundsystem, Class a Recordingz and Slick Management which attracted 1700 party people.

Already in the diary for 2009 are massive brands and huge international artists such as Bigger Than Barry, Hardcore Heaven, Cocoon with Sven Vath and Dubfire, Layo & Bushwacka, Valve Soundsystem, Andy C, Friendly Fires, Calvin Harris Live, Annie Mac and Steve Angello. All in all it’s looking like a very exciting year at The Factory Club / Custard Factory.

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Welcome to our new website. You will be able to find listings of upcoming events and buy tickets online. There is also a map of all the venues with further details.