Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 20:29:00

A Grade II listed Edwardian pub on the High Street in Kings Heath, the Hare and Hounds is one of Birmingham's most celebrated live music venues. Standing in its present red-brick form since 1907, on a site that has had a pub since the early nineteenth century, it is best known as the place where local reggae and pop band UB40 played their very first gig in 1979. Today it pairs a traditional pub downstairs with two busy performance rooms above. The building is treasured for its heritage as much as its music. Its listed status reflects the beautiful and unusual Art Nouveau tiles that line its entrance hall and staircase, and the venue carries genuine cultural history: UB40's debut performance in February 1979 is commemorated by a PRS for Music Heritage Award plaque unveiled in 2011, while comedian Frank Skinner is among those who launched their careers on its stage in the 1980s. After a period of decline, the pub was rescued around 2007 by a team led by Adam Regan, who set about reviving its live music after years in which that side of the building had been neglected. Over the following decade they rebuilt it into one of the most important out-of-city-centre venues in the country, a turnaround recognised when it won Best Live Entertainment at the Great British Pub Awards in 2016. The two upstairs rooms, with capacities of around two hundred and fifty and one hundred and fifty, host an eclectic programme of live music and club nights spanning jazz, indie, funk, reggae, hip hop, soul, house, techno and drum and bass. Early-career shows by the likes of Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Basement Jaxx and Alt-J underline its reputation for catching artists on the rise, while the downstairs bars run pub quizzes, a popular Saturday blues club and comedy. A cornerstone of the Kings Heath and wider Birmingham music scene, the Hare and Hounds manages to be both a serious cultural venue and a genuine neighbourhood pub. Its blend of listed Edwardian character, adventurous programming and grassroots ethos has made it a vital part of the city's creative community.