We all have our favourite places close to home, but what if you could go beyond your own city and see what others love about theirs? Our brand-new series, MYcity gives you the inside scoop, revealing the hidden gems of each city through the eyes of our very own Offspring Community members.
Kicking off our first MYcity Series, Community Member Goldsby walks us through what his city Birmingham means to him.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Goldsby, 36 and I’m born and raised in Birmingham. By day I’m an Operations Manager in the world of Aerospace, in the evenings I clean trainers and when the weekend comes round I’m a DJ. I’ve been collecting trainers for quite some years now, but It’s hard to put a definitive time on it as it feels I’ve been buying them for as long as I can remember.
What was it like growing up in Birmingham?
Nobody really had a lot of money back then, there wasn’t really a lot to do other than meet your mates, walk the streets and play football over the park. Much simpler times compared to nowadays, which in its own way was quite nice. We knew no different, and I guess we thought everywhere was the same.
Regarding fashion and culture what do you remember as a young kid growing up in Birmingham?
Fashion and culture very much depended on what we could get away with at school. The school uniform consisted of a black blazer, trousers, tie and a white shirt. Black shoes were a requirement and the only bit of clothing you had a real choice with was your coat. There were a few ski trips during my time there and that influenced some peoples coat choice. Helly Hanson, Sprayway and Berghaus were all firm favourites. In the early years the footwear of choice tended to be Kickers or Clark’s Wallabees and as we got older, we all progressed to Lacoste boots and Rockport. School was less than two miles for everybody that went there but we were all suitably dressed for mountain expeditions. I’m sure many parents found the buy now pay later option in the Kay’s catalogue a godsend!
It was difficult to not get suckered into that scene. We were too young to go to any raves or club nights but that didn’t stop us trying. The older kids had a lot of influence on us without us realising. It’s amazing how many of us become DJs once we had left school.
From a music perspective we listened to a broad amount. We were influenced by TV channels like ‘The Box’, ‘MTV’ and ‘Kiss’. In the early school years there were lots of dance and house tunes. Then we progressed to Hip-Hop and RnB. Birmingham generally has a big love for reggae and ska, you’d struggle not to hear UB40 when attending a family party or trip to the social club. Out of nowhere we all become UK Garage and DnB fans. Brum had a pirate radio station called ‘Silk City’ and some of the older kids at school were DJ’s and MCs on there.
Where did you hang out back then, did it spark up an interest for you? Has this changed?
In our early to mid-teens, we played football over the local park but there’s only so much you can play. A few school friends started playing tennis around the corner from my house. We had never even held a tennis racket before, but we signed up and went and bought a load of tennis clobber ready for our new hobby. Within a week of joining, we were head to toe in Sergio Tacchini, Fred Perry and Lacoste. You’d have thought we were on track to play a Wimbledon final the way we looked. Unfortunately, you can’t play tennis in the dark (otherwise we would have done), so we’d go home for our dinner, and then meet up again and go the cinema.
(Fun fact 1: Modern tennis was invented in Birmingham in 1859).
We had to make a bit of effort clothes wise here as most of the films we wanted to watch had age ratings older than we were, plus for some reason we were under the impression that we would meet girls there; we were wrong.
(Fun fact 2: Birmingham is home to the oldest working cinema in the UK and was home to the world’s first ever ODEON cinema in 1930).
In reference to culture and fashion scene, how has your city developed to what it is now?
Birmingham gets some stick for being boring (let’s not get started with the accent), but anyone that comes here realises there is a fair bit to see and do, and that the city has a rich history in many ways. It’s hard to not mention ‘The Peaky Blinders’ when it comes to fashion as in recent years that trend came back with a bang. The pocket watches aren’t to be seen but the flat caps are a bit of a staple for us, as much as the parka is for Manchester.
When you think fashion, you don’t really think Birmingham. Brummies are generally very laid back and being in the middle of the country, we’ll happily take influence from a lot of other areas.
While the North are always in competition with the South, the Midlands have always looked to put the best bits together. When it comes to football, there is the ongoing debate of who was wearing Sergio track jackets and adidas trainers to the away days. The Midland teams were all trying to look like each other to escape the hands of the law. Burberry and Aquascutum were staples at the football and become very difficult for the police to distinguish between troublesome fans and those just out to watch the match.
(Fun fact 3: The FA cup was made in Birmingham, and the first football league in the world started here).
Music had a massive influence on fashion in the city, it was only 10-15 years ago there would be signs in every pub and club saying, “No checked shirts, no Rockport, no jeans, no visible tattoos”. The clubs I DJ at nowadays are thankfully a lot more relaxed. ‘Luna Springs’ is a corporate owned outdoor venue which comes alive in the summer. ‘Lab 11’ is a homegrown, raw, underground venue which hosts forward thinking events all year round. While they differ in many ways, the share the similarity or putting on amazing parties for amazing crowds.
Where do you like to shop these days?
Before the modern-day Bullring arrived, there were more independents around the city regarding fashion, but now I feel the only one mentioned is ‘The liquor store’. Selfridges and Flannels cater for most brands I like and wear nowadays. Offspring, Size? And Wellgosh are the go-to stores for footwear and it’s where like-minded trainer lovers’ queue for rarer releases. The amount of people I am friends with because of those queues is crazy. There is never any trouble, and the atmosphere is fantastic. I always describe a queue as a football away day without watching any football.
Whats the food like in Birmingham?
Birmingham’s food scene is quite simply amazing. We have the most Michelin star restaurants in the UK outside of London. Birmingham is the birthplace of the Balti and home to over 100 Balti houses. Chinatown has some of the best oriental food you will ever taste; a bold statement I know! Tucked away in side alleys, is a true hidden gem of a restaurant called ‘Peach Garden’.
Digbeth is a small walk from the city centre and is host to some great independents. ‘Baked in Brick’ serves up pizza and baked goods. ‘The Old Crown’ is Birmingham’s oldest secular building and has existed since 1368. The building itself is a proper pub with a modern twist and the garden is one of the best in the city centre when the sun is out.
The Jewellery quarter is obviously known for well… the Jewellery. But it is also full of great independent bars and restaurants. ‘The Wilderness’ is a fine dining taster menu restaurant in a quirky intimate venue. A bar that has really sparked my attention is a place called ‘No21’. Recently opened, the independent bar has an impressive cocktail menu, live music and DJs providing the soundtrack.
What are you favourite spots?
Birmingham has an amazing street food scene which was kick started by ‘Digbeth dining club’ some years ago. This has created a wealth of independent food outlets with some going on to open their own restaurants around the city. There are so many good places to eat at now, it’s honestly a struggle to think where to go. If you’re in the city centre, the likes of ‘Bonehead’, ‘Original Patty Men’, ‘Anderson & Hill’ and ‘Tiger Bites Pig’ are firm favourites of mine.
Outside of the city centre is where you will find Brums real food culture. Birmingham is well known for its multicultural background, and this influence shows most in the suburb’s food offerings.
When I think legendary, there is one place that springs to mind; ‘Bedders fish and chips’ based in Small Heath. Opening its doors in 1946 the shop opened only on a Friday evening and Saturday lunch time. It literally did that much business in those times it didn’t need to open any other times. Your food’s served on a glass plate, you get a glass cup of tea, your fish and chips come with bread and butter on the side and as many spoonfuls of onions as you desire. A firm favourite for all those attending St. Andrew’s on match day.
How does your city differ to other major cities in the UK?
In my opinion, Birmingham differs to other major cities in the UK as it feels we aren’t in competition with anyone.
Manchester always feels in competition with Liverpool, Glasgow with Edinburgh and everywhere seems to be in competition with London. We just plod along in the background, never seeming bothered by anywhere else. Birmingham is home to many cultures and backgrounds and its history is very understated. Iconic brands such as Birds Custard, Cadbury Chocolate, Bournville Drinking Chocolate, HP Sauce and Typhoo Tea all started in Birmingham.
We have the largest public library in Europe, we have over 8,000 acres of parks and green space, home to the UK’s busiest theatre and we are the youngest city in Europe with almost 40 per cent of the population being made up of under 25's. Let’s not forget the classic line of us having more canals than Venice with 100 miles of canal navigations. Although, I can confirm we have 100% less gondolas. A lot of great things have happened and are happening here, you just have to come and see for yourself.
Is there one thing that really defines your city?
The people. All 1.15 million of us.
Birmingham’s coat of arms contains the word forward and is deemed the city’s motto. It is constantly moving forward, slowly; but forever moving forward. I can guarantee you that every time you visit Birmingham something will have changed, and something will have improved.
There is a lot of energy in the city right now and it feels that more and more people are seeing Birmingham for what we have always seen it as.
The Commonwealth games really showed the world just what an amazing city we have. Brummies generally come across as pessimistic and we are the first to put ourselves down (especially us Birmingham City fans). While we may play down the city at times, we are all very proud to be Brummies and we are very proud to call it home.
Check out more from Goldsby on Instagram @markgoldsby1
Our MYcity Series aims to highlight various cities within the UK, imparting knowledge about its history, culture, fashion, art, food, and everything in between. If you would like to get involved and represent your city, contact: OffspringHQinfo@office.co.uk
