sax, but no THE – Town Hall reopens
I’ve just come back from a launch for the opening festival of The Town Hall, sorry Town Hall (what have modern corporate advertising agencies got against the definite article? That’s going to a- be ignored and b – sound so old in a year, no hang on it already does), and it sounds so good I can’t believe we’ve been without it for ten years.
It does SOUND good as well, the acoustics were fantastic – we were treated to a song from Soweto Kinch‘s new album (great, but he looked like it was a bit early for him) and a barnstorming calypso (i think!) from the venerable Andy Hamilton and the Blue Notes.
It’s now to be run together with Symphony Hall, which should mean that they can compliment rather than compete, and is certainly showing commitment to a wide variety of music – Guillemots with the CBSO, Handel’s Messiah as arranged by Quincy Jones, tea dances, and of course one man and his organ 
There’s also a ‘Brum Rocks’ event which pulls together a host of Midlands Rock Royalty, Robert Plant, Tony Iommi, Bev Bevan et al in aid of the Childrens’ Hospital.
The opening festival is 4-21 October and tickets go on sale in June. More details From THSH.co.uk.
But is THSH pronounced th-iish?
You know, I think it always called Town Hall without the “the”. I was raised hearing phrases like “we’re going to Town this afternoon, so look sharp”. The thing was, even when Birmingham became a city, no-one ever thought to change.
i still say i’m going ‘up town’, but i’ve never said ‘up town hall’. Birmingham Town Hall, or The Town Hall I’d call it – at least they haven’t run it together, TownHall. Like Bullring it doesn’t work for me.
Yes, thank goodness they didn’t run the words together. Coining “Bullring” was the last straw for me. I guess we don’t say “The Symphony Hall” so that may explain why were are not going to be able to say “The Town Hall”? Which leads on to a possible explanation in the THSH “branding” of the two halls.