Precious metal

Manchester is fiercely proud of its musical past (perhaps to the detriment of its present, as was suggested in the Sounding Bored episode on the city). Why, I've often wondered, isn't Birmingham? Thankfully, Brum appears to be belatedly embracing its status as the foundry in which metal was forged, if the Home Of Metal project is anything to go by.

The project encompasses a series of events and an exhibition, and is taking place in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands over the summer. Its founder and chief executive Lisa Meyer runs Supersonic, which she accurately describes as "an experimental music festival" that has metal running through its veins. The project doesn't dwell on the margins, though - Black Sabbath are front and centre, as they should be, and metal's mainstream is well represented. The decision to focus on the nature and extent of fandom makes perfect sense, given that it's a genre that has always spawned ardent devotees.

A couple of friends have already visited the exhibition and returned singing its praises, so with any luck I might get up there to take a look before it closes.