Jeepster, Diddy Sweg, The Friendly Fire Band and GANS will take to the stage at the Digbeth venue as part of a campaign to protect Birmingham’s grassroots music scene.
Some of Birmingham’s most exciting live acts are coming together for Save Our Scene Live, a special day of music at The Night Owl on Sunday 4th October, raising awareness of proposals that could threaten the future of the much-loved Digbeth venue.
Taking place from 2PM until late, the event will bring together Jeepster, Diddy Sweg, The Friendly Fire Band and GANS, alongside The Night Owl’s resident DJs, for a celebration of the grassroots music, artists and communities that have made the venue an important part of Birmingham’s cultural landscape.
The event comes in response to proposals from the Midlands Rail Hub Alliance (MRHA), which include widening sections of the historic Bordesley Viaduct as part of major rail infrastructure works between Birmingham Moor Street and Bordesley. Under the current proposals, The Night Owl is among a number of independent Digbeth businesses whose futures could be threatened by works expected to begin from 2030.
The Night Owl has warned that whether the venue was directly demolished, required as a construction site or made unable to operate because of the surrounding works, it would not survive the proposals in their current form.
Save Our Scene Live is about demonstrating exactly what could be lost.
Since opening in Digbeth, The Night Owl has become much more than a nightclub. It is a grassroots live music venue, a home for alternative and underground culture, a platform for emerging artists and a space where friendships, creative projects and communities have formed.
The line-up itself reflects that story.
Birmingham duo GANS played only their second ever show at The Night Owl. Since those early beginnings, the band have broken into the UK alternative scene and gone on to perform at festivals and major shows across the UK and Europe.
Members of Diddy Sweg are also part of the team behind the award-winning Digbeth Jazz, which has made The Night Owl its home and built a thriving community around live jazz in Birmingham.
Alongside Jeepster and The Friendly Fire Band, the line-up showcases the range of music, talent and communities that independent venues like The Night Owl give a stage to.
The event is being supported by Save Our Scene as part of the wider Save Digbeth campaign, which is fighting to protect the independent venues, businesses and cultural spaces threatened by the proposed development.
Clare Edwards, General Manager of The Night Owl said “This event is incredibly important for showing decision-makers of our future the value of what we do here on Lower Trinity Street.
We have a fantastic showcase of amazing local talent that The Night Owl adores, nurtures, and—as with all of our wonderful shows over the last decade—is immensely proud to host.
Please come support and party with us to help raise awareness of our plight and some much needed funds for our ongoing fight.
We thank Save Our Scenes for coming to our aid with this special collaboration.”
The campaign comes amid growing concern about the impact of the Midlands Rail Hub proposals on Digbeth. The proposed widening of the Bordesley Viaduct could affect a number of independent venues and businesses across the area, raising questions about how Birmingham can improve its infrastructure without losing the cultural spaces that have helped make Digbeth what it is today.
Rather than simply talking about the importance of grassroots venues, Save Our Scene Live will fill one with the artists, DJs and audiences who give it purpose.
Tickets are £10, with supporters given the option to pay more if they are able. Money raised will go towards future campaigning to protect The Night Owl and help secure its future as part of Birmingham’s music scene.
EVENT DETAILS
Save Our Scene Live
Sunday 4th October 2026
2pm – late
The Night Owl, Digbeth, Birmingham
Live: Jeepster / Diddy Sweg / The Friendly Fire Band / GANS
Plus: The Night Owl resident DJs
Tickets: £10, with the option to pay more in support of the campaign.
All money raised will contribute towards future campaigning to protect The Night Owl.