Parker Barrow

Parker Barrow plays O2 Institute3 Birmingham on Wednesday 2 December, a mid-week date that puts them in the city for a single night. It's a solo show, so it's just Barrow on stage rather than a full band, and the set will be built around his own songs.

If you're not already familiar, Barrow works in a space that sits somewhere between folk and singer-songwriter territory, with the songs usually carrying the weight. It's the kind of gig that asks you to listen rather than just have it on in the background, and playing solo keeps the focus on the writing and the voice. There's no big band to hide behind, so the songs have to stand on their own.

It's a mid-week one, which changes the feel of the night a bit — a Wednesday in early December, so it's a few weeks before the Christmas rush really kicks in. If you're used to weekend gigs, this is a different kind of outing: a night in the city on a working day, with the music taking centre stage rather than the party around it. It's a good one if you'd rather a focused evening than a long weekend session.

Doors open at 19:00, and the curfew is 23:00, so there's plenty of time to get in and settle before things get going. Tickets are available through the usual channels, with the O2 Institute and Ticketmaster both listing it. If you're planning to go, it's worth getting them sorted in advance rather than leaving it to the night, especially for a mid-week date when you'll want to know exactly when you're heading in. Doors at 19:00, curfew 23:00, at O2 Institute3 Birmingham on Wednesday 2 December.