About
Concrete Mag is a culture magazine launched in January 2025.
In 2024 it was announced that Birmingham City Council had declared bankruptcy and would be proceeding to cut funding to the arts by 2026. This news was devastating for Birmingham’s arts and culture community, however, the city itself seems not yet ready to be defeated. Since then the rise of community events, independent screenings, gigs and gallery spaces has skyrocketed, establishing Birmingham as an epicentre of DIY culture. Inspired by this flourishing scene, that continues against all the odds, we decided to start Concrete as a way to document and share these goings on.
Where have all the magazines gone?
While many cities across the UK have a long history of local culture magazines (LeftLion in Nottingham, The Skinny in Glasgow, etc), Birmingham, it seems, has been lacking a dedicated place for the publication of culture writing. With a small but dedicated team of writers we hope to fill that gap, connecting communities and writers from across the West Midlands. Our goal is to eventually publish a physical paper magazine, to be distributed across Birmingham and released on a seasonal basis.
Manifesto
The goal of Concrete Mag is to create a space that represents a Birmingham Community.
While also interested in the up-to-date ‘goings on’ of Birmingham, Concrete is focused more on being a diary: a space for Birmingham-based writers to explore their interests, past or present.
Things we are looking for:
- Dedicated writers who are looking to share their ideas and express what they love about Birmingham.
- The weird and wonderful. There are no stupid ideas at Concrete. The weirder the better.
- Think pieces and personal essays.
- Reviews on everything and anything.
- News updates. We want to hear from YOU about whats happening in your area of Birmingham. From north to south we aim to cover everything in our beloved Brum.
- Photography. Whether that be gig photography, street work, or just looking for a space to share your work.
- Art work. If you are looking to share your art work with a wider audience or would like the opportunity to be commissioned for an article, send us your portfolio.
- Video Content. This will include video essays as well as creative works sent to us.
- Personals. This category will be expanded as the magazines grows. This will eventually include: interviews with local characters, on the street journalism that asks the public directly what they think, personal or true stories (from something stupid that happened at a party, to a weird interaction on the bus), and personal ads (e.g love letters, confessions, complaints)