The Hare & Hounds: Kings Heath's Grade II listed home of live music

Walk along Kings Heath High Street on a weekend evening and the chances are you will hear the Hare & Hounds before you see it. This handsome pub has become one of the best-loved music venues in the West Midlands, and its story stretches back more than two centuries.

There has been a pub here since 1820, and the building has stood in its present form since 1907. It is Grade II listed, and visitors can still admire the Art Nouveau tiles that line the entrance hall and staircase.

Music history was made here on 9 February 1979, when a young UB40 played their first gig at the pub, at a friend's birthday party. In October 2011 a plaque was unveiled at the venue as part of the PRS for Music Heritage Award, which recognises the unusual places where famous bands first performed.

The venue's own site says it has established itself as "one of the most important and influential music venues in the country" since 2007. Over the years it has given early stages to artists including Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding and Basement Jaxx, and in 2016 it won Best Live Entertainment at the Great British Pub Awards.

Upstairs are two venue rooms: V1, the main room, which holds around 250 standing, and the smaller V2, with room for about 150. The programme ranges across jazz, indie, funk, reggae, hip hop, soul, house, techno, drum and bass and much more.

It is not all about gigs. Downstairs there are two bars, and the Saloon bar hosts pub quizzes on Wednesdays and Sundays. There is a monthly film club, along with weekly craft clubs and comedy workshops, which helps the Hare & Hounds feel like a genuine community hub as well as a stage.

The venue takes access seriously too, offering free carer tickets for all events when requested in advance, and chairs for anyone with specific access or medical needs.

Getting there is easy. The 50 and 35 buses stop right outside, and Kings Heath's new railway station is a short walk away, so there is no excuse not to make a night of it.

Listings and ticket links are on the Hare & Hounds website.