If this were a festival of photography, there's clearly been only one headliner in town and that's the mighty WME Birmingham. A powerhouse performance has drummed up a storm thanks to the delights of Digbeth, a place that consistently delivers strong supplies of street signs and graffiti. Meriden Street murals featuring the faces of Brum's future take pride of place alongside Little Ann Street and Moore's Row, then we have the not insignificant matter of Edgbaston with its cricketing kiosks bearing bat, ball and poppy motifs.
Among the support acts, WME Staffordshire and WME Dudley earned themselves rave reviews by showcasing selections from their greatest hits repertoires. Staffordshire gets literally stumped in Dimmingsdale - more of those funny faces that appear along the Staffs & Worcs towpath - whilst also endearing us to Ebstree Lock. As for Dudley, it belts out snapshots of Top Church and the Britannia pub with great gusto.
It's very rare to see WME Coventry upstaging the omnipresent WME Wolverhampton but that's exactly what has transpired. Coventry leaps up the bill courtesy of Fargo Village's arty eyeballs and curious characters (a robot with a coffee habit) plus a dartboard distraction from the Festival pub over in Fenside. Wolverhampton can't compete with such extravagances but does summon some pretty Finchfield blossoms - I suspect we'll be seeing even more of those in July.
Like its neighbour Coventry, WME Solihull can be prone to bouts of stagefright but nervously coaxes out a Dorridge double (a street sign specimen apiece for Forest Road and Dorridge Croft). WME Worcestershire meanwhile avoids getting marooned in a muddy campsite by squelching on over to Diglis Basin for lock views and the marina office. Negotiations are already underway to see which performers will make the cut for July's playlist so keep your eyes peeled over the coming days and weeks...
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