Uber Rock at the Home Of Metal
Written by Craggy
Sunday, 21 August 2011 05:00
One of the criticisms often levelled at museums is that they don’t open up to wider audiences, largely ignoring issues or interests that reflect a great deal of us and choosing instead to focus on high-brow artistic entertainment often reserved for the middle-classes. Sometimes art galleries can appear inaccessible, whereas local history can be envisaged as either plain boring, or only interesting to those who find it relevant. This attitude is difficult to overcome, especially as some museums and galleries continue to abound with artistic snobbery. But the truth is that over the last few years museums have been working hard, and since 2001 all national museums have been free to enter. Museums have been revolutionised and they have diversified, often aiming to reach out to the communities in which they are situated through outreach programs designed to be more widely engaging.
No better example of this change currently exists than in the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, where a recent exhibition celebrates the development of the British Heavy Metal scene over the last 40 years within the compelling setting of working-class Birmingham and the Black Country of the ’60s and ’70s. The Home of Metal exhibition, four years in the making, largely focuses on three of the biggest bands ever to contribute to the story of British Heavy Metal: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Napalm Death. But what makes this more than a ce
lebration of music is the context within which the story is told. This is a story of the working class, industrialised West Midlands, and this history is demonstrated firstly through the presentation of working class tools, working conditions and home life. The decision to present a real, thought-provoking context first in this exhibition is what makes it so compelling, demonstrating the link between industrialised metal work, and the production of the related metal music.
Following the display of industrial machinery and histories told by workers from the era, the visitor is invited to step in to a mock up of a typical working-class front room, complete with an Ozzy Osbourne interview on the telly. Newspaper cuttings decorate the walls depicting the news that was current to local people at the time. The link to Heavy Metal is then obvious, and soon the exhibition moves on to the story of four boys from that great, gritty suburb of Birmingham, Aston. Black Sabbath is where the music begins here, and they make up a great deal of the content that is displayed. From interviews with band members, to merchandise from down the years, this exhibition has it all. Judas Priest soon joins them, followed by the grindcore side of metal with Napalm Death.
There is plenty to see, with a high dose of glamour (largely thanks to the extravagance of Priest in particular) on display through famous stage clothes, iconic guitars and gig tickets and programmes. There is even a Harley Davidson Softail placed in front of the outfits which hang breathtakingly in front of the huge illuminated cross that adorned Sabbath’s Mob 
Rules tour of 1981-2, placed upon a make-shift stage of Tony Iommi’s equipment. All of this is complimented by a myriad of fan memorabilia which gives this exhibition an extra, personal dimension. The exhibition also aims to follow metal down the years and displays a wall of metal magazine covers featuring bands such as The Almighty and The Wildhearts.
The gallery is not just visually stimulating, though, and this is another area where museums have developed strikingly over the past few years. The medium of sound often finds its way into displays nowadays, and thankfully a strong array of metal music complements the walk through these blackened walls. Further immersion in the music continues, and keeping with the true spirit of things, the visitor is allowed to engage fully with the experience by being invited to choose from a number of Epiphones, all readily connected to amps, and play their metal heart out. Even drummers aren’t forgotten, and an electronic kit is set up for them too, so they can also feel part of the festivities. This interactive element of the gallery is essential in preventing the visitor from feeling alienated from that which it essentially has helped to develop. And that is the key to the exhibition; the music only exists because of the people that live and breathe it.
If I have any criticisms it is, firstly, that the exhibition rarely touches on bands outside of the main three, and I get little sense of any other bands that may have been cruising the circuit at the time, or even any of those other big metal bands from outside the West Midlands that may have been tourists to the area. I do understand however that there is never enough time, space or resources for everything, and keeping within this focus has ensured a thorough and rewarding experience. Secondly, the exhibition costs 6 pounds to get in. In theory I believe fully in free
exhibitions, but achieving this whilst also producing galleries of this quality is incredibly difficult in the current circumstances, especially when so much material is loaned. Most of the rest of the museum is free however, and the incredible Staffordshire Horde is located down the hall – well worth a look.
The seamless narrative of the history told in the Home of Metal is excellent, showing how metal, and the scene it developed within, was inextricably linked with the world around it, which included other exciting areas of music such as the Blues and ’50s Rock ‘n’ Roll. It tells the history of the area, and the history of the music, making this gallery one that magically presents both art and local history to an audience that can thoroughly enjoy it. This exhibition is an example of what museums can, and should, be doing for their local communities, and it demonstrates how far they have come with increased support. The hope now is that the blue tide of conservatism does not unforgivingly wash this hard work away from traditionally non-conservative areas. Art, entertainment and education for the masses should be a right, not a luxury, so thumbs up BMAG and affiliated partners; you’ve done a cracking job.
18 June – 25 September 2011