Following its branch opening at Grand Central last September, the bookselling mini-chain Foyles and Town Hall Symphony Hall have already confirmed three major events for autumn across both venues.
Kicking off this partnership, THSH and Foyles are proud to present Peter Hook Substance: Inside New Order (Simon & Schuster) on 8 October at Symphony Hall. Having detailed the rise and fall of ‘Madchester’ in The Haçienda and Joy Division’s short career in Unknown Pleasures, legendary bassist Peter Hook tells the third, arguably the most important and certainly the most controversial part of his story: the New Order years.
Also announced are the inspirational British businesswoman Jo Malone, founder of Jo Malone London and Jo Loves, who will be speaking about her book My Story (Simon & Schuster) on 16 October at Town Hall, and celebrated television personality Graham Norton will be ‘in conversation’ talking about his fiction debut Holding (Hodder & Stoughton) on 4 December at Symphony Hall.
This new partnership will give audiences in the midlands excellent opportunities to get up close and personal to their literary heroes and celebrity idols. Customers who book tickets to these shows will receive a copy of the author’s book with their ticket, and benefit from discounts in Foyles at Grand Central for the week after each respective event too.
Andy Quinn, Foyles’ Head of Events, said:
Since we opened our new store in Grand Central we’ve been exploring options to co-host large capacity events. Over the years the two iconic venues have played host to cultural stars from Charles Dickens to David Bowie.
Chris Proctor, Programme Manager at Town Hall and Symphony Hall, added that he was looking forward to welcoming world literature stars to Birmingham.
We regularly welcome some of the world’s greatest musicians to our venues, so to have the opportunity to expand our programme to include world-class authors and celebrities is something that we are very much looking forward to.
Town Hall and Symphony Hall are managed together by Performances Birmingham Limited, a registered charity, supported by funding from Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England.
Town Hall, Birmingham re-opened in October 2007 following a £35m renovation.