Once a printing factory, Hockley Social Club is now an all-day, all-night hangout space where food, music and culture collide, curated and operated by Birmingham’s famous Digbeth Dining Club (DDC). Now, after five wonderful years, the venue is going to close.

What’s On caught up with founder Jack Brabant to talk about his Social Club memories and find out what we can expect from the DDC team going forward (spoiler alert: there’s a lot!)...

Founded in 2012, Digbeth Dining Club is a multi-award-winning events & venue operator which has transformed the Midlands’ food landscape by turning some of the region’s most unique venues into vibrant street-food destinations. But you probably already know that.

What you might not know is that, after five fantastic years of delivering award-winning street food, world-class culture & music experiences, and hugely popular community events, Hockley Social Club, one of the venues that Digbeth Dining Club operates, has announced its closure.

“It’s no lie that the hospitality industry is in a tough spot at the moment, and we’re no different to anyone else in how it’s affected us,” explains founder Jack Brabant. “With rising costs, we could see that, within 12 months, we potentially may have been forced to close the doors overnight. Making the decision to close means we get to put on some great events, ensure that staff and contractors are looked after, and also let our customers come before it closes.

“I’ve been an advocate of support for hospitality from governments over the years, and yet it seems to be falling on deaf ears. We’re seeing daily closures in hospitality. Hopefully they will start to listen soon, as the industry is in a precarious situation.”

In its five years, Hockley Social Club has welcomed over half a million customers, worked with 175 traders offering hundreds of types of cuisines to food fans, and hosted over 5,000 events. And, in true fashion, Jack and the team have curated a wonderfully diverse selection of events to enjoy before the venue closes its doors on New Year’s Eve.

“We’ve got a packed calendar all the way until the end of the year. Wingfest will be partnering with us again mid-August for the world’s best festival for all things chicken. We welcome back the CBSO for a Halloween-inspired special. We’ve got Adam Rowe and Jeff Innocent joining us for Close Up Comedy in September, and then in November we celebrate our 100th show with some special guests. For those looking for a little dance, we welcome Grooverider to Artum, which is housed within Hockley Social Club, in October.”

Despite opening in ‘the wrong part of town’, the venue has been a huge success since its inception in 2020.

“That was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek comment! Since our Digbeth days, we’ve always been told that we open in the wrong parts of town, and yet people come. We’ve tried to reflect what makes the Midlands tick, representing all aspects of it. Whether that was ballet, grime, food, bhangra, country, classical, comedy, spoken word - you name it, we’ve probably put it on!”

The phrase ‘something for everyone’ can often be somewhat wide of the mark when promoting venues and events. However, Hockley Social Club really has provided something for everyone. With such a diverse programme, we wanted to talk to Jack about some of his highlights over the years…

“I really enjoyed the madness of doing click & collect during Covid. The fact that we managed to turn that around in four weeks, and had street food as well as food & drink independents, was really rewarding. It was like one big independent supermarket.

“Bringing the likes of the CBSO and Birmingham Royal Ballet to the venue was fantastic! The ballet collaboration between myself and Tom Rogers from BRB had been in the pipeline for around five years, so to get it off the ground was amazing. It was especially good seeing people who hadn’t been to either a CBSO or BRB show before being introduced to something they’d never seen.

“On the music front, we’ve had the pleasure of working with so many artists, like Todd Edwards, Guy Called Gerald, Dave Lee, Wookie as a quarterly resident, but also the likes of Call Me Unique and Shanty Town, our amazing local artists who champion Brum.

“Finally, our comedy brand, Close Up Comedy. Harry Jenkins and Freddy Quinne built it as a small concept, and in the space of three years it’s become one of the most established comedy clubs in the UK. We also have our festival, Comedy At The Castle, which has gone national.

“When Covid happened, we genuinely thought that might be the end of it all. In March 2020, we were welcoming 8,000 customers every weekend to our Digbeth site. Then, overnight, that was it. The fact that we had to leave Digbeth and start again, coming to where we are today, is a highlight.

“We were a small team prior to Covid, and we now have a large team. Most importantly, the venue team are the ones who have made it a success. It’s a bit of a madhouse, due to us constantly doing different events, yet they make it all work.”

Digbeth Dining Club also operates food & events venue Herbert’s Yard in Longbridge, and is currently on a summer tour of the Midlands, visiting 40 locations.

“We’re back in some of our favourite spots between August and September. Lichfield, Warwick Castle and Himley Hall are all favourites of ours. We’ve got a new location in Hednesford on 16 August, and we also have our All The Good Stuff Festival coming to Sutton Rugby Club on 30 August. It’s a food & music festival for the whole family,  and we’ll be making a world-record attempt where everyone can join in!”

So, what does the future hold for the beloved Brummie business? Plenty, by the sound of it!

“Hockley closing is sad, but it gives us the opportunity to focus on different areas of the business, as well as look at opening new venues and events. We’re looking forward to opening a new venue in the Black Country, with the majority of the team from Hockley moving over to there, as well as expanding our Comedy At The Castle Festival across the UK. And a huge festival celebrating the best of the Midlands’ food, arts, music and culture would be great! If any councils want to have a chat about spaces, I’m always available…

To find out more about Hockley Social Club and Digbeth Dining Club, visit the respective websites.

By Lauren Foster