Heavy metal, spawned in the West Midlands half a century ago, has become one of the world’s most popular and distinctive forms of culture. Now it’s time to celebrate the queerness that’s always been part of metal – if sometimes hiding in plain sight – in a scene that’s endlessly theatrical in music and costume, blending escapism, fantasy and outsider culture.

For the last few months, Home of Metal and SHOUT have been talking to LGBTQ+ metal fans in the West Midlands to gather queer perspectives on metal culture – and metal fans’ views on queer culture.

Join award-winning comedian, rock musician, writer and ‘psychedelic non-binary whirlwind’ Andrew O’Neill, the team behind acclaimed podcast Hell Bent for Metal, and a diverse group of LGBTQ+ heavy metal fans to hear some of the best queer stories from the Home of Metal.

SHOUT is the festival of queer arts and culture for Birmingham and the West Midlands. It aims to amplify the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people and communities from across our city and region, and start new conversations and tell new stories about LGBT+ life..