The Rainbow Pub

The Rainbow Pub is a Victorian pub at 160 Digbeth High Street in Digbeth, Birmingham. The original pub dates to 1767, and the building has exposed brickwork, stained-glass windows and vintage furnishings, with seating made from renovated railway sleepers. It began hosting live music and DJ events in 2003, and became the first venue in the Rainbow Venues complex, founded by Lee McDonald and opened in 2004.

Music spaces included the pub, a basement called the Cellar and a Courtyard. The basement held up to 200 people and had a Nexo Alpha E PA system; the courtyard had capacity for 150, while a cocktail lounge held 40. The pub’s earlier programme covered reggae sound systems, breakbeat, jazz and jungle, alongside live music and DJ events. Black Country Beats and Brum N Bass were among the promoters running events there.

Artists who played at The Rainbow Pub included Cheshire Cat, DJ Hype, Aries and Busta. After founder Lee McDonald announced its sale, the pub closed at the end of May 2017, with Face, Home and Below holding closing events over the final weekend. Following refurbishment, it reopened as a pub in 2019. Its basement programme has also included indie, rock, folk, funk and soul, with Urban JukeBox and DJ Feva as Saturday-night house acts.