★★★★☆
If the Platinum Jubilee celebration seemed happy for aiming for the lowest common denominator, Birmingham big the night pulled off awkward trick of combining mass pleasures with sincere touch of class. If you need a dose of Duran Duran (who cut their teeth in what was then the local poly, many moons ago), here they are, looking neat while riding back of the year in climactic sequence. The fireworks were great too.
But the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was out in force earlier, and writers would have rejoiced when they saw of parade of giant books on stems.
True, as is often the case with spectacle like it wasn’t always easy for those of us sits
