HeavyCon announces move to Birmingham and raft of new features

HeavyCon organisers have announced that the rock and metal convention will now take place in Birmingham “due to overwhelming demand.”

The inaugural HeavyCon was due to take place at ExCel London in Royal Victoria Dock between September 30 and October 2, but will now be held at the NEC in Birmingham instead.

The move to a bigger venue will allow the addition of a string of new features, including a Motorhead Museum which includes the band’s Bomber lighting rig, which featured on the cover of 1981 live album No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith and has dominated their live production since the late 70s.

A HeavyArt exhibition area will showcase artwork by Mark Wilkinson and the late Storm Thorgerson. Wilkinson’s long-time collaborators include Marillion, Fish, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, and he’ll be on site to discuss his life and work, with an opportunity for you to acquire some very rare pieces.

HeavyCon has also teamed up with auction house Bonhams to provide on-the-spot valuations as part of an Antiques Rock Show feature. Rare albums, merchandise and memorabilia will be valued by experts at the NEC.

There will be live appearances from Gene Simmons, GWAR, Abbath, The Answer, Steven Wilson and War Of The Worlds creator Jeff Wayne as guests in a series of Q&A sessions hosted by TeamRock editor in chief Alexander Milas.

Organisers say: “HeavyCon 2016 is pleased to announce that due to overwhelming demand for this inaugural event, we will now take over the world-famous Birmingham NEC for a bigger, bolder one-of-a-kind music experience.

“HeavyCon is a fan-driven convention made with rock and metal music in mind. We’re creating a new platform where artists can connect with their audience and fans can interact with their heroes outside of a live performance situation, with a chance to get their hands on some exclusive merchandise and a ton of other cool content to mix with bands and brands.”

For ticket information, visit the official HeavyCon website.