On June 7th we're having a huge waterfight in Birmingham. Brumob was responsible for Britain's first mass facebook-organised warterfight. However, after having a look see at what our friends over in Leeds and London have been upto it has occurred to us that this year we're going to have to be much more devious.

We do however have to clarify a few points to put the mind's of the council at rest. Minds which may be understandably nervous about our imminent arrival. The water fight will not take place in an overly crowded area where possible harm (or wetness) could come to a member of the general public. This is not to say that it won't be a central and relatively public area, we're just not going to rampage around the Bullring or anything. In addition, whilst the rest of us are converging on the meeting point (see bellow), the rest of the Brumob team will be dispatched to warn any sunbathers/grannies with ice cream/ladies with Prada handbags of our imminent arrival. The waterfight will be well organised and we are not looking to cause havoc or commit offences of any kind.

There is a general consensus in the brumob camp that the powers that be will take more convincing than this, so we have devised a cunning plan. The important bit of which are laid down here:

1 – Two days before the water fight (that's next Thursday) the location of a meeting point will be released. This won't be the location of the water fight, it's just an extra precaution to ensure that things go nice and smoothly.

2 – On June 7th at 1:15pm gather at the meeting point. Here you will be greeted by myself and/or other members of the Brumob team and given further instructions.

3 – Be sure to arrive as precisely on 1:15pm as possible. This should have the effect of everyone arriving on mass at the same time and will mean that if the powers that be are waiting for us they will not be able to clear us away. If you are early wait across the street.

4 – As daft as it may sound - when you arrive stay standing, keep in close together and mingle.

5 – If the powers that be are waiting for us be polite and respectful, we need to show them that we aren't looking for trouble i.e a repeat of the Leeds waterfight.

6- The waterfight will kick off at 2pm at the sound of a whistle. If you hear a second whistle, disperse quickly and quietly, this means trouble is brewing! Otherwise things will finish when either the water runs out or everyone feels their good and wet enough. Do not leave any rubbish behind. This means no water bombs.

7 – Make sure your water guns/bottles with holes in them/buckets are pre filled. In fact bring lots of water! The council may get wind of us and turn off any near by water source. Starting off with water will also mean that we are less likely to be noticed and shooed away before the fun starts.

8 – Make sure that your preferred water distribution mechanism is concealed in bag or some such. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT – we don't want to be easily identified. This will make much more sense on the day.

9 – THIS IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT: We now have a dedicated group of agents operating undercover within brumob to help us achieve or interests. These agents constitute our contingency plan. If at any point - AT ANY POINT! - during the proceedings on the 7th a member of the mob approaches you with the opening phrase "I am your agent…" calmly and discretely follow their instructions TO THE LETTER.

10 – Go with the flow! We're not entirely certain what the reaction to us showing up in town will be but if it comes to it, make sure you carry out the instructions of your agent and this ought to be one hell of a Saturday afternoon.

11 – AND THIS IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AGAIN Invite all your friends to this group/event. It doesn't matter if they reply positively or join and then don't make it on Saturday. What is important, and we can't stress this enough, is that by sending invites we get exposure on peoples home, group and event pages just from the activity alone. This will give as many people as possible the opportunity to get involved.

Finally, this Wednesday at 8pm we will be holding another official pub trip to discuss the water fight and generally make the whole process more inclusive. The pub of choice is The Wellington: 37 Bennetts Hill, B2 5SN, in the city centre. Thanks to everyone that came down last week, I ended up staying far later than was prudent. If you're interested in getting more involved, want to join the Brumob team, wish the meet your fellow flashmobbers, or simply need an excuse for a beer or two - come find us. I will be wearing a (now trademark) pink jumper with a green scarf so we'll be easy to spot.


See you in the mob.

Brumob Team.

First things first, Birmingham's biggest waterfight of the summer will be taking place on June 7^th. Too many students (including several members of the Brumob team) haven't finished exams by the 31^st and in order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to join in the fun, June 7^th seems to be our best bet.

 

So, down to business.  It has become increasingly apparent over the last year that we have a mole within the brumob camp. In fact we probably have two. Hello you industrious little fellows! In hindsight of last years attempted water fight we have decided to go back to basics with this one. In order to ensure that the powers that be don't spoil things for everyone again, on June 4^th we will be releasing the location of a meeting point, and a meeting time that will be no earlier than 1pm on June 7^th. Once here you will be greeted by myself and several other members of the team and given further instructions which will include the ultimate location of the water fight.

 

Please note (and this mean you moles, listen up!) that the water fight will not take place in an overly crowded area where possible harm (or wetness) could come to a member of the general public. This is not to say that it won't be a central and relatively public area, we're just not going to rampage around the Bullring or anything. In addition, whilst the rest of us are converging on the meeting point, the rest of the Brumob team will be dispatched to warn any sunbathers/grannies with ice cream/ladies with Prada handbags of our imminent arrival.

 

Anyone wishing to get involved with the organisation and execution of the water fight and future flashmobs etc please message me, we will be having a planning meeting/trip to the pub in the following weeks and anyone is welcome to attend, even if you just fancy meeting some new people for a drink and a chat!

One last point, we are anticipating an influx of members to this group when we begin publicising the event. With the imminent and critical level of 1000 members coming up fast, beyond which point we can no longer harass you all with messages, we will soon be making this group invitation only and creating an over-spill group originally named "Birmingham Flashmob 2". The content over the two groups will be identical.

 

Phew, that was longer than anticipated.

 

Check back here for fairly regular updates and write on the board or message us your suggestions and comments. See you on the 7^th.

 

Brumob Team.

 

That's right guys and girls, Birmingham's biggest water fight is back for another year. We're keeping the date ambiguous for the moment but please do message us or post on the wall your preference so we can get an idea of the general consensus. The location and other details will be posted along with the final date on friday the 16th. Until then, post your ideas for locations and get polishing those water pistols - there's going to be a show down in Birmingham centre!

Brumob Team

Howdy guys and girls, many of you may have noticed the distinct lack of development regarding the flashmob we promised this weekend. This, as it has transpired, is entirely my own fault. I will not regale you all with the details but  it will suffice to say I dropped the ball. Do not despair! For all of those craving a fix of the random we will  be releasing the details of two up and coming flashmobs/huge waterfights (oh no! I've said too much!) the day after tomorrow. Watch this space. Also, to all those who have messaged us regarding anything we will be trawling through our/my inbox for the next few nights so expect a reply asap. In the mean time, tell all your friends: Brumob is back from its brief slumber.

 

Brumob Team.

The next Flashmob will take place on Saturday 3rd May. If we've got our dates right this should be a week after the universities get back from the Easter break. Please someone let us know if we've miscalculated! This will probably be the last flashmob we organise before this years "..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Birmingham's Biggest Waterfight" (watch out for more information on this one as we get closer to the summer). Please keep posting and messaging us your ideas, I am personally very fond of the suggestion to invade Primark dressed as Rambo, though am informed by cooler heads that security staff may not be so excited by the prospect! If this isn't soon enough to sate your thirst for all things bizarre, the long time Brumob aficionado, Oli Jenkins, is organising a huge Zombie walk on march 15^th. Check out the group "Zombie Walk Birmingham" for details: http://ubrm.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8111995761

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Watch this space.

 

Brumob team.

Applauding a Saturday Shopper video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXQ3_MxLHP4

Applauding a Saturday shopper article on BRMB website. The event was also reported several times on the radiostation and included an interview with the shoppers we applauded!:
http://www.brmb.co.uk/Article.asp?id=593562&spid=12540

Nicely done lads and ladies, check back here later in the week for news on the next flashmob.

Brumob Team.

This is the glass shark-like building in the middle of the pedestrian area of New Street, outside H&M and next to the cross roads. See the photos on the wall.

Ok, so here's the plan:

1) Arrive at the location on Saturday at 1:50pm and congregate on either side of entrance. If one side looks crowded or uneven, move to the other. Stand a little back so that we don't activate the automatic doors or give the game away. Equally, be careful of the road, we don't want anyone wondering underneath a bus.

2) At 2pm, one lucky member of the Brumob team will position themselves in front of the double doors with a bunch of flowers (thanks to Max Robinson for that one), being careful not to stand so close as to activate them. THIS IS NOT THE SIGNAL, But get ready…

3) Another lucky member will be watching through the glass walls from the outside of the information centre with a whistle. This is how we are going to ensure that we don't target a vulnerable member of the public. When the whistle blows, the next person to exit the building is the target and will do so almost immediately after the whistle is blown. 

4) As the double doors open go mad! Come in closer as the target is presented the flowers; cheer loudly, clap, whistle, shout appraisals, if they aren't totally petrified by the experience shake their hand and clap them on the back. If some of you want to make banners that say "you rule!" etc that would be ace. But remember, the exercise isn't to frighten or totally humiliate someone.

5) The effect should resemble a 'Stars in Their Eyes' moment, with the stranger exiting the sliding doors to rapturous applause. Unfortunately no dry ice (but thanks for the suggestion), Dave would probably be arrested!

6) When you hear the second whistle, go completely deadpan then disperse quickly and quietly.

See you on the 23^rd.

Brumob Team

Location and Target will be confirmed closer to the date (we're being extra careful this time). 

Basically, we're going to hysterically applaud a total stranger for doing something completely normal.

1) Meet at the location just before 2pm. Surprise is crucial with this one but town will be pretty busy so this should not be a problem, just mingle around keeping an eye out for the unsuspecting stranger we will target.

2) The target will be along the lines of "someone putting money in a parking meter" or "a person sitting down on a bench" (but obviously something a little more creative than this).

3) The applause will be initiated by a member of the Brumob team and the focus of the applause will be fairly obvious. It will be (for example) the first person the exit a designated shop or take money out of a specific cash machine after 2pm.          

4) Go mad! Cheer loudly, clap, whistle, shout appraisals, if they aren't totally petrified by the experience shake their hand and clap them on the back. But remember, the exercise isn't to frighten or totally humiliate someone.

5) When you hear the whistle go completely deadpan then disperse quickly and quietly.

The two ideas currently making the Brumob team giggle are either applauding a shopper as they exit Ann Summers (my personal favourite), or as they take money out of a cash machine. The later has been popular in the past and would ensure that we definitely don't incur the wrath of the Bullring security staff yet again. Check out the following YouTube videos of a HUGE "ATM Applause" on a university campus in the U.S.:  

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTh8no91g54

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=660lGVF5bIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfaohsCP1o8

 

Neither is set in stone so give us your ideas by either messaging me our posting on the wall.

We've also notice the rather small percentage of the student/otherwise population of greater Birmingham our myspace and fascebook groups represent! Please invite/tell all your friends to the group. It only takes a couple to come up on news feeds and we can really get the ball rolling, allowing us to do more adventurous flashmobs. Train party anyone? Spread the Word!

See you on the 23^rd.

Brumob Team

FLASHMOB "BANG", DEC 5TH 2PM, BULLRING

 

!!!!LOCATION: INSIDE THE BULLRING ON THE LOWER LEVEL OUTSIDE NEW LOOK!!!!

 

Our most slippery team member used her mad-styling ninja skills to bring us back a photograph of the exact location which can now be found on the group's photos section. Remember: THERE WILL BE NO WHISTLE! The mass stand off will be initiated by two members of the brumob team walking into the centre of the location and "drawing" their fingers on each other. As the tension builds one of the original two will "shoot" the other shouting "BANG!" This is your que, let the shootout commence!

 

Please check out this recording of a previous flashmob "Bang", it's ace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoXwFcBmlpw

 

See you on Wednesday!

 

Brumob Team.

Watch this space closer to the time for location.

The next event can finally be revealed as a mass mimed shootout (or what has been termed a "BANG!" by other flashmob collectives) taking place on Wednesday December 5th. A perfect example of a "Bang" which apparently took it's inspiration from previous flashmobs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxnJX5UoTWQ

To see actual video footage type "flashmob bang" into youtube or check out (the first one is especially good):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoXwFcBmlpw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxnJX5UoTWQ

1)Gather at the location (to be revealed closer to the time) just before 2pm in a loose crowd.

2)At 2pm two members of the brumob team will walk into the centre of the location and draw their fingers on each other.

3)In response pull you fingers on each other until a huge standoff is created. PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO WHISTLE FOR THIS ONE!

4)As the tension builds one of the original two will "shoot" the other shouting "BANG!"

5)This is your que, let the shootout commence!

6)When you're shot fall to the ground, the more gruesome and exaggerated the death the better. We all know that pretending to die is half the fun, and if people get too competitive this could go on for a VERY long time.

7)Stay on the floor (or slumpped up against the phone box you clawed a while taking your final few breaths in this world) until everyone else is dead/gone.

8)If you find your self the sole survivor either tern your fingers on yourself or leave jubilantly (Brumob team suggest that skipping a little would add to the over all effect).

9)At this point disperse quickly and calmly in different directions.

See you on the 5th