Birmingham often earns the label as a cradle of industrial power, a place where steam power and enterprise intertwined long before the modern age. The city’s heritage isn’t just about furnaces and factories; it’s about a social landscape that helped shape an early cohort of youth gangs. The gang culture of that era gave rise to a term that became a shorthand for street toughs: hooligans. The Peaky Blinders, a name that has echoed through popular culture, nods to the distinctive dress and hairstyles of those rough-and-tumble youths, though the on-screen image is far flashier than the real street life ever could be. The historical Birmingham also boasted a gang known by that same moniker, and while the series dramatizes their intensity, the actual scenes often move beyond the city’s borders in visual storytelling.”
Nearby, the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley stands out as a vivid backdrop for the era, embodying the ragged energy of the period. The collection preserves the feel of a family’s gypsy roots and the rough-edged, street-level conflicts that defined the times, including early measures of control and counterpoint among rival groups. The museum’s layout offers a tangible sense of how neighborhoods could swing between opportunity and danger, between enterprise and threat, as the storylines of the era unfold.”
In truth, the gritty economic heartbeat of the Shelby crew’s betting operation isn’t pinned to Birmingham itself in this retelling; Powis Street in Liverpool emerges as the practical stand-in for much of the action. Liverpool, a port city with its own fierce identity, contributes a different texture to the tale, including Admiral Grove and other streets that anchor the fiction in a broader English urban tapestry. The city is also notable for music history, including the birthplace of a certain legendary drummer who would later help shape the rhythm of British pop culture. This layered setting helps the narrative feel both authentic and expansive, linking the local to the national in a way that makes the period feel lived-in rather than performative.”
Movie soundtrack
Aunt Polly’s residence is imagined in the Port Sunlight housing complex near Liverpool, while Tommy’s workspace sits in an industrial block on Cater Street in Bradford. The production also scripts in other locales with their own historic vibes, including the calm stoicism of a cemetery landscape that evokes memory and menace, and the architectural presence of civic halls and cathedrals that anchor the period’s public life. The broader soundscape includes locations such as historic city offices, grand halls, and the ceremonial spaces that lend gravity to scenes of plans and power moves. The result is a musical palette that anchors the drama in a tangible sense of place rather than pure fiction.”
Birmingham’s ongoing influence on modern popular culture is undeniable, even as the series blends anachronistic elements with a post-punk sensibility. The historical city’s metalwork and industrial imagery offer a natural resonance with the show’s bold aesthetic. Legends of heavy metal, born from Birmingham, frame a parallel cultural current that echoes through the visuals and mood of the production. Yet the episode’s tone makes it clear that heavy metal’s raw energy is not the only thread running through the narrative; the show remains deeply rooted in the era’s social realities and the characters’ evolving loyalties, which gives the soundtrack a sense of purpose beyond mere mood. The city’s real-world influence—its bands and its industrial legacy—underscores the way place and sound together shape memory.”
As a historically industrious hub, Birmingham attracted expatriates and visitors who were drawn to its promise and its dangers. The storytelling nods to this migratory energy, illustrating how the era’s music and social currents intersected with the city’s economic rise. The period’s cultural currents—ranging from folk-inflected tunes to more modern pop textures—offer a backdrop that emphasizes the contrast between working-class resilience and the aspirations of ambitious families. The musical choices hint at regional flavors, including close ties to local bands and the broader British music scene, and they help convey the mood of a city on the verge of transformation. The narrative never shies from the tension between everyday life and the spectacle of power, a dynamic clearly mirrored in the careful selection of songs and scenes that frame the characters’ journeys.