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Tony Iommi and Carlos Acosta join academics for an evening exploring the legacy of Black Sabbath

Overlooked elements of Black Sabbath’s legacy are being uncovered and celebrated at a special University of Birmingham event.

6 October 2025•2 min read
The members of Black Sabbath from in the 1970s (black and white photo).

English rock band Black Sabbath: bassist Geezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. Credit: Dom Slike via alamy.com

Forging Metal: Black Sabbath and Birmingham is a free event taking place on Tuesday, 14 October at the Bramall Concert Hall on the University of Birmingham campus.

Academic experts will be joined by special guests, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, and Carlos Acosta CBE, Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, to examine the ongoing legacy of the first-ever heavy metal band.

The event will feature a series of talks from University of Birmingham academics exploring various aspects of Black Sabbath’s legacy, as well as an ‘in conversation with’ session with Tony and Carlos.

Aston’s own Tony Iommi, also known as The Iron Man, The Riff Master General and The Godfather of Heavy Metal, is an inspiration for many thousands of hard rock guitarists. As the only continuous band member for the genre-shaping career of Black Sabbath, for over 50 years, Tony Iommi has become synonymous with heavy rock, his innovative, de-tuned, dark riffs a blueprint for successive generations of bands that followed.

It’s a joy to discuss in public with the brilliant co-founder of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi, the massive impact that Black Sabbath has had on the world, and how the band’s legacy inspired my concept for Black Sabbath-The Ballet.

Carlos Acosta CBE, Birmingham Royal Ballet

Carlos Acosta CBE, awarded an honorary degree by the University of Birmingham in July 2025, has been Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet for five years. During his tenure, he has shown a commitment to amplifying the region’s rich heritage and culture through the creation of performances, including the acclaimed Black Sabbath -The Ballet, the first true heavy metal ballet experience, and the second creation of his celebrated Birmingham Trilogy.

Carlos Acosta, said: “I am delighted to continue this wonderful partnership between Birmingham Royal Ballet and the University of Birmingham. It’s a joy to discuss in public with the brilliant co-founder of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi, the massive impact that Black Sabbath has had on the world, and how the band’s legacy inspired my concept for Black Sabbath-The Ballet.”

This evening is an exploration of the social science around what that means for the City itself, and also for an internationally-renowned ballet company as it takes Birmingham DNA to the world.

Professor Paul Jackson, University of Birmingham

Three academic experts will also be giving talks on the night covering different elements of the band’s legacy:

  • Dr David Gange, Associate Professor in History, will explore a neglected but crucial aspect of Sabbath’s legacy: their influence on environmental activism within metal music.
  • Dr Finola Kerrigan, Professor of Marketing at Birmingham Business School, will examine how arts and culture have shaped the identity of Birmingham, using Black Sabbath - The Ballet as a case study.
  • Dr Kamran Khan, Associate Professor in Language, Social Justice and Education, will use Black Sabbath as a cultural touchstone to unpack how sounds such as accents are tied to notions of prestige and discrimination and how they are shaped by the past in relation to the present and future.

Professor Paul Jackson, Director of Research for the College of Social Sciences and emcee for the evening, said: “As heavy rock pioneers and ambassadors of Birmingham, the city is extremely proud of Black Sabbath. This evening is an exploration of the social science around what that means for the City itself, and also for an internationally-renowned ballet company as it takes Birmingham DNA to the world.”

You can book your tickets on Forging Metal: Black Sabbath and Birmingham.

Forging Metal is the flagship event for the University of Birmingham’s ESRC Festival of Social Science programme for 2025. You can find the full list of events on the University of Birmingham website. The event also forms part of our 125 celebrations and series of global leaders dialogues.

Notes for editors

For media inquiries please contact Ellie Hail, Communications Officer, University of Birmingham on +44 (0)7966 311 409. Out-of-hours, please call +44 (0) 121 414 2772.

Notes to editors

  • The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, educators and more than 40,000 students from over 150 countries.
  • England’s first civic university, the University of Birmingham is proud to be rooted in of one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the country. A member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities, the University of Birmingham has been changing the way the world works for more than a century.
  • The University of Birmingham is committed to achieving operational net zero carbon. It is seeking to change society and the environment positively, and use its research and education to make a major global contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Find out at birmingham.ac.uk/sustainability.

About the Birmingham Royal Ballet

  • Birmingham Royal Ballet based at Birmingham Hippodrome, is the United Kingdom’s leading touring ballet company performing a range of traditional, classical and heritage ballets as well as groundbreaking new works with the aim of encouraging choreographers of the future. The Company’s Director since January 2020 is the internationally renowned Carlos Acosta. Birmingham Royal Ballet standardly performs at Birmingham Hippodrome for approximately ten weeks of the year and the remainder of the year tours throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. On average, the Company performs over 100 shows a year nationally and internationally.

Featured staff

  • Professor Paul Jackson

    Professor of African Politics

    Paul Jackson is a political economist working predominantly on conflict and post-conflict reconstruction.

    Phone: +44 (0)121 414 7293
    Email:

  • Professor Finola Kerrigan

    Professor of Marketing

    Professor Kerrigan has expertise in marketing, branding, and cultural industries with a focus on arts, film, and digital identity.

    Phone: +44 (0)121 414 5658
    Email:

  • Dr David Gange

    Associate Professor in History

    Biographical and contact information for Dr David Gange, Lecturer in British History at the University of Birmingham.

    Email:

  • Dr Kamran Khan

    Associate Professor in Language, Social Justice and Education

    Dr Kamran Khan is currently the director of the MOSAIC research group on multilingualism.

    Email:

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