The Auditorium

[grth2004]

A former Odeon Cinema located in the Leicester Market, The Auditorium will open as a 1000+ capacity venue in September 2010. The venue will facilitate major headline acts, current chart toppers, established acts and new musical talent within all genres of music along with major club nights, student nights and the like.

sounds great to me

a facebook group has been created allready http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=115474475145977&ref=ts&v=info

[Trav Le Bleu]

I can just remember that cinema, not actually in the market but in one of the walk-thru arcades from Cank St (Is it Malcolm Arcade?)

Let's hope they get some decent bands. What Leicester could be crying out for.

[Jay]

if it looks like an old school cinema with the high ceilings, and so it will look ace if it was raped by the bingo people and they took out the old school features balconies and things and it looks anything like this current photo it will be horrible!!

However it's all well and good having a nice big venue to attract big bands but really unless you have the name Carling before the venue it seems you miss out on many decent bands these days

[Joe.]

Sounds great on initial thoughts, but it looks like they're going to need to pump some serious money into it for it to reach anywhere decent. Potewntially very exciting but I'll believe it when I see it.

This really is one of the main things this city is crying out for, it could potentially be superb if they can pull it off.

[Trav Le Bleu]

I've often thought the old ABC/Cannon would make a great gig venue.

If only I had a shed load of money

[Bellend Sebastian]

Someone just mentioned this to me, and I'm at a complete loss as to where it actually is.

It's got to be good news though - what with this and Upper Brown Street (the old Phoenix) being used as gig venues there's a chance that bands will actually start playing here again

[davieG]

Not sure if this has been posted:

From the Merc.

A new 1,000-plus capacity music venue could draw big-name acts to Leicester city centre once again.

The Auditorium is set to open on the site of the former Odeon cinema, in Market Place.

Manager Tim Sturgess, the man behind the brief resurrection of The Charlotte, is hoping to attract acts such as Babyshambles and The Enemy to the venue.

There is already a huge buzz growing around the venue, which is due to open in September. More than 1,250 people have joined its Facebook group and the number is increasing daily.

"I've been looking for a venue this size for about five years now," said Tim. "The Charlotte came up and that was great, but I wanted to do something bigger.

"I want to get major touring acts. I'm really excited – it's been a long time since Leicester has had a venue like this."

He promised "major headline acts, current chart-toppers, established acts and new musical talent within all genres of music" along with major club nights and student nights.

The building opened as a cinema in 1924. It re-opened as the Odeon in 1964, and as Cinerama in 1967. That closed in 1975.

The venue then became Top Ten Bingo, which stopped trading at the site last year.

Tim is leasing the venue from Top Ten Bingo, which owns it.

At present it still has bingo tables in place, but Tim said he planned to start renovations to turn it into a gig venue in about three weeks' time.

A preview gig, to show off local talent, will be staged in July.

Music fans have told the Leicester Mercury who they would like to see play at the venue.

Lee Bethell, 22, of Coalville, said: "This city has long been yearning for a venue this size.

"Bands I'd like to grace my ears and eyes are The Drums, The XX, The Horrors, Glasvegas and also established acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Courteeners, and, on a personal level, Morrissey."

Sunny Dhami, 23, of Oadby, said: "Booked the right way, the venue could be established as Leicester's essential mid-sized music venue, equivalent to the likes of Rock City or an O2 Academy venue."

Chris Selway, 41, of Kibworth, said: "I'm really excited about the opening of The Auditorium – Leicester has been crying out for a decent venue of this size for a long time.

"I would love to see The Alarm, Stiff Little Fingers, New Model Army, The Levellers, Kill Hannah, Elliot Minor, All American Rejects and The Offspring for starters." Laura Nunn, 16, of Glen Parva, said Leicester's own Kasabian should play there.

She added: "I think this is a fantastic idea because the Leicester music scene has died a lot."

Suggestions on the venue's Facebook site include Frank Turner, Biffy Clyro and the 22-20s.

Trevor Locke, editor of the Arts in Leicestershire online magazine, said the venue could rejuvenate the city's music scene.

"I've been pushing Leicester like mad as a place where companies should invest in live music," he said.

"I would like to see big name bands playing here, with our many fine local bands supporting them."

For more information, search for The Auditorium – Leicester Market atwww.facebook.com.

[Tevez]

Interesting read, especially if they want Enemy and possibly Kasabian to get it going. Sounds good, we need something like Rock City in Leicester

[hairy]

I always thought Starlight 2001 would be excellent for gigs. Not sure where this is the market place.

[Rocket-Ron]

I have been noticing that a lot of bands tours include a trip to Norwich (About 3 or 4 different venues).

Surely Leicester can compete with citys of that size for better concerts??

[Fosse Boy]

I have been noticing that a lot of bands tours include a trip to Norwich (About 3 or 4 different venues).

Surely Leicester can compete with citys of that size for better concerts??

Yeah,but the majority of Norwich venues are run by the UEA (scum ) students union so bands know the audience is there, plus Norwich is geographically isolated whereas we're closer to Birmingham/Nottingham etc, so I guess most acts don't feel the need to play Leicester when they've got other local big cities nearby.

[Trav Le Bleu]

[

Manager Tim Sturgess, the man behind the brief resurrection of The Charlotte, is hoping to attract acts such as Babyshambles and The Enemy to the venue.

Lee Bethell, 22, of Coalville, said: "This city has long been yearning for a venue this size.

"Bands I'd like to grace my ears and eyes are The Drums, The XX, The Horrors, Glasvegas and also established acts like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Courteeners, and, on a personal level, Morrissey."

[/size]

They'll be lucky to get The Babyshambles. I know they're supposed to be palying T in the Park this year, but I'll believe it when it's happened and not before.

And I like the way young Lee is thinking, especially the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - I would be a giddy youth in the front row at a Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs concert!

[Rocket-Ron]

Yeah,but the majority of Norwich venues are run by the UEA (scum ) students union so bands know the audience is there, plus Norwich is geographically isolated whereas we're closer to Birmingham/Nottingham etc, so I guess most acts don't feel the need to play Leicester when they've got other local big cities nearby.

valid point

[orangecity23]

Went to a gig at the Assembly in Leamington Spa last night - good venue, they've turned an old ballroom into a 1000 capacity venue, only opened in 2008 and its a good example of what we need in Leicester. I'm excited about this plan, hope it comes off. Yeah Yeah Yeahs in Leicester - it's the stuff of dreams

[lcfcadam]

How could a human being spend more than a nanosecond in a place that looks like that?

Bring on the original building as a grand, theatrical old venue with the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs educating a generation of Leicestershire teens...

EDIT: Even that picture itself is starting to bring on a feeling of nausea.

[Trav Le Bleu]

I'm assuming they'll rip out all the bingo tables and chairs and redecorate

[Lillehamring]

how the hell did i miss this :w00t:

any news?

[Jay]

how the hell did i miss this :w00t:

any news?

I think it got gazumped when O2 announced they were opening the O2 Acadamies 1, 2 and 3 in the revamped Leicester uni

3 venues ranging from 250 to 1500 people

O2 Acadamy group are like the gig mafia, the best gigs up and down the country these days seem to be at O2 affiliated venues

[Lillehamring]

I think it got gazumped when O2 announced they were opening the O2 Acadamies 1, 2 and 3 in the revamped Leicester uni

3 venues ranging from 250 to 1500 people

O2 Acadamy group are like the gig mafia, the best gigs up and down the country these days seem to be at O2 affiliated venues

typical, leicester has just got so unambitious - as i said in the O2 thread, leicester is crying out for more venues and really needs one in town...

shame.

[Uncle Phil]

Rumour has it Lee "Scratch" Perry will be at this place in October? Anyone heard anything?

[Jay]

Rumour has it Lee "Scratch" Perry will be at this place in October? Anyone heard anything?

Bloody hell that would be insane!! even more insane than Scratch himself and that's pretty insane

[hairy]

It appears to have a raggae fan working there

[Lillehamring]

It appears to have a raggae fan working there

so it is opening then - details people, details.

[Rocket-Ron]

the map states that it's off princess Rd West??

Thought it was supposed to be by the market

[davieG]

From the Merc:

Bands hoping for full house as bingo hall is transformed

Dozens of local bands are to perform at a former bingo hall before work begins to turn it into a new 1,000-capacity gig venue.

The Auditorium, which is opening on the site of the former Top Ten Bingo hall, in Leicester's Market Place, will host about 50 acts for a pre-opening show on Saturday.

After the gig, carpets and bingo tables will be ripped out and a main stage, bars, cellars, lighting, a sound system and dressing rooms will be installed.

Manager Tim Sturgess said he wanted to put on a big show for Leicestershire acts before work on the venue started on July 14.

"It's an opportunity for people to come and have a look at the place and for local bands to come and play," he said. "We didn't want to wait until the venue is completely ready, so we thought we'd do something with local bands now."

Tim, who put on gigs at The Charlotte for about six months before it closed in March, is basing the pre-opening gig on the venue's last night, which saw hundreds of fans turning out to see a range of local talent.

He said: "It was a really successful night and we wanted to do something similar so we've got loads of bands to play again. It should be a good night."

Bands, including Ictus, Raptor Captor, Silent Resistance, The Furies and Free Control, will take to the main stage inside, while Common Side Effects, The Splitters, Kingsize, and others will play on an outdoor stage in Cank Street, set up specially for the night.

The official opening is in August. Tim is hoping to attract big-name acts including Pete Doherty, although nothing is confirmed for the launch yet.

O2 is set to bring three venues – a 1,450-capacity O2 Academy, a 500-capacity O2 Academy 2 and a 250-capacity O2 Academy 3 – to the University of Leicester in September, but Tim said there was room for The Auditorium as well.

"We're promoting to a different audience," he said "Leicester's big enough for us both to book big acts."

Leicester bands are looking forward to the gig.

Sian Pickering, 18, of punk-rock act Common Side Effects, said: "I can't wait. We haven't really got anywhere big where local bands can play."