Your favourite venues...

[Master Ray]

I'm sure that this question has been brought up before but theres an awful lot of topics on this forum and i can't find any record of it, so here I go...

Where's your favourite place to see a band?

Let's rule out the usual O2 academy venues... some are great, some not so, we've all had some great times there but lets go for other places.

I'll kick in with the obvious one... Nottingham Rock City.  Still the finest gig venue I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot.  I'm thrilled that NMA are doing their one Christmas show there.

I also love the Camden Roundhouse.  NMA really need to play there!  And it really should be re-named the Camden Thunderdome (fans of 80's action movies will get that reference...)

The Tivoli in Buckley... it was closed for a long time but now seems to be reopened?  A really good venue in an obscure town.

The Box, Crewe... saw Ash there a few months back, a decent small venue with good sound that could play to better bands than the cavalcade of tribute acts that seem to be their bread and butter nowadays.

I'd love to hear your additions to this post, I'm getting a bit bored of going to the usual places and if a band I like are playing somewhere different, then I'm all over it. 

One last thing... does anyone miss Liverpool Royal Court?  Probably my second favourite venue of all time, wish they still did gigs!

Thanks for reading.

[dilla]

Used to love Tivoli in Buckley.NMA,LOUD,MOTORHEAD,to name a few.
Was in Bridport a few weeks ago and got all nostalgic when walking past Electric Palace(great gig last year)had to go for a pint in the Ropemakers to complete the memory
Used to love that sloping floor at the Royal court,but best gig in Liverpool had to be Bradys(nee Erics)when the Stranglers played there many many moons ago.
Powerhouse in Brum and Wolverhampton civic also great venues

[Toronto Popular Front]

The Riverside - Newcastle

my favourite in the whole country, especially when a couple of pints were to be had in the pub around the corner, anyone remember what the pub was called?

[jc]

The Picturedome, Holmfirth.

Cheers

jc

[CROWMAN]

Now this a hard one ,so many good venues have close down.
The wheatsheaf in stoke i use to work there great  place Joolz did i gig there in 1990s
The riverside -Newcastle and i think the pub near bye was Boken Doll?
The civic hall -wolverhampton --many happy gigs Nma ,levellers,Neds ,and lots more.
Hummingbird--Brum wonderstuff,Gay bikers,pop eat shelf,Jesus jones,
Derby wharehouse--Nma  good small and some mad gig .
london -roundhouse ,100 club ,Underwould ?.and place near finsbury park pub?
Sheltland  -- tiny little place were i want to see NMA 92 
and many more  take it easy 

[Ron B]

 Well on this side of the pond and in NY. The best place to see a concert for the accoustics and sight lines is Radio City Music Hall . Now NMA has not played there yet. It is very expensive to rent it out since this is in the Heart of Manhattan.Plus this place seats 4,000 plus and as much as I love NMA and I wished everybody did also they cannot draw 4,000 plus for attendance at least here in the States.

The best place I have seen NMA was at Southpaws in Brooklyn a good venue good sight lines and the crowd is good Pure Rockers that were there when I saw NMA 2 times at Southpaws.

[Master Ray]

A lot of love for Wolves Civic!  Thats a terrific venue, only been there twice, once for The Manics, once for Motorhead, but I'd deffo go back there again. 

Thanks for your answers, please keep them coming!

[Barty]

Rock City
Aston Villa Leisure Centre (for great memories of NMA 1990 and PIL around that time)
Wolves Civic Hall
Bradord Queen's Hall (2 successive NMA nights in 1991 - a beautiful venue)
The Leadmill in Sheffield
Bilston - loved it there back in June (a real Tardis!)

[Stoney]

Queens Hall without a doubt. Windsor Baths aswell.
Picture Dome in Holmfirth was great aswell......
Rock City's 30th gigs are 2 of the best gigs I've EVER been to period........
Bridport was another brilliant venue!
Chippenham Goldiggers  in 91 I think it was? Great venue.....
Town n Country as was really did have some great gigs there aswell!

[JME]

My favourite is La Maroquinerie in Paris. Great venue, creating a great atmosphere, however is was bloody cold there in the winter of 2009.

Saw HMHB in The Komedia Bath last month, this again is a quirky venue - try it out!

JME

[Guy]

The Picturedome, Holmfirth.

That is one of mine as is Rock City. The Brixton Electric I've only been to once (to see some old band from the 80's) but first impressions made it a worthy successor to the Astoria and far better than when it was the Fridge. The Southampton Brooke is a nice friendly place with a good sound system. For big bands it has to be Brixton Academy.

But the atmosphere of all these these great places of performance combined, do not compare to the immeasurable god-like glory of the Stockwell Grosvenor. Amen.

[Red]

As Stoney has already mentioned some of my faves

Rock City,Queens Hall,Windsor Baths,Kentish Town & Country,Retford Porterhouse,Sheffield Leadmill and Octagon,Par Pavilion was a good night and venue,Brixton Academy(Janes Addiction and FOTN)

Loads more but so hard to pick a fave

[Master Ray]

Thanks for your new answers.  A couple of questions...

Is Kentish Town And Country the same as London Forum?  If so, terrific venue.

The Queens Hall in Bradford... is that the place I saw NMA about four or five years ago when they put on a dodgy caberet band as the support act? If it helps, it was in a room in the basement well away from the main hall?

And, can I say, I've never got the love for Brixton Academy.  The one time I went there (for The Gaslight Anthem) was when I met the rudest gig staff I have ever encountered.  Honestly, they were horrible.  And the sound was rubbish!  My best mate went to a gig a year earlier, up in the balconies, and met with the same reaction.

Anyway, thanks for your answers, I'm noting them down, maybe see you in some of these places one day!?!

[JohnnyM]

Sheffield Leadmill and Octagon,

i'd go along with most suggestions on here - but really quite surprised at the Octagon. I've seen a lot of gigs there over the years and alway found it a bit of a barn. I've been to loads of mediocre gigs there (including Nirvana, Primal Scream & the Pixies)  as its such a difficult venue to make work - a few exceptions to this include the first few times the Levellers played there ( and their biggest gigs at that point) - which were some of best gigs i've been to - but usually  its dullness is only surpassed by Manchester Academy.

The Leadmill on the other hand is a great venue with a bit of character - i've seen countless great gigs there

Anyway.. venues i've liked - in no particular order..

Bigger.. Brixton Academy, Wolverhampton Civic, Old Town & Country, Leicester De Montford

Mid size.. Rock City, Leadmill, Dingwalls, old marquee, Hummingbird

Smaller.. Duchess Leeds, Princess Charlotte Leicester, Hull Adelphi , manchester band on the wall, sheffield boardwalk

[Barty]

Johnny M - good call about the Princess Charlotte in Leicester - saw some great gigs there and loved the posters on the walls....classic venue.