Former names | University of Manchester Main Hall |
---|---|
Address | Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL England |
Location | Chorlton-on-Medlock |
Coordinates | 53°27′49″N2°13′54″W / 53.46361°N 2.23167°W |
Owner | University of Manchester Students' Union |
Operator | University of Manchester Students’ Union |
Capacity | 2,600 (Academy 1) 950 (Academy 2) 650 (Club Academy) 470 (Academy 3) |
Construction | |
Opened | 18 October 1990 |
Renovated | 2005, 2007–08, 2016 |
Construction cost | £1.2 million (£3.77 million in 2023 dollars [1] ) |
Website | |
Venue Website |
The Manchester Academy, originally known as the University of Manchester Main Hall, is composed of four concert venues, located on the campus of the University of Manchester, in Manchester, England. The four venues are: Academy 1, 2 and 3 and Club Academy. Utilised by the Students' Union, the venues are housed in two buildings, the original Students' Union built in 1957 and the academy, built in 1990. In 2004, after the merging of the universities, the venues carried the "Academy" moniker. Unlike other music venues named "Academy" in the UK, Manchester Academy is not owned or managed by the Academy Music Group. [2]
Known as Victoria University, the Students' Union building was erected in 1957. It began hosting concerts in 1963. The venue hosted many jazz artists in its early dates. The first performance was by Humphrey Lyttelton and His Band on 16 November 1963. The main building housed three of its original venues: the University of Manchester Main Hall (now "Academy 2"), the "Hop and Grape" (later became known as "Solem Bar" and now "Academy 3") and "The Cellar" (also known as "Cellar Disco" and now "Club Academy"). Other music venues on campus were Whitworth Hall and "The Squat". After operating for eight years, the building was demolished and became a carpark. With the music scene expanding in Manchester, there was a need for a larger capacity venue on the campus. In 1984, a proposal was submitted for building a concert venue adjacent to the original Student Union.
It opened on 18 October 1990 and was first performed in by Buzzcocks. It was closed completely between March and October 2007 when a major refurbishment and rebuilding programme began, which was completed in early 2008. [3] It had had a capacity of 2,000 and hosted around 50 gigs a year prior to closure; the capacity was increased to around 2,300 with the expansion and further increased to 2,600 in September 2013. [4]
The following list is composed of musicians performing at either the old or new buildings, from 1963–present. [5]
Following the re-opening of Academy 1 in October 2007, the University of Manchester Students' Union came under much criticism for large parts of the refurbishment being incomplete. Customers originally had to use portable toilet facilities outside, suffered long queues for the one small bar and had no access to a cloakroom.[ citation needed ] These problems were eventually rectified with the opening of the completely rebuilt foyer, which included a sizeable bar and VIP balcony and lounge (also open to customers with disabilities).[ citation needed ]
Manchester Academy has attracted positive publicity after being referred to as the UK's "greenest venue" with a third of the £3.5 million refurbishment budget going towards minimising the environmental impact and improving the sustainability of the reconstructed venue, as well as making substantial accommodation for disabled music fans. [6] It also received the title of "Best Entertainment Venue" in the 2007 MCR Awards. [7]
The University of Salford is a public research university in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, 1 mile west of Manchester city centre. The Royal Technical Institute, Salford, which opened in 1896, became a College of Advanced Technology in 1956 and gained university status in 1967, following the Robbins Report into higher education.
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The Engine Shed is a music and entertainment venue at the University of Lincoln in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, and is operated by the University of Lincoln Students' Union. The venue comprises three areas: The Engine Shed, which is the main hall; The Platform, which is a smaller floor overlooking the main hall; and Towers, which is a sports bar serving food and drink split over two floors.
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The O2 Ritz (originally known as The Ritz) is a live music venue on Whitworth Street West in Manchester, England. The venue is notable for its sprung dance floor and has a capacity of 1,500.
The Octagon Centre, built in 1983, is a multi-purpose conference centre and music venue at the University of Sheffield, England. Situated in the Western Bank campus, it is joined by a skyway to University House and comprises an eight-sided auditorium with a capacity of 1,500, offices, meeting rooms, and a lounge with bar and patio.
The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the United Kingdom, behind the Co-op Live and Manchester Arena, and in 2008 was the world's busiest music arena. As of 2022, it is the ninth-largest building in the world by volume with a diameter of 365 metres and a height of 52 metres.