Bradford Live

I've mentioned Bradford Live before. This historic art deco building in the city centre was built as a ballroom, theatre and cinema in the 1930s, becoming one of the first places to screen 'talkies'. In the 1950s it was a live music venue, hosting The Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Buddy Holly, among other legends. From the 1960s it was an Odeon cinema and bingo hall. I saw loads of films here as a student in the 70s. It closed in 2000 and became derelict, before a grassroots movement to save it resulted in an ambitious renovation programme, backed by the City Council. It has been refurbished as a live music and events venue. Seating 3000+ people, it is positioned between the larger stadia like Leeds Arena and smaller auditoriums like Bradford's existing music venue, St George's Hall. 

Restoration now completed, they held an Open Day recently, so I went along to have a look at what they have achieved. It is pretty mind-blowing. 

The scale of the work involved has been tremendous. They had to remove two concrete boxes that were installed in the 1960s to turn it into cinemas - not knowing how they were pinned to the original structure or what would be revealed. In the photo below you can perhaps see that the front of the dress circle has the original moulding along half of its width, which is absent along the right hand side. The roof structure is complex. At first I thought it must be related to the acoustics but apparently it was revealed in the restoration work. 

There's a very good explanation and photos HERE by one of the companies involved in the renovation. 

For such a large venue, the sound and lighting desk looked quite small but that's the result of modern digitalisation, making the technology in such places really quite streamlined.  

The main auditorium has three levels (I think) and the building has six bars. Those at the back on the various levels are massive, to cope with the large audiences expected. It seemed to have plenty of toilets too - very necessary but often an amenity that is sadly lacking, in my experience of some of our theatres and music venues. 

They seem to have retained the original structure where possible. The stairwells still have the original flooring. 

There are associated smaller spaces - VIP rooms and a ballroom that can be used for smaller music events, weddings and conferences. I would have liked to see backstage too, but that didn't seem to be an option. 

In the basement, the Boiler Room Bar has the shells of the original boilers that used to heat the building.

The building isn't currently listed but I think they have done such a great job of retaining its original features and integrity that it will no doubt gain listed status at some point. I'm not likely to go to a gig myself (music doesn't really work with my limited hearing) - though I'm tempted to see my favourite Christmas film 'The Holiday' with a live orchestra... Initially there seem to be a lot of tribute bands listed but then some bigger names start to edge in, notably The Kaiser Chiefs in February next year. I very much hope the venue attracts some popular bands and pays its way.