Rock City (venue) facts for kids
Ferocious Dog playing at Rock City in 2015
|
|
| Address | 8 Talbot Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Nottingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°57′22″N 1°09′16″W / 52.9561°N 1.1544°W |
| Owner | DHP Family Ltd |
| Type | Music venue and Nightclub |
| Genre(s) | Alternative |
| Seating type | Primarily standing, some seating |
| Capacity | 2,000 |
| Opened | 1980 |
Rock City is a famous music venue and nightclub. You can find it in Nottingham, England. A company called DHP Family owns it.
It first opened its doors in December 1980. The band The Undertones played there first. Since then, many big alternative music bands have performed. Rock City also has popular weekly club nights. NME magazine called it "sweaty but truly indie." It has won many awards. Kerrang! magazine named it Venue of the Year for ten years in a row!
Contents
Discovering Rock City
Rock City is located right in the Nottingham City Centre. It can hold up to 2,000 people. The club has six bars. These bars are spread across three different rooms. The Main Hall and the Basement (Beta) rooms are for standing during concerts. The third room is called the Black Cherry Lounge. It works as a separate area. Rock City hosts all kinds of concerts. You can see small, new bands there. You can also see bands that are famous and on the music charts.
Rock City's Story
How Rock City Began
The building first opened on November 23, 1876. It was an ice skating rink called the Alexandra Skating Rink. In 1887, its name changed to Victoria Halls. It closed in May 1928.
Before it became Rock City, the building was called The Heart of the Midlands. This place hosted different shows. The first ever World Professional Darts Championship was held there in 1978. Sammy Jackson took over the building. He already owned a club that booked bands like AC/DC and The Clash. George Akins Snr., a local businessman, helped pay for the new club. Paul Mason managed the club. He later managed The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester. The band Iron Maiden was supposed to open the venue. But the electricity wasn't ready, so their concert was cancelled. Instead, Orange Juice became the first band to play. They played on December 11, 1980. They supported The Undertones, who finished their show with "Teenage Kicks".
The 1980s and 1990s: Music Changes
Rock City got a big update in 1982. It got a new sound system and lights. It also added two video screens. The club loved rock music. But it also welcomed other music styles. By 1982, it had a popular synthpop night on Saturdays. They also started a student night on Thursdays. DJ Jonathan Woodliffe played for about 400 people on the first Thursday night.
Later, they tried a dance night. It played European electronica and American music. This wasn't very popular and stopped after a few months. It was replaced by a jazz, funk, and soul night. This new night was very popular. Rock City also hosted hip-hop events. These events were for all ages on Saturday afternoons. They even had breakdancers called the Rock City Crew. Public Enemy performed their song "Bring the Noise" there for the first time in the UK.
As music changed, Rock City changed too. Grunge and punk became popular in the early 90s. Bands like Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine played there. Band members like Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain sometimes sat at the bar with fans after their shows. When Britpop became big, Rock City hosted bands like Oasis and Blur. In 1994, George Akins Jnr. took over managing the club. He was only 19 years old. He had worked at the bar and cloakroom before.
The 2000s and Beyond
In the new millennium, Rock City hosted more dance music events. A smaller area called The Rig was used as a separate venue.
Rock City has stayed one of the top places for live alternative bands. It celebrated its 35th birthday in 2016. In January 2019, the dancefloor was replaced. It was the first time in almost 40 years!
The Lil Pump Concert Evacuation
In November 2018, over 2,000 people had to leave a Lil Pump concert. Police said this happened because of a smoke flare. People felt scared and found it hard to breathe. Emergency workers came to the venue. Only small injuries were reported. The concert was cancelled. Later that evening, Lil Pump performed for fans from his tour bus outside.
The Yard Bar
During the 2020 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many places had to close. When bars and restaurants slowly reopened, clubs could not. So, Rock City used its outdoor car park. They created the Yard Bar. This allowed them to welcome people safely. They followed government rules for social distancing.
Club Nights at Rock City
Rock City currently hosts four regular club nights:
- Wednesday: CRISIS – This is a special club night just for students from the University of Nottingham.
- Thursday: TUNED – You can get two drinks for the price of one. They mostly play R&B music.
- Friday: Get Lucky – This night plays pop music from the 1990s, 2000s, and today's hits.
- Saturday: Rebel Rebel (it used to be called Hey Hey Hey) – This night plays the greatest songs and sing-along anthems.
Music Recorded at Rock City
Many bands have recorded live music at Rock City. Here are some of them:
- Richard Thompson - Live at Rock City, Nottingham - November 1986 (2020)
- Frank Turner - Show 2000 (2016)
- Ferocious Dog - Live at Rock City (2015)
- The Wildhearts – Rock City vs The Wildhearts (2014)
- Jimi Jamison – Live at Firefest (2011)
- Enter Shikari – Live at Rock City Bootleg (2009)
- Shaped by Fate – Shaped By Fate tour DVD (2008)
- Bonfire – Double Vision (2006)
- The Libertines – Libertines live at Rock City with Radio 1 (2004)
- Pitchshifter – P.S.I.entology (2004)
- The Wildhearts – The Wildhearts Strike Back (2004)
- Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness (2003)
- Linkin Park - "Radio 1 broadcast bootleg" (2003)
- Cradle of Filth – Live Bait for the Dead (2001)
- Cradle of Filth – Heavy, Left-Handed and Candid (2001)
- At the Gates – Live in Nottingham at Rock City (1996)
- Radiohead – The Bends Pinkpop (1995)
- The Fall – BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (1989)
- Napalm Death – The DVD (1989)
- Into A Circle – Live (1987)
- Gene Loves Jezebel - Glad To Be Alive (1986)
- Play Dead – Caught from Behind: Live in England, France, Germany, and Switzerland (1985)
- R.E.M. - R.E.M. at the BBC, Disc 3 (1984)
- Tygers of Pan Tang – Live at Nottingham Rock City (1981)
- New Model Army - Live at Rock City - Nottingham - 28th Feb 1989 (2020)
