Iconic Wolverhampton music venue renamed under university partnership

A historic live music venue in Wolverhampton has been renamed, following a new partnership with the city’s university.

Originally known as the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, the space opened in May 1938 and has become one of the most historic venues in the UK. Having been there for over 85 years, it has seen performances from the likes of Blur, Queen, David Bowie, One Direction, The Who, Take That and many more.

It reopened in May last year having undergone a £48million revamp, and was rebranded as The Halls. Now, following a new partnership with the University of Wolverhampton, it is set to change its name again.

Now going by the University of Wolverhampton at The Halls, the “cornerstone of the partnership” is said to be “training and development that would give students industry experience, such as in marketing and business” (per BBC News).

In its early days, the venue played home to performances from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra, and Nat King Cole also played there during the ‘40s.

During the ‘80s, it featured appearances from Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Elvis Costello, Siouxie & The Banshees and more, as well as being the venue where Morrissey played his first-ever solo show.

More recently, it has seen performances from Britpop icons John Squire and Liam Gallagher, as well as from Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes.

With the new partnership, the university said that its own “deep roots in the local and regional communities” and close-to-200-year history made it the right partner for the site, situated on North Street.

“The programme is still being developed but it’s expected that it will focus on providing a wide range of opportunities for students including those studying business and marketing courses,” said a spokesperson regarding the industry experience plans.

Similarly, the university’s vice chancellor Prof Ebrahim Adia added that the partnership would help to enrich “the cultural and economic landscape of Wolverhampton and its night-time economy”.

The two joining forces also means that both staff and students at the University of Wolverhampton will have access to a 24-hour pre-sale access.

“We’re delighted to bring together two stalwarts of the local community through this partnership, which will benefit students and staff,” added Will Dowdy, from the venue’s operator AEG Europe (via BBC). “We’re excited to see how the partnership will develop over the years.”

Later this month, the venue is set to see performances from the likes of Thundercat, The Stranglers, OMD, The Mary Wallopers, The Hives and more. Visit here for a full list of upcoming acts.

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