Address: 17 Wilton Road, London SW1.
Capacity: 2,300.

Built in 1930 as a cinema - the New Victoria. The original owners were Provincial Cinematograph Theatres, part of Gaumont who in turn became part of the Rank Organisation in 1941. It closed as a cinema in 1975. In 1980 the building was leased by Apollo Leisure (who bought it outright 2 years later). They renamed it and reopened as a theatre. After that Apollo Victoria was sold to Clear Channel and spun off as Live Nation. In November 2009 the latter sold the Apollo Victoria to the Ambassadors Theatre Group. During its time as a theatre it has become known for long musical runs e.g. Starlight Express (1984-2002) and Wicked (2002 to date).

In the 1950s and 1960s the New Victoria was one of the cinemas Rank used for UK tours e.g. Kid Ory (1959), Modern Jazz Quartet (1959 and 64), Ella Fitzgerald (1961, 64 and 65), the Everly Brothers/Bo Diddley (1963) and Ray Charles (1964). During the late 1970s it was used even more regularly as a live music venue by promoter Danny O’O'Donovan. Performers included Jonnie Mitchell (1974), Flying Burrito Brothers (1975), Can (1976), Gong (1976), and Return to Forever (1976). After the 1981 relaunch by Apollo Leisure live music was less frequent. However, one of the first performers was Shirley Bassey. Kool and the Gang played in 1982, and Cliff Richard was here for 33 nights in 1983.

Whilst it was still the New Victoria I saw A Sonny Rollins/McCoy Tyner/Muddy Waters triple bill in 1976. By the time I saw Ry Cooder in 1980 it had become the Apollo Victoria.

Tags:   Music Venue London Occasional Venue Theatres Apollo Victoria New Victoria

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Address: Great Newport Street, London WC2.
Capacity: 350.

This small independent theatre (known between 1962-67 as the New Arts Theatre) was built in 1927. In its early days it was a private club and those able to show plays banned elsewhere in the West End. Its most influential period was in the 1950s when it was run by Peter Hall. Over the years there have been a variety of owners, the most recent being J.J. Goodman.

Its association with live music is fairly recent. In 2006 Barry Everitt, then running the Borderline, started using the Arts Theatre as a venue for his seated concerts. Some other promoters also used the venue.

Here I saw the Handsome Family in 2006 and Mary Gauthier in 2007, plus the Ken Colyer Legacy New Orleans Jazz Band in 2008 (promoted by the Ken Colyer Trust).

Tags:   Music Venue London Occasional Venue Theatres Arts Theatre

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Address: 15 Gordon Street, London WC1.
Capacity: 535.

This theatre is owned by University College, London. It opened in 1968 as the Collegiate Theatre (initially for a brief period the Central Collegiate Building Auditorium) and took its current name in 1982 (though between 2001 and 2008 it was promoted as the UCL Bloomsbury). As well as plays, there is comedy and some music.

In 2004 Ray Davis performed here over 5 nights. Around the same time there were various series of acoustic music under the title “Highly Strung”.

Performers I’ve seen here include Oumou Sangare (1996), Guy Clark (2004), Kathryn Tickell (2006) and Eric Bibb (2010).

Tags:   Music Venue London Occasional Venue Theatres Bloomsbury Theatre

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Address: Tottenham Court Road, London W1.
Capacity: 2,200.

The Dominion was opened in 1929 by Moss Empires as a variety theatre on land which had previously housed the Meux Brewery and the Court Cinema. It was converted into a cinema in 1930 and bought in 1932 by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres, part of Gaumont which in turn became part of the Rank Organisation in 1941. From the 1950s the Dominion was also used for musicals (South Pacific, the Sound of Music) and live shows. In 1981 it passed into the hands of Apollo Leisure and theatre fully replaced films. After that Apollo was sold to Clear Channel and spun off as Live Nation. In 1989/90 an attempt to convert the building into a luxury hotel failed on appeal to get planning permission. In October 2009 the Dominion was sold to the Nederlander organisation. Since 2002 it has been the home of We Will Rock You.

This was another of the cinemas Rank used for UK tours in the 1950s and 1960s e.g. Modern Jazz Quartet (1957), Dave Brubeck (1958) and Bill Haley (1957). The Judy Garland Show also ran here for a month in 1957. After then the Dominion was most regularly used for live music in the 1980s e.g. Kate & Anna McGarrigle (1982), Dolly Parton (1983), Van Morrison (1984), Clannad (1986) and John Hiatt (1988). Since the 1980s there have been only very occasional performers in gaps between shows. For example Dr John in 2000 and Melissa Etheridge in 2002.

My only visit to the Dominion was to see Ricky Scaggs in 1985.

Tags:   Music Venue London Occasional Venue Theatres Dominion Theatre

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Address: 291 Mare Street, London E8.
Capacity: 1.500.

The Hackney Empire was designed by Frank Matcham for Oswald Stoll, opening in 1901 (with a then capacity of 3,000) .It continued as a variety theatre for Stoll Theatres until 1956 when it was sold to ATV for a television studio (Oh Boy! was made here). In 1961 it was sold to Mecca for a bingo hall. Faced with repairs costs Mecca leased it to Roland Muldoon and the Hackney Empire Preservation Trust in 1986. Then in 1988 with support from Hackney Council the latter purchased the building in 1988. Muldoon returned the building principal use to theatre. It was closed between 2001 and 2004 for refurbishment, including the return of many original features, and reopened with an increased capacity.

Whist plays have been the Hackney Empire’s mainstay, there has always been some live music. Artists who have appeared here over the years include Bily Bragg (1990), Tricky (1997) Christy Moore (2006) and Florence and the Machine (2011).

Performers I’ve seen here include Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens (1988), Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck (1988) and Django Bates' Human Chain (2005).

Tags:   Music Venue London Occasional Venue Theatres Hackney Empire

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