The O
2 Academy Leeds (formerly known as the Town and Country Club) is a music venue situated in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England. It is run by the
Academy Music Group
Academy Music Group (AMG) is a leading owner-operator of music venues in the United Kingdom. They operate a number of medium-sized venues, the majority of which (until January 2009) took the name Carling Academy after their sponsor Carling. Som ...
, which has other music venues around the
UK. The Academy was nominated for the TPi Awards 2010 for the country's favourite venue.
Building history
The venue for the Leeds Academy on Cookridge Street in the city was originally opened in 1885 by
Prince Albert and is a grade II listed Gothic building.
In the nineteenth century there was a legal dispute with the
Sunday Lecture Society The Sunday Lecture Society was a British-based society that gave a number of influential lectures on Sundays. The first incarnation of the society met at St. George's Hall, Langham Place for members to hear lectures on arts, history, science and l ...
that met here as they were accused of disturbing the sabbath.
The venue was known originally as the Coliseum where it hosted many different events during the early 20th century such as political meetings and circus shows.
Between the 1930s and 1990s the building accommodated a cinema, television studio and bingo hall.
The venue opened in 1992 as the Town and Country Club
and between 1992 and 2000 staged gigs by artists such as
Placebo
A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
In general, placebos can af ...
,
Blur,
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...
,
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...
,
The Stereophonics
Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zin ...
,
East 17
East 17 are an English pop boy band started by Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell in 1991. As of 2020, the group consists of Coldwell, Robbie Craig, and Joe Livermore. East 17 have undergone multiple lineup changes, wi ...
and
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...
.
The venue however closed in 2000.
In 2001, after a £7 million re-development of the venue by
First Leisure Corporation {{primary sources, date=January 2011
First Leisure Corporation plc was a leisure operator in the United Kingdom active between 1981 and 2004.
Originally based in Soho Square, London, and with other offices in Blackpool and Leicester, its operations ...
, it opened as Creation Nightclub, but closed after six years in February 2007. The licence was acquired by AMG from Luminar and plans put in place for the new Leeds Academy in November 2007.
The venue
The venue itself has a large room accommodating 2,300 guests, including a balcony which can hold 500 people.
There is also a basement room for gigs by up and coming bands which will accommodate 400 guests.
The
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 2000 as Parva, releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their current name that same year. Since their formation the band h ...
opened the venue with a gig on 8 October 2008
Some other well known musicians which have played at The Academy have included:
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots (stylized in all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who ...
,
Marina & The Diamonds
Marina Lambrini Diamandis (; el, Μαρίνα-Λαμπρινή Διαμάντη; born 10 October 1985), known mononymously as Marina (often stylised in all caps), and previously by the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer and ...
,
Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English singer. She finished fourth place in the seventh series of ''The X Factor'' in 2010. Following the seventh series finale, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music. Her debut single, "Swagger Jagger", was re ...
,
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band to ...
,
Foals,
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian hard rock band from Sydney. Formed in 2004, the group is centred around vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, who is the only constant member of the line-up. The band has been through many personnel changes since ...
,
Michael Schenker
Michael Schenker (born 10 January 1955) is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group. He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker ...
,
Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets are an English supergroup consisting of Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Miles Kane ( The Rascals, solo artist), James Ford (Simian, Simian Mobile Disco, music producer), and Zach Dawes (Mini Mansions). The band released ...
,
Ellie Goulding,
The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell in Leeds, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. The band have released five albums from 2007 to present.
They performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006, where they we ...
,
MGMT,
Paolo Nutini
Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley. Nutini's debut album, '' These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, '' Sunny Side Up'' (2009), de ...
,
Anthrax (American band),
The Proclaimers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
,
Madness,
The Fratellis
The Fratellis are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, formed in 2005. The band consists of three unrelated members, who perform under pseudonyms: lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, bassist Barry Fratelli, and drummer Mince Fratelli. Thei ...
,
Johnny Marr,
Beady Eye
Beady Eye were an English rock band formed in London in 2009 by former Oasis members Liam Gallagher (vocals), Gem Archer (guitar), Andy Bell (guitar), and Chris Sharrock (drums). In 2013, former Kasabian guitarist Jay Mehler joined the band ...
,
The Pogues
The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...
,
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
,
Band of Horses
Band of Horses is an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Washington. Led by singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes, the band's current line-up also inclu ...
,
Slayer,
Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, formed by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass, who later left and was replaced by Edith Frances. Crystal Castles were know ...
and
Hot Chip.
On 6 November 2008, it was announced that
Telefónica Europe
O2 (typeset as O2) is a global brand name owned by the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica. The company uses the O2 brand for its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Germany. Since 2018, it is also used as an online-only flanker br ...
(owners of the O
2 Network in the UK) had become the new sponsor of all Academy venues, in a deal with music promoter
Live Nation. The deal, which lasts for five years, sees all venues rebranded "The O
2 Academy", in line with Telefónica's purchase of the Millennium Dome (now
The O2).
Gallery
Image:Hot Chip - Leeds Academy.JPG, Hot Chip performing on stage at the Leeds Academy
Image:Leeds Academy Sign.jpg, Event schedule
See also
*
Listed buildings in Leeds
There are over 3,300 listed buildings in City of Leeds district (a wider area than Leeds, which includes several other towns such as Otley and Morley).
Lists of buildings in the upper two categories can be found at Grade I listed buildings in ...
*
Music in Leeds
The Music in Leeds ecompasses a variety of styles and genres, including rock, pop and electronic. While groups like Soft Cell, the Kaiser Chiefs, the Wedding Present, Utah Saints and the Bridewell Taxis have gained success in the mainstream, ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Grade II listed buildings in West Yorkshire
Listed buildings in Leeds
Music venues in Leeds
Tourist attractions in Leeds
Academy Leeds
Wrestling venues
Gothic Revival architecture in Leeds