Features
Ballroom Tales: The UK’s Buildings Are Creating Real Were-You-There Moments
The UK’s venue circuit is picking up where it left off in 2023, which was one of the busiest years for live entertainment in history – at least above the grassroots level. Melanie Foris, in charge of marketing andticketing at London’s 1,500-capacity Electric Ballroom, said, “2024 is shaping up to be one of our busiest years yet.” The building, which first opened its doors more than 80 years ago, today epitomizes London’s Camden Town district. Artists who have graced the Ballroom’s stage in the past include Van Morrison, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, A$AP Rocky, The Killers, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran. Upcoming shows include Shellac, Tom Morello, L7, Misty in Roots, Mudhoney, Osees, The Chats, The Cat Empire and more. Electric Ballroom has everything a good venue needs to make for a great night out. According to the building’s booking manager, Mark Johnson, “It’s a good-shaped room with good sightlines, has a warm ambience and excellent sound.”
Moving up the circuit in London, there’s another building steeped in history, that’s coming off its best year ever: Alexandra Palace. According to head of programming Sophie Varnava, “This year is shaping up to be massive. We’ve already had multiple runs of gigs across our spaces, including our Theatre, which has an adaptable floor space of 1,400 cap. standing and 916 fully seated, and our 10,250-cap Great Hall, from the likes of Elmiene, Nitin Sawhney, PinkPantheress, Underworld, The Smile and Masego. We are also building up to our biggest-ever outdoor series in our Park in July – including headline shows with Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds, and a double headline show with Suede and Manic Street Preachers – which is transformative for how we bring live music to fans year-round.”
For the majority of the year, Ally Pally, as Londoners endearingly refer to the building, is a receiving house hosting the shows promoters bring in, but, as Varnava explained, “This year we are continuing to build our co-productions, and in-house productions, such as our summer festival Kaleidoscope. Alongside all this, we will have a further 60 acts performing inside the Palace.” An elevated live experience is something many people are willing to pay for. VIP packages are becoming the norm for artists, Varnava said. “That’s across genres. And there is clearly demand from the fans. It is important that VIP packages are done well. More artists are now asking, ‘What can we do to enhance the fans’ experience?’”
The team at Electric Ballroom confirmed, the amount fans are willing to spend on an elevated concert experience “seems to have increased.”
A lot of investment is being made at the arena level. Manchester’s AO Arena, ranked second on Pollstar’s UK Arenas chart just completed a £50 million redevelopment, which includes an increased standing-floor capacity, a transformed arrival experience, new concourse spaces, a revamped food and beverage offering and a new VIP offering. The UK’s number-one ranked arena, The O2, London, has seen millions of investment from AEG Europe to elevate its premium offering. All of this money spent suggests that there are no signs of the live touring market slowing down.
Steve Sayer, senior vice president and general manager of The O2, confirmed as much when speaking with Pollstar in February: “From a business perspective, I am excited about the next few years ahead. 2024 is shaping up nicely, building on a really strong 2023. We’re also hearing good things about 2025 at arena level. Lots of new music coming out and a number of big artists and some new ones getting ready to tour again. As far as the venue side goes, we opened our exciting new members space late last year and had the official opening in January. The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways was a multi-million investment by AEG and has set a new standard for premium experiences in music and entertainment venues. It is the first of a number of capex investments that we have planned to ensure that The O2 remains the market leader for fans, bands and brands.”
The picture looks much different when looking at the UK’s grassroots sector, which lost 125 venues in 2023. The struggle is real, and recognized by the entire UK live biz. Said Varnava, “When I talk to promoters or colleagues in other venues, it is a topic that is coming up more and more. It is not only the artists but the whole ecosystem that live events support. The technicians, promoters, and staff working at venues of all sizes.”
As Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd laid out in a UK parliament hearing last month, the 125 venues forced to permanently close would have provided 16%, or some 30,000 of all performance opportunities in the UK for artists. It also meant a massive loss of jobs, given that some 30 people on average work at these buildings. In the long term, the closure of venues would lead to a blockage in the talent pipeline, the “ignition engine, the starter motor,” of this industry, as Davyd described it. Not having spaces for newcomers to perform and hone their skills in was one thing, the other was that young people wouldn’t even find inspiration to pursue a musical path, because they simply had no live music to get inspired by around them.
The good news, according to Varnava, “is that the love of music amongst fans feels as strong as ever, and the passion amongst those working in the industry to discover and champion artists is still there. We have to find ways to support and harness this.”