Rock City (club)
| Address | 8 Talbot Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Nottingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°57′22″N 1°09′16″W / 52.9561°N 1.1544°WCoordinates: 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 | 2450 |
| Opened | 1980 |
| Website | |
| rock-city |
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Rock City is an independent music venue and nightclub located in Nottingham, England.
It opened in December 1980, first hosting The Undertones, and has gone on to host some of the biggest names in alternative music, as well as maintaining a number of weekly club nights. It has been described by NME as "sweaty, but truly indie", and has received numerous awards, including Kerrang! magazine's Venue of the Year for ten consecutive years.
Rock City is based in Nottingham City Centre, with a capacity of 2450, and is known for its intimate atmosphere. The club features four bars spread across two rooms; the Main hall and the Basement, both of which are all-standing during gigs, with an additional room previously known as The Rig operating separately since September 2011 as the Black Cherry Lounge. Rock City plays host to various sized gigs, from smaller upcoming bands of the underground and local scene, to bands that are getting chart success.
Prior to Rock City, the building was called The Heart of the Midlands, which hosted variety acts including the inaugural World Professional Darts Championship in 1978. The building was taken over by Sammy Jackson, who already owned a club called the Retford Porterhouse where he had booked bands such as AC/DC and The Clash, along with George Akins Snr., a local bookmaker, who bankrolled the new venture. . The club was managed by Paul Mason, who would go on to manage Manchester's Haçienda nightclub, and had Iron Maiden booked to be the band to open the venue, although unfinished electrics resulted in the gig being cancelled, with the band not returning until 1996. As a result, The Undertones became the first band to play at Rock City on 11 December 1980, ending the gig with Teenage Kicks, favourite song of DJ John Peel.
Rock City underwent a major refit in 1982, including a purpose-built sound system, lighting rig and two giant video screens. Although the club remained faithful to the spirit of rock, with riots at sold-out gigs by The Pogues and Ozzy Osbourne, it was never restricted by genre, as by 1982 the club already has a well-established Futurist night every Saturday, and were considering starting a student night on Thursdays, approaching DJ Jonathan Woodliffe, who played the first Thursday night to a crowd of about 400 people. Following the success of Thursday nights, the club looked at introducing a dance night, initially playing a mixture of European electronica and American releases, although this was not as successful and was cancelled after a few months. It was replaced by a jazz, funk and soul night which was advertised by word of mouth and was well received. To add to the diversity in music, Rock City also hosted all-age hip-hop jams on Saturday afternoons, establishing breakdancers the Rock City Crew, and the club would also host the first performance of Bring the Noise in the UK by Public Enemy.
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