Bradford Live

delicolor · December 12th, 2012, 03:14 PM

This site should be going live today-

http://www.bradford-live.co.uk

Local businessman Lee Craven wants to restore the Bradford Odeon as a 3,500 - 4, 000 capacity music venue and has engaged the best technical & commercial experts in the feasibility.

I'll drink to that!

***Rob*** · December 12th, 2012, 03:27 PM

He was on Radio Leeds this morning dicussing this idea. As its all about money, the first question was quite rightly about funding. He said they are looking at the same funding route as the Leeds Arena, and expected to need around £15m-£19m as a rough estimate, but they are yet to look at it in any great detail. (No one asked about the fact that Yorkshire Forward that part funded the Leeds Arena is no longer in existance???)

When asked about competition and sustainability, he said the capacity is aiming for a gap in the middle area ie. between 1.5k at St George's Hall and 13k at the Leeds Arena (didn't mention the Leeds O2 Acadamy??), and is generally based on a growing trend for live music performances.

grego66 · December 12th, 2012, 03:56 PM

I always thought St George's Hall had a bigger capacity than that. Seen a few bands over the years there, good location as well.

If this takes off I could see it becoming very popular.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/...deon-1-5218495

Leeds No.1 · December 12th, 2012, 04:20 PM

It's a good proposal that I think would be successful, but there are a few holes in the proposal it seems.

The same funding as Leeds Arena? Well that came from the airport sale (money which Bradford basically threw away by splitting it up into thousands of useless pots), and Yorkshire Forward.

You also have rightly mentioned the O2 in Leeds. Any investor is going to want to know how they'll compete with such strong venues on their doorstep in Leeds.

He needs to get the University and SU on board in Bradford.

paulwright89 · December 13th, 2012, 07:07 PM

Well I'm encouraged and optimistic as this would be a fantastic boost to the culture of Bradford. Something like this could provide 4,000 extra customers for the businesses around City Park and in the "West End".

The Leeds 02 academy is the apparent 'competition' (with 2,300 seats and a whole range of 'B listers' and up coming acts)... but it doesn't quite work like that in the music industry! I have a friend who worked in this field for years and with the explosion of illegal downloads, the industry sees 'gigs' as a major income stream in the future, showing increasing demand for venues. Also, most O2 acts play 2 night slots to save on travel expenses.. if Leeds is attracting these acts they may be tempted to stay another night in WY and play in Bradford. Many could even be tempted to play Bradford for one night rather than Leeds due to increased gate receipts! I do think it'll take some acts from St. Georges Hall but I think it will complement (not compete) Leeds arenas.

The only question is whether the demand is there in Bradford! If Manchester/Leeds struggle to hit capacity with their huge student numbers (and from what I see their o2s are rarely sold out), what chance does Bradford have with a bigger 'mid sized venue' have? Will the Asian community embrace the majority of the acts which go on there? Will the Asian community (accounting for around 25% of the City) be required to embrace it in order of it to be a success? However, one experience from giggs is that people will travel to them so maybe the owners are banking on the whole region using the venue!

I'm encouraged by the minimal council involvement and the out-sourcing the management but theres a lot of questions to be answered. The last thing we want is a White Elephant.. I'd rather it be knocked down!

Val Verde · December 14th, 2012, 10:36 PM

Making the old Odeon into a concert venue would certainly be welcome as a way of attracting extra spend into Bradford City Centre. Not sounding to wish particular but shouldn't this be included in the Bradford Odeon thread?

delicolor · December 15th, 2012, 10:57 AM

That thread has the words New Victoria place Cancelled in it which makes it a bit of a dead end. As there are two proposals for the Odeon though, calling this one Bradford Live is probably a bit too specific.

I did have a conversation with the theatre consultant after the launch. Much as they'd love to reconstruct the stage house and fly tower there isn't currently the budget to do that and they have just scoped for a trussing structure and load points (which is mostly all that music shows need anyway). The wooden grid will remain in-situ above the stage.

The term restoration is a bit of a misnomer as it is only the ballroom that has enough of a remaining interior to restore it. The main auditorium once stripped of the 60s tripling will result in a space with only fragments of interior decoration. The first balcony front remains, along with the box arches and a bit of plasterwork around the oculus of the dome. The rest of the ceiling has gone and no-one is quite sure what will remain once the screen 1/2 side walls are taken out and if it was in the way, it would have been sledgehammered.

The suggestion seems to be that rather than faithfully recreate the fibrous plaster, the various elements may be suggested via frameworks and panels of some kind at the sides and semi-circular petals around the roof indicating the size of the dome. The Bradford Live drawings support this on closer inspection.

December 12th, 2012, 03:14 PM	#1
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 477 Likes (Received): 1	Bradford Live This site should be going live today- http://www.bradford-live.co.uk Local businessman Lee Craven wants to restore the Bradford Odeon as a 3,500 - 4, 000 capacity music venue and has engaged the best technical & commercial experts in the feasibility. I'll drink to that!

December 12th, 2012, 03:27 PM	#2
*Rob* Proponent of Leeds Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Leeds, UK, EU. Posts: 4,357 Likes (Received): 14	He was on Radio Leeds this morning dicussing this idea. As its all about money, the first question was quite rightly about funding. He said they are looking at the same funding route as the Leeds Arena, and expected to need around £15m-£19m as a rough estimate, but they are yet to look at it in any great detail. (No one asked about the fact that Yorkshire Forward that part funded the Leeds Arena is no longer in existance???) When asked about competition and sustainability, he said the capacity is aiming for a gap in the middle area ie. between 1.5k at St George's Hall and 13k at the Leeds Arena (didn't mention the Leeds O2 Acadamy??), and is generally based on a growing trend for live music performances. __________________ Visit Leeds on Skyscrapernews.com

December 12th, 2012, 04:20 PM	#4
Leeds No.1 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Leeds, EU Posts: 22,312 Likes (Received): 103	It's a good proposal that I think would be successful, but there are a few holes in the proposal it seems. The same funding as Leeds Arena? Well that came from the airport sale (money which Bradford basically threw away by splitting it up into thousands of useless pots), and Yorkshire Forward. You also have rightly mentioned the O2 in Leeds. Any investor is going to want to know how they'll compete with such strong venues on their doorstep in Leeds. He needs to get the University and SU on board in Bradford. __________________ "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure, It is our light not our darkness, that frightens us"

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December 12th, 2012, 03:56 PM	#3
grego66 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Leeds Posts: 800 Likes (Received): 10	I always thought St George's Hall had a bigger capacity than that. Seen a few bands over the years there, good location as well. If this takes off I could see it becoming very popular. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/...deon-1-5218495

December 13th, 2012, 07:07 PM	#5
paulwright89 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 81 Likes (Received): 0	Well I'm encouraged and optimistic as this would be a fantastic boost to the culture of Bradford. Something like this could provide 4,000 extra customers for the businesses around City Park and in the "West End". The Leeds 02 academy is the apparent 'competition' (with 2,300 seats and a whole range of 'B listers' and up coming acts)... but it doesn't quite work like that in the music industry! I have a friend who worked in this field for years and with the explosion of illegal downloads, the industry sees 'gigs' as a major income stream in the future, showing increasing demand for venues. Also, most O2 acts play 2 night slots to save on travel expenses.. if Leeds is attracting these acts they may be tempted to stay another night in WY and play in Bradford. Many could even be tempted to play Bradford for one night rather than Leeds due to increased gate receipts! I do think it'll take some acts from St. Georges Hall but I think it will complement (not compete) Leeds arenas. The only question is whether the demand is there in Bradford! If Manchester/Leeds struggle to hit capacity with their huge student numbers (and from what I see their o2s are rarely sold out), what chance does Bradford have with a bigger 'mid sized venue' have? Will the Asian community embrace the majority of the acts which go on there? Will the Asian community (accounting for around 25% of the City) be required to embrace it in order of it to be a success? However, one experience from giggs is that people will travel to them so maybe the owners are banking on the whole region using the venue! I'm encouraged by the minimal council involvement and the out-sourcing the management but theres a lot of questions to be answered. The last thing we want is a White Elephant.. I'd rather it be knocked down!

December 14th, 2012, 10:36 PM	#6
Val Verde Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Leeds Posts: 5,549 Likes (Received): 8	Making the old Odeon into a concert venue would certainly be welcome as a way of attracting extra spend into Bradford City Centre. Not sounding to wish particular but shouldn't this be included in the Bradford Odeon thread?

December 15th, 2012, 10:57 AM	#7
delicolor Ian Grey- Geordie Exile Join Date: May 2008 Location: Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire Posts: 477 Likes (Received): 1	That thread has the words New Victoria place Cancelled in it which makes it a bit of a dead end. As there are two proposals for the Odeon though, calling this one Bradford Live is probably a bit too specific. I did have a conversation with the theatre consultant after the launch. Much as they'd love to reconstruct the stage house and fly tower there isn't currently the budget to do that and they have just scoped for a trussing structure and load points (which is mostly all that music shows need anyway). The wooden grid will remain in-situ above the stage. The term restoration is a bit of a misnomer as it is only the ballroom that has enough of a remaining interior to restore it. The main auditorium once stripped of the 60s tripling will result in a space with only fragments of interior decoration. The first balcony front remains, along with the box arches and a bit of plasterwork around the oculus of the dome. The rest of the ceiling has gone and no-one is quite sure what will remain once the screen 1/2 side walls are taken out and if it was in the way, it would have been sledgehammered. The suggestion seems to be that rather than faithfully recreate the fibrous plaster, the various elements may be suggested via frameworks and panels of some kind at the sides and semi-circular petals around the roof indicating the size of the dome. The Bradford Live drawings support this on closer inspection.