Carling Academy Bristol
Encyclopedia
The O2 Academy Bristol is a music venue
located below the ice rink on Frogmore Street, Bristol
, England
. It is run by the Academy Music Group
. On 1 January 2009 sponsorship was taken over from Carling by telecommunications company O2 and the venue's name changed from the Carling Academy to the O2 Academy. The Academy which hosts club
nights (capacity 1,900) and gigs
(capacity 1,600) was opened in 2001, and was the third Academy venue in the UK.
The venue was originally part of Mecca's New Entertainments Centre and was an ABC Cinema. Opening in 1966, it included a dozen licensed bars, an ice rink, bowling lanes, the Craywood Club casino, a night club, a grand cinema and the 2,000-capacity Locarno ballroom with its infamous illuminated ceiling. Only the ice-rink and the cinema survived, the rest being demolished in 1998 and subsequently the site given over to student accommodation. The cinema closed in 1996 and was converted into a nightclub in 2000, originally called Rock. Soon after it became the Bristol Academy.
and Alternative
music is played, DJ'ed by Ramshackle residents: The Postman & Andy Tokyo plus occasional guest DJs which in the past have included Zane Lowe
and Bloc Party
. Live bands also feature in the main room, in 2006 OK Go
, The Fratellis
and The Cutaway appeared.
Room 2, a smaller room upstairs, features Punk
, Rock
and Metal
(of the lighter, metalcore influenced variety) Anthems with Old Man Rich & Jason X. Parties with varying themes (such as Beach Parties, Christmas, Easter) occur throughout the year as do band specific promotions that often have free giveaways.
A similar night occurred at the Birmingham Academy
until 2009, leaving Bristol
the only venue that holds a Ramshackle club night.
Music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
located below the ice rink on Frogmore Street, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is run by the Academy Music Group
Academy Music Group
Academy Music Group is a leading owner-operator of music venues in the United Kingdom. They operate a number of medium sized venues, the majority of which took the name Carling Academy after their sponsor Carling. Some of these academies also contain smaller venues used for less well known acts...
. On 1 January 2009 sponsorship was taken over from Carling by telecommunications company O2 and the venue's name changed from the Carling Academy to the O2 Academy. The Academy which hosts club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
nights (capacity 1,900) and gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
(capacity 1,600) was opened in 2001, and was the third Academy venue in the UK.
The venue was originally part of Mecca's New Entertainments Centre and was an ABC Cinema. Opening in 1966, it included a dozen licensed bars, an ice rink, bowling lanes, the Craywood Club casino, a night club, a grand cinema and the 2,000-capacity Locarno ballroom with its infamous illuminated ceiling. Only the ice-rink and the cinema survived, the rest being demolished in 1998 and subsequently the site given over to student accommodation. The cinema closed in 1996 and was converted into a nightclub in 2000, originally called Rock. Soon after it became the Bristol Academy.
Ramshackle
Ramshackle occurs every Friday night. In the main room IndieIndie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
and Alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
music is played, DJ'ed by Ramshackle residents: The Postman & Andy Tokyo plus occasional guest DJs which in the past have included Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
and Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
. Live bands also feature in the main room, in 2006 OK Go
OK Go
OK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, USA, now residing in Los Angeles, California, USA. The band is composed of Damian Kulash , Tim Nordwind , Dan Konopka and Andy Ross , who joined them in 2005, replacing Andy Duncan...
, The Fratellis
The Fratellis
The Fratellis were an indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli , bass guitarist Barry Fratelli , and drummer and backing vocalist Mince Fratelli .The band released 2 albums during their career, Costello Music in 2006 and Here We Stand in...
and The Cutaway appeared.
Room 2, a smaller room upstairs, features Punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
(of the lighter, metalcore influenced variety) Anthems with Old Man Rich & Jason X. Parties with varying themes (such as Beach Parties, Christmas, Easter) occur throughout the year as do band specific promotions that often have free giveaways.
A similar night occurred at the Birmingham Academy
Carling Academy Birmingham
-History & Former Venue:The former venue of the O2 Academy was known in the 1980s and 1990s as the Hummingbird and previously the site of the Rank Ballroom. The venue underwent refurbishment in the late 1990s and opened as the Birmingham Academy in 2000, being rebranded as the "Carling Academy"...
until 2009, leaving Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
the only venue that holds a Ramshackle club night.