NICHE FEATURE
The Music Room It’s been the toughest of times for our music venues in the last few years. Live music venues are more important than ever as we support our venues and the live musicians who tour them. Leicester has some great venues. Here, Emily Miller shines a spotlight on just a few of them
The Shed
The Shed is a music venue in Leicester city centre that was established in 1994 and lovingly ran for over 20 years before new ownership took over and breathed new life back into the much-loved building. After re-opening on April 1, 2017, The Shed has now played host to a whole plethora of incredible artists with a huge range of performance styles and followings. ambushevents.co.uk/the-shed
The Musician
Tucked away in a quiet back street in the heart of Leicester, The Musician is the Midlands’ premier independent music venue. With live music at least six nights a week, it holds 220 people and features comfortable seating, full disabled access, easy parking and a selection of real ales. Since opening in 2000, The Musician’s reputation has been built on presenting the very best homegrown and international performers in a relaxed and friendly environment. With a supremely eclectic booking policy, the venue regularly features everything from contemporary singer-songwriters to rock, blues, folk, ska, punk, world, bluegrass, reggae, metal, soul, indie, avantgarde and Americana. themusicianpub.co.uk
O2 Academy
Situated on campus at University of Leicester Students’ Union, O2 Academy Leicester opened its doors to both students and music-loving residents in the city in September 2010. Housed in the award-winning Percy Gee building, the O2 Academy sits on one of the oldest sites on the main campus. Originally built in 1957, there was a fantastic line-up of musical icons that played here in its former incarnation with the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Smiths and The Jam all appearing. An 18-month major refurbishment transformed the original Students’ Union into an amazing new space and O2 Academy Leicester was added as part of this project. You can catch a host of nationwide touring musicians here. academymusicgroup.com/o2academyleicester
The Soundhouse
The Soundhouse is another great independent music venue here in Leicester, located in St George’s Cultural Quarter of Leicester, it’s a much-loved part of the music scene. From local musicians and open mic nights the venue welcomes in a range of genres to cater to all music tastes. To continue its arts supporting vibe the venue also has some up and coming artwork on the building and in its beer garden. The venue also has a friendly and informal, pub-like atmosphere yet with professional sound and lighting delivered by highly experienced in-house technicians. thesoundhouseleicester.co.uk NICHE | 93
