Clickmusic Awards 2005: Best Venue: London Astoria
With tens of new venues opening up each week across the country, it's hard to work out what makes a good one tick.
With tens of new venues opening up each week across the country, it's hard to work out what makes a good one tick. Do audiences prefer something slick looking, or scuzzy? Does the sound system matter above the fact the toilet doors shut? The height of the stage? The fact the floor moves, slopes, or is constantly stickier than Sellotape? Are arenas good places to see concerts, or just overblown warehouses? One venue was the easy winner for this year's Best Venue award, and it seems like you prefer somewhere inbetween the local pub and Wembley Stadium.
London's Astoria venue started life as a pickle factory for Crosse & Blackwell, but is now enjoying life as both a venue for gigs, with a capacity of 1,200, but also a club, with the ever popular G-A-Y night a mainstay; artists such as Girls Aloud, Charlotte Church and the X-Factor winner have recently played.
Why do you love it? After all, the toilets leave a lot to be desired, and the bar prices even less! We'd have to suggest it's the fact that so many great gigs take place within its walls: bands often play the venue when on the cusp of greater things. Or just before they're big enough to warrant booking Brixton Academy.
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