Newcastle City Hall: the grand old hall where rock history was recorded

Some venues come and go, but Newcastle City Hall has been a fixture of the city's cultural life for nearly a century. Designed by Nicholas & Dixon-Spain and built on Northumberland Road alongside the old Northumberland Baths, it opened in the late 1920s and became the city's first dedicated concert venue.

Its proudest possession is a Harrison and Harrison organ installed in 1928. With 4,274 pipes, it has been called "A Rolls-Royce" of organs, and in 2003 the British Institute of Organ Studies awarded it a Grade I Historic Organ Certificate as probably the last and largest surviving Harrison tubular-pneumatic action organ.

The guest list over the decades is extraordinary. Bob Dylan played on 6 May 1965, The Rolling Stones appeared with Ike & Tina Turner and The Yardbirds in October 1966, and David Bowie brought the Ziggy Stardust Tour here in January 1973. The Grateful Dead's 1972 show was later released on record.

The hall's acoustics made it a favourite place to record, too. Emerson, Lake & Palmer recorded Pictures at an Exhibition here on 26 March 1971, with Keith Emerson playing the opening Promenade on the City Hall organ. Motörhead recorded most of No Sleep 'til Hammersmith here in 1981, an album that went to number one in the UK.

No band is more closely linked to the hall than Lindisfarne, who made their debut here in July 1970 and went on to play 132 shows at the venue, including three sold-out concerts in December 1976. A plaque honours founder member Alan Hull.

The City Hall has had its worries. In 2012 the council reviewed its future, and in January 2013 campaigners presented a petition of around 13,000 names against closure. The Theatre Royal Trust took over in 2016, and since 2019 it has been run by Academy Music Group as O2 City Hall Newcastle, now with a capacity of around 2,135.

It remains as busy as ever. This autumn's listings include Dexys Midnight Runners, Soul II Soul, The Proclaimers and Razorlight's America 20th anniversary tour on 27 November.

What's on, accessibility and visitor information for O2 City Hall Newcastle can be found on the Academy Music Group website.