Memories of Wolverhampton's Civic as it prepares to reopen

One of the West Midlands' most well-loved music venues, closed for a major refurbishment, will officially reopen with a gig from Blur this Friday.

The Halls in Wolverhampton, which include the Civic and Wulfrun Hall, have undergone a £48m revamp and with 85 years of history, the BBC has heard why these venues remain special to so many people.

"It's just electrifying."

Singer Jonn Penney remembered when he and the rest of Ned's Atomic Dustbin first headlined the Wulfrun in 1990.

The band, formed in nearby Stourbridge, had several hits in the 1990s but Mr Penney said they did not feel they had a hometown gig venue until they appeared in Wolverhampton.

They would go on to headline the Civic repeatedly and said the passion of the home crowd mixed with fans travelling from all over the world created an "amazing atmosphere".

"As a performer, what really strikes you is the number of people in the space - you can see the whites of their eyes from the stage, 3,000 but you can see them all," he said.

"It's a proper bear-pit atmosphere, it feels like people are on top of you."

The venues have hosted huge names in music, comedy and sport since 1938 including David Bowie, Elton John, Queen, Elvis Costello, Nirvana, Take That, Ken Dodd, Jimmy Carr and Victoria Wood.

They shut at the end of 2015 for restoration work, but reopened for a brief stint between January 2017 and 2018.

The Civic holds about 3,000 people and Wulfrun Hall about 1,300 and the general manager of the buildings, Crissie Rushton, said the fans helped to create some very intense, intimate performances.

"The sound quality is phenomenal, in a room surrounded by the audience, there is no bad seat," she said.

"They are not looking at a video screen, they can see the group or performer and the view is phenomenal," she said.

The atmosphere was what stuck in promoter Dave Travis's memory when he remembered the gigs he had seen, including bands he staged at the venue like Oasis and EMF.

"It's got a bit of character, the people that go there are fantastic. I know it's a lot of bands' favourite gig on their tour," he said.

Blondie revisited the Halls on a comeback tour in 1998 and Mr Travis said he remembered he had a drink with the band afterwards.

He added: "I was backstage, there was a tap on my shoulder and Debbie Harry was there and went "hi, I'm Debbie, who are you?"

The revamp has improved the venues for both bands and the audience, Ms Rushton, said, with a second balcony at the Civic one of the most exciting additions.

Performers and bands have repeatedly told her of their love for the venue and she said its rich history also meant a lot to them.

"Those on the way up, they know David Bowie stood where they are, that Queen supported Elton John in the 70s here. There is all that history and love of the space," she said.

Fan Michael Preston recalled when he saw The Smiths at the Civic in 1986 just after the band released The Queen is Dead album.

"It was just one of those electric gigs when there was tense anticipation before every next song and a burst of excitement when it was played," he said.

Oasis, Blur, Tin Machine and the Manic Street Preachers in the 1990s at the Civic were all fondly remembered by David Millward.

"It seemed to be the venue to go to when bands tour. I met Graham Coxon once and mentioned I'd seen him there with Blur and he said Blur loved doing the Civic," he added.

Jonn Penney, who went on to work in publicity for the Civic and Wulfrun, will return with Ned's Atomic Dustbin to the Civic in December and said they can't wait to be back on the stage again.

"I've played a lot of venues across the globe of a similar size and very few come close to it," he said.

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