‘I had a ball at the new look Tower’
ICONIC HULL VENUE GREAT FOR LIVE MUSIC
EARLIER this year, Hull’s iconic Tower Ballroom finally reopened to the public as the city’s latest live music venue.
The ballroom in Anlaby Road has changed hands a number of times over the years, appearing in a number of different guises.
The main ballroom in the newly renovated venue has a capacity of 800, while the second performance space, Tower Two, has a capacity of 200.
It was in this new, smaller venue that had my first taste of the new Tower Ballroom.
On Friday night, I went to see local band Slack Hand perform in Tower Two, a well-designed, compact space that is ideal for smaller gigs and emerging artists.
Having been to Tower a number of times over the years, I arrived with a great sense of expectation for the venue’s new chapter.
As we went in, I was pleased to see that both the staff and the security were conducting their business with a smile, something that so often gets overlooked these days.
We had a chat and a joke and before I knew it, I was upstairs getting a drink at the bar.
The ballroom has retained a lot of its black and gold interiors, but they have all been renovated and repainted to an immaculate standard.
Tower looks every bit the part now that it has reopened, setting the stage perfectly for an evening of live music.
I was pleased to find that the drinks were very reasonably priced, with a pint of Atom Catalyst and a vodka and lemonade costing around £7.
I took my pint, made my way into Tower Two and waited for the band to arrive.
The space in Tower Two is very well designed, with the stage at one end and a bar running down the middle of the room.
There is a large standing area in the centre, flanked on both sides by tables and seating areas that are spread out in an irregular pattern.
The overall effect is that of a very intimate, but also very stylish performance space that feels fairly unique.
There is even immediate access to a balcony that overlooks Anlaby Road, for when guests need some fresh air or a break from the music.
When Slack Hand came on stage, they blew the roof off the ballroom.
The performance was highenergy and their instrumentals were sublime.
It was great to see a local band thriving in the new space, with the four-piece looking completely at home as they burned through their set.
By the time the gig had finished, the crowd were cheering and my ears were ringing, which can only be a good thing.
All in all, my first experience of
Tower Ballroom was a great one.
Having gone to club nights back when it was Funktion, I can definitely say that I prefer it now in its new guise.
It feels like Tower has become exactly the kind of venue that it was always meant to be, and one that Hull sorely needed.
I will have to return in the near future to see a gig in the main ballroom.
And if Friday’s show in Tower Two is anything to go by, it’s bound to be a great night.