Published 5/12/07
Reopening of The Garage, iconic London venue, in March 2008
In August 2007 MAMA Group Plc acquired Mean Fiddler Holdings Limited and as a result took ownership of The Garage in Highbury and Islington, a place with a longstanding reputation for being a key live rock venue in London. The Garage will reopen for business in March 2008 following an extensive refit.
Since that acquisition MAMA has been focused on renovating The Garage in order to both to preserve its heritage and integrity and ensure that it offers the very best facilities for artists and audiences alike.
MAMA is investing in a £1 million refurbishment to achieve this. The new building capacity will be 620 in the main auditorium, 150 in the ‘Upstairs at the Garage’ room and a further 50 in the ‘Mini Bar’. Additionally, an internal circulation staircase is being added which will enable customers to enjoy all 3 rooms as part of one ‘Club offering’.
Steve Forster, who heads live operations for MAMA said: “In re-opening the Garage MAMA is addressing a gap in the current London live market. The refurbished Garage will be better in every respect than its predecessor - better sound systems, new toilets, better sightlines and so on. The venue will also become fully digitally equipped, so that bands can produce top quality live recordings for on-the-spot release should they wish to do so. We are looking forward to presenting a broad range of new talent and established artists at The Garage from next March.”
The Garage of yesterday: Great Music, Great Venue
Opened in 1993 The Garage quickly established itself as the capital's finest indie and rock venue playing host to many bands early on in their careers including Spiritualized, Catatonia, Supergrass, Placebo, Elastica, Radiohead, Pete Doherty, the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis. Playing a show at The Garage became something of a right of passage.
Such was the reputation overseas that The Garage became the first choice venue for many visiting American acts. Rocket from the Crypt played their debut UK show here and cult bands such as Guided By Voices and the late great Morphine returned time and time again. Some of the biggest bands in American rock such as The Offspring and The Deftones have chosen the venue for secret club shows.
Since that acquisition MAMA has been focused on renovating The Garage in order to both to preserve its heritage and integrity and ensure that it offers the very best facilities for artists and audiences alike.
MAMA is investing in a £1 million refurbishment to achieve this. The new building capacity will be 620 in the main auditorium, 150 in the ‘Upstairs at the Garage’ room and a further 50 in the ‘Mini Bar’. Additionally, an internal circulation staircase is being added which will enable customers to enjoy all 3 rooms as part of one ‘Club offering’.
Steve Forster, who heads live operations for MAMA said: “In re-opening the Garage MAMA is addressing a gap in the current London live market. The refurbished Garage will be better in every respect than its predecessor - better sound systems, new toilets, better sightlines and so on. The venue will also become fully digitally equipped, so that bands can produce top quality live recordings for on-the-spot release should they wish to do so. We are looking forward to presenting a broad range of new talent and established artists at The Garage from next March.”
The Garage of yesterday: Great Music, Great Venue
Opened in 1993 The Garage quickly established itself as the capital's finest indie and rock venue playing host to many bands early on in their careers including Spiritualized, Catatonia, Supergrass, Placebo, Elastica, Radiohead, Pete Doherty, the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis. Playing a show at The Garage became something of a right of passage.
Such was the reputation overseas that The Garage became the first choice venue for many visiting American acts. Rocket from the Crypt played their debut UK show here and cult bands such as Guided By Voices and the late great Morphine returned time and time again. Some of the biggest bands in American rock such as The Offspring and The Deftones have chosen the venue for secret club shows.
