National league table is sweet music to Wolverhampton’s concert scene

WOLVERHAMPTON has been praised for the diverse nature of its live music scene by making it into the Top Ten of a national league table.

The city comes in tenth in the latest Ents24 table, behind near neighbour Birmingham, which can only claim seventh spot despite its own varied scene.

In placing Wolverhampton, Ents24 said: “Although it is just 13 miles from Birmingham, the city has its own thriving music scene thanks in part to three popular council-run venues, the Civic Hall, Wulfrun Hall and Slade Rooms, with the Robin2 in Bilston.”

Statistics collected in compiling the league table put Wolverhampton ahead of several major cities including Edinburgh, Sheffield and Nottingham.

Cllr John Reynolds, Wolverhampton’s cabinet member for the city economy, said: “It is great for a national listing agency to prove what we already know – Wolverhampton has some of the best venues on the UK’s live music scene.
 
“At present both the Civic and Wulfrun are undergoing significant investment because we want to continue to attract major promoters, their musicians and performers to our city, by increasing the capacity of both halls, and improving facilities for audiences.”
 
The halls are undergoing a £10.6m revamp to add seating capacity and improve access and facilities. They are partially reopening from September to December for the Singha Beer Grand Slam of Darts, The Specials, Al Murray, Professor Brian Cox and Catherine Tate.
 
Over the years, the venues have hosted concerts by the likes of Blur, Radiohead and Motorhead – even chart-toppers One Direction.
 
Further back, music legends including The Kinks, The Who, Genesis, and David Bowie have all appeared there.
 
The Top Ten in full is:  

1. London
2. Manchester
3. Bristol
4. Glasgow
5. Leeds
6. Cardiff
7. Birmingham
8. Brighton
9. Liverpool
10. Wolverhampton