The O2 Academy Oxford is a night club and live music venue in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, England, operated by

Academy Music Group Academy Music Group (AMG) is a leading owner-operator of music venues in the United Kingdom. They operate a number of medium-sized venues, the majority of which (until January 2009) took the name Carling Academy after their sponsor Carling. So ...

. Its previous names include the Coop Hall, the Oxford Venue, the Zodiac and the Carling Academy Oxford.

History

Oxford Co-operative Society (1907–1990)

The red brick building at 190–196

Cowley Road __NOTOC__ Cowley Road is an arterial road in the city of Oxford, England, running southeast from near the city centre at The Plain near Magdalen Bridge, through the inner city area of East Oxford, and towards the industrial suburb of Cowle ...

in southeast Oxford was designed by

Harry Wilkinson Moore Harry Wilkinson Moore, FRIBA (1850–1915) was a Victorian and Edwardian architect. He was the son of Arthur Moore (1814–1873) and Mary Wilkinson (1821–1904), and a nephew of the architects George Wilkinson and William Wilkinson. Care ...

and built in 1907 for the Oxford Co-operative Society. It consisted of a large hall above three shop units. The hall was used for dances, political meetings of the

Co-operative Party The Co-operative Party () is a centre-left List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom, supporting co-operative values and principles. The party currently has an electoral pact with the Labour Party. E ...

and live music. The year of construction is visible as a

datestone A datestone is typically an embedded stone with the date of engraving and other information carved into it. They are not considered a very reliable source for dating a house, as instances of old houses being destroyed and rebuilt (with the old da ...

on the front central

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

The Oxford Venue (1990–1995)

The hall was sold in 1990 and converted into the Oxford Venue. Oxford band

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

played there and the video for their 1992 hit '' Creep'' was shot there.

The Zodiac (1995–2007)

In November 1995 it was refurbished and reopened as The Zodiac under new owners Adrian Hicks and Nick Moorbath, both formerly sound engineers and promoters working at the Oxford Venue. Moorbath was also a session keyboardist who played with

Ride Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a comedy film by Millicen ...

and Hurricane #1. The refit was partly funded by Radiohead and

Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey (drums, ...

. Moorbath was also involved in organising Radiohead's homecoming performance in

South Park, Oxford South Park is a park on Headington Hill in east Oxford, England. It is the largest park within Oxford city limits. A good view of the city centre with its historic spires and towers of Oxford University can be obtained at the park's highest p ...

in July 2001. In November 2006 it was announced that Moorbath and Hicks had agreed to sell the club to the Academy Music Group. The Zodiac's last night on 17 May 2007 featured several Oxford bands, including ones that reformed for the night, including

The Candyskins The Candyskins were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Oxford, England. Though early members of the "Oxford Scene", they enjoyed limited commercial success compared to their contemporaries Radiohead and Supergrass. They were considered by ...

and

Unbelievable Truth Unbelievable Truth are a British rock band, led by Andy Yorke, with Nigel Powell, Jason Moulster, and Jim Crosskey. Their sound has been described as "slow, melancholy, country-tinged ballads, wrapped in a soft blanket of acoustic guitars ...

. The commercial takeover of the city's largest independent music venue inspired '' Anyone Can Play Guitar'', a documentary film about the Oxford music scene.

Academy Oxford (since 2007)

Academy Music Group refurbished the site over several months, increasing its capacity from 750 to 1,150 people and reopening as the Carling Academy Oxford. The sponsorship of the Academy Music Group by the Carling beer brand was succeeded by an agreement with telecommunications firm O2. The venue was rebranded as the O2 Academy Oxford with effect from 1 January 2009.

References

External links

* {{Coord , 51.7471, -1.2352, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 1995 establishments in England Music in Oxford Buildings and structures in Oxford Music venues in Oxfordshire Academy Oxford