Opening in 1905 the Liverpool Olympia has hosted The Beatles, Little Richard and legendary escapologist Harry Houdini – now a ‘spectacular night of live music’ will mark its 120th birthday. Tony McDonough reports
One of Liverpool’s most iconic live entertaining venues will celebrate its 120th birthday with a “spectacular night of live music” in April.
Located on West Derby Road, just outside the city centre, the Olympia opened in 1905 as a purpose-built indoor circus and variety theatre. The Beatles, Little Richard and legendary escapologist Harry Houdini have all performed there.
In recent years the Olympia has also played host to big names like New Order, Nick Cave, Robert Plant, Paul Weller and Liverpool’s Elvis Costello, The Zutons, The Specials and Jamie Webster among many others.
On Saturday, April 26, British rock favourites Embrace will perform at the venue. They will be supported by a line-up of guests including The Bluetones, The Real People and Rats.
Known for their soulful melodies and anthemic choruses, Embrace have a history of captivating performances. The multi-platinum selling musicians behind hits such as Nature’s Law, Gravity and All You Good People have bagged three number one albums and six top 10 single spots during their career.
Britpop icons The Bluetones first came to prominence in 1995 when their debut release Are You Blue or Are You Blind broke into the Top 40. The single proved to be the launching pad for a run that saw 14 hit singles and six albums.
Liverpool’s The Real People, pioneers of the Britpop movement and renowned for mentoring Oasis in their early days, play the venue for the first time. Rats are known for their raucous energy and swagger.
Liverpool Olympia was designed by celebrated theatre architect Frank Matcham for Moss Empires and opened its doors in April 1905 as a purpose-built indoor circus and variety theatre.
It’s huge auditorium, with stalls and three levels of balconies, could accommodate almost 4,000 people. Animals were housed in a large basement area – dubbed the ‘elephant pit’, and aquatic extravaganzas staged in a 80,000-gallon tank below the floor.
In 1975, the Olympia was awarded Grade II-listed status by English Heritage, now Historic England, which described the building as “a well-preserved example of the work of the foremost Edwardian theatre architect”.
In its time the venue has also been a pioneering cinema, which was one of the first regional picture houses to show talkies; a wartime Royal Naval depot; a famous dance hall – the Locarno.
In 1990, the current owners purchased the neighbouring Grafton Rooms and while operating this as a successful nightclub, they began to refurbish the Olympia to bring it back to life after several years of closure.
It reopened in February 2000, and over the last 25 years it has become a firm favourite on the local music scene.
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Along with live music, it holds a wide range of other events including club events, sports and comedy, as well as providing an in-demand location for TV shows, films, adverts and music videos such as Peaky Blinders and Tin Star.
Liverpool Olympia managing director Chris Zorba said: “I’m proud to take this iconic venue into its 120th year. The Olympia has been a cornerstone of Liverpool’s entertainment history since 1905.
“And along with our unmissable 120th anniversary evening, we also have Liverpool’s Shack reforming for a sold-out gig on April 25, followed by the likes of the Liverpool Gospel Music Festival, Supergrass, Michael Kiwanuka, Father John Misty and Future Islands before the summer alone.”