The Liverpool Olympia is set to celebrate its 120th birthday with a spectacular night of live music headlined by British rock favourites Embrace.
The landmark live entertainment venue on West Derby Road will mark the anniversary on Saturday, 26 April.
And alongside Embrace, music fans will also be able to enjoy live performances from an incredible line-up of other special guests including The Bluetones, The Real People and Rats – together making it an unforgettable event.
Tickets are on sale now.
Known for their soulful melodies and anthemic choruses, Embrace have a history of captivating performances. The multi-platinum selling musicians behind hits like Nature’s Law, Gravity and All You Good People have bagged three number one albums and six top 10 single spots during their career and are set to deliver an outstanding performance at the Olympia.
Joining them are Britpop icons The Bluetones who 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.
Meanwhile 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.
And the unmissable evening will be kicked off by Rats, who 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. Meanwhile animals were housed in a large basement area – dubbed the ‘elephant pit’, and aquatic extravaganzas staged in a vast tank below the floor which held up to 80,000 gallons of water.
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.”
Over its long history, the venue has welcomed huge stars from theatre, music and comedy including the Beatles, Little Richard and legendary escapologist Harry Houdini.
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 and Jamie Webster among many others.
In its time it 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 – where couples would foxtrot and jive the night away under its grand domed ceiling, and a Mecca bingo hall.
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.
The venue eventually reopened in February 2000, and over the last 25 years it has become a firm favourite on the local music scene.
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.
The event on 26 April commemorates more than a century of live performances at the independent venue which has made it such a cherished part of Liverpool’s cultural fabric.
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, hosting Harry Houdini, The Beatles and Little Richard to name just a few.
“We’ll celebrate the year from 24 April with an eclectic programme of gigs, comedy and sporting events.
“And along with our unmissable 120th anniversary evening, we also have Liverpool’s Shack reforming for a sold-out gig on 25 April, followed by the likes of the Liverpool Gospel Music Festival, Supergrass, Michael Kiwanuka, Father John Misty and Future Islands before the summer alone.”
For more details visit the website.
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