How the Civic came back with a bang

Blur reopened the refurbished venue on 26 May last year

It has been just over a year since Wolverhampton's iconic Civic and Wulfrun halls reopened their doors after a huge £48m revamp and with a new name. The manager tells the BBC its good to be back.

"Opening with Blur was just phenomenal – to come back with such a bang was fantastic," says Crissie Rushton, general manager.

The Grade II-listed space, comprising the Civic and Wulfrun Halls, had been shut for more than eight years.

By the time it reopened in May last year, it had gone through a major refit, creating a larger stage, more accessible balconies, upgraded bars and new toilets.

The atmosphere at the 86-year old venue had previously been described as "electrifying" and "amazing" by artists struck by the intimacy of performances.

With its capacity of just several thousand, over the years legends such as Bowie, Queen, Elton and Nirvana have stood on the venue's stages

Any opening night nerves the changes would lessen its ability to capivate were quickly put to rest by Ian Huffam, Blur's agent.

"I was concerned the Civic would lose its heart and soul following its extensive restoration," he said afterwards.

"Do not be concerned, this is a thorough, sympathetic modernisation of a classic English concert hall."

Crissie Rushton has worked at the Wolverhampton venue for 25 years

Since then, the venue has hosted former footballer Eric Cantona on his UK tour following his reinvention as a singer, Grammy-award winning Nile Rodgers and Texas-born singer Kacey Musgraves.

A "really special show" was performed by hometown hero, Robert Plant.

"He had a great time on stage and the audience loved chatting with him," Crissie says.

Liam Gallagher was "another real big coup", she adds. But nothing beats announcing that Bob Dylan would appear over two nights in November.

"It was very difficult to keep quiet about him – I'm glad that's out in the ether," she added.

Tickets for Tate McRae's Wolverhampton gig sold out almost immediately

Crissie, who has worked at the venue for 25 years, says booking artists on the cusp of going stratospheric had been a highlight of the past year.

Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae and US star Mitski sold out in minutes.

"Having the huge hysteria in the place of having megastars in the building and really exciting audiences has just been fabulous," she says.

The team takes feedback seriously, crunching data monthly in a bid to improve the guest experience.

"We've spent a lot of time getting our queueing process for entering the venue as slick as it can be," Crissie says.

While some visitors have griped online about the price of a pint and obstructed views, in general, Crissie says feedback had been positive.

Comedian John Bishop, who visited last Sunday, sought the team out to tell them he was "blown away by the difference... with the venue, with the acoustics, the team, the layout".

All the staff do everything they can to pull together to make people's night, Crissie says.

"We've worked hard and that means someone's probably having the best night of the year."

Kacey Musgraves showcased her Deeper Well album in Wolverhampton in May

Liam Gallagher played at University of Wolverhampton at the Civic Hall in March

The venue employs a core team of about 15, with security, bar staff, users and technical teams swelling staff to about 400.

Crissie believes its small scale is an advantage, with about 20% of ticket holders from the local area and the rest willing to travel.

"People will treat themselves but it has to be something they're really excited about. We have a lot of sell-outs on our hands."

Opening season added an estimated £1.6m to the local economy, she reveals.

"The difference [it's made] to hospitality business in the city is massive.

"When we have that influx of people coming to one or two sold-out shows certainly the local pubs and restaurants are lapping that up and very excited about it."

The venue hosts business events, conferences and, since partnering with the local university - it is now known as University of Wolverhampton at The Halls - graduation ceremonies.

There are plans to provide opportunities for students over the next academic year, something Crissie, who started at the old Civic as a student "serving pints and ripping tickets", fully endorses.

"I'm a really good example of boots on the ground in a venue turning into a career path," she says.

Nile Rodgers entertained fans on the Civic Hall stage last week

Younger team members help out when choosing acts to "excite the next generation".

"There's always someone new – always someone who's instantly capable of selling our venue out who I haven't heard of. That's really exciting."

Meanwhile, iconic club nights Blast Off and Cheeky Monkey will continue as a novelty for the over-40 crowd.

The manager herself is "staring down her 25th anniversary", having started when the venue operated on fax machines and landlines.

"I've always counted myself lucky to be able to do this," she adds.

"I'm going to continue doing this as long as anyone will let me."

The Civic Hall now has a capacity of 3,404 and Wulfrun 1,289