Refurbished venue to start hosting live music

A hall at the Sustainable Community Hub in Shipley has been fitted out as a live music space

A community centre transformed with £3m of regeneration funding is due to start hosting live music.

A hall at the Sustainable Community Hub in Shipley, formerly The Kirkgate Centre, has been fitted out as a 237-capacity music venue.

Bands from the UK and abroad are booked to play the venue in coming months, including LA rockers Faetooth and Employed to Serve.

It is hoped the launch event this weekend will "get the name out there" and put the town on the map for touring artists, said organiser Haydn Britland.

"We're going to build it up slowly. We're letting people know that the venue sounds great and looks great," he added.

A host of artists are due to perform at the launch on Friday and Saturday, including musician and composer Rosie Doonan and "avant funk" artist Hang Linton.

Mr Britland said the hope was that more bands playing the venue would boost town centre bars and restaurants in the process.

He said its proximity to Shipley railway station meant the venue was easier for people based in Leeds to get to than other spots like Brudenell Social Club.

"There are a lot of people coming down. It'll get people in here and see the space in action," he added.

The refurbishment of the Victorian building has been funded primarily by the government's Shipley Town's fund, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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