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Granby Halls, Leicester

Granby Halls was a popular live music, exhibition and sports arena in Leicester.

It was located in a triangle of prime land in central Leicester between the Welford Road Stadium (Leicester Tigers' home stadium), Leicester Royal Infirmary and Nelson Mandela Park and consisted of two halls, the main arena and a skating rink.

The site was used for various functions since its initial opening in 1915, when it was built as the training halls for Leicester's Army recruits during World War I.

The building was finally demolished in 2001 after standing dormant for 3 years. The site is now used as a carpark while the council are still deciding what to do with the land, which is on the market for £1.3 million.

A look back at Granby Halls in Leicester, Leicester Mercury

Concert Archives - Granby Halls
Wikipedia - Granby Halls
PF-DB (PopFlock) - Leicester Venues

A legendary concert in all ways

Great site, I am amazed at how much information you have compared to any other site I've seen for any band.

I thought the some recollections and ticket stubs†copies might be of interest to you:

A legendary concert in all ways - I had just started work in April and spent my first weeks wages on the Clash Album, I am surprised to see that they played the Poly - I have no recollection of missing it, as far as my memory stands, as soon as the tour was announced I checked the dates and got the tickets. (But I also remember it as costing less than £1.50 so my memory is obviously less than perfect.)

It was my first punk concert and my first impression was that at eighteen and 6' 3", I was 4 years older and two foot taller than the rest of the hall.

Subway Sect - I have little recollection other than competent but not inspiring.

Slits - technically the worst band I have ever seen (and I've seen thousands) - rarely managed to get all 4 to start the same song at the same time, usually ended with drums or bass†continuing after the rest finished and they†seemed unable†to learn†that running around each other in circles meant that the leads got tangled up,†cutting†out guitars & ripping microphones from hand at inappropriate moments.

However there were unique with a certain magic about them and I was certainly not put off enough to stop me buying Cut or seeing them live a few years later.

Buzzcocks -superb - I remember them as a lot more†aggressive and harder than the poppy band I saw in later years. Spent the next couple of months touring the local record shops of Leicester trying to find someone who could†get me a copy of Spiral Scratch.

Clash - amazing - everything I hoped and expected (You've heard the recording and so can image).

De Montfort Hall was one of the best venues in Britain with amazing acoustics, easy to enter or leave and had a decent bar the whole length of one side.

Granby Halls was a temporary tin hut of a cattle shed, decades passed its sell by date and acoustically hell on earth (but held 4,500) - Bob Geldolf once spent a whole concert apologising for playing there and the Boomtown Rats did two nights at De Montfort the next tour "rather than ever play Granby Halls ever again".

Coventry Specials - did not spot them then as what became one of my favourite bands of the next decade.

Suicide - loved by the older, art school types at the back (I went out and bought the album) but hated by the skinheads and younger fans at the front. Half the front were lighting boxes of matches and throwing them onto the stage to set fire to the band, fortunately(?)†the other half were pissing into the plastic glasses and throwing them at the band†thereby putting out the fires. Joe Strummer had to come on to ask the crowd to let them play as he wanted to see them.

Clash - the improved PA was lost on the appalling sound quality of the hall, at the front it was all fuzz and at the back as tinny as hell.

I'm sorry but no recollection of support or anything about the gig other than I saw a great performance of London Calling.

I note on your website that there is a recording and would love to hear it, I have nothing to trade but would be happy to cover any costs of copying and postage.

Blackmarketclash | Leave a comment

No known recording known to exist. If you know of any recording email blackmarketclash