Broadwick to open new venue, Exhibition London, in Shepherd’s Bush
Broadwick Venues, the venue arm of UK festival promoter Broadwick Live, has announced plans for a major new music venue and events space at the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd’s Bush, west London.
Scheduled to open at the end of 2019, Exhibition London – named after its proximity to the site of the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908 – will repurpose the grade II-listed Dimco East building, a Victorian structure originally built as an electricity generating station for the London Underground, as a 3,000-capacity events venue.
Conceived by Broadwick Venues – also owner/operator of the Printworks venue in Canada Water – the 34,000sqft venue is “primed to host high-profile live music events, brand experiences, product launches, exhibitions, conferences, award ceremonies and community events”, according to Broadwick, which says Exhibition forms part of a string of new venues planned across the UK.
Bradley Thompson, MD of Broadwick Live and Venues, says: “Exhibition represents an important moment in the evolution of Westfield London, creating a unique entertainment hub and enhancing the area’s cultural kudos. It will attract and serve not only the local community, but the ever-increasing number of people who rightly view White City [north of Shepherd’s Bush] as one of the most exciting growth places in the capital. The location is perfect and the building itself is incredible.
“The location is perfect and the building itself is incredible”
“We are committed to respecting its past and investing in its future, offering fantastic, contemporary experiences against a stunning Victorian backdrop.”
Michel Dessolain, COO, Europe, for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which operates the shopping centre, adds: “Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield creates unique and innovative destinations globally where our customers can shop, dine, be entertained and connect. Our partnership with Broadwick Venues, one of the biggest players in the events industry in the UK, and through the support of London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, will deliver an amazing new entertainment experience and will be a leading new events venue in London.”
Work begins on Exhibition – located less than half a mile away from the long-running 2,000-cap. Shepherd’s Bush Empire venue, operated by Academy Music Group – ahead of its opening later this year.
Vibration Group, Broadwick’s partner on Printworks, has announced plans for its own 3,000-cap. venue on the Greenwich peninsula, Magazine, close to the O2 – while Madison Square Garden is plotting an arena in the vicinity of London’s other Westfield, in Stratford.
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Muse crowdsourcing setlist for charity show
Muse have announced a one-off show in London in aid of homeless charity The Passage in which ticketholders will choose the setlist.
Billed as a ‘by request’ show, the concert – at AMG’s 2,000-cap. Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 19 August – will give all those who buy tickets the opportunity to choose their ten favourite Muse songs, with the tallied-up votes used to curate the band’s set on the night.
Tickets for the show go on sale at 9am on Friday (6 July) via Ticketmaster, with all profits going to The Passage. Muse fanclub members and ticketholders for Reading and Leeds Festivals – which Muse (pictured) headline the following weekend – will have access to a 48-hour presale.
“The Passage is really grateful that Muse are doing a doing a concert to raise money for, and awareness of, the vital work we do to end homelessness”
Mick Clarke, CEO of The Passage, comments: “The Passage is really grateful that Muse are doing a doing a concert to raise money for, and awareness of, the vital work we do to end homelessness for those who come to our doors. It is frighteningly easy to end up on the street, and this concert helps ensure that The Passage will be there for those who have nowhere else to turn to.”
“We have admired The Passage’s work for a while now,” adds Muse frontman Matt Bellamy. “Their work is vital to the community in London. We are looking forward to doing our bit to help the amazing staff and volunteers and the homeless people who benefit from their tireless hard work.”
Other bands who have experimented with allowing fans to choose setlists include Coldplay, who have taken song requests via their website for the ongoing A Head Full of Dreams tour, Metallica, Maxïmo Park and Franz Ferdinand. (Muse themselves did something similar at the late Oxegen festival in 2010.)
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