Opened in 1927, the Newcastle City Hall was built as a part of a development which also included the adjacent City Pool. It has since become a venue for orchestras, rock and pop bands, and comedy acts, as well as for celebrity recitals, talks and civic functions.
Closure threat and current operations
In November 2012, Newcastle City Council announced that, as part of a wider cost-cutting process, the future of the City Hall and the adjacent City Pool was under review, with a number of options being considered including closure or handing over the venue to an external operator. Council leader Nick Forbes pre-empted the outcome of the consultations process by stating that the City Hall has "No long-term future". In response, a 13,000 name petition against closure was presented to Newcastle City Council on 31 January 2013 by members of the Facebook 'North East Music History Group'. The City Pool has since closed, although the City Hall remains open. In April 2016 it was announced that the Theatre Royal Trust had taken over management of the venue. In May 2019 the Theatre Royal Trust transferred the City Hall operations to Academy Music Group, who operate the nearby O2 Academy Newcastle, and the venue was renamed as O2 City Hall Newcastle.
Organ
In 1928, to create the city's first dedicated concert venue, a Harrison and Harrison organ was built. A concert instrument, as opposed to a cathedral specification, it has been used for choral and orchestral concerts as well as organ recitals. It has 4,274 pipes, with a number of unique stops and has been described as "A Rolls-Royce" of organs. The organ is currently in a poor state of repair, although as a result of its neglect, the instrument is probably the last and largest example of a Harrison tubular-pneumatic action. The organ is also unusual in that it is unaltered, as most comparable organs have been modified, added-to or revoiced. The British Institute of Organ Studies awarded it a Grade 1 Historic Organ Certificate in 2003, and it is classified as part of the hall's Grade II status.
Noted musical acts
In July 1970, Lindisfarne made their debut appearance at Newcastle City Hall. On 7 May 1971, country rock bandThe Byrds performed there as part of their 1971 UK Tour in front of a sell out crowd. This was the same tour that yielded the Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 album. In December 1976, as a one-off gig, Lindisfarne played three sell-out concerts in the City Hall. This was repeated in the following years as Lindisfarne got back together, with 132 shows in total at the venue. In 1981, Motörhead recorded the majority of the tracks for their live album, No Sleep 'til Hammersmith, at the City Hall. The album was #1 on the UK billboard charts for almost 2 months following its release that year. That same year, Slade performed and recorded their show, which was later released as a live album, entitled Slade on Stage. Emerson, Lake & Palmer recorded their live album, Pictures at an Exhibition, there on 26 March 1971. On that occasion, Keith Emerson played the whole first Promenade on the City Hall organ. In June 1973, Wishbone Ash recorded tracks at the City Hall for the live album Live Dates. Roxy Music recorded tracks for Viva Roxy Music at the City Hall on October 1974. The Animals reunited and performed there for a one-off performance in 1968, after lead vocalist Eric Burdon disbanded them and formed a new version of the band. Rammstein played at the city hall in 1997. In December 2013, Ray Jackson performed with a new lineup of Lindisfarne, as part of the efforts to keep Newcastle City Hall as a music venue.
