O2 Academy Oxford

The O2 Academy Oxford is a music venue in Oxford, England, which is part of the O2 Academy brand operated by Academy Music Group.[1] From 2007 to 2009, it was known as the Carling Academy Oxford, from 1995 to 2007 as The Zodiac, and prior to that as The Venue.[2]

The O2 Academy in Oxford.

History

Before becoming a music venue, the building on the Cowley Road in southeast Oxford was a Co-operative Party hall.[3] [4] The Co-Op dining hall was used to host live music until converted into the Oxford Venue in the early 1990s. In November 1995 it was refurbished and reopened as night club and live music venue The Zodiac. The Zodiac was owned by Nick Moorbath, a local keyboardist who played with Ride and Hurricane #1; in 2006 he sold the venue to the Academy Music Group. In 2007 it was renamed the Carling Academy Oxford. A subsequent rebranding as the O2 Academy Oxford took effect on 1 January 2009.[1]

Although Radiohead rarely played there, the club has had a long history and association with the local band. The 1995 refit was partly funded by Radiohead, and the video for their early song "Creep" was shot there. Nick Moorbath was partly responsible for organising Radiohead's homecoming performance in South Park, Oxford in July 2001.[5]

The atmosphere was described in Nightshift Magazine as:

"Where it all happens apparently. Unless you're a Uni student straight out of public school in which case it's where all the scary drug pushers, muggers and lefty bohemians hang out. A myth we're more than happy to perpetuate to keep bastards out."

The Zodiac has also been host to many different club nights, including Source (a drum and bass night), Slide (a house night), Smashdisco (a post-punk indie electro night on Thursdays), Transformation (an indie rock night), Trashy (a Retro Pop night), and also several student nights including Fishies and Pop Ya Cherry.

Saturday nights were very popular with the local students and featured various genres of music depending on the month. The month of March featured Cheese downstairs and Indian upstairs. It had two separate rooms; the downstairs room had a capacity of 350, the upstairs room a capacity of 450 (with a maximum of 750 at any one point).

Carling Academy Oxford

In late 2006, the Academy Music Group bought the club and spent £4 million on a refurbishment that lasted several months, after which it took the name The Carling Academy Oxford, with three rooms, one larger room for bigger bands that would otherwise bypass the city, and increasing the capacity from 750 to 1,150 people.[6]

The Zodiac closed its doors with a massive party on 17 May 2007. The last night featured several Oxford bands reformed for the night, including The Candyskins, Dustball, The Nubiles and Unbelievable Truth. The commercial takeover of the city's largest independent music venue prompted the creation of Anyone Can Play Guitar, a documentary film about the Oxford music scene.

References
  1. Hughes, Tim (10 November 2008). "Now it's the O2 Academy". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  2. "The history of The Zodiac". BBC Oxford. BBC. 18 May 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  3. Attlee, James (2008). Isolarion: A Different Oxford Journey. University of Chicago Press. p. 152. ISBN 9780226030951. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  4. Oxford Spawns Big Acts Despite Lack of 'Scene'. Billboard. 1995. p. 116.
  5. "Travis and Coldplay linked to South Park gig". Oxford Mail. Newsquest (Midlands South) Ltd. 18 January 2003. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  6. Paine, Andre (11 April 2007). "AMG Invests $4M Into Zodiac Venue". Billboard. London. Retrieved 8 November 2012.

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