A BRADFORD music venue is set to become an arts hub as it expands following a makeover.
The Underground, in Duke Street, has hosted a range of music acts since it opened in 2016, but now it has expanded.
The original downstairs Underground bar, which can host up to 350 people, has been given a makeover.
The work has also seen the opening of The Platform Bar, which is at street level in the same complex. This more intimate site will have space for up to 40 people and is being billed as a performance venue for more up-and-coming bands and artists to perform.
The new-look site will open to customers today (Friday, March 31) at 6pm.
Nigel Booth, The Underground owner, says the site, particularly The Platform Bar, will become a home for not just live music performances, but also other performers from a wide range of the arts including dance, comedy and the spoken word.
He added it is a good time for his venue to evolve after being open for seven years and hopes it can become a key venue for the arts during 2025 when Bradford will be the UK’s City of Culture.
Despite embracing the other arts, Mr Booth says The Underground will remain primarily a music venue, with a mixture of performances from up-and-coming and more established acts.
He said: “For us, things are really, really good.
“It’s a good time to do a makeover. It’s going to be an arts hub.
“It will let us be a hub, not just for musicians, but everybody in the arts. We will look at different things, but we are primarily still a music venue. We’re still open as a music venue. It’s always going to be a music venue. We are evolving into an arts hub. It’s really good for us.
“The bars won’t just be based around alcohol. It’s not just about the building, it’s about the people. The building can be used by the arts to enrich people’s lives.
“We’re going to diversify with events, not just music. We will have dance, theatre, comedy and spoken word. We’re hoping to do different things.
“That’s where we’re going. People can come to us for networking events, especially in the upstairs bar.
“We need to be bringing people into town every day, not just at weekends.”
The Underground will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, while The Platform Bar will be open every Thursday to Sunday.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here