Picture a reborn Caley Palais

Published on Monday 8 September 2008 10:14

IT used to be the place in the Capital to grab a slice of Hollywood glitz and glamour.

Then, for more than a decade, some of the UK's leading music acts, including The Smiths, Pink Floyd and New Order, whipped crowds into a frenzy there, before it endured years as a trouble-hit club that eventually had to close its doors.

Now, after a 4.5 million investment by one of the UK's leading music venue groups, the former Caley Picturehouse and Caley Palais on Lothian Road is set to reopen its doors.

And today the first images of work taking place on the site, to be named Picturehouse and due to open on Saturday, can be revealed.

MAMA Group has stripped out many of the added fixtures, fittings, walls and flooring installed in its time as a nightclub under the names of Revolution, Gig, Century 2000 and Amphitheatre. It wants to return the building to the glamour of the Caley Picturehouse, which would see up to 1700 people flock to the latest blockbuster movies after it opened in 1923.

Much of the look has been created by tearing down artificial walls and flooring, revealing the original art deco decor.

And old pictures have been studied to recreate parts of the original style. A stage has been built in the main hall, with the whole hall now only on two levels: the standing area and a balcony.

The project has been headed by MAMA operations manager David Laing, who previously transformed the former New Bedford Cinema in Glasgow into the Carling Academy. "In many ways, this will be one of the most important venues I've ever done," said Mr Laing, who also oversees famous London venues including Hammersmith Apollo, The Forum, Borderline and Jazz Cafe.

"In Glasgow, my venues were in addition to similar-sized venues that were already there. For this one, while there are some fantastic other venues in Edinburgh, in terms of size there is nothing in this category.

"To open our first and only venue in Scotland's capital city, where there hasn't been a venue of this size for 20 years since the days of the Caley Palais, is for me, as someone that used to come to Edinburgh from Falkirk for the music scene, very exciting.

"It will put Edinburgh back on the map of the international touring circuit."

The site will have a total capacity of 1492, putting it in between the next biggest venue, Liquid Room, at 700, and Corn Exchange, at around 2800.

Dave Corbet, a promoter at DF Concerts, said: "It will fill a real gap in the market in Edinburgh.

"There are a lot of shows we haven't been able to put on in Edinburgh because there is not a venue to do it, but this will be great and we've already got a number of shows lined up."

Big names line up to play hall

POPULAR singer/songwriter James Morrison has become the latest big-name act to sign up to perform at the new Picturehouse.

The singer, who had chart success with the single You Give Me Something and was nominated for three Brit Awards in 2007, is to play on November 23.

The venue's first night will be on Saturday, when Edinburgh-formed band Idlewild star, with the official launch night featuring Travis on September 25.

Picturehouse is also to open every weekend as a nightclub. Fridays will be branded Adventures In Stereo and feature Glasgow ABC DJ Ansy Wilson, while Saturdays will be Beat Control, with Evol, the DJs who play an indie/alternative night at Liquid Room on Fridays.

DATES SO FAR

SEPTEMBER:

13 - Idlewild

25 - Travis

&#149 OCTOBER:

2 - Walter Trout

5 - Dirty Pretty Things

11 - The Charlatans

22 - Martha Wainwright

25 - Taste of Chaos Tour

27 - The Music

&#149 NOVEMBER:

2 - Tangerine Dream

7 - Todd Rundgren

14 - Cardinals featuring Ryan Adams

23 - James Morrison

26 - Feeder