WATERFRONT, THE

It’s said the closing of the Gala in the eighties was the springboard for the founding of the Norwich Venue Campaign; a campaign to lobby the Council for a purpose built venue that local bands could play. Many benefit gigs were performed for the NVC who did well to maintain a high profile and in the late eighties the Council put forward an old abandoned brewery on King Street. Once renovated the grade II listed building boasted two main stages, and several rehearsal spaces. The venue opened on 24 October 1990 with 808 State. The original management was a consortium of people but the enterprise began to haemorrhage money almost immediately. It did manage to survive long enough to co-ordinate the BBC’s week long festival Sound City in April 1992 but closed the following January with debts of over £360,000.

 The venue wasn’t closed for long as in November 1993 the Council, who had retained the lease, passed the management on to Nick Rayns and the Students Union, who already ran the UEA. The club reopened on the 1 December 1993 with Megadog with Banco De Gaia. From here the Waterfront hasn’t looked back, today it hosts a variety of events from local band nights and clubs to famous national and international acts.