Bristol’s iconic boat venue, the Thekla, is one of just 14 music venues nationwide in the running for a top industry award at this year’s Live Music Business Awards in London on October 16.
Owned and managed by DHP Family – twice named Live UK’s National Promoter of the Year – the Thekla has been nominated for the Best Teamwork award , which recognises the best in-house teams working on live music events at clubs with a capacity of below 800.
Following a £500,000 refurbishment and 13 weeks in dry dock, the Thekla is back in its home at East Mud Dock, re-opening with its Pressure club night on September 18. Work has included a complete paint job outside; reconfiguration of the dance floor to improve circulation; the addition of new toilets; soundproofing; new outside seating and a new entrance to improve the traffic flow.
While the ship was undergoing a revamp, the Grim Reaper by street artist Banksy was carefully removed to protect it from further erosion. The work is now on long-term loan to the M-Shed museum and is expected to go on display before Christmas following conservation. The replacement panel on the ship will be used as a rolling exhibition space for other artists, and is now proudly displaying a work by street artist Inkie.
Votes can now been cast for the shortlisted nominees on the Live Music Awards website – www.livemusicawards.co.uk – up until September 23, with the winners announced at the annual gala presentation ceremony at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel next month.
Bart Easter, Club Development Manager at DHP Family, said: “We pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service across all our venues. We know that having a positive experience at a venue is really important and that, for most, it will be a key consideration when deciding whether to return to a club.
“The Thekla has a large following of loyal supporters and a lot of that is down to the venue’s staff, who always work hard to ensure that all shows run as smoothly as possible. We are really pleased to be acknowledged for the Best Teamwork award and want to thank our staff at Thekla for helping to bring diverse music acts to audiences on a weekly basis.”
Launched in 2010, the Music Live Business Awards aim to acknowledge the business people who drive the country’s contemporary live music industry, from promoters and venue operators to artiste managers and show producers.
One of Bristol’s longest running entertainment venues, Thekla was taken over by DHP in 2006 and has since won numerous awards including ‘best small venue’ by the influential NME magazine.
The Thekla was converted into a venue in 1982 by legendary performer Vivian Stanshall and has a long history of entertaining Bristol audiences with everything from theatre, cabaret, live music and DJs.
For more information, go to www.theklabristol.co.uk or www.livemusicawards.co.uk