From Jimi Hendrix to The Charlatans - New Century's stunning new concert hall is looking to the future

Next week, one of the city’s most beautiful spaces will once again step out into the limelight after years in the shadows. The hall at New Century, the listed building that was built as the Co-op’s own ballroom, is set to become the hottest ticket in town.

“It was a gig venue in the early 60s, people like Jimi Hendrix played here, Tina Turner, Rolling Stones, The Kinks. It stopped being used for music in around the 90s, and it was used for things like council fairs and accountancy exams!” says general manager Sam Litten, who’s previously worked at venues like the Albert Hall and the Printworks in London.

Painstakingly refurbished, it will be able to entertain 1000 people on its original sprung dancefloor, which has been fully restored, and bathed in a wash of light from its stunning original sculptured ceiling.

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“Over the last two years, it’s been brought back to its original purpose,” says Sam. “The light fixtures for instance, were all original features, so we’ve rewired it and had some huge creative input in how it looks and the way it works. The beautiful murals either side of the stage, they’re all original pieces too.

“And we spent about three months lifting up every floor board, recutting it, and putting it back,” he goes on. “It’s been pretty overwhelming to be honest,” he says. “It’s only good things that we can see going forward. Positive vibes, basically.”

1008 new LED bulbs have been installed, replacing the original bulbs in the room’s ceiling, all of which can be controlled by the venue’s lighting guru Emma Towers. Some of the state-of-the-art lighting equipment on stage, usually used on film sets,