Venue Spotlight: The Academy, Peterborough

This time in our Venue Spotlight series, we're shining a light on a new series of events that just started this year. The Sir Harry Smith Community College in Peterborough (where it lives) was established back in 1953, but the 'Live @ The Academy' series began just a few months ago.

Here's everything coming up in the 'Live @ The Academy' series.

To see all past Venue Spotlights, click here

Vital Stats:

Live @ The Academy, Sir Harry Smith Community College, Eastrea Road, Whittlesey, Peterborough, Cambs, PE7 1XB
Capacity: 600 Standing, 400 Seated

We spoke to General Manager Pino Soccio about how he's carved a popular music venue out of a College hall...

How many live events, gigs or clubnights a week do you host?

At the moment the venue hosts a few different events a week via public bookings, evening classes etc, but on the live music and comedy scene we are currently hosting once a month.

Artists that have performed here are: Echoes of Floyd UK (Pink Floyd tribute act), Motor City Vipers (Motown tribute act), The Brays (original act) The artist that went down really well, in fact, sold out the venue, was Echoes of Floyd UK.

What's your best drinks/food deal?

We currently promote 4 Jagerbombs at £10.

Do you host events other than gigs or clubnights? If so, let us know what kind of events they are?

We are in the planning stages of a music festival here for summer 2016.

If you could change one thing about the live music/entertainment industry, what would it be?

I would go about changing the way in which contracts are handled, ensuring that transparency is key.

What's been your proudest moment working at your venue?

My proudest moment is when we hosted our first event, a lot of hard work had gone into the whole thing, seeing people enjoying themselves and working with great staff.

Website: www.liveattheacademy.co.uk
Facebook: liveattheacademy
Twitter: @livetheacademy