Latest news with #TrafalgarEntertainment
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bill Bailey, Rob Brydon and Jo Whiley announced for Bradford Live
Comedians Bill Bailey and Rob Brydon and DJ Jo Whiley will be among the first performers at Bradford Live, the operator of the new music venue has revealed. The identity of the first acts at the restored Art Deco building that replaced the city's Odeon Cinema have been long awaited after it was sold to Bradford Council for £1 in shows announced for the 3,800-capacity venue include a performance by dance group Diversity, a stand-up comedy night headlined by Phil Wang and a homecoming gig for Bradford rock group New Model Army. Sir Howard Panter, creative director of the venue's operator Trafalgar Entertainment, said: "The wait is finally over and the good times are coming." He added: "We've assembled the kind of opening season that this magnificent venue and Bradfordians deserve and there's more to come with further artists being announced over the coming weeks."Bill Bailey will perform his tour show Thoughtifier on Sunday 31 August. Actors and comedians Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley, Shane Richie and Joe Pasquale - dubbed The Prat Pack - will perform the next day with a "spectacular variety show", including comedy routines and musical performances. Brydon's Christmas show will be staged at the venue on Wednesday 10 December, a festive performance of music, stories and impressions, accompanied by an eight-piece Saturday 4 October, comedian Ed Gamble will host a stand-up comedy night headlined by Phil Wang, with performances by Lou Sanders, Lucy Beaumont and Bradford comic Jonny Pelham. New Model Army, which formed in Bradford in 1980, will perform a homecoming gig alongside Keighley band Terrorvision and Halifax group Paradise Lost on Saturday 13 and TV presenter Whiley will bring her 90s Anthems show to Bradford on Friday 26 shows include jazz vocalist Clare Teal, dance group Diversity, Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance and naturalist and explorer Steve Backshall, with events scheduled through the later part of Bradford's year as the UK City of Culture and into 2026. Bradford Live was taken over by Trafalgar Entertainment when NEC Group dropped out of running the venue. It had been mired in controversy as tickets had been sold for two tribute act shows, but customers were refunded without explanation. Trafalgar Entertainment signed a 25-year lease over the venue in April. Tickets are being sold at Bradford Live's website. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
25-year lease signed with Bradford Live operator
Bradford's newest music venue has the potential to boost the council's income by £17m over the next 25 years, the authority has said. Trafalgar Entertainment was announced as the new operator of Bradford Live, a 3,800-seat former cinema, earlier this year. Bradford Council said it has now signed a 25-year lease with the company, guaranteeing an annual rental income for the venue as well as a share of the venue was billed as a key part of Bradford's plans for its City of Culture year but was mired in controversy after the original operator, NEC Group, pulled out in September. Trafalgar Entertainment has already installed thousands of seats in the 1930s Art Deco building since taking is set to open in September, with a preview event due to take place on 1 August to mark Yorkshire Day. The Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra will lead a celebratory concert called "Yorkshire Calling" at the newly restored venue, and will be joined by the Bantam of the Opera choir. The choir is made up of a group of Bradford City supporters - known as Bantams - selected by the BBC. Aside from the preview, no acts have as yet been confirmed to perform but the council said a full programme of events would be announced in the "near future". Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: "Now that Trafalgar Entertainment are confirmed as the operators, we are happy to reveal the details of the contract. "This project is about so much more than the money though; Bradford Live is a building the people of Bradford campaigned to save, and we did. "It's a building of social and cultural significance which has now been restored as one of the premier venues in the country with a bright future ahead under the expert management of Trafalgar Entertainment, who we've been delighted to welcome to Bradford."Initially forecast to cost between £22m and £25m, the venue has been funded by almost £44m from Bradford Council, with the rest coming from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the government and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Police called out after fight at Essex comedy gig
Police were called to a comedy show in Essex after a fight broke out in the audience, which reportedly led to a man being assaulted. Inquiries are ongoing after the altercation at the end of standup comic Paul Chowdhry's performance of his Englandia tour at the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend. Theatre management said a 'small number of customers expressed their frustration' towards another customer who had been heckling the act throughout the evening. Police officers attended the scene after reports of a disturbance. An Essex police spokesperson said: 'It was reported a fight had broken out and a man was assaulted. No serious injuries were reported, officers attended and inquiries are ongoing.' Chowdhry recorded footage on his phone while he was being heckled on stage, which he posted to Instagram. The comedian playfully swore at his heckler and said: 'I'm gonna take a picture and make sure you're never gonna get back in.' Chowdhry also captured some of the disruption in the crowd afterwards. 'Big fight is broken out after the show,' he said in the video. 'It's properly kicked off out here this evening. There was some riots here and now some people are probably kicking off tonight … I want to keep out of harm's way because I might get jumped.' In a statement the comedian added: 'We live in a time when some people feel entitled to disrupt live performances, affecting the experience for everyone else. Let me be absolutely clear: I do not condone violence in any form. 'Live entertainment should be a space where people come together to enjoy and engage – not to create conflict. Hopefully, nothing like this happens at the O2 Arena in London this Thursday – it's a little trickier managing 10,000 people.' A spokesperson from Trafalgar Entertainment, operators of the Cliffs Pavilion, said staff 'responded swiftly to defuse the situation'. They added: 'We take the safety of our audiences, staff and performers very seriously and condemn acts of violence and discrimination in the strongest possible terms. 'We will not hesitate to take action, including liaising with the police, should this be deemed necessary. We would like to remind all our customers to be respectful to each other, to performers and to our staff at future events.' It was reported that staff appeared to physically restrain an audience member while he continued to shout. Chowdhry is not the only comedian to have an issue with hecklers in recent weeks. Peter Kay threw two rowdy audience members out of his show at the AO Arena in Manchester, saying the repeated disruptions had made it impossible to continue.
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Police called to comedy gig as fight breaks out over heckler
A comedy show in Essex descended into chaos on Saturday night, requiring police to be called after a fight in the audience. The altercation, which reportedly resulted in an assault, followed Paul Chowdhry's performance of his "Englandia Tour" at the Cliffs Pavilion in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend. A video posted to Instagram by Chowdhry himself captured a portion of the incident. The footage shows several audience members engaged in a heated argument in the stalls area of the venue. While the exact trigger for the fight remains unclear, it appears to have stemmed from a heckler disrupting the performance. Essex Police confirmed they attended the scene following reports of a disturbance. ' Big fight is broken out after the show. It's properly kicked off out here this evening,' he said. 'There was some riots here and now some people are probably kicking off tonight.' Aiming the camera at one woman dressed in black, looking frustrated and pointing in multiple directions, he said: 'She's kicking off.' Some audience members attempted to intervene and calm others down. 'I want to keep out of harm's way because I might get jumped,' Chowdhry said during the video. Responding to the incident, a spokesperson from Trafalgar Entertainment, operators of the Cliffs Pavilion, said they were aware of the incident. 'A small number of customers expressed their frustration towards another customer who had been heckling the act throughout the evening,' they said in a statement. 'Our team responded swiftly to defuse the situation,' they added. 'We take the safety of our audiences, staff and performers very seriously and condemn acts of violence and discrimination in the strongest possible terms. 'We will not hesitate to take action, including liaising with the police, should this be deemed necessary. 'We would like to remind all our customers to be respectful to each other, to performers and to our staff at future events.' Essex police were called to the disturbance at about 9.35pm that evening. An Essex Police spokesperson said: 'It was reported a fight had broken out and a man was assaulted. 'No serious injuries were reported, officers attended and inquiries are ongoing.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Police called as fight breaks out after heckler disrupts comedy gig
Police were called to a comedy show in Essex after a fight broke out in response to a heckler. A man was reportedly assaulted following the brawl after Paul Chowdhry's Englandia Tour performance finished on Saturday. A video posted by Chowdhry on Instagram showed part of the scuffle, in which several audience members could be seen arguing in the stalls of the Cliffs Pavillion on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend. 'Big fight is broken out after the show. It's properly kicked off out here this evening,' he said. 'There was some riots here and now some people are probably kicking off tonight.' Aiming the camera at one woman dressed in black, looking frustrated and pointing in multiple directions, he said: 'She's kicking off.' Some audience members attempted to intervene and calm others down. 'I want to keep out of harm's way because I might get jumped,' Chowdhry said during the video. Responding to the incident, a spokesperson from Trafalgar Entertainment, operators of the Cliffs Pavilion, said they were aware of the incident. 'A small number of customers expressed their frustration towards another customer who had been heckling the act throughout the evening,' they said in a statement. 'Our team responded swiftly to defuse the situation,' they added. 'We take the safety of our audiences, staff and performers very seriously and condemn acts of violence and discrimination in the strongest possible terms. 'We will not hesitate to take action, including liaising with the police, should this be deemed necessary. 'We would like to remind all our customers to be respectful to each other, to performers and to our staff at future events.' Essex police were called to the disturbance at about 9.35pm that evening. An Essex Police spokesperson said: 'It was reported a fight had broken out and a man was assaulted. 'No serious injuries were reported, officers attended and inquiries are ongoing.'
