Tour Venue Sixteen

Hammersmith Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9QH

aka: Gaumont Palace (1932), Hammersmith Odeon or Hammy-O (1962) , Labatt's Apollo (1992), Carling Apollo (2003), HMV Hammersmith Apollo (2007), Eventim Apollo (2013).

Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, The Gaumont Palace opened in 1932 as a cinema. It is one of the best Art Deco buildings in London along with the Savoy and buildings located on the Strand.

It is steeped in artist history and many major acts have performed here.

In 1973, David Bowie killed off his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, there.

The last person to play the venue when it was named 'Odeon' and the first person to play the venue when it became 'Apollo' was Michael Ball.

It screened its last regular film on 8th August 1984, "Blue Thunder" starring Roy Scheider.

In 2014, Kate Bush recorded her only live concert performance, 35 years after last appearing on stage.

The Apollo is featured in the US romantic comedy Just My Luck in which McFly perform.

In 2003, major alterations enabled the stalls to be removable, allowing for both standing on the sloping floor and fully seated events.

Since 2004, it has hosted the stand up comedy BBC TV series, 'Live At The Apollo', now in its thirteenth series.  Artists such as Joan Rivers, Jack Dee, Lee Mack, Dara O'Briain, Lenny Henry, Michael MacIntyre, Rhod Gilbert, Jack Whitehall, Kevin Bridges, John Bishop, Sarah Millican, Alan Carr and more!

It was given Grade II listed status in 2005 by English Heritage.

The original Compton pipe organ from 1932 is still in the Apollo today. It was fully restored in 2007 after 25 years of silence. It rises through the stage on a lift and about 1,200 organ pipes are housed in the large chambers above the front stall ceiling.

As we saw from the US venues, pipe organs were installed to provide music in pre-war cinemas for silent movies. They are based on church-type organs but have other instruments built in like percussion. The organs are in effect a one-man orchestra and are designed to provide music styles from classical to jazz.

Over the years the venue had become a dark place with worn carpets and was in desperate need of refurbishment.

In 2012, a Dubai sheikh bid £75m for the site to turn it into a furniture warehouse but it was saved and refurbishment began by the current owners and Foster Wilson Architects.

It has an unmemorable exterior but inside is a wealth of Art Deco features that over the years had been hidden. It was gutted to take it back to its original style.

The main auditorium was taken back to green and black.  Original features concealed over the decades were revealed. The terrazzo floor in the entrance was hidden under carpet for years. The covering was stripped to find underneath the original black and white mosaic floor panels.

The blacked out windows of the Circle Bar had the paint removed to reveal the original frosting and now natural light floods the area.

Ornate plasterwork was restored and two marble staircases concealed beneath the stage were uncovered and revived.

Beautiful friezes by the artist Newbury Abbot Trent adorn the walls in the entrance hall.

It has a large 35-foot deep stage and a fan shaped auditorium that despite being 192 feet wide does create intimacy and excellent views from all seats.

The major artists who have appeared here are huge in numbers:-

Buddy Holly, Dizzy Gillespie, Elton John, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Genesis, Rush, Gary Newman, The Clash, Paul McCartney & Wings, Rick Wakeman, April Wine, Blondie, Motorhead, Marillion, Culture Club, Celine Dion, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Riverdance, Alice Cooper, Roxy Music, Michael McIntyre, Slipknot, Billy Connolly, Pen & Teller, Bob Dylan, Selena Gomez, Black Sabbath, Kings of Leon, Tears for Fears, Dire Straits, Kate Bush, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Robbie Williams, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud, The Who, David Gilmour, and tonight for two nights, Harry Styles!