MKG currently owns and operates three other Academy branded live music/club venues - Brixton Academy (London), Birmingham Academy and Bristol Academy; and also London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire and Bar Academy in Birmingham City Centre.
An extensive £3,000,000 planned refurbishment programme will commence immediately by MKG’s in-house project team headed by Archie McIntosh - previously responsible for the refurbishment programme of McKenzie Group’s Birmingham Academy, Bristol Academy and Bar Academy - and Scotland’s award winning design company Burns Design. The new venue will feature a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system and a fully flexible capacity of 2,500 to cater for live gigs, dance events and club nights. The design of the new acquisition will also emulate the success of the McKenzie Group’s Birmingham and Bristol Academy venues to allow the Glasgow Academy the option of converting to a short hall format for events requiring a smaller 1,100 capacity, at an inclusive production complete rental package for concert promoters wishing to break new artists in a mid-range venue.
The McKenzie Group Limited is a privately owned company formed in 1998 by Ian Howard and John Northcote. Its shareholders include leading live music promoters SJM Concerts, Metropolis Music and MCD Management (Eire).
(Ruth Rossington)
