In the wake of the recent news that Colin Greenwood (Radiohead’s bassist) listed the Tivoli in Buckley as one of his top 5 independent venues we thought we’d spotlight what has historically been one of the regions best live venues.

Once a cinema and ballroom, from the 70s to the 90s the Tivoli was the place to be if you cared about anything other than pop and four-to-the-floor dance music.  The venue offered a real alternative to the mundane chart fodder that was pumped out in town centre watering holes.

During this period the venue was visited by the likes of Radiohead, Oasis, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Super Furry Animals,  Fear Factory, Coal Chamber and a whole host of other huge acts.

Along with the frequent big name gigs throughout the 90s the legendary ‘Tiv Bus’ ran from King Street in Wrexham to the venue in Buckley on a Wednesday (indie night) and Saturday night (Rock night) and provided an escape for bored locals.  The venue would be heaving every week with revellers dancing on the tables, huge slam pits, and general debauchery.

In recent years the venue has been fairly quiet.  The Tiv has changed hands several times and has gone through numerous facelifts but exciting things now appear to be happening at the Tiv again.  Hidden amongst the long-list of cover bands (that most venues seem to be relying on to provide strong ticket sales from a reliable older audience these days) you’ll find some stand out gigs.

Notably Miles Kane is set to play at the venue on Tuesday 18th March.  This is a great booking for the Tiv and hopefully there are many more big names to follow. If they keep putting on gigs like this we think it won’t be long before the Tivoli re-establishes itself as one of the regions top venues.

According to the Tiv: “after three electrifying homecoming shows in Liverpool in December, Miles Kane brings his exhilarating band to Buckley as part of his unmissable UK tour”.

Other notable names of a more old skool nature are a recent appearance by rock/metal legends Saxon, and upcoming gigs by Magnum, Big Country and The South (ex Beautiful South members).

We wish the Tivoli the best of luck with their steadily expanding gig listings and look forward to them announcing some more bands of the up and coming variety.  The rest of 2014 looks like being an interesting year for the Tivoli .

For more information about the Tiv and to buy tickets for all their gigs you can visit the official Tivoli venue website.