Shepherd's Bush Empire

Back in the early eighties, I used to live a stone throw away from this great venue when it was in the hands of the BBC. Never went in, no reason to, going next door to the Bush pub, for its lounge Bar, or the strippers in the public, or upstairs to the Bush Theatre, and sometimes all three in one evening. Now it is a music venue.
It started life in 1903, the first performers being The Fred Karno Troupe and even Charlie Chaplin appeared in 1906 before crossing the pond. In 1953, the Empire was sold to the BBC, which put it to use as a television studio–theatre, renaming it the BBC Television Theatre. Among the programmes produced there were Crackerjack, Hancock's Half Hour, The Old Grey Whistle Test, That's Life!, The Generation Game, The Basil Brush Show, Juke Box Jury, This is Your Life and Jim'll Fix It among others., The BBC vacated the building in 1991 and in 1994 again became the Shepherds Bush Empire.
The Empire has a capacity of 2,000, but it has been chosen as a venue for small gigs by such leading performers as, David Bowie,, Erasure, Elton John, The Rolling Stones and The Who. The most talked about gig to take place there on March 10, 2003, when Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines made her famously controversial remark against George Bush. "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
We have now been three times, Lucinda Williams twice and from Thursday The Felice Brothers. For us in Oxford, its location is pretty ideal, whether we stay over at the Hilton the other side of Shepherds Bush Green, drive in from home. We managed to be seated to being home in bed in 75minutes after Thursdays gig, or if you are so minded, catching the Oxford Tube bus which stops outside the Hilton.
We have sat twice up in the circle finding a great location in the wing where you are on top of the performers and down in the stripped out stalls, standing. The interior still has its original features and stacked vertically in four layers is as intimate a large venue could be.