“It’s indescribable, the feeling you get from a concert here”, says Nicky Chance-Thompson from her office in The Piece Hall. “It’s like goosebump moments, you can’t put it into words.”
When we caught up with Nicky, time was ticking down towards Blondie’s June 7th curtain-raiser at the historic venue – the opening gig of this summer’s concert series, ‘Live at The Piece Hall’. Despite the rain, the construction work was gathering pace on what looked like a very complex operation.
Nicky: “The ambition was always for this to be a world-class destination that did world-class events. So the the rationale behind the courtyard being levelled was so that you could put in major infrastructure.”
The stage build is expensive – as are the artist fees – and the tangible benefits to any event, the hard-nosed commercial numbers, will always be scrutinised. Nicky informed us the profit from the 6,000-capacity Piece Hall gigs, while very useful, is considerably less than most people imagine. But it has delivered way beyond expectation in terms of growing awareness and elevating the venue’s profile.
Then there are the intangibles, the ‘goosebump moments’. They are arguably a more important, immeasurable factor in any artistic or cultural happening.
Nicky: “There’s a pride now in being associated with Halifax. Whereas before people said ‘Halifax? Is that the bank?’ they’re now saying ‘Is that the Piece Hall?’. Holly Lynch, the local MP for Halifax, said to me ‘The wonderful thing is that the people of Halifax have got their swagger back.’”
The Piece Hall has had a long and somewhat chequered history. Rewind 10 years, when the £19m restoration project was getting started, and it would seem unlikely then that the venue’s new reputation and status might centre around contemporary live music. That was certainly the intention when it re-opened its doors in 2017 but there were some loud, dissenting voices at the start.
Nicky: “A lot of people were quite sceptical. Some people, for a long while, have been aspiration-poor, hope-poor. But if I listen to the negative chatter, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Conversely, there were many, many positive people who’d had this dream. The place deserves it. This is an amazing building, the only one of its kind in the world. But also, the people of Halifax and Calderdale deserve it.”
In its first year, 2018, there was one test gig, with Father John Misty headlining. Next year, a three-day weekend featured Mac DeMarco, Embrace and Levellers. Despite the disruption of the pandemic, 2021 hosted nine nights, which was followed by 12 nights in 2022 and 22 last year. There are a whopping 34 nights scheduled for this summer, with artists ranging from Underworld to Korn to Sheryl Crow to Grace Jones.
The growth has been spectacular and it is unquestionably down to the hard work of Nicky and her team. But such seismic events are rarely possible without the formative building blocks of creativity at an independent, grass roots level. It’s something Nicky is also quick to acknowledge.
“I think the greatest example of how this works and why that ecosystem is so important is George Ezra. A couple of years ago he played at The Trades Club and then suddenly he’s on the Piece Hall stage. Would we have got George Ezra if we didn’t have the Trades Club and these other venues that enable artists to cut their teeth? No, because they’re not getting that exposure or that experience of performing to an audience.”
The Calder Valley is littered with such fertile breeding grounds. As well as The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge, we have the 110-capacity Grayston Unity round the corner from The Piece Hall on Horton Street, The Golden Lion in Todmorden and The Puzzle and The Blind Pig in Sowerby Bridge, all busting a gut to deliver inspirational, unique music events every week and give new talent a platform.
Nicky has found it’s not been easy getting emerging artists from the Calder Valley on to The Piece Hall stage. Although she has final say on the headliners, the support slots are another matter. “I don’t want to pass the buck but the ultimate decision sits with the headline artist. Quite often, the artist comes with a support act already, because they’re with the record company or they want to promote people they know, people they’re mentoring or bringing through in some way.”
That said, a handful of local acts have made an appearance – Wax Tree Cast, Working Men’s Club, The Orielles and Eevah among them.
The Piece Hall’s tremendous achievements bring both new opportunity and new responsibility. Nicky has set up an academy and is working with Calderdale Music Trust and Calderdale College to help train youngsters in music production skills and events organisation. They brought Erik Griggs, Dr Dre’s lead producer, over from the States to help run workshops.
In that fashion, Nicky sees The Piece Hall as “an enabler” and is aware her organisation “can play a part in ensuring that we protect those in their early careers”. They’ve also added a voluntary donation to ticket purchases, which goes to The Music Venue Trust, in turn feeding a revenue to grass roots venues, though the exact amounts are currently unknown.
Live music has its premier league – the big arenas – and its non-league – independent venues. Like yin and yang, one exists within the context of the other.
Up and down the music pyramid, the experiences differ wildly. Arena events attract the biggest names on the planet and can be the most luxurious, theatrical affairs, while it’s only at the small venues you get to see the beads of sweat on a lead guitarist’s lips and buy a tote bag off the drummer at the merch table after the gig.
But it’s OK to like both. Strip away the paintwork and music is music. And we are fortunate we can now enjoy live music in its many flavours, all right on our doorstep.
One thing that really stands out with The Piece Hall, and what makes a gig there so unusual and so compelling, is that it’s an elite-level show in a small town. It’s premier league in a non-league neighbourhood. Venues of such magnitude are typically in the UK’s largest cities. Halifax has a population of less than 100,000. And many of those major venues are vacuous, concrete corporate boxes, whereas The Piece Hall experience is coated in antique, rural charm.
At a Piece Hall gig, you can witness a fascinating, even bizarre, collision of worlds – the famous international rock star parading their talents in the middle of a Georgian piazza, while in the background, standing imperious to it all, is Beacon Hill, where the coiners were chained in the late 1700s.
Nicky: “When we’ve had artists play here, they want to come back. Noel Gallagher wants to come back, Tom Jones wants to come back, Nile Rodgers is coming back. They love the atmosphere. You’re steeped in history.”
Of course, nothing is perfect, or beyond criticism. There has been disparagement towards this year’s inflated ticket prices (preventing more locals from attending) and the new stipulation that gig-goers must be in the venue by 8pm. Perhaps tiered shows, making some days more affordable, is worth further exploration. Or discounted tickets for certain postcodes, as happens at some festivals. Or one show featuring local emerging artists only. Or more local partnerships.
But, while there will always be scope for improvement, one thing remains clear: The Piece Hall gigs have drawn a level of attention to the area that is exponentially huge, beyond natural for its population size. And that dynamic, being so unusual, brings with it an empowering force for the community. An added “swagger”, if you like.
The total number of visitors to The Piece Hall, since its reopening, has just passed the 15 million mark. Nicky also points to an independent financial report that shows a return of £7.20 to the local economy for every £1 invested.
We all hope or assume that ‘Live at The Piece Hall’ is still in its relative infancy and will be around for a long time yet. It has made an almighty impression in its first eight years. Above all, it provides an opportunity to unite and celebrate, as one, the vibrancy and creativity that runs throughout the entire region.
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‘Back To Their Roots‘
Throughout the summer we’ll be catching up with some of the artists performing at The Piece Hall, taking them ‘Back To Their Roots’ to find out about their early days playing small independent venues. Keep an eye out for our new content series on social media – follow Dirty Sunbeams on Instagram, facebook, X, Threads and TikTok.
Live at The Piece Hall – Tickets
Many of this summer’s shows are sold out but there are still tickets available for some and you may get lucky on resale. For the latest info, take a look at The Piece Hall website.
Words: Stephen Desmond
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