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Coordinates: 51°44′50″N 1°14′07″W / 51.7471°N 1.2352°W / 51.7471; -1.2352
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The O2 Academy in Oxford.

The O2 Academy Oxford is a night club and live music venue in Oxford, England, operated by Academy Music Group.[1]

Its previous names include the Coop Hall, the Oxford Venue, the Zodiac and the Carling Academy Oxford.[2]

History

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Oxford Co-operative Society (1907–1990)

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The red brick building at 190–196 Cowley Road in southeast Oxford was designed by Harry Wilkinson Moore and built in 1907 for the Oxford Co-operative Society. It consisted of a large hall above three shop units. The hall was used for dances, political meetings of the Co-operative Party and live music.[3][4][5][6][7] The year of construction is visible as a datestone on the front central gable.

The Oxford Venue (1990–1995)

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The hall was sold in 1990 and converted into the Oxford Venue.[8] Oxford band Radiohead played there and the video for their 1992 hit Creep was shot there.[9][10]

The Zodiac (1995–2007)

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In November 1995 it was refurbished and reopened as The Zodiac under new owners Adrian Hicks and Nick Moorbath, both formerly sound engineers and promoters working at the Oxford Venue.[11] Moorbath was also a session keyboardist who played with Ride and Hurricane #1.[12] The refit was partly funded by Radiohead and Supergrass. Moorbath was also involved in organising Radiohead's homecoming performance in South Park, Oxford in July 2001.[13] In November 2006 it was announced that Moorbath and Hicks had agreed to sell the club to the Academy Music Group.[14] The Zodiac's last night on 17 May 2007 featured several Oxford bands, including ones that reformed for the night, including The Candyskins and Unbelievable Truth.[15] The commercial takeover of the city's largest independent music venue inspired Anyone Can Play Guitar, a documentary film about the Oxford music scene.[16][17][18]

Academy Oxford (since 2007)

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Academy Music Group refurbished the site over several months, increasing its capacity from 750 to 1,150 people and reopening as the Carling Academy Oxford.[19] The sponsorship of the Academy Music Group by the Carling beer brand was succeeded by an agreement with telecommunications firm O2. The venue was rebranded as the O2 Academy Oxford with effect from 1 January 2009.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hughes, Tim (10 November 2008). "Now it's the O2 Academy". oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  2. ^ "The history of The Zodiac". BBC Oxford. BBC. 18 May 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  3. ^ "Oxford Heritage Asset Register - Cowley Road No 190, The O2 Academy (former Co-operative buildings)". Oxford City Council. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. ^ "The Co-operative arcade of shops, top floor was a dance hall". Oxford University Images. University of Oxford. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  5. ^ Attlee, James (2008). Isolarion: A Different Oxford Journey. University of Chicago Press. p. 152. ISBN 9780226030951. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  6. ^ "Oxford Spawns Big Acts Despite Lack of 'Scene'". Billboard. 1995. p. 116.
  7. ^ Skinner, Annie (2005). Cowley Road: A History. Signal Books. pp. 79–81. ISBN 9781904955108. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  8. ^ Melody Maker and NME magazines gig lists
  9. ^ "Radiohead, Foals and 25 years of discovering Oxford music". BBC News. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  10. ^ Greenwood, Colin (30 January 2014). "Radiohead's Top 5 independent venues". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  11. ^ Vetta, Sylvia (2012). "Castaway: A man and his music" (PDF). Oxfordshire Limited Edition magazine. No. March. pp. 8–13. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  12. ^ Hughes, Tim (5 December 2012). "Profile: Nick Moorbath - the Mr Big of Oxford's music scene". Oxford Mail. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Travis and Coldplay linked to South Park gig". Oxford Mail. Newsquest (Midlands South) Ltd. 18 January 2003. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  14. ^ Koranteng, Juliana (2 November 2006). "AMG Acquires The Zodiac". Billboard. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  15. ^ Hughes, Tim (19 May 2007). "Emotional end to Zodiac era". Oxford Mail. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  16. ^ Smith, Dominic (31 March 2012). "Anyone Can Play Guitar". The Argus. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  17. ^ Ward, Lisa (10 November 2011). "Anyone Can Play Guitar – Interview with the Director". More Than The Music. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  18. ^ Brown, Keira (4 November 2011). "Anyone Can Play Guitar Tonight at BFI". The Quietus. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  19. ^ Paine, Andre (11 April 2007). "AMG Invests $4M into Zodiac Venue". Billboard. London. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
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