We may be a little biased but Nottingham is home to a thriving and well-respected music scene that has produced a lot of talented musicians over the years. With famous venues such as Rock City and Motorpoint Arena to smaller independent venues such as Jt Soar and Chameleon hosting gigs throughout the decades.
It's inevitable that some musicians and bands may have played here 'before they were famous with some gigs going down in history as almost mythical. While we all
Here are some of the best 'before they were big' gigs that took place around the city.
Adele at Bunkers Hill
When you think of Adele, you would imagine the star appearing at Motorpoint Arena if anywhere in Nottingham. However, that wasn't always the case as she once played beside it in the sports bar, Bunkers Hill.
The singer played on Friday, October 12, 2007, in the small bar in Hockley before the release of her debut album, 19. The album featured her first top ten single, 'Chasing Pavements' which reached No.2 in the UK charts. The album went on to sell over 2.4 million records.
The bar which was a former Barclay's Bank h
as a large function room upstairs that can hold around 80 people. The gig, Adele's only Nottingham gig to date, was only £5. Event promoter Daniel Ealam has organised many live music events, some of the more notable shows having featured Ed Sheeran and Adele. He spent many years working with DHP Family, who are behind Rock City and the Rescue Rooms.
He recalled the gig: "It was such an exciting moment because we felt like Adele was going to go on to be huge but this was her first tour. Bunker's Hill was such a tiny gig with only 80 people and I remember her being quite nervous when we were talking. I knew she was going to be really good because she had just released hometown."
He added: "I think the poster, which I still have, said that her debut single was about to be released. When she started singing, it was absolutely incredible and mind-blowingly good. You could tell she was going to be a big star."
The White Stripes at Bodega
It's hard to believe but the White Stripes played Bodega in 2001 just before the launch of their best-selling album, Elephant. Although Elephant and its lead single, Seven Nation Army launched the band into the mainstream, there was a time when The White Stripes were only really known on the indie music scene.
The gig took place after the launch of their third album, White Blood Cells which contained the hit single, Fell in Love with a Girl.
The band took to the Bodega stage on Tuesday, July 31 in the upstairs club room. The Bodega was still operating under its original name, The Social, at this time. The White Stripes are not the only band to have played on the Bodega stage before they made it big as the scissor sisters, Frank Turner, Doves and Florence and the Machine have all visited the venue.
Amazingly, the tickets including support from band Clambake were only £6 and fans could pick them up at Select-a-disc as well as buy them online. There were only 220 available with some on the door.
The Bodega is now part of the DHP Family but it still runs gigs by up-and-coming musicians and comedians.
Ed Sheeran at Stealth
Ed Sheeran has played Nottingham a few times but one of his first performances was at Stealth on Goldsmith Street in May 2010. At the time, the musician had a small EP deal with Island Records but wasn't a household name yet.
Dan remembers the gig and still works with Ed Sheeran to this day. He also revealed that the singer performed at Bunkers Hill too.
He said: "It was very early in his career and he wasn't signed to Atlantic Records yet. I did the gig as a favour to his agent and we did get some people but it wasn't busy. It was very good and about a year before A Team was released. He disappeared for a little bit after that but his career blew up really quickly. He came back to Nottingham to do Dot to Dot festival after that which was when I realised he was going to be really big."
Years and Years at Dot to Dot Festival
Although Years & Years have gone to have three critically acclaimed albums and many sold-out global tours, they once performed at Rock City as part of the Dot to Dot Festival. At the time, the band had been listed on the BBC Music Sound of 2015 which highlighted the best new artists for the year ahead.
The festival sees multiple bands play across the city in different venues each year. In an interview with The Post, singer Olly Alexander recalled the gig which was in Rock City and also remembered attending the infamous gig where The Pizza Underground was booed off stage and covered in beer.
"I remembered playing Rock City and we played there a few times as part of the Dot to Dot festival. I saw Macaulay Culkin's band, The Pizza Underground there. It was actually shocking and the whole experience was wild as it was so funny. It's a really iconic venue."
The Strokes at Bodega
The Strokes played The Social in June 2001 for the incredibly low price of £7. At the time, the band was not known for their first album, Is This It which was released in October of that year. The band was supported by Moldy Peaches who also went on to have musical success.
The band was said to have only played for 25 minutes but fans recall the gig was 'an amazing night.' The Strokes went on to have six studio albums that charted well in the UK. The Strokes had a UK Album Chart Number no.1 in 2006 with First Impressions of Earth.
