Opinion: Wolverhampton's refurbed Halls venues help put the city on the map and bring in big names

Figures released this week show the city's visitor numbers grew dramatically last year – and the growth coincided with the reopening of the Civic and Wulfrun halls in May 2023 when Blur played a triumphant sold-out gig.

The refurbishment of the Civic Halls and Wulfrun Hall, as most people know them, cost a reported £40m, up from an estimated original cost of £10m. The iconic venues, which have played host to countless top acts down the year, had been closed since 2015.

Since last year they have once more hosted many top acts including Nile Rodgers - and this year will welcome the daddy of them all, Bob Dylan, who will visit for two sold-out shows in November. Most of the gigs now seem to be sold out well in advance.

New owners and big hitters in the entertainment industry AEG Europe have also done well to revive classic Wolverhampton club nights Blast Off and Cheeky Monkey.

Anyone who has been to the venues since they re-opened has probably been impressed with the job that has been done – yes, they may not have the 'rough and ready' feel of the old ones but they have managed to retain most of the features whilst upgrading the concert experience, although with the ticket prices now that should be a given.

Yes, those ticket prices seem to have rocketed since the coronavirus years – prices to see David Essex in September for example start at £54.

But with records not selling anymore, concerts are commonly seen as the main way way of artists making a living now and similarly for venues, inflated drinks prices up to twice what you pay in a city centre pub are perhaps inevitable.

After all you don't go to a concert or show every night of the week, unlike some people do with the pub, and at least at The Civic and Wulfrun the drinks prices are spelled out very clearly above the bar which is always useful so you can work it out before you buy.

For me, I used to review gigs at the old venues and have seen many, many top acts there - a lot of my favourites included such as Whitesnake, Foreigner, many '80s bands and a particular highlight Steve Winwood at The Wulfrun.

Since the re-opening of the venues, I have been to both just once - The Wulfrun for The Shires shortly after it re-opened and The Halls for Eric Cantona, which, although not sold out, had a great sound and atmosphere.

A well-chosen sponsorship deal with the University of Wolverhampton gets the city's name out there which can only be a good thing for the economy and promotion of the area.

The Civic Hall was an iconic name and brought promotion of Wolverhampton and extra people into the city – again putting money in – in the same way Wolves at Molineux does every other week.

The fact both Wolves and now The Halls are mentioned nationally through mainstream media brings recognition, as does undoubtedly staging concerts such as Bob Dylan and the new owners of the venue have that pulling power to bring them in. That may be at a cost to the concert-goer - but is probably a price worth paying.