Rock City (club)

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For other uses, see Rock City (disambiguation).

Simple Plan playing a gig at Rock City

The crowd of the 2006 NME Awards Tour

Rock City is a club in Nottingham, England that focuses on live rock music gigs. It has a capacity of 2450, and is known for its intimate atmosphere and sticky floors. It has been described by the NME as "sweaty, but truly indie". Rock City is divided into three rooms which are the main hall, The Basement and The Rig, with five bars and seating available. However, it is an all-standing venue during gigs.

The club has a wealth of history due to its 25+ year long lifespan, and is a major club on the toilet circuit. Bands of various sizes, on their way up and down, have played the venue in its history including The Smiths, Def Leppard, Saxon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cure, U2, Paul Weller, R.E.M., Blur, Pitchshifter, Linkin Park, Slipknot, Madness, David Bowie, Oasis, Robbie Williams, The Hives, Nirvana, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Cradle of Filth, The Stone Roses, Slayer, Motörhead and pretty much every other band in between. Typically, Rock City is the host for medium sized gigs, from smaller upcoming bands from the underground to bands that are getting limited chart success but are still too small to play much larger venues. However, on some occasions largely popular bands still choose to play there; eg. Deftones, Megadeth and The Killers, less than a year before headlining Glastonbury. Rock City's smallest room holds 350 and its largest room holds 1,900.

Rock City opened in 1980, and first band to play there were The Undertones in December 1980, who returned 25 years later to play at a 25th birthday all-nighter. Originally, the site was home to the Heart of the Midlands nightclub; where, in 1978, it hosted the World Professional Darts Championship. The club is currently run by Daybrook House Promotions. They run Rock City along with The Rescue Rooms, Stealth and The Social which are other smaller music venues around Nottingham City Centre.