The Middlesbrough Empire has hosted among the greatest and greatest nights out on Teesside.
The massively well-liked venue has been shut since final March, however venue house owners have been busy behind closed doors.
They usually say ‘as quickly as we’re allowed to reopen we are going to – and that’s a promise’.
The Empire is at present getting an overhaul and a brand new sound system, able to welcome punters again later this yr.
Within the meantime, we have put collectively this collection of photos from nights reminiscent of Milk, Sumo and the sell-out James Arthur gigs.
Whereas they’re hopeful of a spring reopening, proprietor Barry Faulkner thinks it may realistically be “in the direction of the again finish of the yr”.
“We nonetheless have many key workers on furlough,” says managing director Ashley Wem.
“We hope to open in some covid safe style in April – however as everyone knows what we would like and what we are able to do are usually not the identical.
“As quickly as we’re allowed to reopen, covid-securely, we are going to – and that’s a promise.”
