Never been to the Octagon and am wondering how it is for live shows? Good venue? Layout? Sound? etc....

Octagon is a great place to see bands unless you get two students talking in front of you all night :mad: until the singer tells them to **** off :P i still think the city hall is the best venue in Sheffield :thumbsup: stay cool Jon

Yes,

I have attended and participated in a number of events at the Octagon and I've always had a soft spot for the place. :thumbsup:

I'm not a fan of the Octagaon and I've seen a few bands there. It's a bit of a chasm and lacks a bit of atmosphere. I much prefer the Leadmill. Other cities have better venues, eg Rock City, The Charlotte, which Sheffield seems to lack.

Octagon is awful for events, clubnights or live bands. It is a cave of a place in the wrong sense, so bland and acoustically horrible....very much subject to echoes and bass reverberation through the floor. Difficult to get a good sense of sound depth or space...its just a noise and if its crowded forget any hope of getting near the rediculously small understaffed bar

Thanks for the replies guys....doesn't sound too promising:(

Best venue = Classic Rock Bar

As seen at www.fattybear.co.uk/Bhuna

The Octogan feels like a school gym hall :(

Can't believe that's the best venue that the Uni can think of to hold it's graduation ceremonies in either :rolleyes:

Originally posted by scatterheart

Can't believe that's the best venue that the Uni can think of to hold it's graduation ceremonies in either :rolleyes:

Where else would you suggest? Whilst the Uni have grander places (St George's Church or Firth Hall(?) for example), nowhere else has the capacity of the Octagon.

The Octegon always gives me nightmares, because it's where I did all my statistics exams.

i think its a good venue, always had good times there and always had a good view of the band

It feels like being in a tent at a festival - i really liked it although the student audience did **** me off coz they are so bloomin unenthusiastic.

I saw Idlewild there and it was good. Wouldn't go there for a clubnight though...

I agree about the school hall feeling to it, I dont like the place but I do go to see bands play, dont have much choice to see them live otherwise?!

If theres someone you want to see then go!

not quite! I've always had a good time there - good toilets and plenty of room are definite pluses. And the beer is quite cheap

I've seen very few bands pull it off in the Octagon due to it's barn like shape & atmosphere - and that includes The Pixies and Niravna who were both decidely average many moons ago.

If I remember correctly - it was originally desgned for a 2200 capacity - but for a variety of reasons has a 1500 capacity - so there is always lots of space round the edges - but as the City Hall is shutting donw for a refit - looks like there will be even more gigs at the Octagon this year.

i went to see oasis there ten years ago this december and it was the most amazing thing ever, yes its cramped and a little bit like a school hall but its great if you want to get up close and personnal to some fab bands, i think it all depends on who is on stage. xx

I saw the Quireboys there some years ago and it was great.
Terrorvision aswell. Nice close atmosphere i thought.

seen many a band at the octagon and have always thought that it was a great place from rock to dance

best bands have been for me leftfield orbital and underworld

club nights up there are ok but it has to be busy FROUK On a friday used to be excellent

I've seen a number of great bands at the Octagon over the years, including the Manics, Suede and Blur, so I do have fond, happy memories of the place.

But it's not the best venue for a gig, not a patch on the Leadmill. It's just too cavernous and lacking in atmosphere - like somebody said, it feels like a school gym.

Then again though, for some reason, there does seem to be a feeling of close connection to the band - I can't quite explain that? As a member of the audience, I found bands seemed somehow to be physically closer and more 'real' at the Octagon than elsewhere???

And my sister did manage to get down to the front and have a quick chat with James Dean Bradfield at one Manics gig, so it can't be bad really!

StarSparkle

Been three times to octagon and ****ing loved all gigs , B R MC supergrass and the music.
Fair play its quite big i would prefere it if it had a lower ceiling.
leadmill is ace for gigs , up there with the best id say