The Middlesbrough Empire

I like Empire, I was always put off going because people seemed to suggest it had just gone downhill andw asn’t good anymore but I finally decided to go one night and loved it! Metropolis has to be the best night on a Saturday — it has an indie room on the ground floor then a heavy metal room and a rock room I belive though I tend to stay in the indie room. It’s £4 entry to Metropolis but I’m not sure what its like other nights.
Anyway it’s on Linthorpe road where a lot of other clubs such as Walkabout and Barracuda are. It’s the big fancy ornate one (because it used to be a theatre) and there’s often quite big queues. Beware the bouncers as they tend to look you right up and down before letting you in and they really do study your id.
Inside thr ground floor is good enough for me. It has a big dance floor with a stage for live acts which are often on. The drinks aren’t that cheap here but the whole night is really good fun and I get right into it. Oh and if you’re female you’ll find a rather amusing machine in the toilets full of ‘naughty’ toys if you catch my drift. There is also a group known as the Metropolis candy girls who sell sweets and badges, just look out for the fluffy sign floating about.

Great venue with some big DJ’s and bands throughout the year.
Entrance fee is around £10-£15 depending on the event.
Has a few different floors, catering to different music styles, so great for a group of friends with varied music tastes.

I was delighted to finally make it to the famous Empire one night late in October 2008. It really is an awesome place and one of the best nights out i have had without moving from venue to venue in ages. The building is gorgeous Victoriana music hall in style but each room is different.
The main downstairs hall is ideal for gigs with a high stage and holds I would guess about 500 without any of the upstairs being open. the rest is a bit of a maze of stairways, bars, elegance, but with a indie crowd used to dingy places this was quite OTT. There was different DJs on each dancefloor on at least 3 levels of the building and other side rooms from what I can remember, with my favourite being the one on the 1^st floor with a grandiose chandelier.
The Saturday night shindig I went to is a regular thing and the people who went were a great mix of students and locals. The smoking area is on the street unfortunately, but I could not care less about that slight downside as it matched expectation and if after reading this I have just raised yours, then goodyou will enjoy it too my friends!

The Empire has been a place of worship for music lovers of the north for many years. Its not a pretty venue, its a sweat pit, but thats exactly what the punters want — to sweat out the week (or mid week for some!) to their music of choice. It has many famous DJs performing to cater for every music genre — house, electro, techno, trance, retro and in more recent years has shown it can hold its own on the indie-​rock scene. The recent rock and rave crossover means nights with erol alkan playing are now the norm —
but there is something for everyone and anyone who likes to throw shapes to dance music (fridays) and indie (weds and sat — often live bands).

Great for a night out on a saturday when local club night metropolis take over the empire. The empire is very easy to get to and its right on the pub circuit in the centre of town. Remember to get there early though because the queues quite often go right around the building. Anyway, back to saturdays; its about a fiver to get in and this gives you access to a live band and the chance to dance the night away on one of three floors. I stick downstairs in the rock/​indoie disco but there is dancier and also heavbier music upstairs. The drinks aren’t that cheap but the bar does run special offers if you ask. It is a great place to go with friends and dance yourself silly.