The Zodiac (club)

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The Zodiac was a club on the Cowley Road in Oxford, England. It was famed for performances by underrated and up-and-coming bands and was Oxford's main music venue from its reopening in 1995 until 2007, when it was renamed the Carling Academy Oxford. It has two separate rooms; the downstairs room has a capacity of 350, the upstairs room a capacity of 450 (with a maximum of 750 at any one point)

Prior to being The Zodiac it was called the CO-OP Dining Hall and then The Venue.

The Zodiac was until recently owned by Nick Moorbath, a local keyboardist who has played with Ride and Hurricane #1; in 2006 he sold the venue to the Academy Music Group.

Although the band have rarely played there, the club has had a long history and association with local band Radiohead. The 1995 refit was funded by Radiohead’s management group Courtyard Management and the video for their early song "Creep" was shot there. More recently Nick Moorbath was partly responsible for organising Radiohead’s homecoming performance in South Park, Oxford.

The atmosphere is probably best described through an extract from Nightshift Magazine:

"Where it all happens apparently. Unless you're a Uni student straight out of public school in which case it's where all the scary drug pushers, muggers and lefty bohemians hang out. A myth we're more than happy to perpetuate to keep bastards out."

The Zodiac has also been host to many different club nights, including Source (a drum and bass night), Slide (a house night), Smashdisco (a post-punk indie electronight on Thursdays), Transformation (an indie rock night) and also several student nights including Fuzzy Ducks and Pop Ya Cherry.

Saturday nights are very popular with the local students and features various genres of music depending on the month. The month of March features Cheese downstairs and Indian upstairs.

In late 2006, the Academy Music Group bought the club and plans to spend 3 million pounds on a refurbishment last several months after which it will take the name "The Carling Academy Oxford", with three rooms, one larger room for bigger bands that would otherwise bypass the city. The Zodiac closed its doors with a massive party on May 17th 2007. The last night featured several legendary Oxford bands reformed for the night, including The Candyskins, Dustball, and The Daisies.

The Zodiac has welcomed these bands to its stages:

[edit] External links

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Academy Music Group venues
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