Nottingham Rescue Rooms is celebrating 20 years shares the secrets to its success

When it comes to music venues, Nottingham has a few beloved venues but nothing has stood the test of time quite like Rescue Rooms. The popular club is celebrating twenty years this year which saw an amazing performance from musician Frank Turner.

The Goldsmith Street venue has become known for all things live performances including music, DJ sets, drag shows and bingo.

The club originally opened on February 22 2003 as a place to host cutting-edge live music. It is still finding, hosting and nurturing creative new and local talent today. Black Honey and Irish singer CMAT are just two of the acts lined up in the coming weeks.

When Joe Patten first went to Rescue Rooms when he was fourteen for a gig with no idea he would be joining the team as a venue programmer for the club and Bodega on Pelham Street. He feels the secret to its success is creating a cultural space and good working relationships with bands and promoters.

“Rescue Rooms opened during that indie revival where the Libertines were one of the first bands who played. They definitely played the first week and may have been the second or third gig we had. They were always the archetypal band that we were like, this is what Rescue Rooms is for,” he said.

“The killers played here and Kings of Leon were supporting someone when no one knew who they were. So we opened in the middle of that era when it was all new music and we have always done that. We had Stormzy play which was a highlight for me because at that time he didn’t know he would go on to conquer the world or headline Glastonbury.”

It’s not an easy time for clubs, pubs or the entertainment industry as it has struggled to regain its footing after difficult Covid restrictions followed by a cost of living crisis. Rescue Rooms has managed to weather several storms and lived to tell the tale.

“There are a lot of people and students in Nottingham so we’ve not found it a real struggle as we are in the mid-range of ticket prices. There are still people who want to come to stuff so they will buy tickets but it is difficult. It’s tough for people but I think we will ride the storm,” Joe said.

“It’s affected everywhere as it's things like fuel and just keeping the lights on then you have bands driving around in vans to do a UK tour who are struggling with the diesel costs. We’ve gone through recessions over the past twenty years. Hopefully, we will come out the other side of it.”

In organising countless acts, performers, drag queens, DJs and more, Joe has seen a few things. So what has been his most unusual request? In the true spirit of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, it was the one thing you wouldn’t expect - a DVD of Mean Girls and a cardboard cutout of Justin Bieber.

“Ozzy Osbourne once asked for a bucket of worms when he played Rock City or people might ask for blue M&M’s but you don’t get much of that these days. We did have a DJ once whose manager asked for three DVDs of Mean Girls and Mr Bean along with a cardboard cut out of Justin Bieber,” he recalled.

“It was basically a prank the agent played on the artist but we always try to accommodate the artist so I don't remember who had to go out to get that. He said he had about 40 copies of Mean Girls which he had never seen and didn’t want to watch. It’s a bit different.”