After a successful campaign to retain the building , what has happened to Leicester’s former Phoenix arts centre? Adam Wakelin discovers a little-used venue and a lot of disappointed ex-supporters

It looks like a building that's trying very hard not to draw attention to itself, does the former Phoenix. Perhaps that's the plan. The entire exterior is now painted dead pigeon grey.

There's no sign up any more and no sign of life inside. Not today, anyway.

Eastern Bloc incognito seems to be the theme, a dourly functional motif seemingly inspired by Russian storage sheds.

Julian Wright, who ran the "Save the Phoenix" campaign to keep it as a live venue open to the public, reaches for another analogy.

"It's like a stealth aircraft," he sighs.

It's easy to forget about the old Phoenix, particularly when the new Phoenix Square is in financial crisis.

But cast your mind back. Close your eyes. Retrieve the memories of last year when the fate of this arts centre off Upper Brown Street, Leicester, hung in the balance, as the shiny new model in the Cultural Quarter neared completion.

Morris Men danced for it, drummers drummed, Julian campaigned and the city council actually did something popular.

It stepped forward, took a bow to public opinion represented by an 850-odd signature petition and saved the building.

A five-year lease handing the council-owned venue over to Leicester College – one of three bidders who threw their hats into the ring – was agreed in principle in November.

It looked, at the time, like a great deal for everyone.

The college, backed by a consortium of savvy local music promoters, would use the venue to extend its performing arts teaching.

The promoters would put on gigs for the paying public. Jazz and folk clubs which had been part of the much-loved Phoenix scene for more than 20 years would be allowed to remain.

Stride, a social enterprise which helps young people who have struggled with mainstream education, was also to be involved, despite seeing its bid to run the centre declined.

This building – now renamed Upper Brown Street – should be humming by now. Clearly, that's not the case.

As things stand, it never will be, reckons Andy Wright, part of the alliance of promoters who were meant to be bringing live music to the venue.

The contract finally offered by Leicester College was completely unworkable, he claims.

"We had several meetings and discussed our role and it certainly didn't involve us getting charged obscene amounts of money to put on a programme for their benefit," he says.

In his opinion: "We helped them win the bid and then they cut us out."

The Sunday Jazz Club and Saturday Folk Club are both still out in the cold.

Jazz club founder Joan McWhirter's last letter to the college remains unanswered. She says she's not heard from them for several months.

Stride has also not been brought on board, despite the council stipulating it should be involved when Leicester College was granted the lease.

Like Joan, Stride chief executive David Brazier is in the dark about the college's plans.

"I would love to hear from Leicester College about what their proposals are," he says. "I'm disappointed not to have done so.

"As far as I can see, a lot of opportunities have been missed.

"Obviously, we were disappointed not to be given the lease ourselves. If we had been given the go-ahead, we would have had a programme running."

Getting live music into the venue again is still very much part of the plan, stresses the college's programme area manager John Meredith – at least as far as he understands.

Two student end-of-year shows have been staged in the venue, he says .

The building may be quiet now but it will spring back into life when the new term starts.

Which is all well and good but what about everything else that was promised?

Everything is behind schedule, John admits.

The lease was not finally signed until February and repairs to the building – funded by a £25,000 grant from the Norman Gill Charitable Trust – took longer than anticipated.

Departures of key college staff have also added to the delays.

John has not been part of the day-to-day discussions and plans for Upper Brown Street's future.

The two people from the college who were – project manager Deane McQueen and curriculum area manager for media and performing arts Rob Thompson – have both taken early retirement.

That, perhaps, has meant certain decisions have been left to dangle.

A new curriculum area manager has now been appointed, explains John, and she will pick up the threads of the project when she starts in October. Interviews to find a venue manager are also being carried out.

The aim, as far as John understands it, is to bring back the jazz and folk clubs and get gigs booked by the coalition of local promoters by early next year.

Promoter Andy has serious doubts about that. The deal currently on the table from the college means live music is a non-starter, he says.

The college wants £800 for a £15-a-ticket sold-out show, claims Andy. Promoters generally work on the principle of paying £1 per seat in a venue. Upper Brown Street has 260 seats.

Not only that but it wants promoters to pick up overheads, not charged by anywhere else.

Why would anyone want to book an act in the old Phoenix when you can get the 350-capacity Y-Theatre for as little £175 on some nights? asks Andy.

He can book the new 500-capacity O2 Academy for far less than £800, he says, and be almost guaranteed an audience thanks to its fantastic marketing and ticketing operation.

No promoter will use Upper Brown Street on those terms, reckons Andy. "They've made it impossible to put on an event in there," he adds.

"The college is either being very naive or very calculated."

Campaigner Julian has his own suspicions.

"It looks like they have commandeered it (the building) for themselves," he says.

"What Leicester College has done is to turn the old Phoenix into something invisible.

"I didn't care who got it as long as there was music in there.

"Phoenix Arts is a public space, built with public money. It has a history of putting on live entertainment and it should continue to do so."

Stride's David senses the "dead hand of bureaucracy" at work.

"As far as the college is concerned this is an incidental side issue of no great importance," he says.

"When the Phoenix opened it was down to a bunch of people interested in music, performance art and dance. They came together and created a venue for Leicester.

"We all have a stake in it but we're not getting much value out of it at this moment.

"I'm sure a page in the Leicester Mercury will prompt Leicester College to make the right noises but we've all heard lots of good noises before."

John believes that, fundamentally, everyone is after the same thing.

"I totally want to see this work," he says. "I'll do everything I can to make it work."

Read Part One of Adam's report - on the new Phoenix Square and its problems

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