The Carling Academy

Fabulous

20 May 08, 13:35 Beyond expectations

Love it here. No queue to get in despite gig being sold out. No probs getting drinks, not a bad price either. The bouncers won't let anyone out for a fag though which seemed to cause some arguments between them and some smokers but all the staff seemed really friendly.

Paying for the name

01 May 08, 22:34 As expected

I think this place seems to have lost a bit of soul since it changed from the Zodiac.

It takes ages to get a drink in here, unless you leave mid set (which defeats the point of going to see it) It's still a bit grungey (which is part of the charm) You'll stick to the floor, but you also have to spend a bit more on the tickets due to the Carling brand having taken over the place!

A good night out

01 May 08, 16:26 Above expectations

This was much more fun when it was teh Zodiac, as it seemed to have 'personality' with a quirky back room. But now feels more corporate. Saying that, the toilets are much better and there are more bars to buy the beer from! It is also a decent sized venue, just lacks any personality

Live music venue

29 Apr 08, 12:41 As expected

Went here because our son was playing the atmosphere was electric we had no problem getting in. Check out the listings and buy tickets in advance.

Sticky and thirsty

13 Nov 07, 21:39 Below expectations

Don't wear your best shoes! I'm getting a little old for night clubs but I have been to two great gigs recently at the ex-Zodiac. It doesn't seemed to have changed much upstairs since the recent takeover except that the floor is exceptionally sticky. The first time I went you can't stand still for too long or you found your feet stuck to the floor. It was slightly better the second time but there is no way I'd have copied some of the brave souls who sat on the floor while waiting for the acts. There were huge queues for the bar at the second gig. They were so bad that my friend and I didn't buy a drink all evening. And when you buy the tickets you get charged for using a credit card and for postage but the website doesn't tell you when the box office on the Cowley Road is open. And when we avoided the postage charge by opting to pick the tickets up on the night we weren't allowed to pick them up until half an hour before the doors opened even though there were people in the box office. This ruined our quiet drink and meal before hand as we had to rush back to get the tickets and then hang around for ages. Both gigs were great but I'm not impressed with the venue.