Bingo is a hugely popular pastime in London and the United Kingdom. Many of the halls which land-based bingo takes places in are actually former cinemas or live music venues from the sixties, with many of them still being perfect for gigs. With the concert industry flourishing, the tables are starting to turn, and these halls are now being converted back into rock and pop venues. We discuss the trend below and talk about why these changes are taking place.
The UK’s Bingo Buildings
Across London and the wider United Kingdom, large buildings of architectural value are facing an uncertain future. Many of these buildings were once cinemas. In the thirties and forties, they would have been an entire generation’s primary source of entertainment and filled to the brim with regular cinemagoers. However, when television arrived, this footfall shrank.
Bingo saved many of these buildings. In the postwar period, the popularity of the game flourished, and these large spaces were ideal for holding bingo games.
Today, these venues are facing closure again. The rising costs of maintenance and the move away from the city centre as a place of retail and entertainment have led to a reduction in foot traffic. This is all despite bingo being, if anything, more popular than ever, due to its online sector. Many people are choosing to play bingo at home owing to the convenience, as well as regular promotions and even free games on offer from the best UK sites such as Buzz Bingo, which provide added incentives. While this new wave of online bingo fandom has increased footfall, enjoyers of land-based bingo now tend to prefer built-for-purpose halls situated out of town in retail parks. These halls are not only more fit for use, but often more accessible for those who live on the outskirts of big cities, leaving many town centre buildings redundant.
The Thriving Live Music Sector
Meanwhile, live music in the United Kingdom is doing better than ever. In 2023, an analysis by the House of Commons Culture, Media, and Sports Committee announced that the live music sector had contributed around £5.2 billion in gross added value to the economy.
This figure has risen by 17% in recent years and was based on the combined efforts of more than 55,000 gigs, festivals, and events. As well as money taken from tickets, it also includes additional spending at events on things like merchandise and hospitality. All of this has been buoyed by tours of some of the most hugely popular artists such as Oasis and Elton John.
From Bingo Halls to Live Music Venues
Local communities are turning to live music in a bid to regenerate these much-loved buildings. The Gaumont Palace in Taunton, another former cinema, has hosted bingo nights for a number of years. The lease with the bingo company ends in 2027, and now residents are putting together plans to turn it into a major music, comedy, and events venue. Other similar schemes have been introduced in Dundee.
In West London itself, there are plenty of these halls that would make perfect live music options. The former bingo hall on Alfred Road, Ealing is a perfect example. Now standing still, it is a Grade II listed building in the centre of Acton. A similar site at Old Oak Road once housed a bingo hall that was demolished and now stands as empty ground which could also be used. In fact, the cities outer boroughs are littered with these spaces, from Hounslow to Hackney.
The live music sector is providing a way for these beautiful buildings to recapture their glory days. In terms of modern investment, they require little to turn them into concert venues as much of the required infrastructure is already in place. We may be looking at a new renaissance in both British rock and pop music and bingo culture, and their histories may be more closely intertwined than they seem on the surface.
