The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) was founded in 1992 but derived from humbler beginnings. In 1828 the nattily titled Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was established. Further iterations of Preston Polytechnic and Lancashire Polytechnic were in place prior to it becoming a fully-fledged university.
UCLAN has through a suite of unusual courses created a niche for itself and is now the 19th largest in the UK in in terms of numbers, many of them foreign students. In my lifetime the University has spread its tentacles far and wide across town in relation to outbuildings and student accommodation.
In the Preston/Lancashire Polytechnic era, a music venue was introduced. It was a decent venue with a capacity of perhaps about 600. Beyond the dancefloor were large wooden blocks for group seating in a similar style to the block layout at the rear of the Deaf Institute. Above that, there was a viewing balcony.
I attended one non-music event there when a friend who was employed by the Poly obtained complimentary tickets for a group of us for a hospitality comedy event. The main act on that night was a pre-famous Peter Kay.
My first gig was Teenage Fanclub on 14/01/92. This was the year after ‘Bandwagonesque’ was released and a couple of years before my fave album of theirs ‘Grand Prix’ saw the light of day. There was a big group of us in attendance on a cold Tuesday night and after visiting the Lamb and Packet and the Variety we headed into the venue for a sold-out gig.
Dependant on which tome you perused at the time they had been touted as either the new Nirvana or the new Byrds. I would personally place them nearer the later categorisation with their West Coast sound and pleasing harmonies.
I watched the opening couple of tracks in the balcony before diving (not literally!) into the pit. The band did not seem fully engaged with them muttering after the first track ‘played a crap gig in Newcastle last night, hope we don’t do the same here’ which only served to dampen down expectations for the rest of the set!
I have seen them several times since and enjoyed them but due to a couple of deliberate false starts and lukewarm set they were disappointing that first time.
In May 2000 I went to see Asian Dub Foundation who were a melting pot of crossover influences including rap, dub, ragga and rock. It was one of the most unenthusiastic crowds I have ever witnessed and despite the bands best efforts the gig failed to ignite.
In 1995, an upcoming band called Radiohead booked the venue. I think the tour was supporting the imminent release of their second album ‘The Bends’. They were supported by Marian.
I didn’t know a lot of their stuff apart from the overplayed ‘Creep’ off their first album ‘Pablo Honey’. We watched the gig from the panoramic vantage of the balcony, and they were enjoyable, and Thom Yorke had a presence about him.
That said, I would not have predicted their stellar rise in the following couple of years and the fact that ‘The Bends’ and ‘OK Computer’ are periodically placed in pundits lists of Top 10 all-time albums!
