The Louisiana is a 140 capacity, family run venue that takes pride in putting on the best musicians and giving both them and the audience the perfect communion. This is something we?ve been working on for over 25 years.
There was a fire at The Fleece, Bristol in 1996, and two local promoters asked if they could use the room upstairs at The Louisiana instead. We said yes, and in the first week?Placebo?and?Super Furry Animals?played here? at the time, we didn?t even have a stage.
Gianni?built a stage a week later, which was lucky because within weeks more promoters were involved and we were staging gigs on a regular basis. We?d?get up-and-coming DJs?in?only?charging people 50p entry;?The Chemical Brothers?played one of these and we even started doing club nights in the basement at weekends.
Over the years, The Louisiana has been seen as a barometer for new bands. The first time?The Scissor Sisters?played here it was as?support to a Bristol band, but by the third time we had to escort them to the stage so they wouldn?t get mobbed. It was the same with?Florence and the Machine, and?The National?? who first played here to 20 people and now they?re playing to 20,000. We?ve always been the first port of call for most new bands doing a national tour.