1990s

The nineties exploded with a fantastic mixure of music and the Civic and Wulfrun halls were certainly not going to let anyone miss out on what was on offer.

From grunge and Britpop to hip hop and R&B, from pop to dance to country, music lovers were spoiled for choice.

And anyone in need of a laugh could enjoy comedians including Victoria Wood, Sean Hughes, Reeves and Mortimer, Jo Brand and Eddie Izzard.

Some of the best known and well-loved names of the nineties came to the Civic to share their music and showcase their talents.

Flying the flag for local music were a trio of bands who were guaranteed crowd-pleasers. Ned's Atomic Dustbin, The Wonder Stuff and Pop Will Eat Itself had all formed in Stourbridge in the mid-80s and went on to play numerous sell-out gigs at the Wulfrun and Civic during the nineties.

During the decade an incredible 1,271 performances were given - but some of the attendance figures might seem surprising now.

On November 6 1991, just 756 people were in the Wulfrun Hall to see Nirvana play what was to be one of their last gigs in the UK.

Two years later, the Wulfrun Hall was host to the first of Blur's many visits to Wolverhampton. The band played to 483 fans in the October of 1993.

It might please Britpop rivals Oasis to know that their gig at the Wulfrun beat that Blur audience by some margin – 756 fans came along for the Manchester band in August '94.

But both pulled in more than Sheffield-based Pulp whose disco-influenced tales of British culture only attracted 339 fans to the smaller hall in May '94. Their gig was more than a year before the release of the huge Different Class.

All three bands were to go on to sell millions of albums and play sell-out stadium gigs later in the nineties as Britpop really exploded.
Suede, the final member of the 'big four' of Britpop - although they distanced themselves from the term - played on 1 November 1994. More than 2,000 fans came to the Civic to see the show.

In fact there were very few Britpop bands that didn't play in Wolverhampton – just some of the other nineties names included The Charlatans, Cast, Shed Seven, Elastica, Space, Dodgy, The Boo Radleys, Kenickie and Sleeper.

Female musicians were also taking centre stage during the decade with acts including Bjork, Hole, Suzanne Vega, Garbage, Sleeper, Tori Amos, Skunk Anansie, Elastica, Echobelly and Babes in Toyland rocking the halls.

L7 also played to 748 fans at the Wulfrun in September '92, shortly after their controversial appearance at that year's Reading Festival.

Hi Ho Wolverhampton

More than 2,000 fans of the baggy sound of The Stone Roses packed the Civic in November '95. The band was touring its Second Coming album which went on to go platinum in the UK and sell more than 1million copies worldwide.

Bassist Mani may well have enjoyed the sight of a 2,126-strong crowd, signing the visitor book with an affectionate “Hi Ho Wolverhampton.”

American rock acts also travelled to the halls during the nineties, with performances from Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and Green Day. Former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl returned to Wolverhampton in '95 and '97 when his band Foo Fighters played to sell-out crowds.

The halls also welcomed the Manic Street Preachers, Ash, James, The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers. Radiohead played the Wulfrun in both '93 and '94 before progressing to the Civic in '95.

David Bowie returned in November '91 with his band Tin Machine, Chuck Berry played two shows during the decade, Nina Simone sang in October '90 and Ravi Shankar, the Indian musician who inspired the Beatles, performed in July '92, stating in the visitor book that “it was a pleasure performing in this hall.”

If Britpop had the Blur/Oasis stand-off, then boybands had the rivalry of Take That and East 17. Both played in the early 90s – with very little to choose between their support base: 2,126 for the Manchester five-piece and 2,110 for the Walthamstow four.

Post Take That, both Robbie Williams and Mark Owen appeared as solo artists in October 1997.

More pop acts including Boyzone, Backstreet Boys and PJ and Duncan (also appearing later as Ant and Dec) made sure audiences were bopping while artists such as Salt-N-Pepa, Public Enemy, Naughty by Nature, Cypress Hill and Ice-T and Body Count brought rap and hip-hop to the halls.

The Civic and Wulfrun Halls offered an astonishing list of the great and good in the nineties and attracted loyalty and love from the decade's top stars.

Perhaps the final word should go to Noel Gallagher in his visitor book message from December 11 1994: “My very best wishes to you beautiful, lovely, wonderful people.”