I was delighted to finally make it to the famous Empire one night late in October 2008. It really…read moreis an awesome place and one of the best nights out i have had without moving from venue to venue in ages. The building is gorgeous Victoriana music hall in style but each room is different. The main downstairs hall is ideal for gigs with a high stage and holds I would guess about 500 without any of the upstairs being open. the rest is a bit of a maze of stairways, bars, elegance, but with a indie crowd used to dingy places this was quite OTT. There was different DJs on each dancefloor on at least 3 levels of the building and other side rooms from what I can remember, with my favourite being the one on the 1st floor with a grandiose chandelier. The Saturday night shindig I went to is a regular thing and the people who went were a great mix of students and locals. The smoking area is on the street unfortunately, but I could not care less about that slight downside as it matched expectation and if after reading this I have just raised yours, then goodyou will enjoy it too my friends!

The Empire has been a place of worship for music lovers of the north for many years. Its not a…read morepretty venue, its a sweat pit, but thats exactly what the punters want - to sweat out the week (or mid week for some!) to their music of choice. It has many famous DJs performing to cater for every music genre - house, electro, techno, trance, retro and in more recent years has shown it can hold its own on the indie-rock scene. The recent rock and rave crossover means nights with erol alkan playing are now the norm - but there is something for everyone and anyone who likes to throw shapes to dance music (fridays) and indie (weds and sat - often live bands).

Performed at this stage for the 51st International Billingham Folklore Festival last August 2015…read moreand I can attest that this place is great for show and performances. You get to choose to sit at the box for private viewing or to sit in general sitting. Other than that the staff were organize and friendly. Keep it up!

I think this is a great venue with a range of different arts to see. There are often comedians…read morevisiting and some great names in music. As a smaller venue you can get really close and due to limited tickets you don't end up getting shoved all over. The bar here is also lots cheaper than somewhere like the Metro Radio Arena. The Town Hall is right in the centre of Middlesbrough so its very easy to pop for food or drinks before or after a show. Great little venue to keep an eye on whats coming up.

You know, it was said that his little brother Joaquin, was the thorn in River's Side. I don't think…read morethat's fair, especially since Joaquin became something of a Phoenix from the flames after River's death. What I want to know is, in the Sahara, where there is no water, where do all the Rivers Hide? First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I love the Riverside. In 2004 when I was touring the UK, I visited for the first time and was utterly impressed even though it was located on a building site. I went back in 2005 and ate a Parmo while sitting on the steps of the stadium (I'm not kidding). I like it better than Sunderland's Stadium Of Light, believe it or not. Then I finally was able to watch a match here in 2011, and what a game it was. High-scoring and a really loud, intense crowd. I've seen Boro play away, but their fans really get behind them at home, unlike most other clubs, and The Riverside might be one of the 10 places I'd most like to go back and see another game - asap - in the UK. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** This is one of Britain's best stadiums. It's stunning, red, grand, and wonderful. It's surrounded by a building site and an industrial sludge river and factory upon factory, but that almost adds to its charm. Young kids play in the industrial wasteland around the stadium and pretend they are Gaizka Mendieta. This was a great Prem stadium and will be again someday soon. They even incorporated part of the old stadium into the new, with the gates of Ayresome Park. Middlesbrough is the team that plays here, and it has hosted UEFA Cup Semi Finals among other things. In person, it's one of the loveliest stadiums I've been to. It can hold 35k, and England have played here before. That was the only time the stadium ever sold out. 2003, England 2, Slovakia 1.

Great place to see magnificent football with great atmosphere in the west stand. Sounds class from…read moreoutside cant afford a ticket but still know grant leadbitters dog.

If you wear three bras, then this team is not interested in the top bra, or the under-bra, but only…read morethe Middle-bra. First-Hand Experience: I saw Boro play once at Ayresome when I was a kid, and once in Oxford. Then I saw them play in Liverpool when Gerrard scored twice and Rafa's LFC beat them 2-0 not long before the CL Final which LFC lost. And I've now been to the Riverside a few times and it's honestly one of my fave stadiums to go to. I was sad a few months ago when Boro did not make it back to the Prem, but I love Norwich too so I was happy about that. Boro are such a wonderful team, for an underprivileged area that needs them. I'd actually call them one of my fave teams in the region, to be honest. Middlesbrough is one of my favourite cities in the UK, bizarrely. It's a sea of factories and poverty, but it also has real character and is one of the most underrated metro areas in one of the most underrated regions (The North East), and I had a lovely concert there when I played there. This team was formed way back in 1876 and is ambitious, always has been, from getting Mendieta on their team, to getting McLaren and Southgate as managers, to building the Riverside Stadium. Also if you're ever in this part of the world you need to eat a Parmo, which is the local specialty, and is utterly delicious. Chipchase Chippy makes the best one. McLaren won them the League Cup in 2004, and got them to the UEFA Cup Final in 2006, amazingly. They were in the Prem for 11 straight years and have been in the top flight many times. Middlesbrough has the highest portion of female fans (20%) and girls up here are wonderful. They have the highest portion of local born fans (80%) too. They're also the 7th loudest fans in the country. They were the first club to launch their own TV channel, a year ahead of Man U. They've been League Cup Runners Up twice and FA Cup Runners up once, all in that amazing McLaren era. Easily a five star team and good luck to them.