The Charlotte

The Charlotte was a pub and concert venue on Oxford Street in Leicester, England, opposite what was then De Montfort University and close to the city centre. Although the building began as a traditional public house called the Princess Charlotte, its lasting identity was shaped by live music. From the late 1970s onward, and especially under landlord Andy Wright from 1988, it became one of the United Kingdom's best-known small venues on the so-called toilet circuit: the network of modest rooms where emerging bands played low-cost shows while travelling between larger cities. The pub's documented history reaches back to at least 1815. Its original name honoured Princess Charlotte, the only child of George IV, who died in 1817. Nineteenth-century records reflect the sometimes rough social character of an urban public house, including legal cases involving landlords, customers and staff. In the twentieth century, the building continued to function as a pub and occasionally attracted political controversy. In 1976, it appeared in an ITV programme about alleged National Front activity in Territorial Army units because the programme stated that a local National Front group met there. The licensee subsequently told the Leicester Mercury that the group had been barred from the premises. The venue's music role developed in the late 1970s, when it hosted the Leicester Traditional Music Club. Gary Warren became landlord in 1985 and began presenting regular gigs, despite the difficulty of finding suitable local support acts for touring artists. Andy Wright took over in 1988 and established the venue as a dependable stop for developing national acts and a platform for Leicester musicians. The Charlotte's importance came not from a large physical footprint or premium pricing but from its accessibility, informal atmosphere, low ticket costs and willingness to book artists before they were widely known. The venue hosted early or significant appearances by artists including Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay, the Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, the Stone Roses, the Killers, the Cranberries, Muse, Biffy Clyro, Supergrass, Primal Scream, the Buzzcocks, Bloc Party, the Libertines, Foals, the Offspring and many others. Radiohead performed the first live version of “Creep” at the Charlotte, reportedly before a tiny audience. Oasis played there in 1994 shortly after the release of “Supersonic,” while Coldplay appeared in 1999 and 2000, receiving only modest travel compensation for the latter show. The venue also helped nurture Leicester and Leicestershire acts such as Kasabian, Crazyhead, Gaye Bykers on Acid, Cornershop and Prolapse. The Charlotte expanded its capacity after a major 1998 refurbishment. The former back bar was incorporated into the performance space, capacity increased to about 400, and the renovated venue reopened in October with 3 Colours Red. In 1999, the establishment formally dropped “Princess” from its public name. Its community role was reinforced by the Mercury/Charlotte Showcase, a joint promotion with the Leicester Mercury launched in 1995. The low-cost New Talent Night gave local and emerging performers a bill, publicity and a next-day newspaper review; later participants included Muse and Saracuse, the Leicester group that developed into Kasabian. The business experienced repeated instability in the late 2000s and 2010s. The operating company entered administration in January 2009, and the venue closed for a period before reopening in October. A final concert night was announced for March 2010, after which plans were made to replace the site with student accommodation. The Charlotte briefly returned as a pub with occasional music in April 2014, closed again within months, and was later taken on by two Leicester real-ale pub landlords. It reopened as an independent real-ale pub in October 2015, but closed in February 2017. The building subsequently became a supermarket, although the historic pub sign remained outside. The Charlotte's significance is therefore cultural rather than commercial. It served as an affordable local pub, a small touring venue, a rehearsal and networking point for musicians, and a bridge between Leicester's grassroots scene and the national music industry. Tributes after Andy Wright's death in 2022 demonstrated the attachment felt by performers and audiences; his funeral cortege stopped outside the venue associated with the most influential period of his career. The Charlotte is now defunct as a pub and music venue, but its name remains strongly associated with Leicester's musical history.

The Charlotte began as the Princess Charlotte, a pub whose earliest known record dates to 1815. The name referred to Princess Charlotte, daughter of George IV, who died two years after the earliest documented record. Nineteenth-century accounts include several incidents involving the pub's landlords and customers, illustrating its role as an ordinary working public house in Leicester. In 1853, landlord Moses Wilby was convicted after assaulting a customer. William Kellam took over in 1857 and was fined the following year for serving after hours. His wife Sarah Kellam died in 1860 following an illegal abortion, and a woman accused in connection with her death was convicted of murder, although her death sentence was commuted to penal servitude. The pub later acquired a political association through its appearance in a 1976 ITV current-affairs programme concerning alleged National Front infiltration of Territorial Army units. The programme showed the pub while stating that a local National Front group met there. The licensee disputed the implication, telling the Leicester Mercury that the group had been barred. The building's transition into a music venue began in the late 1970s, when it hosted the Leicester Traditional Music Club. Gary Warren became landlord in 1985 and introduced regular live shows. He faced the practical challenge of supporting touring bands with local acts, a problem common to smaller venues outside London. In 1988, Andy Wright took over. His management helped turn the pub into a nationally recognised stop on the British toilet circuit, where developing groups could play intimate, inexpensive gigs before moving to larger venues. The Charlotte became particularly important to Leicester's local music ecosystem. It hosted visiting acts while giving local bands support slots and bills of their own. Artists associated with the venue included Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay, the Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, the Stone Roses, the Killers, the Cranberries, Muse, the Libertines, Biffy Clyro, Foals, Supergrass, Primal Scream, the Buzzcocks and many others. Radiohead played three times in 1992 and 1993, including the first live performance of “Creep,” reportedly before only seven people. Oasis appeared in May 1994 shortly after “Supersonic” was released. Blur played twice in 1990, and Coldplay appeared in 1999 and 2000. The venue also became a springboard for Leicester and Leicestershire groups including Crazyhead, Gaye Bykers on Acid, Cornershop and Prolapse. A substantial refurbishment in 1998 absorbed the back bar into an enlarged performance room and doubled capacity to approximately 400. The renovated space reopened in October with a performance by 3 Colours Red. The following year, the establishment dropped “Princess” from its name and became publicly known as The Charlotte. In 1995, it had launched the Mercury/Charlotte Showcase with the Leicester Mercury. The New Talent Night offered inexpensive entry, newspaper publicity and a next-day review. Muse appeared at the showcase in 1999, while Saracuse, an early form of Kasabian, played in 1999 and 2000. Financial and property pressures later threatened the venue. In January 2009, the operating company went into administration. The Charlotte closed in March but reopened in October. A last night was subsequently announced for March 2010, with redevelopment plans centred on student flats. The venue returned briefly in April 2014 for pub service and occasional live music, then closed again. In 2015, new independent operators reopened it as a real-ale pub on 19 October. That version lasted until February 2017, after which the building became a supermarket. The Charlotte's legacy rests on its role as a low-cost, artist-friendly room that connected Leicester's local scene with the wider British touring circuit. Andy Wright's death in 2022 prompted widespread remembrance from musicians and gig-goers, and his funeral cortege's stop outside the building underscored the venue's enduring emotional and cultural importance.

• 2017

  Final closure

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  The pub closed in February and the building was subsequently converted into a supermarket.

• 2009

  Administration and temporary closure

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  The operating company entered administration; the venue later reopened after a period of closure.

• 1999

  The venue drops “Princess” from its name

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  The pub began operating publicly as The Charlotte.

• 1998

  Refurbishment doubles capacity

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  The back bar was absorbed into the performance area, increasing capacity to about 400.

• 1995

  Mercury/Charlotte Showcase launches

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  The venue and Leicester Mercury created a low-cost new-talent night for emerging performers.

• 1994

  Oasis performs at the venue

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  Oasis played The Charlotte shortly after releasing its debut single, “Supersonic.”

• 1988

  Andy Wright takes over

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  Andy Wright became landlord and established the venue as a major stop for developing bands.

• 1985

  Gary Warren starts regular gig promotion

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  Gary Warren became landlord and began presenting regular concerts.

• 1970

  Live music begins to develop

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  The pub began hosting live music in the late 1970s, including events by the Leicester Traditional Music Club.

• 1815

  Earliest known record of the Princess Charlotte pub

  [1]The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org

  The premises are documented as a Leicester pub known as the Princess Charlotte.

An independent, accessible grassroots pub and live-music venue known for low-cost shows, informal hospitality and early bookings of British artists who later achieved national or international recognition.

• Live entertainment · 1970

  Live concerts

  The Charlotte's core offering was live music in an intimate pub setting. It booked touring artists, emerging national acts and local support bands, often before they reached wider recognition. The room's relatively small scale and low ticket prices made it an important entry point on the UK touring circuit.

• Talent development · 1995

  Mercury/Charlotte Showcase

  The New Talent Night was a joint promotion with the Leicester Mercury. For a very low admission price, audiences could see developing acts, while performers received a venue, newspaper exposure and a review published soon after the show. The programme helped connect local musicians with the broader Leicester music community.

• Hospitality · 1815

  Pub service

  Alongside music, The Charlotte operated as a traditional pub serving drinks and providing a social meeting place. Later operators briefly repositioned the premises as an independent real-ale pub, but that incarnation closed in 2017.

• 1976

  National Front meeting allegation

  The pub appeared in an ITV programme about alleged National Front infiltration of Territorial Army units. The programme stated that a local National Front group met at the pub, while the licensee told the Leicester Mercury that the group had been barred.

  Source

Read more

• 1995Mercury/Charlotte Showcase

  Leicester · Leicestershire

  The Charlotte partnered with the Leicester Mercury on a recurring new-talent promotion. Newspaper vouchers reduced admission to £1, and the paper reviewed the performances the following day.

  Outcome. The showcase became a local platform for emerging performers, including Muse and Saracuse, an early form of Kasabian.

  Source

• 2015

  Reopen as an independent real-ale pubStrategy

  Background

  After earlier closure and unsuccessful attempts to sustain the venue, new local operators took on the premises.

  Action taken

  The Charlotte reopened in October as an independent real-ale pub with occasional music activity.

  Aftermath

  The pub closed again in February 2017 and the building was later converted into a supermarket.

  Source

• 1999

  Adopt the shorter Charlotte nameStrategy

  Background

  The venue had become better known for music than for its historic pub name.

  Action taken

  The word “Princess” was removed from the public name, leaving The Charlotte.

  Aftermath

  The shorter name became associated with Leicester's live-music scene and its emerging-band culture.

  Source

• 1998

  Expand the performance roomStrategy

  Background

  The venue needed greater capacity while retaining its role as a small touring and emerging-artist room.

  Action taken

  The back bar was incorporated into the concert area during an extensive refurbishment, approximately doubling capacity to 400.

  Aftermath

  The refurbished venue reopened in October with a 3 Colours Red concert and continued operating as a prominent grassroots music venue.

  Source

1. 1The Charlotteen.wikipedia.org