Kaisers to christen AMG's refurbished Leeds venue.

THE ACADEMY MUSIC GROUP (AMG) will see its biggest investment in a venue to date come to fruition next week when Kaiser Chiefs take to the stage at Leeds Academy, which opens after undergoing an extensive renovation.

AMG has spent #4.5m on the Yorkshire site, having purchased what was the city's Town and Country Club on Cookridge Street and transforming it into a state-of-the-art 2,300-capacity theatre.

The building's Gothic facade is Grade 1-listed with a Grade 2-listed interior, but Leeds Academy general manager Steve Hoyland believes the strict guidelines helped the refurb.

"In many respects the listed building status made the project easier, as we could only work within the confines of what we had," Hoyland tells Music Week. "We had to take a floor out but that allowed us to restore the rake on the balcony seating and install the stalls area."

Restoring the building's theatre configuration will allow 1,800 fans to fill the stalls, while a further 500 can populate the balcony area for live music and club events.

Meanwhile, backstage there are three dressing rooms with en-suite facilities, two production suites and crew shower blocks.

Hoyland notes, "The sound and lighting equipment is spectacular. And in the dressing rooms and green room there are plasma screens, iPod ports and sound systems to keep ...