Music Venue

The Hammersmith Apollo

Art Deco venue in West London with excellent acoustics and intimate concert experience.

London, UK

3,300 capacity

Est. 1932

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Music Genres

rockpopindiemultiple

About The Hammersmith Apollo

Art Deco venue in West London with excellent acoustics and intimate concert experience.

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The Eventim Apollo (formerly the Hammersmith Apollo, Hammersmith Odeon, and several other names) is a Grade II* listed Art Deco concert venue in Hammersmith, West London. Opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace, it has a capacity of approximately 5,000 for standing concerts and 3,300 for fully seated events, making it one of London's most prominent mid-size music venues.

History and Architecture

Architect Robert Cromie, who also renovated the Prince of Wales Theatre, designed the building in the Art Deco style. It opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace with seating for nearly 3,500 people. The venue was renamed the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962, the first of many name changes driven by sponsorship deals and ownership transfers.

The building became a Grade II listed building in 1990, upgraded to Grade II* status in 2005. This protected status preserved the venue's historic Art Deco facade and interior features, including the original 1932 Compton pipe organ. The organ fell into disrepair in the 1990s and was disconnected, but English Heritage and the local council insisted on its restoration. It was fully rebuilt and returned to playing condition in 2007, with approximately 1,200 organ pipes housed in chambers above the front stalls ceiling.

A major refurbishment in 2013 by architect Foster Wilson closed the venue temporarily. It reopened as the Eventim Apollo on September 7, 2013, with a performance by Selena Gomez. The venue is currently owned and operated by AEG Live and CTS Eventim.

How the Venue Operates

The Eventim Apollo offers flexible configurations. In 2003, the stalls seats were made removable, allowing promoters to choose between full seating and standing-only in the stalls. For standing concerts, the venue accommodates around 5,000 people. For seated events, capacity drops to approximately 3,300.

This flexibility makes the Apollo attractive to a wide range of promoters. Rock and pop tours typically opt for standing configurations to maximize energy and ticket sales. Comedy shows, theatrical productions, and seated concerts use the full-seating layout. The venue hosts approximately 150 events per year across music, comedy, and entertainment.

Notable Performances

The Hammersmith Apollo has hosted some of the most famous concerts in British music history. AC/DC played a one-off show in 2002 to mark the venue's renaming to Carling Apollo, with all 5,000 tickets selling out in four minutes. David Bowie performed there, as did The Beatles during the venue's Odeon era. More recent performers include Selena Gomez, who reopened the refurbished venue in 2013, along with major touring acts across rock, pop, and comedy.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

The Eventim Apollo occupies a specific tier in the UK touring ecosystem. It is larger than club venues like the O2 Academy Brixton but smaller than arenas like the O2 Arena. For an independent artist building a UK following, selling out the Apollo represents a significant career milestone that demonstrates genuine commercial traction in the London market.

If you are planning a UK tour, use our Tour Revenue Calculator to model different venue tiers and understand what capacity you need to target. Read our guide on touring internationally as an independent artist for practical advice on booking European venues. The complete guide to making money as a musician in 2026 also covers live revenue strategies.