Picture this in Edinburgh

An Edinburgh gig venue with 1500 capacity is due to launch next month as The Picture House, following a £1m overhaul.

photo from http://flickr.com/photos/rezavaziri/859514634/sizes/s/

Opening with a bang, the opening night band will be Travis, on 25 September. A preview night on 13 September has Idlewild warming up the hall, with Dirty Pretty Things, The Charlatans and Feeder booked in before the end of the year.

Do you remember the Caley cinema on Lothian Road? It’s nearly ready for its next incarnation, as Edinburgh’s first central large music locale. The Picture House, as it will be known, is eagerly looked forward to by promoters, touring bands and Edinburgh-ites tired of trekking through to Glasgow for a bit of culture.

The Picturehouse has had more rebrandings than Madonna. Born as the Caley cinema then reinvented as several Edinburgh nightclubs (Century 2000 and Revolution) - since 2005 it has had a brief stint as the unsuccessful Gig.

Mama Group have bought the city centre venue for a reported £3.5m. Hopefully the investment will pay off, and with top acts already lining up, the gigging future in Edinburgh looks bright.

The Picture House should provide welcome competition for Edinburgh’s two main choices for bands: The Corn Exchange and The Queens Hall – the first has shocking acoustics (allegedly) and the second is perhaps more suited to traditional and classical acts.