Cambridge Corn Exchange

I have mixed feelings about the Cambridge Corn Exchange. I've only been to one show here, so I don't have a great deal of experience, but here are my impressions of the venue so far, in bullet format for some unknown reason:

Positives:
-- Great location, not that they have control over it, but right in the center of Cambridge, and well positioned for a full night out, if desired.

-- It's nice and open, doesn't feel cramped but also retains a level of intimacy with the artist. Nicely done.

-- I'm a big guy but found the seats in the balcony to be quite comfortable. Plenty of legroom and cushion, though perhaps night quite elevated enough from the row in front.


Negatives:
-- They ran out of some varieties of beer, and still water, before the show even started! That's terribly mismanaged

-- The hugely bright lights that flash at the audience at impact points during a performer's music shine directly into the eyes of the people sitting in the balcony. They detract from the experience, rather than enhancing it. I don't need to be told when to be moved by the music, I can decide for myself.

-- Avoid the back rows of the balcony -- I can't imagine you can see much from there. We were in the third row of the balcony (row CC), though, and thought the seats had quite a nice view, but the view of the upper part of the stage was slightly obstructed by the lighting rig.

-- There's only one entrance door, so there was a queue around the corner to get in.

So there it is. Overall a decent venue -- I enjoyed it more than the O2 -- but some mismanagement of both the concessions and the main performance knock it down a bit. Still, we will return because they pull in some great acts!

Thank you Suggs, we had a great time listening to your life story.
BUT oh my, oh my, the seats in the Corn Exchange do not get any more comfortable and the sight line to the stage depends so much on the hairstyle of the person sitting directly in front of you.
Time for an upgrade?

Good old Cambridge Corn Exchange.

I have very fond memories of this place. During my formative years I saw a pretty eclectic range of musical events including The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Jan Garbarek, It Bites, Wolfsbane, Roy Harper, They Might Be Giants, Eclipse, and the Royal Marines Band. I even got to play there myself with The Cambridge Youth Concert Band back in the late 80s. Good times. And they're just the shows I saw growing up. Throughout its history the Corn Exchange has accommodated some terrific bands.

I get to return here occasionally to perform and it's always an amazing experience to come back to my home town. The building itself is magnificent and has an interesting history. It just feels great. It combines the benefits of a live music venue with the formality of a theatre setting. The staff are polite and always helpful and there is a great open plan bar area for those pre/mid show drinks.

One word of advice though. When booking tickets, try to avoid the seating directly under the mezzanine. The sound here truly sucks and the pillars ruin the site line. Other than that, everywhere else is perfect.

This venue is a great asset to the city and should continue to succeed in being an entertainment hub for the area.

Lovely staff with plenty of seating and leg room, lovely stage, can get a good view from almost anywhere you sit, great events, can get some reasonable acts here and quite well priced and easy to find, a very nice building and the staff are very friendly and helpful, definately a recommended place to visit.


They also have some great themed nights, which are quite regular.

The Corn Exchange


A modest-sized but fully functional entertainment zone, housing acts from pop to ballet, comedy to children's shows. Handliy located right in Cambridge's historical heart, the venue has a sturdy, traditional and majestic feel. During the 1940's women used the Exchange to help with the war effort by repairing rifles there. I bet you didn't know that.

I really really like the Cambridge Corn Exchange as a venue. It gets the big names (well, not the type of people who only do stadiums) but it's small enough to feel intimate.


I'm disabled and it has fabulous facilities and very friendly staff in my experience

I've been to the Cambridge Corn Exchange as both a performer and a concert-goer. I'm afraid to say that the acoustic is really not suitable for classical music (after all, it is a former Corn Exchange, quite obviously!) but for other genres, I'm sure it would be fine.
The foyer and facilities are pretty good, with a very nice cafe. It will never attract the major bands, but it is not the poorer for it,a nd the staff are friendly and helpful.
A good local arts venue. They attact all sorts of different events and they are very family friendly.

This is a great venue. Concerts, Dance Shows, all sorts of events. There is a great standing area when the concerts are on. you can get up close to the stage, the atmosphere is good. It does get a bit hot and sweaty, and boisterous - as do most concert locations! I think the acoustics at the junction are slightly better as that has been specifically designed with concerts/music in mind. The seating area is quite good, we went to see a show and had seats right at the back of the hall, the seating is all set at the right levels so you do not have the problem of somebodies head being in your way. The distance from the stage doesnt seem to be too far - but i would try and get seats nearer the front of the upstairs seating area.

This place is ok, dont like the fact that the toilets are miles away, bar could do with being bigger and they need to chuck people out who start smoking in the standing section! Last gig i saw here was goldfrapp i think, tall people aside it was a good gig, and i dont really have any complaints about that. Find the seats at the top arnt good if your far back, and people tut at you if you stand - the outrage!

we have been to several gigs in the corn exchange and thumbs up, they are always well organised. they offer a great variety of bands and acts and there is always something worth watching. They offer a student's discount and the box office has generous opening hours (even Sunday's and whenever there is a gig on). We recently watched stomp, Motorhead and a few comediens.