THE Cuckoo Club, Alcester's brand-new nightspot, has taken the town by storm.

Its first concert featuring The Big Swing and the Ratpack Boys proved a resounding success and now organisers and staff at the Greig Centre are preparing for a full programme of monthly events running through the new year.

Stacy Robinson, Greig Centre manager, told the Chronicle how well the project had taken off, with 256 people attending the first concert.

"Proof is in the pudding as the first evening at the Cuckoo Club was a sell-out within 12 days," he said.

"The Cuckoo Club is a taste of things to come at the Greig Centre as the team endeavours to create leisure, recreation, arts and community facilities that the locals of Alcester and surrounding areas will be proud of and want to tell others of their fabulous experience."

John Evans, the man behind the project, said they had transformed the Greig Memorial Hall into a nightclub, cabaret club, concert hall combination, decorated with curtains and drapes, with staging and seating set up.

He said: "We wanted to get rid of the image the hall has, and make it look totally different to how it would ever look normally."

November's concert features Meet on the Ledge, a combination of folk and rock music, and other acts presenting a range of music will be starring in coming months.

Mr Evans said they were trying to run the project as a commercial enterprise and were looking for class acts for the future.

"We want everything done on a proper commercial basis, we're creating a place where musicians want to play, where they get properly paid and respected," he added.

"And of course it's about raising money for the Greig, changing its image, and providing value for money for customers."

He said the long-term aim was that over a two-year period they would create one of the top music venues in the Midlands and were constantly trying to improve.

"The first gig made a profit of a couple of thousand pounds for the Greig - which is OK - we are on a learning curve and welcome any input from anybody," Mr Evans said.

"I want the Greig to build up its own reputation for finding local talent and for doing things properly, and I want to be able to step back a little bit more each time.

"If you give people a good time, make it popular, and provide an example other music venues want to follow, then they will want to come back."

MEET on the Ledge will appear at the Cuckoo Club on Saturday, November 19, 8.30pm to 11.30pm. Tickets, priced £9, are available from the booking office at the Greig Centre or on 01789 400073.