Acts announced for The Drill’s grand opening event

The Sherlocks will be among the bands performing, along with a DJ set from Fun Lovin Criminals front-man Huey Morgan, when The Drill in Lincoln opens its doors to the public with a special event later this month.

Lincolnshire musicians The Kev Richardson Band and Vigilantes will also perform at the event on Saturday, February 26, as well as The Lottery Winners.

People will be able to drop-in to The Drill for a nosey and free food and drink samples from the new menu between 12pm-4pm on that day. Limited tickets will be on sale, priced at £10 for 300 lucky people, to attend the evening session filled with live music and Huey’s DJ set.

The evening session runs from 5pm until midnight and tickets can be purchased online here.

The Drill opened towards the end of last year to host a panto-run of Aladdin, before closing again in January 2022 for final renovations. Works are now largely complete, although further investment is planned to revamp the outdoor seating area subject to planning permission.

City of Lincoln Council leaders previously voted to not renew the annual grant given to Lincoln Drill Hall, which left the venue on the verge of closure and staff were made redundant in October 2020. But Lincoln College Group came to the rescue and saved the historic arts venue on Free School Lane from liquidation in May 2021.

The Drill opened for its first public performance after the completion of phase one of a £1.55 million project with the much-anticipated pantomime of Aladdin from Jamie Marcus Productions and The Lincolnite went for a preview in December.

Craig Morrow, who is The Drill’s new theatre manager, said: “This place is really important to so many people in the community and it’s a privilege to be part of its return to health.

“We’ve got some great acts booked for the opening that will appeal to a wide demographic across the city and we hope that loyal customers will return, along with some people who’ve never been before too.

“Everyone will certainly notice the investment that’s been made here. We’ve got some great music, theatre and comedy booked for rest of the year and we’re building on that line-up every day.

“Beyond that we want people to view The Drill as a place to drop in for a drink or a meal, a place to get creative, enjoy community activities and a place where businesses can take advantage of great conferencing, expo and entertainment opportunities. Please do come along and take a look on the 26th, you’ll love the place when you see it!”