Middlesbrough Empire owners 'put town on map for dance music'

Barry Faulkner Snr and Barry Faulkner Jnr are handing over the keys to Middlesbrough’s iconic nightclub The Middlesbrough Empire next month after 33 years in charge. The pair say they helped put the town “on the map with dance music”, with the venue hosting major names including Pete Tong, Arctic Monkeys and James Arthur. Faulkner Snr told BBC Radio Tees he sold for health reasons and described the early gamble of converting a former bingo hall into a club. He and his son say the new owner plans to close the venue for about 18 months to “reinvent it”, with events after 17 November relocating.