EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney)

EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) in Dalston spreads concerts across two sharply different rooms: the 1,200-capacity EartH Hall and the 680-seat EartH Theatre. Its defining feature is the setting: both occupy the former Savoy Cinema, an Art Deco building whose balcony and stalls now operate as separate performance spaces. That split gives a single bill a choice between a full-standing crowd downstairs and a tiered-seat theatre upstairs.

A cinema’s second act

Associated British Cinemas built the Savoy in 1936, with architect William R. Glen designing its Art Deco shell. The cinema became an ABC in 1961, shifted to the Konak for Bollywood screenings after March 1977, then reopened under independent ownership as the Ace in 1982. Its final film arrived on 16 February 1984: Al Pacino in Scarface. The auditorium subsequently sat vacant while other parts of the building found new uses.

The Village Underground team reopened the building as EartH in September 2018, converting the former stalls into the Hall and restoring the circle as the Theatre. Ethio-jazz composer Mulatu Astatke played the venue’s first announced performance on 16 September 2018, a fitting opening for a programme built around international music alongside talks, comedy, film and community events.

Pick the room for the show

EartH’s calendar moves between indie, folk, jazz, electronic music, alternative rock, pop and club nights, with touring artists, DJs, festivals and mixed-arts events sharing the building. The Hall is a full-standing space, while the upstairs Theatre retains tiered seating and original Art Deco character. Promoters hiring the Hall work with a venue ticket allocation policy and Dice ticketing; concertgoers mainly feel the practical result: a professionally run large room with a bar-and-kitchen space in the former cinema foyer.