The Academy Music Group has announced the purchase of two new UK sites, and since the arrival of board member Live Nation, its venue procurement plan is increasing in speed.

Scheduled to open in September 2008, is the venue formerly known as the Town & Country Club in Leeds. Having been a three-floor nightclub since its 90s heyday, with the likes of Blur, INXS and The Stone Roses, AMG is planning a £4m (€6m) conversion to return the site to a two-room venue with a capacity of over 2,000.

The second new acquisition is The Roxy in Sheffield, a leasehold deal completed in partnership with William Warrack of Cordwell Property Group. The Roxy has been listed for demolition since the early 90s, but AMG is investing £3m (€4m) to reopen it, again as a 2,000-plus-capacity site with two rooms, to open in April 2008.

With Brighton Hippodrome reopening in September after its £4.5m (€6.3m) refit AMG will be launching three new Academy venues next year, adding to its 11 others that include both Brixton Academy and Shepherds Bush Empire in London. But CEO John Northcote is far from slowing down.

 “Since Live Nation have come on board, and with [shareholders] Simon [Moran] and Bob [Angus], it’s a case of getting them open as fast as we can. It’s dictated by finding the right sites though – it’s a lot of footwork. At the moment we’re going through a rich vein of iconic venues and we’ve got others in the pipeline. It’s a very exciting time.”