A CITY centre music venue was officially relaunched in front of a capacity crowd over the weekend following the completion of ambitious improvement works.

Three Wise Monkeys’ top floor entertainment setting reopened on Friday night with a special gig featuring Popes of Chillitown, The Meffs and The Ska’d.

Located in Colchester High Street, the popular venue had been temporarily shut while renovations costing thousands of pounds were carried out.

The makeover has since seen the stage repositioned to face the bar, better lighting installed, and a state-of-the-art new sound desk replace the current unit.

The project was overseen by venue manager Alan Jones while expert Steve Honest, from The Surround Lounge, was brought in to improve the sound and acoustics.

The revamps comes after Three Wise Monkeys was awarded £4,169 from the Music Venue Trust’s Pipeline Investment Fund, which supports grassroots establishments.

Bosses also put their hands in their own pockets in order to make the changes, which Alan, who runs Black Cactus Studio, believes will improve the gigging experience.

He said: “Three Wise Monkeys has always been one of the best venues in Colchester for up-and-coming and established artists, but now we think it is even better.

“We are so pleased with how the venue has turned out and I know performers and gig-goers will immediately notice the difference – in a good way – when they visit.

“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in helping us achieve this and thank you to everyone who made our launch night so amazing.”