Rebranded as Sheffield Hallam university, the “Poly” initially ran gigs from the 12th floor (with the bar on the gound floor!) In 1978 they opened the the Nelson Mandela Building. Interestingly, this building was initially called the Phoenix building (after a nearby pub) but in 1982 they had a contest to find a new name name. The winner, by a country mile, was “Seaview”. However the SU leaders felt this was too silly, so they chose the more politically correct NMB. An adjacent building was initially christened “The Winnie Mandala Block”, was subsequently renamed “the Stompeie Moeketsi” block after her fall from grace. Students don’t you love ’em.

An early Ents officer was Ged Doherty, who went on to manage Paul Young. The venue naturally featured dozens of local bands alongside major touring bands. It was demolished in 2007 and the Students Union took over the ‘The Hubs’ – previously known as the farcical National Centre for Popular Music.