A decision to move popular disco nights in Wolverhampton from the Civic Hall to a smaller venue have paid off, with a host of top names and events flocking to take to the big stage at the weekends.

The Cheeky Monkey and Blast-Off events took to a new home in the Wulfrun Hall after Christmas to give bosses the chance to attract top names to its main stage on Fridays and Saturdays.

And after lining up a packed programme of stars and sporting events, bosses said the decision had been a success.

It comes after the Express & Star revealed yesterday that the venue would now host the West Midlands’ biggest boxing bout for 25 years. The bout between champion Wayne Elcock and Dudley’s Darren McDermott has been switched to the venue from Coventry Skydome due to poor ticket sales.

Jonn Penney, Civic Hall spokesman, said: “We moved the Cheeky Monkey and Blast Off events from the Civic Hall to the Wulfrun at the end of last year. Events like the boxing has justified our decision.”

The Civic has become a popular choice for some of music’s top names, with Yazoo appearing last week. Other names include The Killers, Keane, Van Morrison, Beverly Knight and The Enemy.

And Mr Penney is confident the venue will again stage the Grand Slam Of Darts event after its smash success last year.