The Gloucester nightclub, a popular student haunt for over a decade, has undergone a £250,000 revamp.

Pub and club chain C-Side bought the venue earlier this year, along with The Lift, The Cuba Bar and The City of Brighton pub.

It reopens as the renamed Brighton Gloucester tomorrow and will be run as a live music venue and nightclub.

C-Side has teamed up with Brighton-based music promoters Essential Entertainments to hold live music sessions on Mondays and Thursdays.

Acts already lined up include African Headcharge, the James Taylor Quartet and Eighties rockers Sigue Sigue Sputnik.

Kate Johnson, marketing director of C-Side, said: "We have tried to retain the spirit of the old venue while at the same time improving standards.

"I think a lot of people were worried when we bought it that it would lose its alternative feel but it hasn't.

"We have totally redecorated and refurbished. However, the club is still quite functional in appearance, there aren't any strong themes.

"We have kept the layout of the original club because people said they liked the way it was on a circuit.

"What we have done is introduce some smaller areas with comfy seats along with a new and improved sound and lighting system.

"We have also taken out the downstairs bar to make it more spacious and moved the DJ box upstairs so we could put in a stage. There was definitely a need for a live music venue of this size in the city."

The Gloucester opened in the Eighties.

Its previous incarnation was as Brighton's biggest and brashest gay club, Manhattan's Discotheque.

Admission is free at the Brighton Gloucester tomorrow night as C-Side want as many people as possible to go and have a look round. Local jazz trio Marmoset will be performing.

The venue's new weekly listings include an alternative club night on Tuesday and eclectic DJs on Wednesdays.

The indie night Lust For Life returns on Friday.