A DEFUNCT club on Commercial Road has been resurrected by an ambitious owner intent on making it one of the top music venues in the region.

The former Furnace relaunched last Friday under the name level 3, the club’s original moniker before it shut and was taken over by various successive owners.

Owner Omar Khamkhame, of Baulking, near Faringdon, took over the venue four weeks ago and has already lined up big industry names which he hopes will ensure level 3’s future and longevity.

“I want to have big names and I have already lined up some but I want to keep their identity a surprise,” he said.

“The aim is to make it the main venue in Swindon and around. We want people to come from Bristol to see the bands. There is nothing like that in Swindon at the moment.”

He added: “When we launched we had more than 150 people. It was a bit of a surprise for us. It has happened very quickly. We painted the club but we are still finishing things, like polishing the floor.”

Over the year the club has known many incarnations, first as level 3 than as Furnace and briefly as Basement 73 before closing last year.

Choosing to use its most popular and well-known name, level 3, was the obvious choice, according to Omar.

“We wanted to keep the old name,” he said. “That’s what it was called years ago and that’s what people knew it as. A lot of people asked us to keep the name level 3 so we did.”

While some previous owners had marketed the club as a rock venue, Omar is hoping to welcome bands and performers in every genre, from 80s pop to House DJs.

“We want to play every kind of music,” he added. “We just want to bring something different to Swindon, attract people to the town, and that’s how we are going to make it a permanent feature. ”

More than 150 people attended the launch of Level 3 on Friday to see DJ Darren Dust perform.