A LONDON landmark reopened under a new name on Saturday following a multi-million-pound refurbishment.

Thousands of fans flocked to see Disney pop princess, Selena Gomez, perform at the Eventim Apollo, formerly the Hammersmith Apollo, in Queen Caroline Road.

Having been closed for refurbishment since the beginning of July, music enthusiasts are expected to come to see how the 81-year-old venue has returned to its Art Deco roots.

The legendary venue, which has played host to the likes of Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen, was bought by AEG Live and German ticket provider CTS Eventim AG in May last year from HMV, who were selling their live venues before going into administration earlier this year.

At the unveiling on Friday last week, Eventim chief executive Klaus-Peter Schulenberg expressed his enthusiasm for the venue.

He said: "We wanted to step into the London market and how often do you get an opportunity to buy a venue like this, and even put your name on it?"

The design, by architects Foster Wilson, increased the venue’s capacity by 60 seats to 3,655. They also increased leg room by a few inches and improved the view of the stage. At a standing gig the new building can accommodate 5,039.

There are two new disabled viewing areas to allow more music and comedy fans to enjoy the shows, replacing the old lifts with more user-friendly wheelchair ramps.

Colin Chapple, chief executive of AEG, said: “We’re at about 3,600 seats now, and there’s not one sightline issue, which is the important thing.”

The interior colour scheme has been returned to its original mint green, with Foster Wilson stripping the dark carpets to expose the intricate coloured marble floor which was laid when the building opened. One of the most noticeable changes is the extensive modernisation of the bar areas.

Originally called the Gaumont Palace cinema when it opened in March 1932, it was renamed the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962. The Grade II listed building reopened as the Apollo in the mid-90s and has been home to BBC comedy show Live at the Apollo since 2004.

In the coming months the Eventim Apollo will host shows by musicians such as Billy Joel and Beady Eye, and comedians Jason Manford and Russell Brand.