Guide to Leeds clubs and live music venues

Written by Carol Ferndale

In Leeds there’s plenty going on for people who love good music, be it retro with a modern twist, indie, alternative, rock, or dance. From cult club nights to live, you’ll find it in Leeds. Brighton Beach is a club night for those who love classic sixties soul, R&B and garage, along with some Britpop and indie.

Leeds student nights

You’ll find Brighton Beach at Leeds University Union every second Saturday of the month. In the union’s own nightclub Stylus, Helen Baron and Tony Leighton play Britpop and indie, along with some cool sixties soul, garage and rock n’ roll. Meanwhile, in Room 2 Gav Needham plays sixties soul, northern, jazz, psych, garage and freakbeat. With tickets just a fiver you can’t go wrong!

If you’re into goth and alternative, and you simply can’t wait for Whitby in October, then get your darkest clothes on and try the Wendy House which is the third Saturday of every month at the Leeds Uni. The Wendy House offers alternative music from the 80’s onwards, and on Floor 2 you’ll find industrial hard dance. It’s a fiver on the door.

Live music at the Cockpit

Turning to live music, there’s no place in Leeds like The Cockpit – they’ve got three stages and host bands from local to international. They’ve had the Kaiser Chiefs, Amy Winehouse, In Flames and loads of other top acts and new stuff. After the live music there’s a club night with indie, rock, metal, skate punk, and more. In October they’ll be hosting The Noisettes and Camera Obscura.

The Faversham

Highly rated also is The Faversham which is a live music venue that gets some top acts as well as a lot of up-and-coming cool stuff. The Faversham manages to be a restaurant by day, a bar by night, and a nightclub too. It’s was refurbished not so long ago, and there is an outdoor terrace which is a cool place to be on hot summer evenings.

The Faversham has a stunning resume in terms of the acts it has hosted including Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, The Fratellis, The Gossip, and more. In August they’ve got local indie popsters Scars on 45, and in September you’ve got The Old Romantic Killer Band with their inimitable blend of folk, blues and punk.

DJ’s and Live music at the HIFI Club

Another place in Leeds that goes for quality music is the HIFI Club – with live music nights, DJ led nights and if you fancy a few good belly laughs instead then they’ve even got a Comedy Club on Saturday nights. Here you’ll find that a variety of musical genres are treated with respect, ranging from soul and funk, through hip hop, to indie and rock.

Brudenell Social club

Another place that is renowned for its serious attitude towards live music and other arts events is The Brudenell Social Club. The Kaiser Chiefs, The Cribs and other now well known names all did gigs here. The Brudenell is a non-profit club with charitable status, and you’ll find the prices reasonable. This is by no means an exhaustive rundown of Leeds nightspots, but these ones are among the best, and there are plenty of good sounds to look forward to over the coming months.

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