Leeds Clubbing Guide
Leeds has arguably one of the best clubbing scenes in the country packed into a compact metropolis that defies even the most discriminating clubber not to find something to take their fancy. Whatever floats your musical boat you will find it in one of the dozens of nightclubs or hundreds of bars in the city centre.
There is an abundance of mainstream clubs for those whose main objective is unabashed fun! Creation is Leeds’ largest nightclub and offers three areas of music under one roof – Commercial Dance, Cheesy Chart and RnB. The same three genres are executed across 3 floors at Heaven and Hell in the Grand Arcade. Majestyk in City Square is in a similar vein, but the club is one large space as opposed to several rooms.
Bondi Beach and Baja Beach Club are both beach themed venues where the music has been imported from a Dairylea factory (pure cheese) and the staff bounce around in bikinis. Check out Bondi to experience the city’s only revolving dance floor although getting off is not always easy after a few alco-pops too many!
A few miles out of the city centre at Cardigan Fields Leisure Complex in Kirkstall is Evolution, a brewery owned purpose built nightclub with a massive 2,370 capacity. Every month haberdasheries in Leeds run low on red, yellow and neon fake fur. The reason: Sundissential. Held monthly at Evolution, from 2pm to midnight on a Sunday, Sundissential is an institution for hard house enthusiasts from across the country. It is a serious feast of loud music, visuals, home-made outfits and fluffy boots.
Back to Basics is Leeds’ most prolific club night, having been going strong for well over 10 years. After many years happily keeping clued up House aficionados happy at Mint they are now housed at Rehab in the heart of the Exchange Quarter district. A medical theme is evident throughout from ‘General Infirmary’ inspired toilets to bar staff dressed in doctor’s coasts as the interior ironically lends itself to a Harley Street Rehab clinic. You will find some of the World’s most famous DJs at Rehab rubbing shoulders with firm favourites like Back to Basics founder Dave Beer.
Mint is still keeping insomniacs happy well into Sunday mornings with Funky House from top quality DJs in the small intimate club. There is a fabulous chill out area and the Evian water garden out back. A range of new nights continue to pull in the punters from all over the UK.
The Warehouse has been going for 25 years but continues to offer something new. Saturdays are home to Speedqueen, a gay-friendly environment for glammed-up punters to appreciate the finest Funky House.
On the first Saturday of every month, down at the Blank Canvas in the Dark Arches (Granary Wharf) Federation continues to put the ‘wow’ factor back into a generation of ‘seen it all before’ revellers. The night starts with a parade from sister venue, Fibre, a gay bar so hip that gay men are forced to fight with straight men and women alike to get through the door! Federation’s production is breathtaking as stilt walkers and drag queens in the most flabbergastingley ostentatious costumes lead an army of coveted ticket holders to a dark underground arch where they bare witness to mind blowing shows from clubbing gurus ‘One Love’. If you’re not lucky enough to be around on the first Saturday of the month but Federation sounds up your street you should check out recently opened club, Mission, it’s run by the same team behind Federation and Fibre so you’re sure to enjoy.
If you prefer a more Urban soundtrack to your night time adventures then you need to be at Ucci @ The Fruit Cupboard on Saturday. Trevor Nelson, Steve ‘smooth’ Sutherland and Spoony are regular fixtures at the night along with some fantastic residents.
There is a plethora of style bars and clubs for those who want to cut it with the beautiful uber-stylish and do a bit of celeb spotting. Bars like Prohibition, The Living Room and Room in the Greek Street area have late licenses so you can drink until 2am and entry is usually free of charge.
MPV at the bottom of Kirkgate, just round the corner from the Call Lane/Exchange Quarter is Leeds’ most unusual bar design. It consists of four large red plastic pods inserted into disused railway arches. The fronts rise up on hydraulics to reveal the glass frontage of the bar and its interior, which is a hyper-modern mix of floor-to-ceiling teak effect, and disco balls that are reminiscent of a 1970’s Sci-Fi film set.
Round the corner The Northern Light is a bar/club/restaurant with an amazing courtyard and fabulously styled interior of exposed brickwork and modernity. This place exudes cool. The Townhouse is always a safe bet and dominates the Call Lane area, which is the epicentre of the Leeds independent bar scene. Others worthy of mention in this area are Fudge, Cuban Heels, Norman, Superna and BRB.
It would be difficult to describe every club in Leeds in detail, so get out there and see for yourself what’s on offer. The beauty of clubbing in Leeds is that nobody seems to mind if you are getting down to funky soul one day, falling over to cheesy party tunes the next, then bouncing around to hard house the day after that. Whatever your idea of clubbing may be, you are sure to find somewhere in Leeds to do it and plenty of people to do it with.
Source: Words courtesy of Leeds City Licensing Association.
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