Music in Leeds - Venues

Venues

Leeds plays host to many venues, currently including Leeds University refectory (where The Who recorded their 1970 live album Live at Leeds), Leeds Metropolitan University, The Cockpit, Brudenell Social Club, The Faversham, The Hi-Fi club, The Well, The Wardrobe, Irish Centre, New Roscoe, The Cardigan Arms, The Fenton, and The Packhorse among others.

The O2 Academy Leeds opened in October 2008 on the site of the former Town & County Club music venue. The 2,300 capacity venue is run by the Academy Music Group and follows in-line with their other music venues around the UK.

This list of venues would be incomplete if The Duchess of York which was situated at 71, Vicar Lane in the city centre of Leeds, arguably the busiest music venure during its tenure, was not mentioned with honour. It was gutted by Hugo Boss, silencing a major music venue and turning this historic musical landmark in the great North of England into a boutique. There were two to three live bands performing there, seven nights a week for almost the entirety of its existence. Bands such as U2, Nirvana, Oasis, Cud, Blur, Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, Chumbawamba, Steve Marriot, the Grandmothers of Invention, Barrie Gledden, Bleach, Pavement, Isaac Guillory, Dumpy's Rusty Nuts, Pulp, Coldplay, Little Chief, Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones, Ship of Fools, The Wedding Present and many more.

Occasional gigs are held in Millennium Square in the city centre (including the Kaiser Chiefs in 2006), Roundhay Park (which was home to Love Parade in 2000 and has hosted gigs by Madonna, U2, Robbie Williams, Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones), Harewood House, Leeds Town Hall, Leeds Holy Trinity Church and Leeds Parish Church. The city centre itself has a musical heritage of its own, with several bands, such as Collectors Club, choosing to set music videos there.

In November 2008, plans were approved to build the Leeds Arena on Claypit Lane in Leeds city centre. Funding was approved in December 2009 and work commenced on the site in September 2010. Completion of the 12,500 capacity venue is expected in November 2012 .