Reviews and tips for venues near Bingley

This venue is a welcome addition to the Leeds music scene. The acts playing here would have usually played at The Uni Refectory which was never really any good for gigs.
My first venture to the Academy was to see Terrorvision. First impression were good. Nice decor. The support band was... [more]

This venue is a welcome addition to the Leeds music scene. The acts playing here would have usually played at The Uni Refectory which was never really any good for gigs.
My first venture to the Academy was to see Terrorvision. First impression were good. Nice decor. The support band was on when we arrived and the PA sounded good. All as you would expect for the amount they've spent on opening the place (rumoured to be about 5 million). Toilet facilities were good. No issues there.
Be warned, the bar is expensive, around £3.25 for a pint, so make sure you have a few in the Cuthbert Broadrick on Millenium Square or at Bourbon Bar next to venue before you go in.
There is one problem with this new venue, and it's quite a big one. You can't get pass outs. So if you want a smoke during the night you are just gonna have to go into a toilet cubicle and hope no alarms go off! Why are they doing this, who knows? But it's obviously going to put a lot of smokers off going there or make them come into gigs a lot later on in the evening which means they'll be drinking more elsewhere and the Academy lose out on bar takings. [less]

The New Ritz Ballroom is, at first, a strange venue - locked in a time warp and appearing to be a cross between a working man's club and an aircraft hanger.
There's plenty of tables down the sides and it was possible to order pie and peas for the interval, yes... [more]

The New Ritz Ballroom is, at first, a strange venue - locked in a time warp and appearing to be a cross between a working man's club and an aircraft hanger.
There's plenty of tables down the sides and it was possible to order pie and peas for the interval, yes really!.
It is an intimate venue and Paul Carrack is very relaxed when playing there and he is happy to mix with the punters and signing autographs.  It's possible to stand feet away from the stage and admire the consummate artistry of the performers. [less]

I have been here to see a lot of gigs. The thing I like most about this venue is that unlike many of the other smaller venues in Leeds (Rios, Joseph's Well etc), the bands always run on time and it gives you plenty of time to catch the last... [more]

I have been here to see a lot of gigs. The thing I like most about this venue is that unlike many of the other smaller venues in Leeds (Rios, Joseph's Well etc), the bands always run on time and it gives you plenty of time to catch the last bus home.
On entering the venue there is usually a sign with stagetimes which is really handy and the times are pretty much always bang on.
Drinks are around £2.50 for a pint of lager/ cider.
The toilets are smelly (especially the fumes from the mens) but usually fairly clean. The toilet roll holders in the ladies are the most badly designed i've ever seen though. There's usually toilet paper in them but half of the time it's stuck in there and it takes 5 minutes to pull just a couple of sheets out. A minor gripe but it annoys me every time I go. That, plus the lack of locks on the toilet doors.
I've seen some great bands over the years at this venue and some of those bands (The Killers, for one) have gone onto sell out stadiums.
If you want to catch the next big thing, this is the place to go. [less]

Leeds City Varieties is a thin, but tall building on a tiny cobbled side street off The Headrow in Leeds.  It is in a pedestrianised area which makes it quite difficult to find and ‘locals’ are usually no help in giving directions, probably having never visited the place themselves.

For... [more]

Leeds City Varieties is a thin, but tall building on a tiny cobbled side street off The Headrow in Leeds.  It is in a pedestrianised area which makes it quite difficult to find and ‘locals’ are usually no help in giving directions, probably having never visited the place themselves.

For 30 years until the mid-80s, BBCs “The Good Old Days” was broadcast from this venue, a fabulously old-fashioned and plush Victorian music hall, decorated red, gold and green.  Built in the mid 1800s, it is billed as Britain’s oldest theatre and ‘the best preserved music hall in the country’ (though it has now been granted £8m towards renovation and still needs another £1.2m to complete the works scheduled to take place throughout 2009/10).

Some auditorium staff are volunteers and are friendly and helpful (and barking; I walked past a microscopic female octogenarian behind the confectionary stand who was proudly announcing to thin air “I’ve never missed a pantomime y’know…”) [less]

The refurbishment last year has breathed new life into the venue.  The annoying step onto the dancefloor is now gone and the second "room" is the smoking area, bonus!  The sound system is MINT(!), a well set up  Funktion 1 outfit.  Clear as a bell. ... [more]

The refurbishment last year has breathed new life into the venue.  The annoying step onto the dancefloor is now gone and the second "room" is the smoking area, bonus!  The sound system is MINT(!), a well set up  Funktion 1 outfit.  Clear as a bell.  A great small club, that is really intimate.  Their home-grown System parties are fab. [less]