Author: jimmyc1968

Leeds Venues 12 and 13

The University of Leeds has a long history traversing all the way back to 1874. It was once part of the combined federal Victoria University which subsequently splintered into the universities in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. It is also the 5th largest establishment in the UK with over 36k students and the previous distinguished alumni include Keir Starmer, Jack Straw, Mark Knopfler, Corinne Bailey Rae, Little Boots and six other Noble laureates.  

At the 2014 Live at Leeds event, Leeds University Stylus was our final venue visited and was always designed to be the culmination of the evening as one of my all-time favourite bands Hold Steady were on stage. The Stylus is the 1000 capacity venue buried in the heart of the campus. In 2011 they installed a L’Acoustics KARA Sound System (apparently the only system of its kind in the UK) and have followed that up with regular gig and club nights.

Bars at either side surrounded the lower pit and dance floor in front of the stage and the set up was not wholly unreminiscent of the old Preston 53 Degrees Main Hall venue. Hold Steady came on about 10.30pm and opened with ‘Stuck Between Stations’, they were in good form as ever though arguably Craig Finn was perhaps a tad more wired than normal. ‘Your Little Hoodrat Friend’ was outstanding and they finished with aplomb with ‘ Massive Nights’ and ‘Stay Positive’. 

The Hold Steady on stage. Image Credit Grantland.

It was Gill’s first sighting of Hold Steady and she was fascinated by the devotion of the crowd towards the band, generated in my view by their evangelical interactive performances and the fact that Craig is a modern-day poet.

There was a further venue called the Refectory in the establishment where Albert Hammond Jr was still playing, but we had been on our feet for eight hours already, so we vetoed that one. There was an epic taxi queue outside, but we eventually made it back our digs in the outskirts of town.

We decide to make a return visit to Live at Leeds in 2021, delayed to October that year due to Covid, and there were still restrictions in place that made a multi gig event more challenging than it normally would be.

It was a chaotic start to the day as Northern trains excelled themselves again by cancelling our initial train to Piccadilly necessitating a No 50 bus ride and a walk across town. Refuelled by a healthy snack at the Pasty Shop we then boarded train to Leeds.

We found our hotel and then headed to the ticket exchange point at Leeds City College at Quarry Hill. So, finally wristband and clash finder had been obtained and a quick review of the listings revealed where we would go first to watch some music.

I wanted to grab the opportunity to visit some of the more outer based venues, so we headed up the A660 (Woodhouse Lane) beyond the universities to the edge of Hyde Park where we found the Leeds Lending Room @ The Library.    

The Grade 1 listed building is an impressive structure and has in a previous life been a fire station before its present guise as a library where the 200-capacity upstairs room was opened up as a music venue in 2009. Alt-J and Allusondrugs amongst others have graced the stage there.    

It was an intimate venue room and I liked it and on our visit The Blondes were playing. The band are a five-piece who got together at college and became housemates in London during the pandemic.

The Blondes. Image Credit pcnmagazine.uk

Despite the Covid restrictions they gained some traction and acclaim via their single ‘Coming of Age’ going viral on Tik-Tok resulting in two million streams. In the live setting they produced a likeable slab of indie pop.  

Preston Venue 41 New Continental – Part 3

Another considerable component contributing to the New Continental’s continuing rebirth was the building of the Preston Guild Wheel in 2012 which runs right past the pub. One of the Preston’s finest ever inventions, the Wheel is a 21-mile dual cycle and walking route around the city, with perhaps 15 miles of it on off-road tracks and river pathways, though its introduction didn’t save another riverside pub the Shaws Arms from going bust.

Me and my pal Steve Banister used to regularly cycle the route after work in the summer before retiring for a well-deserved refreshment in our usual seats in the Conty. The issue that then presented itself was that I had to cycle home and there were some vicious little hills contained within that three-mile journey! My personal best for completion was 1 hour 34 minutes achieved when I was cycling regularly and I have once walked the Wheel in its entirety, a trek of around seven hours.

In August 2013, Wire visited the venue. Formed in London in 1976, they have been cited as hugely influential of subsequent heavyweight acts Big Black, Minutemen and Sonic Youth. In my view, they produced intelligent complex music, and I thoroughly enjoyed them.  

Wire. Image Credit beardedgentlemenmusic.com

Six months later I saw the female fronted art punk band from Amsterdam called Labasheeda, they were supported by India Mill, an interesting band from the local town of Darwen.

In March 2015, I had my first experience of the remarkable Lovely Eggs, the slightly demented two piece from Lancaster. I had previously seen Holly Ross at the Adelphi in Preston when she was in a band called Angelica. It was a very sparse crowd in comparison to them now playing Manchester Apollo. They were quirky and terrific fun; my personal highlight was ‘Have You Ever Heard a Digital Accordion?’ which also has the accolade of having ‘Beef Bourguignon’ as a rhyming couplet! They were supported by Zvilnik.

There was a novel event in February 2017 that piqued Gill and mine’s interest by showcasing an 80’s indie triple bill. First up were The Suncharms from Sheffield who were formed in 1989, recorded a couple of EP’s and undertook the obligatory Peel session before disbanded in 1993. They reformed in 2016 before finally after a very extended gestation period released their debut album in 2021.  

The Suncharms. Image Credit wordpress.com

The middle act was The Chesterf!elds, formed in 1984 in Yeovil. Their debut vinyl release was a joint flexi disc with legendary and much missed Shop Assistants, by heck even just the mention of a flexi disc takes me back! Their members had interplay with bands of that era such as Loft and Blue Aeroplanes. They split in 1989 but were reformed in 2014 following a comeback set at a C86 event at the 92 Club in London. They remain active and have recently issued a new album and played the Talleyrand down the road from me in Levenshulme recently, but I wasn’t available to attend.

The third band was the Orchids, who sprung up from Glasgow in 1985 and their early recordings were on the famous Sarah Records based in Bristol. The label was primarily a C-86 hotbed with other like-minded artists Field Mice and Sunny Day in Glasgow being on their roster. Despite a brief hiatus at the end of the 90’s they remain in play and have recorded new material this year. It was a fine night of indie jingle-jangle with my personal favourite being the Suncharms.  

Later that year I saw a double bill containing White Hills who are a psych rock band from New York, I had seen them before but didn’t enjoy their set as much on this occasion. Also on the bill were a band called Cavalier Song. It was a chaotic end to the night involving cancelled taxis resulting in an absolute soaking when we had to trog back into town through the park.

Since the move to Manchester, I was unsure whether I would have an opportunity to attend the Conty again, but a slot opened in November 22. The previous night to my attendance the noisy monkeys Part Chimp played there who I had seen supporting Mogwai at Amsterdam Melkweg nineteen years earlier.   

On the day of the gig, I watched PNE lose 4-2 to Millwall prior to a chippy tea and a couple of beers before heading down to the venue. It was a punk event and I saw a few old stalwarts down there. On the bill were the P45’s from Blackpool, Preston’s Pike, and the headliners 999 from London with their most famous track ‘Homicide’.   

This unexpected attendance allowed me to reach another random stat landmark. It ensured the Conty became the 20th venue where I have attended at least 10 gigs, with Deaf Institute scheduled to become the 21st venue next year meeting this accolade.