Tag: Preston 53 Degrees Main Hall

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 31 – 53 Degrees Main Hall

I have previously covered the Club venue and in this week’s blog I am going to concentrate on the 53 Degrees Main Hall. The venue’s opening in 2005 spelt the death knell to Preston Mill as a gig going concern as there was patently not room in Preston for two such singular locations.

The main hall comprised of a capacity of 1500 and had a sizeable bar facing you on entrance. There was a large, raised area before steps dropping down into a sizeable pit in front of the stage. In their time, they attracted some decent acts here but overall, I always felt it was a golden opportunity missed where they could potentially have attracted better acts, maybe that slightly biased perception gleans from certain fave bands that I thought would have great to see in that setting!

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53 Degrees Venue. Image Credit 53degrees.net

My first visit there was on 20/05/05 when I went to see Supergrass. They were in good form as they had a commendable back catalogue and played my two cherished tracks of theirs, namely ‘Caught by the Fuzz’ and ‘Late in the Day’. Our group was stood off to the right-hand side of the stage where it felt very draughty, but reasons for that became evident as I had an unpleasant bout of man-flu for about 10 days after. The lurgy nearly denied me the opportunity to watch PNE playing West Ham in the Championship play off final (I wish it had!)

Now I have never warmed at all to Blur, talented musicians, and all that, but for whatever reason their music grates on me. Whilst up in Scotland for Hogmanay we were listening to John Peels festive 50 and they featured a couple of half decent tracks from the bands lead guitarist Graham Coxon. This led to an attendance at one of his gigs in October 2006. Most of his set was based on his Ramones influenced latest album ‘Love Travels at Illegal Speeds’. He had his moments and with the shortness of the tracks swiftly whipped through more than 20 songs.

A couple of years later I saw my standout gig there when the Subways were in town. They had so much energy with lead singer Billy Lunn a whirling dervish on stage and his then girlfriend Charlotte Cooper a perfect ally to his antics. It was arguably one of the most joyous moshpits I have ever encountered when they played ‘Oh Yeah’ off their terrific debut album ‘Young for Eternity’. You could never fault these kids for effort! They were supported by Enjoy Destroy.

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The Subways in full flight mode. Image Credit buzzbands.la

In October 2010 a group of us headed into town to watch Half Man Half Biscuit, only to discover the gig had been cancelled at the last minute. It was rearranged for six weeks later on a Friday evening clashing with a North End game. We left the match early resulting in missing the first couple of songs of their set. They were very enjoyable, and they have such a devoted following that it always results in a cracking atmosphere.

In 2011, we went to see John Lydon’s combo, Public Image Ltd. I was far from an expert knowledge on their output but appreciated their intelligent songcraft which stood up well in a live environment.

When I was young whippersnapper at the tender age of 14, I went through a short Adam Ant phase and 30 years hence I was persuaded to go and see him again and this was my final gig there.

The place was packed to the rafters and access to the front area was tricky. There was an eejit and bully from my youth in residence who was blocking the accessway who I navigated past but who then somewhat predictably nudged me down the steps, but I maintained my footing and more importantly didn’t spill a drop of my beer! He was and obviously remains someone just not worth bothering with in any format! The gig was also a bit of a limp affair capping off a forgettable night.