Chapeltown's large Afro-Caribbean population gave way to a dub scene in the 1980s. Foundational groups, Ital Rockers and Iration Steppas, began performing at Shebeens at local venues like the Leeds West Indian Community Centre using their own DIY sound systems, before influencing the opening of rave clubs and organisations like Tribe and SubDub.[5]
Although formed in Harrogate in 1991, Utah Saints were based in Leeds, heavily influenced by the sound of the Prodigy.[9] Throughout the 1990s they had three top ten singles and another five in the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart.[10]
International DJs and producers like Paul Woolford, Ralph Lawson and Riley & Durrant have their studios in the city, alongside less well known DJs such as Bragguar and DJ Tango.
The earlier underground house scene developed into the Leeds club scene of the 1990s, when for a while Leeds held the title of Britain's clubbing capital. Both Back to Basics and mixed gay night Vague enjoyed the title of best club in Britain at different points in the decade, whilst The Orbit club in Morley was an internationally recognised techno mecca (Orbit closed in 2003 and was replaced by a restaurant).
In the 2000s, the city's University students began making music influenced by Ital Rockers and Iration Steppas, forming groups like Submotion Orchestra and Gentleman's Dub Club. The groups would often perform by putting on parties in their student houses in Woodhouse, Hyde Park and Burley, with sofas and beds place upright against the walls for soundproofing. Performances in fields and squats were also commonplace.[5]
Punk rock
Leeds post-punk band Gang of Four performing in 2014
In the late-1970s, Leeds was home to influential punk rock groups such as The Mekons, Gang of Four and Delta 5, who helped to shape the sound of post-punk.[11] The scene's genesis began when Andy Gill and Jon King received a funded trip to New York City in 1976. As art students, the trip happened so that the pair could study in the city's art galleries. However, while there, they became aware of the punk rock scene that had manifested itself around CBGB. After returning to Leeds, the Sex Pistols performed at Leeds Polytechnic in December. Soon after the pair formed Gang of Four. The formation of many other groups by local art students followed, for example the Mekons, Scritti Politti, the Three Johns, Girls at Our Best! and Delta 5. Pop act Soft Cell also emerged from this cohort.[12] The members of these bands often frequented the Fenton on Blenheim Terrace, with the most frequent venue being the F Club founded by John Keenan. Groups such as the Mekons rejected being labelled as "bands", instead likening themselves to an art project espousing Marxism–Leninist politics. These groups also subverted many gender norms within the British punk scene, by attempting to include women as much as possible. Former Mekons and Delta 5 member Julz Sale said in Music in Leeds vol.2 that no woman "ever felt unequal" in the scene. During this period, members of the scene often found themselves in physical altercations against fascists, neo-Nazis and members of the National Front, leading to Leeds playing host to many Rock Against Racism concerts.[5] In the '70s, Leeds also housed the two first openly Nazi punk bands the Dentists and the Ventz.[13]
In the late–2000s, a scene of hardcore punk bands manifested in the city with groups such as Mob Rules, Rot in Hell and Broken Arm. In an article for The Guardian, Mob Rules drummer Conor Rickford described the scene's nihilistic tendencies as being due to how "If you're living in Leeds you're not going to make music that says that the world is a wonderful place and the sun is always shining"[21]
In 2010, Eagulls formed in the city, influenced by the sound of earlier Leeds post-punk band, namely Gang of Four and the Mekons.[22]
Boom, a popular venue amongst Leeds' current hardcore punk scene
Liverpool hardcore punk Violent Reaction's relocation to Leeds in the early-2010s, led to the city becoming one of the main locations for the then-emerging New Wave of British Hardcore (NWOBHC) scene.[23] Merging elements of UK82 and oi! into the sound of hardcore, the NWOBHC continued to grow in the city, where groups like the Flex, Regiment, True Vision and Shrapnel became prominent practitioners.[24][25] The Temple of Boom (now called simply Boom) on Millwright Street quickly became the most prominent venue within this scene. Opened in 2011 by Voorhees members Ian "Lecky" Leck and Sean Walker, the venue began as a rehearsal studio, before beginning to put on performances after being pushed to by the members of the Flex.[26] Former Violent Reaction and Shrapnel member Jimmy Wizard formed Higher Power in 2014,[27][28] with his brother Alex, which eventually grew to include additional members Louis Hardy, Max Harper and Ethan Wilkinson.[29]Metal Hammer hailed the band as "the band redefining hardcore for a new generation", and are the second UK hardcore band to have signed to a major label, in the form of Roadrunner Records.[30] In 2016, Vice described Leeds bands like Rapture, Shrapnel, True Vision and Regiment as "the Second Coming of UK Straight Edge Hardcore".[25] Higher Power members Alex Wizard and Louis Hardy, Violent Reaction guitarist Tom "Razor" Hardwick and Rapture guitarist Maegan Brooks formed Big Cheese, who gained prominence in the late-2010s, along with groups like Scorned and Greed.[31]Outbreak Festival, which for much of its existence has been held at Canal Mills in Armley, is a key location for the hardcore scene, and most features local groups like Higher Power, as well as international groups like Code Orange, Turnstile and Vein.[32]
Gothic rock
Andrew Eldritch of Leeds gothic rock band the Sisters of Mercy performing in 2019
From the city's post-punk scene emerged a number of darker groups, who would come to define the sound of gothic rock, beginning in the 1980s. Leeds' gothic rock sound was distinct from the prior post-punk sounds both locally and nationally through its embrace of the traditional rock elements found in glam rock and the works of the Stooges and David Bowie, which were maligned in the post-punk scene at the time, as well as the embrace of drum machines.[35] The scene was primarily based around the F Club, which in Karl and Beverley Spracklen's book The Evolution of Goth Culture was described as the space "where gothic rock was born in the form it is now". The founding members of the Sisters of Mercy first met at the venue in 1980, playing their debut performance there.[36] The band proved massively influential, to the development of the genre, soon inspiring many other bands to take up a similar sound,[35] and eventually becoming, as described by Metal Hammer writer Dave Everley, one of the closest things to a godfather of the gothic rock genre.[37]Bradford goth band the March Violets, relocated to Leeds early on, due to its members' fascinations with groups like Gang of Four and the Mekons. While attending the University of Leeds, the band's vocalist Simon Denbigh, founded the Music for the Masses Society, beginning to book concerts and club nights throughout the city. Other groups like Southern Death Cult, The Danse Society, Salvation and Skeletal Family also formed in the area during this period.[36]
A number of additional venues began to become associated with the scene, namely the Faversham and Le Phonographique.[36] The Faversham is a pub on the University of Leeds campus, that became known by early fans for being frequented by the members of the goth and post-punk scenes.[38] In the Mission: Names Are for Tombstones, Baby, Jon Langford stated that "there was a joke about the Faversham Arms that you could draw a map around all the bands in their little corners in there".[39] Le Phonographique was a nightclub that became instrumental in the emergence of the earliest phases of the goth subculture, while it splintered from punk. According to Dazed it was the first ever goth club.[34]
In 1985, the Sisters of Mercy members Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams departed from the band.[40] The duo's subsequent band, also featuring Mick Brown drummer Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and Artery guitarist Simon Hinkler, made its live debut in 1986 under the name the Sisterhood.[41] However, that same year, the Sisters of Mercy vocalist Andrew Eldritch, released a single titled "Giving Ground", under the same name. Hussey and Adams subsequently renamed their group the Mission.[42]
Gothic club nights in Leeds continued to gain traction throughout the coming decades. For a period in the mid-2000s, the Wendy House club night at University of Leeds became the city's most frequented, however lost its popularity as the decade continued.[43] Since the mid-to-late 2010s, the Carpe Noctum club night and Gothic city festival have become some of the most notable goth events in the city.[44][45]
The Wedding Present formed in Leeds in 1985,[46] in 1992, they managed to match Elvis Presley's world record of having 12 UK top 40 singles in a single year.[47]
Cud formed in Leeds in 1987, their first recording was a 1987 Peel Session.[48] They went onto amass three top 40 singles.[49]
Leeds indie rock band the Bridewell Taxis formed in 1987, with their first performance being to a crowd of 600. Their 1990 single Honesty gained significant traction from publications such as NME, however its music video was eventually banned from MTV due to its depiction of the band members committing theft.[9]
The Outer Limits were a psychedelic pop group that formed in Leeds in the late-1960s. By 1969, the band had disbanded, leading to vocalist Jeff Christie forming Christie.[55] Their 1970s single Yellow River peaked at number 1 on the UK singles chart.[56]
West Yorkshire Playhouse (along with several other smaller venues) holds the annual Fuseleeds festival showcasing an eclectic mix of more left-field music.[citation needed]
Live at Leeds is an annual multi-venue festival that takes place each May. The first Live At Leeds event took place in May 2007 to coincide with the city's 800th birthday celebrations.[67]
Each May Leeds has the Slam Dunk festival, which is a festival that encompasses the genres of Emo, Pop-Punk, Ska-Punk and Rock.
The Pie Race festival started by Leeds Punk band ACiD DROP in 2010 takes place every November with underground Punk, Ska and Hardcore
In 2017, the first Hive Festival by Live in the Hive was held at Hyde Park Book Club.[68] In 2018, a follow-up festival in conjunction with Gateway Church was held, featuring a diverse range of acts who have all featured on Leeds' based Live in the Hive sessions.[69]
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.
The Duchess of York was situated at 71 Vicar Lane in the city centre of Leeds, arguably the busiest music venue 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/acts such as Nick Harper, U2, Nirvana, Oasis, Cud, Blur, Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, Green Day, Chumbawamba, Steve Marriott, 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, Stereophonics, The Wedding Present and many more.
The First Direct Arena (also known as the Leeds Arena) is a 13,500 capacity[71] entertainment focused arena located in the Arena Quarter hosting major international entertainment acts.
Wharf Chambers (formerly the Common Place) is a venue and worker cooperative located on Wharf Street that specialises in punk rock concerts. While called the Common Place, focused on radical left wing activism and anti-Capitalist politics and held free English lessons for refugees and asylum seekers.[78]
[Boom] (formerly the Temple of Boom) is a venue established in 2011 in Byron Street Mills, specialising in punk rock and heavy metal. It has three stages, a vegan cafe, ten rehearsal rooms, Declared Sound recording studio, a band hostel, a brewery, a wrestling ring and hosts the webstore for Southern Records.[26][79] It has hosted musicians such as Madball, Slowthai, Voivod, and Wormrot. In 2019, it was brought in parliament, being described as "an irreplaceable jewel in the crown of Leeds music and cultural scene", which gained it 26 signatures to avoid its possible eviction from the premises.[79] The venue began as a rehearsal in 2009, however soon after when the Flex inquired into whether they could perform there, leading to multiple stages and performance areas being built on the premises. The venue was also the filming location of an episode of DCI Banks.[26] In November 2020, the Music Venue Trust including it on its list of 30 venues facing permanent closure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[80]
The Bellgrave Music Hall is a music venue and eatery on Cross Bellgrave Street. Its first floor venue room has a capacity of 300 and has hosted performances from acts such as Royal Blood, the Fall and Jorja Smith.[81]
Chunk is a venue and worker cooperative specialising in punk rock and DIY culture. It also includes the feminist dance music venue Slut Drop.[78] Beginning as a rehearsal studio in 2013, on the former premises of 309 Studios, Chunk grew to include the record label Voice of Chunk and spaces for graphic design, photography and event promotion.[82]
Oporto is a bar and music venue specialising in indie rock, located on Call Lane[83] that has hosted acts such as Viola Beach, Dutch Uncles. Its Gaslight Club night hosted free performances from up and coming musicians.[81]
Goth is a subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. Post-punk artists who anticipated the gothic rock genre and helped develop and shape the subculture include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, the Cure and Joy Division.
Hardcore punk is a punk rock subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk scenes in San Francisco and Southern California which arose as a reaction against the still predominant hippie cultural climate of the time. It was also inspired by Washington, D.C., and New York punk rock and early proto-punk. Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism, the established music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock" and often addresses social and political topics with "confrontational, politically charged lyrics".
Anarcho-punk is an ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcore punk, folk punk, and other styles.
Gothic rock is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and the Cure.
Deathrock is a rock music subgenre incorporating horror elements and gothic theatrics. It emerged from punk rock on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1980s and overlaps with the gothic rock and horror punk genres. Notable deathrock acts include Christian Death, Kommunity FK, 45 Grave, and Super Heroines.
Chumbawamba was an English anarcho-punk band who formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the Brit Awards 1998. Other singles include "Amnesia", "Enough Is Enough", "Timebomb", "Top of the World ", and "Add Me". Their anarcho-communist political leanings led them to have an irreverent attitude toward authority, and to espouse a variety of political and social causes including animal rights and pacifism and later regarding class struggle, Marxism, feminism, and anti-fascism.
Moshing is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other. Taking place in an area called the mosh pit, it is typically performed to aggressive styles of live music such as punk rock and heavy metal.
The U.S. state of New Jersey is located in the Northeastern United States and is part of the Mid-Atlantic region.
Virginia's musical contribution to American culture has been diverse, and includes Piedmont blues, jazz, folk, brass, hip-hop, and rock and roll bands, as well as the founding origins of country music in the Bristol sessions by Appalachian Virginians.
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered by the Misfits in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Subsequent bands formed in the Misfits' wake like Mourning Noise, the Undead and Samhain, solidifying horror punk's first wave. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the genre gained attention through the reunion of the Misfits and success of groups like AFI, Son of Sam and the Murderdolls. This popularity continued to the modern day with Blitzkid, Calabrese and Creeper.
The Cockpit was a club and music venue in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Formerly the Cock of the North pub, the venue was located on Swinegate, close to Leeds station. It hosted small to medium-sized touring artists as well as occasional showcases for local acts. The venue's main room held 500, whilst the second room held 250, and the small upstairs room held 125.
An independent music scene is a localized independent music-oriented community of bands and their audiences. Local scenes can play a key role in musical history and lead to the development of influential genres; for example, no wave from New York City, United States; Madchester from Manchester, England; and grunge from Seattle.
The music of Cardiff has been dominated mainly by rock music since the early 1990s with later trends developing towards more extreme styles of the genre such as heavy metal and metalcore music. It, along with the nearby music scene in Newport, has brought a number of musicians to perform or begin their careers in South Wales.
The following is a list of bands and musicians from the North East and Yorkshire of England, by town or city. Those to have a number one single are shown in bold.
Rico Bell is a UK and California based artist and musician best known for his work as a member of the British punk rock band the Mekons which he joined in 1983. A singer and multi-instrumentalist with the Mekons, Bell has also released three well-received solo recordings with the Chicago-based alternative country label, Bloodshot Records: The Return of Rico Bell (1995), Dark Side of the Mersey (1999) and Been a Long Time (2002).
The F Club was a punk rock, post-punk and new wave club night in Leeds that ran between 1977 and 1982. Beginning as the Stars of Today in a common room in Leeds Polytechnic, it was held at various venues across the city during its tenure, which also included the Ace of Clubs and Roots. After moving to Brannigan's in 1978, it changed its name to the Fan Club.
Le Phonographique was a gothic nightclub located underneath the Merrion Centre in Leeds. Founded under the name the WigWam club, the venue's 1979 rebranding led to it becoming a location frequented by members of both the local post-punk and New Romantic scenes. Here, the two scenes collided and created the earliest phase of the goth subculture. It was the first goth club in the world, opening in 1979 and eventually closing in 2005. Disc jockeys at the club, such as Marc Almond, Anni Hogan and Claire Shearsby, would play gothic rock and dark wave music.
Hardcore punk in the United Kingdom began in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the second wave of punk rock in the country. The scene produced many successful and influential hardcore punk bands throughout the 1980s such as Discharge, GBH and the Exploited and led to the pioneering of genres such as grindcore, street punk, crust punk and D-beat.
Futurama Festival was an annual post-punk and gothic rock festival held at venues in Leeds, Stafford and Queensferry between 1979 and 1983. A sixth edition was held in 1989. It aimed for a relaunch in 2021 but, after being postponed, was forced to cancel as a result of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
1 2 Robb, John (23 March 2023). The Art of Darkness: The History Of Goth. Louder Than War Books. pp.345–346. This was a city where The Stooges, Suicide, glam and rock were celebrated instead of being sniffed at by UK post-punk where the very notion of 'rock' had been considered dead. The 'race against rockism' wa sparked by the NME and used to beat away any rock tendencies. Leeds, however, ignored the media memo... By the early eighties, nothing was left to be inspired by, that had not been ransacked, apart from rock. From the Leeds inner circle, rock's gonzo grind was a portal into an artier take on the dystopian noise. It's no coincidence Eldritch's nickname was Spiggy - a tongue-in-cheek Ziggy reference... This would, in turn, birth many bands who dressed distinctively in black, with winklepickers, long hair and leather, filtered with a knowing cool. Alongside these developments, nearly everyone began integrating drum machines into their trad rock.
1 2 3 Spracklen, Karl; Spracklen, Beverley. The Evolution of Goth Culture: The Origins and Deeds of the New Goths. p.46.
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