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Belgrave Music Hall to celebrate 10th Birthday with intimate Loyle Carner residency

The London rapper will be taking on a residency as part of the venue's year long celebrations

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 6th December 2022

Iconic Leeds bar and venue Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen has announced plans to mark its 10th birthday with a full year-long celebration of events, including an intimate residency from critically acclaimed British MC Loyle Carner.

Alongside a host of one-off gigs, massive giveaways, food, collaborations with venue friends & partners and the return of some old favourites, Belgrave has revealed that Carner will be taking up residency in the Music Hall for two nights of live music over the 25 and 26 of March.

Collaborators for a number of years, the venue and their promoters have worked with Carner in Leeds from early shows in their 150-capacity Headrow House venue in 2015, right up to a sold-out 02 Academy Show.

Now, they've announced they'll be bringing him back to Belgrave for two special underplay shows with tickets set to go on sale via ballot to manage demand.

Founded in 2013 by Leeds live music veterans Si Stevens (The Cockpit, Constellations), Ash Kollakowski (The Faversham, Nation of Shopkeepers) and their Beacons Festival partner Dan Crouch, Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen now finds itself at the heart of the city’s creative community and a blueprint for what a modern venue should be. 

With a drive to bring under-represented arts and culture to the city centre, the team leapt at the chance to breathe life back into a sprawling, disused snooker hall and, by pooling their collective creative expertise, transformed it into a permanent showcase for the very best in music, cinema, art and food. 

Image: Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen

Almost a decade later, this vision still resounds; the venue’s exciting roster of resident DJs play in the Canteen seven days a week whilst the ornate, three hundred capacity Music Hall has hosted an incredible array of artists from Royal Blood and Jorja Smith to Stormzy and The Fall. 

The tenth birthday celebrations will kick off with a massive free New Years' Eve bash with DJ’s playing hits from the last decade, throughout the rest of the year Belgrave will be hosting an exciting series of events and collaborations to kick off their 10th anniversary celebrations.

The Belgrave has also announced that like-minded Leeds institutions Jumbo Records, Crash Records, Leeds International Festival of Ideas, Thought Bubble Festival, Leeds International Film Festival and Welcome Skate Store will all be taking over the venue and collaborating on events among many others.

Image: Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen

Elsewhere, events from DIY synth festival Modular Meets and Leeds 2023 will provide a platform for new sounds and ideas and an exciting series of food collaborations will keep everyone very well-fed.

After all, alongside this rich musical history, the Belgrave is just as renowned for its culinary offerings as its audio.

The monthly Belgrave Feast is the longest-running street food festival in the UK and the resident kitchens, once home to Leeds legends Layne’s Espresso, Bundobust, Fish & and Manjit’s Kitchen, now house Dough Boys, a Yorkshire take on the New York style slice bar that has been featured in The Telegraph, The Guardian and on Buzzfeed; as well as Patty’s, the beloved burger bar serving up fresh, homemade patties alongside their famous session fries.

Read more: This energy supplier is giving customers free electric blankets and thermostats this winter

Image: Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen

Deeply embedded in the cultural offerings of the city, Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen regularly takes part in key cultural events such as Leeds International Film Festival, Yorkshire-wide comic art extravaganza Thought Bubble Festival, Live At Leeds and Leeds Indie Food.

The venue has also offered space and support for thousands of events since opening its doors, partnering with the likes of BBC6 Music, Channel 4, MTV, Vice, Festival Republic, Leeds City Council and Greenpeace, to name just a few.

Image: Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen

With plenty more party pieces to come, including the illuminating ‘Stories of Belgrave’ project and giving customers a chance to win a holiday as part of a number of huge giveaways throughout the year, The Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen is celebrating ten years as a beacon of creativity, culture and community in the best way possible, by kicking off the next decade in a similar style.

Read more: Hyde Park Picture House confirms it will be reopening in 2023

Belgrave Music Hall Co-founder Simon Stevens said: “I’m really not sure what we expected when we first opened in 2013 but it’s amazing to be making plans for our 10th anniversary year.

"I think it was more good luck than good judgement but the city definitely felt ready for change in 2013 and we’re incredibly appreciative to all the people that helped make it possible.”

Feature image - Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen

News

Leeds speakeasy crowned one of the best cocktail bars in the world by industry experts

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

The beloved Domino Club is receiving its flowers, and rightly so.

Rapidly becoming one of the industry’s most respected accolade of excellence, The Pinnacle Guide is a worldwide ranking of the best bars across the globe.

Based on a thorough self-application process, rigorous assessment modules, followed by a series of spot check interviews and anonymous in-bar reviews, it's no easy feat to get a spot on this list.

Which is why it makes The Domino Club's achievement all that more impressive.

Known amongst locals and visitors alike as basically one of the coolest bars in town, the hidden speakeasy invites you through a barbershop in the Grand Arcade where downstairs you'll find a dimly lit jazz and cocktail bar oozing sex appeal.

Not only are the cocktails exceptional, but their live music listings is something to behold playing everything from jazz and funk to cabaret and disco every Wednesday - Sunday.

Announcing the news to Instagram, The Domino said: "Listed by The Pinnacle Guide. The Domino Club has been recognised on the global list of the world’s best bars.

"What began as a hidden basement bar in Leeds, built around live music, cocktails and atmosphere, is now being recognised alongside some of the finest bars in the world.

"A huge thank you to our team, musicians, suppliers and every single guest who has supported us over the years. This means a lot. Leeds belongs on the world cocktail map."

We absolutely could not agree more and if you haven't ventured behind the barbershop and discovered the magical Domino Club, then we very much recommend you do.

Read more:

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

News

2:22 A Ghost Story at Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House: When silence becomes the scare 

Declan Kelly Declan Kelly

The supernatural thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story arrived at Leeds Grand Theatre as part of its UK tour, bringing Danny Robins’s hit production to a packed audience.

Since its West End debut in 2021, the play has become known less as a straight horror and more as a gripping psychological debate wrapped in a ghost story.

At the centre of the story is one key question: do ghosts actually exist? Set during a dinner party between two couples, the drama unfolds as Jenny becomes increasingly convinced their home is haunted, claiming she hears strange noises every night at exactly 2:22am.

Her husband Sam dismisses her fears as irrational, while friends Lauren and Ben challenge both sides, turning the evening into a lively clash of belief and scepticism. What begins as a conversation gradually becomes something far more tense, as personal fears and buried tensions rise to the surface.

Image: Supplied

Rather than relying on traditional horror, the production focuses on atmosphere and psychological tension. The script builds unease through sharp dialogue, awkward silences and shifting power dynamics between the characters. Instead of delivering constant shocks, it keeps the audience questioning what is real and what might simply be a coincidence or imagination.

That said, the play does use theatrical jump scares effectively. Sudden loud noises, abrupt lighting changes and eerie sound cues interrupt the dialogue at key moments, creating jolts of tension without ever fully tipping into outright horror. These moments are brief but impactful, designed more to unsettle than to terrify.

Image: Supplied

The cast works strongly together to maintain this balance. Shvorne Marks brings emotional intensity to Jenny’s growing fear, while James Bye plays Sam with grounded scepticism that slowly begins to crack. Natalie Casey adds sharp humour and bite as Lauren, and Grant Kilburn provides openness and curiosity as Ben, keeping the debate lively and unpredictable.

The production design is another standout element. The modern, stylish home feels realistic and lived-in, but subtly shifts in tone as the story progresses. Careful lighting and precise sound design ensure the space never feels entirely safe, even in silence, reinforcing the idea that something might be just out of sight.

Image: Supplied

As the final moments unfold, the play returns to its central idea: the waiting. The quiet anticipation of night, the smallest unexplained sounds, and the creeping awareness of time passing.

Ultimately, 2:22 A Ghost Story succeeds because it is not really trying to scare its audience traditionally. Instead, it plays with uncertainty, asking viewers to decide what they believe and how far they trust their own senses. And let’s be honest, you might find yourself thinking what might happen if you were still awake when the clock strikes 2:22.

Running until 16 May at the Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House - tickets available here.

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Featured image - Supplied

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