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.
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 ofBBC6 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.
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
Inside FaceGym – Leeds’ newest facial fitness studio loved by celebrities
We hope you're ready for your workout, because FaceGym has landed in Leeds.
You may be wondering...what on earth is Facegym? And to be fair, you've got a point.
FaceGym, as they themselves describe it, a 'non-invasive fitness studio concept for the face' using high-intensity facial massage, hand manipulation, and electrical muscle stimulation technology to tone, lift, and sculpt the face without surgery.
Sounds pretty fancy if you ask us, and it feels just as fancy from the moment you step through the door.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Unsurprisingly, it's loved by celebrities worldwide who are looking to get snatched and ditch their gua sha.
Currently occupying five standalone stores in London, one in Cambridge as well as a pop-up in Space NK in Selfridges Manchester, FaceGym will be opening this Friday 18 September inside the coveted Victoria Gate, taking over a 1,772 square foot studio.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The space really does look like a gym, ditching the standard beauty salon aesthetic for an American-style gym interior complete with the iconic red FaceGym balls all over the place.
A signature sculpt costs £110 for a 45 minute treatment, so it's definitely a treat if you're looking to have skin that can reflect the sun and cheekbones for days.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Angelo Castello, chief executive at Facegym, said: “We’re incredibly excited to bring Facegym to Leeds and to open in the beautiful Victoria Gate. The city has a thriving beauty, wellness, and retail scene, making it the perfect location for our next studio.
“We’ve seen growing demand from customers across Yorkshire, and we can’t wait to introduce even more people to the benefits of facial fitness.”
You can find out more and book a treatment at FaceGym via their website here.
Audio North’s Artist of the Month – Kenzo Jae | September 2026
Thomas Melia
Kenzo Jae is a creative who wants to put Bradford on the music map through his alternative-rap tracksand now he's Audio North's Artist of the Month.
This multi-tasking mastermind doesn't only record his own music, he's also a digital illustrator and graphic designer - Oh, and he even directs his own music videos (Leave some talent for the rest of us - We're begging).
Embarking on The Sloth Tour with three UK based dates in Manchester, Leeds and London throughout October, where Kenzo Jae will be playing out hits like 'Softly', 'Chicken Bagel', 'End of the World' and more.
This storytelling songwriter now sits down with Audio North to chat all things Artist of the Month and share a little more insight into his music career so far.
Audio North's Artist of the Month - Kenzo Jae | Interview
How much does being from Bradford influence the music you release?
All aspects of my personality have been influenced by Bradford, and I’m never more myself than when I’m writing. So lyrically Bradford has had a big impact.
What’s it like being an artist from Bradford?
At first it felt like something I had to hide. Now it’s something I wear as a badge. There’s not many of us in the grand scheme of things. It’s a niche club and I love that. The underdogs.
What northern artists are you loving at the minute?
If you could describe your artistry in three words what would they be and why?
Honest - I try not to hide behind anything in my music even when it’s critical of myself. If something has happened to me or I’m feeling something, I’d rather put it into a song exactly as it is. Might take me a few years but once it’s in the song I can get over it
Colourful - The vision of the world of my music to me feels saturated and bright. the occasional darkness but for the most part.
Arrogant - I think it takes a level of arrogant to do and say certain things in my music. Even to do the visual aspects too painting myself pink, wearing a sloth hat etc Takes an arrogance to think yeah I can put myself in such a weird position and believe it’s going to work
You’ve already amassed over 100k streams on SLOTH - How are you feeling about its reception so far?
It’s been great to see that people have really resonated with the story and the arc I have been on. I want to push it further and hope it reaches everyone that needs it
How fulfilling is it for you to release the SLOTH mixtape, a title you’ve held onto since you were 16?
The most cathartic feeling. Especially when it’s you know you’ve made it exactly the way I intended. It’s also a learning curve for things I will do differently for the next one.
You posted a reel describing how you spent two weeks animating a music video for yourself- How important is being hands-on in all aspects of your music career?
I’m a control freak. And if something is in my head, it’s a lot easier to do it myself. Don’t get me wrong , I work with a lot of hard working talented people that I can now trust and delegate work to. But on this instant, I love animation and I find the most enjoyment in editing visuals
Since you have a track titled ‘Chicken Bagel’, where are some of your favourite brunch or general food spots in West Yorkshire?
I grew up on chicken shops and Salah's is the goat. In terms of restaurants, Classic Persian is the best for me.
You’re not afraid of risk-taking and standing out, even going as far as painting yourself pink for one of your visuals - what advice would you give to any emerging artists who want to be as confident as you?
You have to be willing to embarrass yourself. The stuff that feels slightly uncomfortable, is usually the stuff that people remember.
And confidence doesn’t necessarily mean thinking you’re amazing. Sometimes it’s just being willing to say, “I don’t care if this is weird, I like it.”
It’s also it’s just more fun to feel like your outside of the box
Georgina Pellant -
6th December 2022 
