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
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Independent Leeds coffee shop crowned one of the UK’s best for 2026
A list of the UK's best independent coffee shops for 2026 has been released, and one in Leeds has come up trumps.
The coffee shop in question may come as no surprise to some of you, as some would say that after 15 years in the city it's become somewhat of an institution.
Of course it's none other than Laynes.
Founded in 2011 by Dave Olejnik, Laynes began life on New Station Street and quickly became one of the first venues in Leeds to focus on carefully sourced and roasted coffee beans, helping lead the way for the city's now-thriving independent coffee scene.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
It's a proper Leeds staple at this point, sat proudly with its glowing yellow exterior and queues out the door full of punters looking for their morning caffeine fix.
But it's not just us who think it's flipping fantastic, as a new study has revealed the top 10 most popular independent coffee shops in the country and Laynes comes in at a very respectable number 8.
The list, made by Capital on Tap, analysed coffee across the UK looking at Google reviews, monthly searches and social media success.
Laynes was in some pretty good company including Idle Hands in Manchester and Kaf Coffee in Glasgow. But most importantly, none of the top 10 were in London - make of that what you will.
The top 10 most popular independent coffee shops for 2026:
Neighbourhood Café, Belfast
Colonna & Small’s, Bath
Established Coffee, Belfast
Hard Lines Coffee, Cardiff
Rough Handmade, Liverpool
Idle Hands Coffee, Manchester
Full Court Press, Bristol
Laynes Espresso, Leeds
Kaf Coffee, Glasgow
Dom’s Coffee, Cambridge
Bravo Laynes, a well earned accolade for one of our favourite spots in the city.
Everything you need to know about watching the solar eclipse in Leeds
Emily Sergeant
People all across the UK will be able to see an almost total solar eclipse in the sky this evening.
For the first time this century, with the last one being all the way back in 1999, people in the UK and Ireland – including here in Leeds – will get to see 90-96% of the sun covered by the moon today (12 August 2026), and if that wasn’t exciting enough as it is, this will be the last chance to do so until 2081.
NASA and Royal Museums Greenwich has confirmed that tomorrow’s solar eclipse will be the most coverage seen from the UK and Ireland since the 1999 event.
But what can astronomy fans in Leeds expect from today’s eclipse? When will it be happening? How much coverage is our region going to see? And where are some of the best places to watch?
First up, let’s get the basics out the way – what is a solar eclipse? A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the Earth, blocking the sun’s light either partly or fully.
Although the UK will only see a partial solar eclipse this time, some other countries – such as parts of Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Greenland – will be lucky enough to witness the spectacle of a total eclipse for a duration of up to two minutes and 18 seconds.
When will it be happening?
The eclipse is set to start at 6:13pm in Greater Manchester, and will run right through to 8:03pm – with the peak happening at 7:10pm.
How much coverage can Greater Leeds expect?
Of course, we always have to preface anything we say about astronomical events like this by saying ‘it depends on the weather’, as we do like in the north after all, and even though it is the height of summer, that won’t stop the skies from being overcast.
Luckily though, the Met Office is predicting some of the best weather conditions for an event like this in a long time, so it really is worth watching.
Spectators in Leeds will see 90 - 92% coverage, according to expert sources.
How can I watch the eclipse safely?
If there’s one thing experts are stressing, it’s the need to take correct precautions if you are planning to watch tomorrow.
The most important thing is to wear eclipse glasses and avoid looking directly at the sun.
It’s true that during an eclipse, the sun does appears dimmer therefore making it easier to look at directly, however solar radiation can still reach and damage the retina, often without causing any pain, so you may not realise harm is occurring until it’s too late.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises that there are two safe approaches – specialist eclipse viewers, or indirect viewing methods.
Eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers must be genuine, sold by a reputable retailer, and have specially designed filters that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E). They must also have no scratches, tearing, or damage to the lens.
Old pairs may not be reusable, and sunglasses should never be used.
Indirect view methods include viewing the sun’s image projected through a colander or the gaps between tree leaves on to white paper, or using a pinhole pierced in one sheet of card and projected on to another.
Georgina Pellant -
6th December 2022 
