Having played host to legendary club nights for over 40 years, iconic club space The Warehouse has now revealed it will start hosting gigs too.
Over the years, The Warehouse has welcomed some of the most iconic bands and DJs to the city, including heavy hitters like The Sugar Hill Gang, Stone Roses, Oasis, Greg Wilson, Mike Pickering and Fat Boy Slim.
It's become known over the years as a great clubbing venue, hosting legendary nights like SpeedQueen and Kaos - but it initially began life as a live music venue.
The new loft space at The Warehouse / Image: The Warehouse
Now, it's come full circle: launching a new format that will see the celebrated house music venue welcome live performances in the early evenings.
A new format will see The Warehouse host live gig performances up until 10pm, then switch over to club nights as the evening turns into the early hours of the morning.
The club and gig space has already sold out its opening week parties and is bringing some huge names to Leeds, including Annie Mac, Alan Fizpartick and Richy Ahemd, Black Grape, Goldie Lookin Chain and Versatile as part of its relaunch.
The main room at The Warehouse is well set up for live gigs / Image: The Warehouse
Speaking on the decision to switch things up at The Warehouse, co-owner Will Habergham explained that they feel the pandemic has very much shifted the focus of the nightlife scene into a new direction.
"Post-COVID nightlife and venues have had to adapt. We have had to take a new direction. Traditional nightclubs have had to diversify to survive, essentially offering a flexible space that can accommodate all sorts of events", said Will.
"In the conventional sense, nightclubs are no longer what they used to be, and unfortunately, many venues have been forced to close due to the pandemic.
The Warehouse team have worked really hard throughout the pandemic to get the club ready for reopening / Image: The Warehouse
"There has definitely been a move towards bar culture and nightlife, as we know it, has changed.
"Whilst there is still a place for nightclubs, we think nightlife will be more event and experience-led, and due to the pandemic, for some students, it will be the first time they have ever even experienced a nightclub!"
Co-owner and live events organiser at The Warehouse , Dan Ickowitz-Seidler, continued:
"We were keen to restore the legacy of The Warehouse as a fantastic live music venue as well as one of Leeds' most legendary nightclubs."
"We can't wait for people to see what we've done. We think there will be so much pent-up demand for live music and events after over a year without any.
"While events have attempted to go online during the pandemic, I think it's really made us all realise you just can't beat the experience and feeling of being in the room and witnessing an event in person.
"We're excited to get people back into our venue and witnessing some legendary events."
The Warehouse returns at one minute past midnight on July 19 with its first "Freedom Rave".
Find it at 19-21 Somers Street, Leeds, LS1 2RG.
News
Permission granted for new ‘Corn Exchange Pavilion’ to be built in Leeds city centre
The green light has been given for a brand-new pavilion to be built outside the Corn Exchange in Leeds city centre.
Yesterday, Tuesday 31 March, the planning committee of Leeds City Council officially gave the green light to plans submitted by CX Leeds Ltd.
These include plans to build a pavilion outside the Corn Exchange, one of Leeds' most iconic city centre landmarks.
The new building will go where that rather underwhelming patch of astroturf currently lays, in front of the Cornucopia mural and next to the bus shelter.
It lies between New Market Street and Crown Street.
DEN Architecture state that the materials selected will create an intriguing single-storey structure that compliments the surrounding area.
They stated: “The scale of the building and roof form of the proposal pays tribute to the previous tram and bus shelters that once occupied the site.
"While retaining the appropriately subservient nature of any new building in close proximity to the Corn Exchange. This will also provide greater visibility of the Cornucopia Mural.
“The building has been designed following extensive and thorough analysis, with a clear understanding of the built environment and the area’s historic significance.”
It's not yet been decided upon what the building's use will be, although Leeds city council suggests it could be used for "outdoor functions, shops and cafes".
When first put forward to the council back in December 2024, the plans were met with three objections from the public.
So, what would you like to see go into this new space?
A boutique house and disco music festival is coming to the grounds of Harewood House this summer
Clementine Hall
After welcoming around 4,500 attendees in its first year, the intimate house and disco festival is coming back.
Goodlife, held in the beautiful grounds of Harewood House, has fast established itself as one of the region’s most exciting new music events.
After its huge success last year, Goodlife will be back this year even bigger and better than before with a capacity ready to welcome 12,000 festival-goers.
The festival will take place on Saturday 6 June, and the lineup is already stacked.
The Main Stage will host an incredible line up of house music heavyweights including Armand Van Helden, Groove Armada, Alison Limerick, Roger Sanchez and Inner City (Live).
The Downtown Disco Stage will once again bring its signature blend of soulful house to the fields of Harewood House with artists announced including The Shapeshifters, Craig Charles, Michael Gray and Ian Ossia.
This year sees a brand-new stage being thrown into the mix called The Goodlife Tavern that will celebrate Yorkshire’s thriving DJ scene, showcasing local artists and shining a spotlight on regional talent.
Artists performing at The Goodlife Tavern will include Darren Cross, Smudged Soul, Alex Malam, Emiiyuu, Kavita, PJ Gardner and Lee Wright.
Liam Hardy, co-founder of New Vision Events, said: "The response to Goodlife’s first year was incredible and we’ve been stunned by the extremely high demand for tickets for this years’ event so far. We always believed there was room for a dedicated house and disco festival in the region, but the atmosphere and support from the crowd last year completely exceeded our expectations.
“For 2026 we wanted to take things up a notch and create something even better. Introducing a third stage allows us to bring more artists to the festival and showcase some amazing local talent, while the increased capacity means even more people can enjoy the Goodlife experience."
Goodlife Festival takes place on Saturday 6 June and you can buy your tickets here.
Georgina Pellant -
16th July 2021 
