Liked the layout and the Courtyard Theatre I saw my play in was great.read more

The West Yorkshire Playhouse is a multi venue hot spot for the creative arts, situated, quite…read moreproudly in good ole Leeds. Coming up for its 20th year anniversary, the WYP has plenty to be proud about; two theatres, The Quarry and The Courtyard, a gallery, a workshop venue, a bar, a restaurant, and a costume hire department. Wow. Impressive or what. It really is a nice modern space inside, and the minute you approach the doors you are greeted by very welcoming staff that don't do the saccharine over the top type greetings, but more inform you of what is happening, what's open and if you're interested what's going on right now and what's to come. Sitting in stark comparison to the Leeds Grand, the West Yorkshire Playhouse is a lovely alternative to the traditional theatre venues without being so anti-tradition that the concept and enjoyment of the theatre is ruined. Technical wise it's a good sound venue, acoustics are grand, viewing is good, legroom isn't as snug as some venues are, which is always a plus point. Also, for all of you budding theatre goers under the age of 26, West Yorkshire Playhouse is a part of the A Night Less Ordinary scheme, whereby companies who are signed up offer free tickets on select shows for free. How awesome.

Hands down the best experience of a cinema yet. If you're not a fan of your average multiplex, then…read morethis upmarket setup should be right up your street. Everything from having comfy sofa's to sit on to the more mature food/drink on offer made the whole experience great.

So very surprised in how good the food was. How do you make…read morecarbonara more interesting? You add spice. And wow it was nice. Another thing, I need to find out where they get their bacon. So smokey it was amazing. Pizza was good too with nice base and excellent ingredients. All in all the food was brilliant. Now onto the film...

What's your West Indian Centre like? I only know mine on the basis of Sub Dub - a monthly dubstep…read morenight, held there because it's big, friendly and - probably - rather cheap to rent for an evening of bass-based fun. You get me? It's not just Sub Dub which is hosted by the WIC. The likes of Riff Raff and the notorious night Cabbage have all called the West Indian Centre home before. I'm not sure what it is about the place that makes it so special, it just is. The way the bass vibrates your rib cage like it does no where else. Going here for a night out is a different experience but one you'll always remember, that I've no doubt. It's as close to an old school rave as you'll get, trust me. Of course, by day, this is a community centre. If you're after a review of that, then isn't it.

The West Indian Community Centre has got to be the coolest community centre in the land because as…read morefar as I know it is place for indoor raving at the weekends. The first few years I lived in Leeds I never knew where it was, arriving and departing in a taxi and being transported somewhere that was not in either Headingley or the city centre. One Summer someone suggested we walked to SubDub as the night remained light for longer. And then I realised it was more than a small warehouse and lay in the West Indian community of Chapel Town - hence the Dub night we religiously flocked to once a month. Back in the day it was much less than a tenner to get in and at some point in the evening there was a bit of elbow room to dance. These days it costs a lot more but still the Irration Steppas boys boom their dub beats out. Be sure to take your earplugs as last time I went I had a ringing in my ears for days. This venue has plenty of other nights - psychedelic trance, drum-n-bass, hard house - that are usually on once a month or a few times a year. I'd rather go here than any club in town on a weekend. The vibe is an alternative one and sometimes they sell curry and chips in the venue!

My favourite music venue in Leeds. Need I say more? As a hopefully esteemed Yelp scout, I guess I…read moreshould. The Brudenell is a small, intimate venue that has played host to some of the city, county and country's greatest bands. It was where Leeds favourites The Cribs chose to host Cribsmas, a special three-gig event where they played each of their albums in full with b-sides forming the encore. The support acts - Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand and Kate Nash - sum up the attraction and character that the Headingley venue boasts. A number of bands - including the Kaisers - have lent their support to the Brudenell, which very nearly closed a few years ago. Thankfully it didn't and it remains one of the most charismatic concert halls that Leeds has to offer, hosting breaking acts including the likes of Girls (go listen) and Johnny Flynn (same again) in the next couple of months. For full listings, go to brudenellsocialclub.co.uk. In the meantime, just pop in for a pint. They always taste nice at the Brudenell.

The best sound system in Leeds. I love live music and constantly get frustrated by the poor sound…read morein almost every venue I go to. I saw Wooden Shjips here in April 2010 and it was fantastic. What's more, despite being sold out, it wasn't over-crowded, the bar staff were efficient and prices were reasonable. Plus there is another bar so you can get away from the loud music if you want to. There's also a cab firm close by so it's not too hard to get home. Highly recommended! Updated Just to add a few further words of praise. This venue consistently stands out as the best I know of in the UK. As other reviewers have said all the people who work here are really friendly and are a lot of fun. I've never seen any trouble inside and it made me realise that I've never seen a bouncer in there either although I'm sure they know how to cope if things do get heated. At the end of the headline band's set there is no hassle to leave like so many paces (O2 Academy, Cockpit). If you fancy another drink they are relaxed and that's cool. What a refreshing attitude. I've seen so many bands here and it's easily my favourite venue anywhere - so many great memories! The thing that says it all is that if I am hesitant about seeing a band but then discover they are playing at the Brudenell my mind is immediately made up and I go. Wish it was within walking distance of my house!

I had a wonderful time at this club. A mixed crowd of all. The music was amazing. It has a lot of…read morewood so the sound was actually great. They don't serve food as far as I know. The night I was there it had DJ's, but I believe they have live music too on other nights. The area is filled with other great spots and restaurants. So you could grab a bite elsewhere and then head here to dance the night away.

Have you got the funk? If you're a smooth mover, then get your dancing shoes on and prepare to…read morestrut your stuff... If you can find a small haven of space on a Saturday night, that is. Yes, HiFi -it's one of my favourite places to bust out my best grooves. (I'm not suggesting they're good, but I'm sure they're a spectacle.) I'd not been back for some time, so when the opportunity arose this weekend, I couldn't turn it down. As I was arriving, some of my friends had left, and in some respects I can see why. It was absolutely heaving, and of course the music was incredibly loud, as standard. It's difficult, as I was certainly getting the rage whilst trying to make my way to the toilets, or the bar -it's one thing for a venue to be heaving (this is fine, and can elevate the fun), but it's entirely another when you're battered and shoved beyond belief. Perhaps it was because it was so late, and so folk were drunk, but there were rather a lot of pushy people and manners had almost entirely left the building. It costs nothing to say 'excuse me'! Anyway, rant over. That being said, once I managed to wade to the bar, things got a lot better. The chap who served me was lovely and friendly, and beer in hand, I managed to find a spot with my comrades where we could dance with abandon. Top tip - the steps by the stage seemed to be the most spacious throughout the evening! And that brings me to the music. It's always utterly fantastic - for all the funk, soul and reggae that you could want, this is the place to come. I've not danced for a solid few hours in quite a while, and can absolutely say that it was fantastic, and in spite of the crowds I'm hoping to come back again soon. Drinks wise, I didn't really check out all the options, but there's a fairly decent range to suit most tastes. Price wise it was £4 in at about 1am, perhaps more earlier on, and the drinks are standard -expect to pay about £3+ per drink. I agree with Ben, the door staff are quite the jobsworths, though this keeps out the riff raff, for which I'm grateful! (And, they are friendly, don't get me wrong.) The toilets were in a bit of a poor state, but having been in much worse, it's not all that bad. Essentially, the biggest draw is of course the fantastic DJs, live music and comedy at their other regular events, friendly staff and having a right old dance. Highly recommended for a proper night of fun. Just be patient with the crowds!

On a jolly jaunt about town with a chum, we decided to check out the Leeds Art Gallery after a good…read moreluncheon. I'd gotten my galleries confuddled, and had hoped to catch the Back To Basics display, but of course they weren't in the official gallery. (What a plum!) For that you'll have to get over to Munro house, as I intend to at some point. But, what we did find, was a fantastic display of work. The Hume sculptures are lots of fun, for some reason reminding me of Silent Hill a little, but then I'm that way inclined. As soon as we ascended upstairs we were met by a delightfully creepy old lady, painted almost green, very reminiscent of the typical vision of an old wise woman. She was looking up to the skies in an unending groan, perhaps bemoaning her creaking joints -her hand was pretty gnarly, and perhaps arthritic. Any way, I'm writing this rather tongue in cheek, but it is a fantastic image. Upstairs there's plenty of different mediums to take in, as well as the wonderfully structured library. I can't describe all the paintings, sketches and sculptures we saw as the instant I took a photograph (for posterity) I was asked to kindly desist. You're not allowed to take pictures! Having to commit everything to memory is almost defunct with one such as myself -apparently I have very poor skills at this. Even so, I can remember the overwhelming feeling of enjoyment and intrigue, and that my particular favourite image was called 'A children that has gone to cheese' by Sam Haile. Check it out. Downstairs I hadn't prepared to enjoy the pre 1900 section quite so much. My tastes usually extend to Surrealism, but the Pre-Raphaelite (forgive me if this is wrong) and Realism exhibition is really breathtaking. Don't get me wrong -the subject matter was not always of interest. I'm not religious, so the dainty Jesus wasn't to my taste. However, the landscape images were simply incredible-get right in there and take in the brush technique, and the stand back and let your eyes soak it in. Wow. What at once appears such a hapless dash of pain somehow becomes the most precise bit of foliage. There's also a truly awesome image of some kind of revolution/civil war. We took a stab, and guessed that they might be British soldiers. The striking thing is that it doesn't appear to be a war-positive picture - ususally images of that time show proud soldiers, and come across very patriotic, in my experience. Not so here. We discussed this terrifying still of horses, in the moment of rapidly approaching the viewer, and decided that it must have been created from the imagination. (As you'd be trampled were you right there at that point.) We then realised that the entire picture was quite intimidating. Firstly, the motion: horses at full pelt, almost above you, coming directly your way without falter. The soldiers looked manic, severe, and certainly not proud, or triumphant. Just determined. Then we noticed that the title was something to do with the Scottish revolution - and these soldiers were in red. Surely it's an image of some pitiless English demons, ready to rake the ground of Scottish soil? Who knows! We might be way off. We might have gotten carried away. But, isn't that the point of art? The joy must be in the discussion and intrigue, as much as the skill and still image itself. And whether or not we've gotten this painting utterly wrong, the vision of those towering horses and implacable men shall stay with me. So much movement! I'm going to have to go back and see them before me once again. So, go take a look. If you've an opinion, let me know...

I discovered Leeds art gallery when looking for a venue for a photo shoot and was surprised at the…read moreamount of contemporary work there. In smaller cities classical pieces tend to to over shadow modern art but Leeds art gallery makes use of a small space at the front for more eccentric modern work! I can't say I understood the event that was on at the time and was apparently using space and isolation as a theme. Despite my lack of knowledge I enjoyed walking around very much and it made a beautiful setting for photos. The gallery however has more timely pieces of renaissance art and more classical works. The museum is free and makes a lovely change from the hoards of crowds running in and out of Topshop and Harvey Nickles like shopping maniacs! The aura is calm and and relaxed. The gallery is small compared to those in cities such as Manchester and Birmingham however has recently been renovated with marble floors and large white walls. There is no fee to see some beautiful works so pop in for a break from your winter shopping! The cafe isn't half bad either if you want a sophisticated cup of coffee a little away from the main shopping streets,

I adore this cinema, it's vintage and old fashioned theme is just timeless! We have visited here on…read moreso many occasions and every time I love it that bit more. The price is sooo good! As you know most cinemas can be very pricey, however here it isn't at all. Being a one screened cinema it's never overly busy either. The old time tickets are just amazing too!

I used to go here as a child, but, because of the fact it only has one screen and doesn't always…read morechoose to show stuff that takes my fancy, I only go about once a year now (and it's always for Harry Potter). Despite this, the Cottage Road is still my favourite cinema in Leeds, even if going there does make you feel older than you actually are. To my knowledge the setup is the same as it was twenty years ago - one screen that's a bit crackly, a vague arc of slightly stained red-velvet chairs, and occasionally an interval in which ice-cream is offered to customers. Essentially, the Cottage Road maintains a balance between a traditional stage theatre and a cinema, and, to anyone sick of the multi-screen complexes where popcorn and a ticket costs you more than a tenner, the Cottage Road will be a breath of fresh (not literally, 'cause it has that great musty old smell about it) air.

Established by an ex-student of Leeds. Pairing up the unused spaces in the Merrion Centre and lack…read moreof space for emerging artist to display their work this space here holds workshops, artist bookshop as well as exhibitions. Volunteers are wanted to help run this not-for-profit organisation so if this space intrigues you perhaps you should go along.

You may not have even heard of theartmarket. If you are interested in all things artistic and…read morecontemporary look into it. Showcasing the best in Leeds artistic tallent, as well as playing host to exciting number of names from overseas and from around the country, theartmarket is tucked away in the back markety space of the Merion Centre. Many people don't even know if exists, so next time you're in there, try and explore the back corridors of the Centre. It is a redundant space, so a couple of ex-art students from this city decided to do something with it. they have recently received funding from the Arts Council, and good for them! It's an exciting space, and it's easy to get involved. Whether you're interested in exhibiting or volunteering, you should get in touch with them. Details as shown on their website.