Leeds Met Students Union

I came into the Leeds Met bar recently to take advantage of their Petcha Kutcha night, and realised that it was a little odd to have only visited this bar as a post-​grad. I certainly began to feel my age as my eyes meandered over the grubby posters advertising vodka-​style-​nights, tatty furniture and patchy worn walls. This is student town for sure. I quickly realised that (obviously) the patrons, and even bar staff, within were all many years my junior and this left myself and my friends in a bit of a quandry.
The reason being was that the Pecha Kutcha night was packed, so after struggling to catch as much as possible and failing we decided to simply sit down and have a chat. Feeling a little out of place with our drinks we didn’t stay the course, and finished up to leave. I think my conclusion, as a post-​grad late-​twenties Loiner, is that this massively average, if not sub-​par, bar is mostly cool because they hold interesting nights like the one we had failed to properly attend.
Cheap drinks, cheap décor but cool in its own special way.

The first time I came here was because a doorman was begging me to come to a gig as nobody was there. Not a good start! I entered the union and really was not impressed, it is nothing compared to Leeds Uni Union, its actually very measly. The décor is non-​existent and the layout is simple.
Good things to say — its location is perfect, around the corner from Dry Dock its the perfect location for pre-​drinks to move on into town. Also the union puts on really good nights such as Star and the gigs they get are awesome. They always seem to be really emo bands though? Think You Me at Six meets Trivium. However like mentioned Passion Pit are soon to play there with Ellie Goulding as their support, not bad going.
If you’re a student in Leeds i recommend coming here to try it out and mix with other students. Its a great location and is easy really cheap to get to via taxi from Hyde Park.

I have been to quite a few gigs here over the years and always found it a great venue. It’s one of the few venues in Leeds to have a capacity of over a 1000, so attracts the more established artists. The ticket prices aren’t extortionate and they drinks are relatively cheap to. Your feet don’t stick to the floor as they tend to in these types of venues from people jumping around pint in hand. The toilets are a little seedy but what do you expect, every other one has toilet paper and a lock that works. There are also enough of them so you don’t get huge cues forming outside the ladies, a real annoyance when you want to rush back for the end of a track. One of the most important aspects of watching live music is the sound quality and this place has an amazing rig. The bass will shudder through you and you will go home with ringing in your ears unless you wear earplugs. It is also not let down by a sound engineer who has no idea about the music being played and so don’t suffer from lost vocals or screeching feedback.

Well we’ve got such an eclectic mix of cultures and people in Leeds, it shows in many aspects of life. We’re also known for being one of the largest student populations in the country. So it makes sense that the student nightlife measures up and the Leeds Met Student Union does pretty well in that department.
What you’ll get is a diverse range of DJ nights and live music.
In the coming months you’ll get the likes of Passion Pit. A lively band of electronica music loaded with samples, glitches and effects.
What you won’t probably get is the likes of U2 or global superstars but you’ve got the O2 Arena for the likes of that.
You’ll also get cheap beer and plenty of it. We need to keep the sound of underground music spreading and thankfully Leeds Met help do this. Get yourself a gig guide and get down to rock it out or if you’re feeling brave enough even stage dive. Probably not wise though!

Leeds Met would get four stars. Or even five. It’s a really great venue. And I’ve seen probably more than thirty gigs there. Good ones, for the most part.
However, I’m still bitter. I went to ‘Live At Leeds’ a bit ago now, specifically on the premise of seeing Bombay Bicycle Club (a really good band, FYI).
We got there an hour and a half before BBC’s stage time. Joined a queue. No, we enthusiastically joined a queue. Only to find that, two hours later, we’d missed Bombay Bicycle Club. Because they were on in the bar. Not the venue. SAY WHAT?!
After all that though, that wasn’t the venue’s fault was it? Probably not.
It’s certainly the better of the two big university venues and is set-​up so you are up close and personal with the performers; there’s hardly a gap between the stage and massed people.
Beer’s relatively inexpensive. Shots aren’t. Steer clear of shots. Unless you’ve just missed Bombay Bicycle CLub.