This week, in an attempt to make this column (heh, column) a little more cultured, I feel I should mention that Harrogate Theater has got a play on called “The Trench” from 25th to 27th April, I’m not much into plays but it looks good and lets face it, if you take a bird to the Theater she’s going to think you are really intellectual, and birds love blokes what can right and spell theatre without spell check and does articles with punctuation and are cleverer than normals.
After that, lets face it, refreshing romp through the arts, lets get on with this weekend’s pub and club thangs.
THURSDAY 25th April 2013
In the field of live music, The Alex has Blue Star Tattoo playing, who are a band of some sort, but I SUSPECT they are not a Tattoo band, though perhaps a new direction of marching bands would be a night that someone in town could look at. Anyway, in the highly likely event that Blue Star Tattoo are not a military tattoo and are in fact people with some tattoos, this will no doubt be another in a fine series of live gigs at the Alex. Free to get in, with great beer and a good atmosphere. They’ve just started doing Brooklyn beer there, which is a quality American Craft beer that trendy DJ types who try desperately hard to look effortlessly cool drink, whilst looking at themselves in the mirror, nodding.
Let’s face it, there’s a fair few places open as Thursday kicks off the weekend; as such the following clubs and late bars are open: Rehab, Viper Rooms, Lure, Revolution and Montey’s, I’m playing Rehab hence I don’t know who is playing at the others, but I can almost unconditionally say whoever else is where ever else is better than me.
Other details are it’s free into most places with the exception of Rehab’s Top Floor with Tex, which is £2 a drink, also Viper charges in for “YOLO” which is some manner of student R’n’B night. Thursday does have a fair bit on though, and there’s plenty of places to choose from. It would be hard for me to give a “top tip” for the night as most of what is on is the same every week, so instead I’ll say my top tip is to plan ahead for next week…
To that end… Hey! If you fancy a bit of forward planning, next Thursday, 2nd May, has a charity race night at The Bilton Working Men’s club, with, obvvers, money raised going to charity. The Charity in question is The Sick Childrens trust at LGI, so you can do some good, whilst at the same time indulging in betting and drinking, which is, obviously, bad..
I’m not going to generally list things in advance, but this is for charity and listing it will not only guarantee me a place in heaven, but also ensure that it’s a long time before I get there, which is good, as frankly I’ve got a lot more drinking and gambling to do before then.
FRIDAY
Straight into a night with, count ‘em, TWO “top tip”’s on one night…, Friday 26th April has Knee Deep at the Viper rooms: Josh Demello (Amnesia, Ibiza) with residents DomSamba, James Moon & Sean Harris . You need to go in the bottom entrance and it’s free to get in, running from 10pm-4am. They play Deep House/Disco/Tech and that, for a cool night run by cool guys. House is getting really massive right now, go see what it’s all about.
At the other end of the musical spectrum, also on Friday 26th, my second “top tip” is down at Retro Bar (on commercial Street): a brand new occasional night called “Sucker Punch”. It’s a Rock night and Retro is a cool venue for that on a Friday, I’m sure this’ll be good. Dave Sowden is Djing and he knows his music and its free to get in. Dave is a pretty funny guy, but since he’ll be Djing rather than cracking jokes, this is just me kissing his arse really, which is also a nice feature of Dave’s.
Moko Lounge, Revolution, Rehab and all the rest are open, so if you read this column purely to find out where people like me would go and then avoid them because you don’t like people like me, try them. I’m not saying I wouldn’t go to those places, but my top tips are just that; anyway, I’m in Leeds on Fridays so not to worry either way.
SATURDAY
Live music wise on Saturdays always has the Jed Thomans Blues band at the Blues Bar, which is worth a visit. Other than that we’re into the land of DJ’s…
And there’s LOADS of DJ’s on at my Rave night at Zoso. “Vigilance” starts at 6pm with local Dj Armistice, who’s kicking things off with House and disco. After that Max Czernic plays Electro, Moombah & Trap, then Sixus picks up the pace. Beta & Deterrent from Leeds go back to back, playing Dubstep and very bass heavy stuff, then Joe Ford does a set of solid drum n’ bass. Finally I’m closing the night with a set of very very Hard Gabber. I’m not messing about, if you don’t like hard and heavy dance music my set wont be for you, but I am on at the end of the night, like 2am til 3am ish by which time people are looking at their watches and moving on anyway… .the other sets that night will be brilliant, they always are and Entry is free. I guess this would be my Top tip for the night, but that seems self indulgent, which regular readers will know, is totally unlike me. Come to my night come to my night come to my night.
Down Winter gardens way, Disco Dave in the main room and Dj Tex plays more soulful stuff in the front bar at Revolution on Saturdays, and hey! Entry is free there now; it’s a good destination for a straight upfront night of partying, it’s not massively specialist, but lets face it, sometimes on a Saturday you don’t want to think, you want to drink. Responsibly, obvs.
Rehab’s Saturdays are another very mainstream night that are always busy, with two floors covering all things upfront. Downstairs Wayne and James Oliver play commercial Dance music whilst upstairs Dj Pieman does a more alternative poppy rock night. Entry is free for both floors.
Viper Rooms & Moko are open offering club nights, there is a door charge which makes it pricier but a little bit more exclusive at Viper Rooms, whilst Moko’s “Smooch” is a good quality night, this week with a special promotion on Champagne, Rockerfella.
SUNDAY
In the afternoon on Sunday you can go to The Blues bar, where live acoustic duo “Two Well Worn” will be playing, clearly, live acoustic music. The Sunday afternoon sessions at Blues Bar have been running since the very crack of the dawn of time, sweet for a lazy hazy afternoon at this awesome little bar.
The Fat Badger runs a pub quiz on Sundays, I play a club night at Rehab on Sundays and Viper rooms is also open for clubbing action with a night called Peek-a-boo. Its definitely free into Rehab, not sure about Viper rooms, but most people tend to go to both nights and walk between the two a few times, as they are both decent nights out for a Sunday.
MONDAY
Dj Pieman’s pub quiz is on at The Alexandra on Mondays, it’s on every Monday but I think I forgot to mention it last week, so I’m going to mention it more this week, as that makes it ok, yeah?
Dj Piemans’s pub quiz is on Monday’s at the Alexandra, and also on Mondays at the Alexandra is DJ Piemans Monday night pub quiz at the Alexandra on Mondays with Dj Pieman at the Alexandra.
Tom Kellet runs an open mic night at Zoso on Monday, but I mentioned that last week and I’ve seen him since and he didn’t say than kyou or anything, so f*rg*t him..
Also later on Monday nights Moko has their Karaoki night, for a night of entirely regrettable good fun.
TUESDAY
Actually on Tuesday there’s loads, on… A “top tip” for a bit of Tuesday sessioning is, on the 30th, a big acoustic gig at The Blues Bar, with Rick Lawson & Aaron Bertenshaw plus more that were listed on the poster, but I was pretty drunk when I saw it and can’t remember who else is playing.. It honestly does look really good though and after having a pint in there on Tuesday, I’d forgotten how cool that bar really is, so I would definitely check it out.
There is also the Folk night at the Tap n’ Spile every Tuesday, and if you fancy that, I’d suggest before hand going to the Pie n’ Peas night at the Coach and horses at the end of the road, as it’s good (don’t take my word for it, the pies have won awards, like, Oscars and MBE’s for pies and that) and is very good value too.
Down the other, clubbier end of town, Moko Nightclub on Tuesday has a night with two rooms, one playing dance and the other playing rock music and also in that neck of the woods, around the corner Zoso has their Electro Jam night where anyone can rock up with some tunes and play a DJ set. Both are good options for a night out on one of the quieter nights, as quiet doesn’t have to mean crap. I’ve not been to moko’s night for a while, but the Dj open deck session at Zoso really is good, I’d definitely recommend it. Which is what I just did. Natch.
Now, the night at Moko in the VIP is called Rock box, and has a good hardcore of regulars who go and party each week and I’ve seen that the Regency pub also has a night on called rock box, so I would speculate that’s were the “rock crowd” spend the night before going to Moko, so again, that’s full night out planned right there for you.
WEDNESDAY
DJ Pieman is on at rehab on Wednesday, but I don’t know what else goes on on that night, as Wednesday is the day that this “what’s on guide” takes a night off. If you’ve got something on on Wednesdays (or any night really) why not get in touch with me via facebook, it will save me having to go round town on an all day drinking session with the amazing people from the Empress pub, like I had to this week, all in the name of this column (column, heh), as I am a man of much selfless sacrifice. Indeed, if you see me slumped in a corner of a pub sometime, you will no doubt think “that man is the hardest working journalist in Christendom, making Kate Adie look like a workshy slacker”.
Try having a listen to some of my radio shows on www.mixcloud.com/djtrevuk or better yet listen to them as they go out “live”(Ish) on Harrogatealternativeradio.co.uk on Saturdays at 10pm or Thursdays at 2 in the afternoon; you can also “interact” with me on facebook.com/djtrev which basically is a text version of my radio shows, in that the foulness of the language is only surpassed by the poor use of syntax and diction, plus of course the utter wrongness of my opinions.
Thanks for reading, drink responsibly and don’t be loose with your affections.
Trev x x x
