Beaver Works

My girlfriend and I celebrated New Years Eve here, as a space it’s a bit shabby which for a venue, is an absolutely fantastic quality. The admit & drinks cost was perhaps slightly more than I would like to pay, but the atmosphere more than made up for it. Really great location.

Not many would realise it, the way I bang on about folk music and the like, but I’m actually a bit of a raver at heart. I realise that actually expressing it as such makes me instantly uncool, and possibly even unwelcome to the party, but back in the day I was very much up on drum and bass, with a touch of jungle on the side. (Not too much though, it can get repetitive in my opinion.) My brother writes that kind of music, and back in the day we’d spend plenty of time in the shed listening to our tapes (yes, cassette tapes) whilst I made copious cups of tea for he and his mates. Essentially, the point is that I’m interested in all music, so long as there’s a bit of spark, a bit of je né sais quois. Dance music included.
Even so, that doesn’t mean someone like me isn’t very much the odd one out at Beaverworks. I almost felt fraudulent as I wandered in, but that was soon forgotten as I was welcomed into the fold. A group of friends were headed that way for Beaverfest –a charity night that raises much needed funds for Stepping Stones Nigeria — and so I took the chance at revisiting my 14 year old self and danced the night away to some seriously heavy bass. (Yep, it was about 4.30am when I returned, and that was leaving early…) The fact that all the proceeds were to go to this charity is pretty phenomenal, given the tickets were £12, and I’m sure they had in excess of 300 folk there. Just incredible.
So what’s the deal? Drinks are dirt cheap, which is excellent and totally offsets the ticket price. (Not that I’m complaining — you get plenty for your twelve quid.) I bought a bottle of Grolsch and a bottle of water for my friend for about £3, which is just ridiculous. I like cheap drinks. The choice is pretty decent as well, although no real ale that I could see. Perhaps it’s not in keeping with the vibe.
Then there are the many different rooms; the main floor as you enter is where the bar’s at, the room just beyond is where the live acts perform, and downstairs you’ll find more DJs, the odd MCs performing, a UV sand pit and the ever welcome tea and cheese toastie stall. I think overall my favourite music came from upstairs, a mash up of Good Vibrations was a particular highlight, although there appeared to be no specific music policy per room. On this occasion there was even a gyroscope chair outside (is that what they’re called?) that you could have a turn in. I opted out of that –beer + wheeling about in a chair didn’t seem like a good plan. Even so, I don’t know if I can think of anything more appropriate and more awesome than that being available at a nightclub.
Of course, there are the downsides. The toilets were utterly grim, most sans loo roll and covered in water, and there was no soap that I could find either. Happily I’m one that carries emergency everythings in my bag so I survived just fine. But, think of it as adding to the ‘underground festival’ vibe.
However, this is a minor thing when you’ve two Portal-​esque fans in behind the main stage, a humungous smoking area, awesome bar staff and the atmosphere of a playground for adults. You’ll see burlesque, complete with fire performance, contact juggling, flower stick ravers and all manner of funky UV face paint. Whilst the main room gets a little ‘shovey’, being as there’s a constant stream of people flowing in and out, the atmosphere on the whole is fantastic. If you’ve even the slightest bit of love for all things ‘dance’ related, then this mecca for both established and underground dance acts and DJs in Leeds is the place for you to make pilgrimage to. Trainers recommended, dancing essential.
P. s. Cash only.

Yes please, more please… Having recently been sensible of after a summer of frolicking I have been a little busy and waiting, just waiting for the party season. This promises to be an absolutely belta of filthiness wrapped in a neat parcel at the Beaver Works.
Hosted by Detatched, if you like Riff Raff and similar events this is where you’ll probably want to be for NYE. Bring it on, and at a five you really cannot complain.

Excellent venue that leads the way for underground music in Leeds. No-​nonsense sound system that is perfect for techno and house music and friendly bouncers /​bar staff make this venue my favourite for dance music in the city. The bass here is heavy and tight!
Odd location far enough from town to keep the idiots away makes it all the better — can walk it if you’re on a mission or most taxis know where it is. There tends to be a party bus run on the bigger nights with pick ups from town or hyde park.
If you’re fed up of pretentious club nights that have turned into more fashion parades than anything else then I can highly recommend the Beaver Works for a good night out.

Beaver Works plays home to many a big night in Leeds since it’s recent opening. Previously known as The Bed Factory (it used to be a bed factory) and then Works Media Centre, it has now settled on the name Beaver Works. The venue plays host to an eclectic mix of music nights playing genres such as Techno, Breakcore, Dubstep, Jungle, Drum and Bass and Psy Trance. Being one of the only venues in the UK to have Infra Sub bass bins fitted they are an excellent venue for the harder variety of music. There is nothing worse than tinny bass!
In order to get there, a taxi is your best bet, it is a bit out of the way and on an industrial estate so all the buildings look similar. Most taxi drivers I have used are now familiar with the venues whereabouts.
Prices of entry range from about £6 to £10 but this depends on the headlining acts.

If you can get over its unusual location and find a taxi driver capable of successfully navigating their way through never-​ending industrial parks to reach your destination, the Beaver Works is a great venue for a big night out. Don’t expect anything fancy in terms of décor or drinks; this place is all about the music. One of only a few venues in the UK to be fitted with infra sub bass bins, they take their tunes seriously here and the venue hosts regular nights from some of the most exciting promoters in Leeds featuring DJs from around the UK. With a main room featuring two massive fans to cool down clubbers and the ubiquitous lasers, plus two smaller rooms and a large, covered smoking area, the Beaver Works strikes the right balance between venue and club, managing to remain intimate while still giving punters room to dance and a choice of tunes. Drinks and entry are reasonably priced — handy after the taxi fare — but it’s the friendliness of the door and bar staff that really gives the Beaver Works an edge over its competitors.