Opening its doors for the very first time today, Boom Battle Bar Leeds is all about taking a swing at some of your favourite gaming pastimes, all under on spacious floor.
Leeds' Victoria Gate welcomed a new gaming addition to the city last night- and the space is packed with games, drinks, darts and photo ops aplenty.
Start your evening with a game of augmented reality axe throwing- you can't drink during this activity and need to be in a fit state to do so, so anyone looking for a boozy evening should start here.
The idea here is that you throw the axes onto the board and try to score as many points as possible, with a dedicated guide to help you understand how to throw (it's more complicated than it looks), and then once you've mastered the board, you can jump into interactive games hitting a target board that changes difficultly each round or even team up for a game of noughts and crosses.
Image: Boom Battle Bar
The darts here are also set up to bring augmented reality to life and are far from your average game at the pub. There's an array of different games to get involved in, so whether you want to score a 180 shot or practice going around the board, you'll find something every member of the team will love.
Beer pong is the ultimate party starter, so grab either a bucket of fizz or a jug of beer and get stuck into the game. Here, the ping pong ball falls into the iconic red cups, filled with water rather than alcohol to keep the drinks sanitary and means that you won't need to worry about dropping the ball on the floor - it's a real crowdpleaser and also allows those with different drink preferences to mix it up rather than having to stick to the namesake of beer.
Image: Boom Battle Bar
American pool tables can be found round the corner of the beer pong tables for those wanting to team up and take on the stripes or spots and while a long wintry night away with balls flying in eery which direction.
Those looking to continue the American-style games night will be delighted to know that shuffleboard is also available at Boom Battle Bar, either in 30 or 60 minute slots. There's room for up to six people at a time and this offers a great opportunity to get to know your chosen team mates: whether you're on a first date or work get together, the fast paced game is going to bring out the competitive side in just about anyone.
Wind up the evening with a game of 'crazier' golf- and as the name suggests, it sure is crazier than your average crazy golf. Expect exercise bikes, amongst other surprises around every corner- this is the game to decipher between the winners of the group.
Crazier golf at Boom Battle Bar. / Image: Boom Battle Bar
But if all these games aren't enough, there's an air hockey table and a photobooth to take advantage of during the evening.
All this throwing, hitting, playing and cheering is bound to work up an appetite, and there's an array of delicious 'boom bites' to choose from with sweet cocktails, draft lagers, wine and plenty of soft drinks available from the dedicated bar space.
So if you fancy somewhere to get axe throwing, beer ponging, crazy golfing, throw some darts, play some pool pool, air hockey or shuffleboard- this is the new go-to spot to check out in Leeds city centre.
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Sophie Smith -
17th November 2022 
