Synonymous for almost 40 years with live music and eclectic club nights in Leeds, The Faversham has long been an iconic venue in the city.
A massive hub for Leeds indie music scene in 2004, it has hosted some very memorable shows over the years with performances from the likes of The Arctic Monkeys, The Streets, The Cribs and Hot Chip.
For a time, 'The Fav' also became the home to the world famous Nasty Fest and Bad Sneakers and the award winning hip-hop and broken beat clubnight New Bohemia.
Set in its own grounds just on the edge of the city centre of Leeds, for years it's acted as a live music venue, a restaurant by day, bar by night and a nightclub into the early hours - with its location behind Leeds University Union making it a popular haunt of students and local residents alike.
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Due to the pandemic, however, the venue has been closed for the best part of 18 months as restrictions on live music and club events have seen the events sector ground to a halt across the country.
Now it's back, with a full refurbishment courtesy of its independent owner - who decided it was time to take the business in a different direction and has pivoted towards private do's, like corporate events, weddings and private parties.
The building now consists of four distinct areas: the hall, the lounge, the conservatory, and an extensive outdoor terrace that seats up to 100 people.
It's hoped that fans of the old Faversham might find something to enjoy in the new - like getting married in the same room that they saw The Arctic Monkeys play all those years ago.
General manager, Zachary Williamson, said: “The last 18 months have been extremely challenging for the events and leisure industry and we are finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.
NME // Arctic Monkeys
“Our core business is weddings, so it’s been an extremely stressful time having to rearrange them.
“Some of our couples have had to rearrange their wedding three times, but we are now finally able to go ahead with these bookings and look forward to welcoming our first newlyweds on 26 June, albeit with the new restrictions in place.”
“The latest coronavirus announcement on 14 June has definitely put a spanner in the works for any corporate and private events company but we are making every possible effort to ensure our planned events over the coming months go ahead.
“As we are now a dedicated events space and no longer a nightclub, we have slightly more flexibility in what we can offer our customers, plus we have such a large space both indoor and outdoor that can cater to everyone’s needs, whilst adhering to limited numbers and social distancing measures that are still mandatory.”
To find out more about the new Faversham, visit its website here.
News
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
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.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
23rd June 2021 
