Leeds : Britain

Leeds : Britain
Leeds is a city in the county of West Yorkshire, in the north of England. The River Aire runs through the town. Leeds is part of a metropolitan borough named the City of Leeds. According to the 2001 census the urban area of the city had a population of 429,242, and the City of Leeds borough had a population of 716,513. The boundaries of the City of Leeds however include places which are separate from the urban area of Leeds itself and are not generally considered part of the urban city.
An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, although such terms are rarely used or understood. However, the mock-classical adjectives Leodensian and Leodiensian are sometimes used by some local sports clubs.
Museums & Arts in Leeds
The city has a large number of museums, being the home of the Royal Armouries Museum (opened in 1996 when the collection was transferred from the Tower of London), the Leeds City Museum about the history of Yorkshire, the Museum of Leeds, being devoted to the city’s industrial heritage, and Thackray’s Medical Museum as well as the City Art Gallery. Leeds also boasts the Grand Theatre (which is where Opera North are based), the City Varieties (which claims to have hosted performances by Charlie Chaplin and Harry Houdini) and the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
The Leeds Festival takes place every year in Bramham Park (having moved from Temple Newsam after pressure from some local residents). It features some of the biggest names in rock and indie music. The city is home to the Leeds International Piano Competition, held every three years since 1963 and which has launched the careers of many major concert pianists. There is also the Leeds International Concert Season, the largest local authority music programme of any UK city outside London.
The first ever moving pictures were taken in the city, by Louis Le Prince, of Leeds Bridge in 1888.
Temple Newsam House and the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey which dates from the 12th Century, are on the outskirts of the city.
Music
Though not as prolific as its neighbours Manchester and Liverpool across the Pennines, or indeed Sheffield in South Yorkshire, Leeds has still produced some notable bands. The Mekons and the influential Gang of Four came out of the 1970s punk movement, whilst in the early to mid 1980s the city was home to a large goth scene, famous local bands including The Sisters of Mercy. The avant-garde art scene centred around Leeds Metropolitan University’s (then Leeds Polytechnic) Fine Art course led to the formation of early 80s electronic pioneers Soft Cell. Later 1980s and 1990s rock bands include The Wedding Present, Chumbawumba and Cud.
Like most major northern cities, house music had a big impact on Leeds when it arrived in the late 1980s. Early house nights included Downbeat at the Warehouse, Meltdown at the Astoria in Roundhay, and Joy and Kaos at various temporary venues, along with a thriving Shebeen or “Blues� scene in Chapeltown. Along with Sheffield and Bradford, Leeds was a centre for the Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass scene in 1989-1990, with influential local bands such as LFO, Nightmares on Wax, Ital Rockers, Unit 93 and Juno on Sheffield’s Warp Records and Leeds’ Bassic Records.
This early, underground scene developed into the Leeds club scene of the 1990s, when for a while Leeds held the title of Britain’s clubbing capital. Both Back to Basics and mixed gay night Vague enjoyed the title of best club in Britain at different points in the decade, whilst The Orbit in Morley was an internationally recognised techno mecca. Sadly this venue has now been converted into a restaurant.