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The Cockpit

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The Cockpit
The Cockpit Leeds
Background information
Founded 1994 (Closed 2014)
Capacity 500 (The Pit)
250 (The Venue)
125 (The Upstairs)
Location Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Website The Cockpit via Wayback Machine

The Cockpit was a club and music venue in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Formerly The Cock of The North Pub, the venue was located on Swinegate, close to Leeds Station.[1] It hosted small to medium-sized touring artists as well as occasional showcases for local acts. Capable of and frequently hosting multiple concerts on the same night, the venue's main room held 500, whilst the second room held 250, and the small upstairs room held 125. The Cockpit would be active from 1994 to 2014.

Heritage Venue Project would describe the venue as follows: "Tucked away beneath the 19th century Dark Arches, the setting of Leeds Cockpit was often a major part of its appeal. The striking architectural space it occupied was complimented by a domineering metal doorway adorned with the bald, iconic Cockpit signage – an appearance which created what could be considered a quintessential industrial aesthetic. Waiting in line at the Cockpit was almost a sensory experience. Gig-goers excitement was met by the consistent noise of traffic which echoed throughout the arches. Rumbles of trains would pass overhead, and pigeons circled and sheltered on the narrow ledges above. As the waiting line brought attendees closer to the doors, graffiti scrawled across the adjacent brickwork – band logos, signatures, memories of experiences of the past and today “RIP Cockpit”."[2]

History[]

The Cockpit would be founded in 1994. he alternative live music venue was set up by Colin Oliver (still the main band promoter and owner at The Cockpit), while Richard Todd (who joined him a few months later) took charge of our alternative club nights and began the now legendary club, Brighton Beach.

Since opening in 1994, the Cockpit has attracted some of the biggest names in music to Leeds and has remained dedicated to seeking out the most exciting new bands at the very start of their careers. In the last 15 years we've seen Coldplay, The White Stripes, Amy Winehouse, Queens of the Stoneage, Flaming Lips, The Libertines, Mars Volta, My Chemical Romance, Panic at the Disco, The Hives, Elastica, Les Savy Fav, The Killers, At The Drive In, Fall Out Boy, Hot Chip and Bloc Party amongst many, many others take to the Cockpit stages for truly legendary performances.[3]

A regular competition run by promoters Futuresound (and sharing their name) gave unsigned bands from Yorkshire the chance to win a spot on the bill at the Leeds Festival. Four weekly club nights ran at the Cockpit - Slam Dunk on a Tuesday, Southern Fried on a Wednesday, Heavy Soul on a Friday and Garage on a Saturday. Gay night Poptastic ran at the Cockpit on Thursday nights from the late 90s to early 2000s.

The Cockpit was split into three live gig rooms with individual stages in each: The Cockpit (The Pit), Cockpit 2 (The Venue) and Cockpit 3 (The Upstairs). The venue had the ability to host 2 gigs on the same night, with a band in the main room using the second room as a bar, and a band in the upstairs using the main bar.[4]

In November 1997 the club was one of three venues spotlighted in the Club City documentary about Leeds nightlife, screened as part of the BBC North Close Up North strand.[5]

Nick Hodgson introduced Ricky Wilson to the other members of the Kaiser Chiefs at the Cockpit in the mid-nineties, when they attended Brighton Beach, the club's then weekly indie night. The group formed Runston Parva, later shortened to Parva, before changing their name to the Kaiser Chiefs in 2004.[6]

On 10 September 2014 the Cockpit's owners, promoters Futuresound, announced that they were to close the venue after 20 years due to the dwindling number of people prepared to go to club nights during the week and the poor condition of the building. The owners also admitted that they realistically should have closed the venue a couple years prior.[7] As a "direct result" of the Cockpit closing, Futuresound's sister company Slam Dunk opened a new venue, The Key Club,[8] in the Merrion Centre.[9] Slam Dunk director Ben Ray has described the new venue as the first "pure rock" venue in Leeds.[10] The Garage and Slam Dunk club nights, which were previously held at the Cockpit, along with several rock gigs which had been booked for the Cockpit, moved to the Key Club on its opening.

While Setlist.fm[11] and Concert Archives[12] list concerts as far as the Fall of 2014, it's unknown when the actual final show was as all shows announced in the Fall would be moved to other venues.[13]

Selected Performers at the Venue[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Yorkshire Evening Post
  2. ↑ Heritage Venue Project
  3. ↑ The Cockpit Official via Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ The Cockpit Official via Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ [Close Up North: Club City, 13 November 1997]
  6. ↑ Yorkshire Post
  7. ↑ Yorkshire Evening Post
  8. ↑ Leeds List
  9. ↑ Yorkshire Evening Post
  10. ↑ Yorkshire Evening Post
  11. ↑ Setlist.fm
  12. ↑ Concert Archives
  13. ↑ The Cockpit Official via Wayback Machine
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