The Space Nightclub’s 25th anniversary refurbishment: Iconic Leeds venue being revamped

National World - LocalTV

The Space nightclub on Hirst’s Yard in Leeds City Centre is marking its 25th anniversary with a major refurbishment - what are your memories of the club?

Transcript

00:00My name's Chris Edwards, and I've had this club for 25 years. We opened it in 1999.

00:07I'm Matt Winsbottom. I'm a promoter from Voodoo Events, and we set up a few years after that,

00:13but we've been working here for the last 19 years.

00:16The space club on Hurst's Yard in Leeds City Centre is having a revamp.

00:20For a quarter of a century, it's welcomed thousands of partygoers and DJs,

00:25and the venue is hoping to continue its legacy with exhilarating technological improvements.

00:30We met owner Chris and promoter Matt when the works were still in progress.

00:35What I find amazing, even to this day, wherever I go, they always pick the Yorkshire accent up,

00:40and they say, oh, where do you come from? You say, Leeds.

00:43And what do you do? And I say, well, I've got several businesses, but one of them is space.

00:47And as soon as I mention space, it's as though you go up in their world.

00:52Do you know what I mean? As much as you own space, I grew up in there.

00:56Space, without a shadow of a doubt, is in a lot of people's world.

00:59It's an iconic name and an iconic nightclub.

01:01Fundamentally, space was always house-led in the main room and remains like that.

01:08And the interesting thing about house music in general is it evolves over time,

01:13and you have younger and younger people making the music, and so the sound is always fresh,

01:18and that's what we've always managed to continue and maintain here.

01:22And then in the second room, we play much more mix of music with the R&B, the pop, the classics.

01:31Maybe 10 years ago, we probably wouldn't have dreamt of having an 18-, 19-year-old leading on a Saturday night.

01:37We just probably wouldn't have had the full confidence in it.

01:40But these days, with the ability and the access to the music and the technology,

01:45they're just so on the ball, and yeah, it's fantastic that the young people can literally play to their own audience.

01:52The head of security now has been with us for 23 years.

01:56Everybody knows Roy. He's come iconic along with the building.

02:01We wind him up because he's not the youngest head doorman in Leeds anymore,

02:05but he's just as enthusiastic and as cautious.

02:08In the media at the moment is this constant conversation about nightclub shutting,

02:12seeing the industries slowing down, there isn't as many people going out.

02:16I think this is a serious point to make about, actually, we're not all going.

02:21We are here. We want young and old to support and be a part of our community and come down.

02:28What it was then is completely different to it now.

02:31There isn't as much popularity earlier in the week as such.

02:36But, you know, we're strong with the students and great with the locals at the weekend.

02:41Yeah, it's a brilliant job, really.

02:44Being heavily involved with nightclubs, you know, sometimes it becomes more passion than a business venture.

02:49And over the years, this is where this particular building has got to me.

02:54It's like more passion.

02:55So we're doing this refurb not out of, oh, how much money can I earn?

02:58I just don't want to let go.

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