Take a musical history tour in Holbeck

Did you know a million album selling, Brit award winning band rehearse in a Holbeck studio and if you’re interested you can get involved there too?

Old Chapel Music Studios on Czar Street in Leeds may look like an old church but behind their doors is the latest music technology, a super warm welcome and they want you to be a part of it!

Old Chapel Music Studios has existed for other 30 years in Holbeck having moved from a previous location in Armley.

I went to find out more on one of their monthly Leeds Community Foundation & Leeds Civic Trust funded tours.

We got to see the rooms in the studio and a member of staff was available in each one to answer questions about the history of the building, what they offer or let us have a hands on go on the equipment including guitars, bass, drums and a theremin. We spent some time in the recording studio and one of our group was recording singing and the technician showed us the process of manipulating a vocal.

We also got a peak outside the door of where Kaiser Chiefs still rehearse. Despite being a global success they have stayed loyal to their roots and Katie Simkins who led our tour told us how proud the studios are of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Owen, a Year 10 music student on my tour, told me what a great experience the tour was and said he would encourage others to check it out.

The tour was really interesting and loads of fun and if you’re interested in local history and music it’s a great way to pass a couple of hours on a Sunday.

The key message from the tour is that Old Chapel Music Studios are there for you! The studio is totally committed to supporting the community through music. Everyone is welcome and all genres of musicians, bands, and artists can come to rehearse and record. You don’t need to have all the equipment as you can borrow everything down to cables and drumsticks and there is support with branding your band too. If you’re not in a band or act but enjoy music there are lots of other ways to get involved from volunteering to student placements to courses and mentoring.

Joint CEO Katie Hayes told us:

“Thanks to the support from Leeds Community Foundation and Leeds Civic Trust, these tours are a great opportunity to find out more about the rich history of music in Leeds, and the support we have been able to provide to the local community for 30 years. You can also help us to shape the next stage of our journey by sharing your ideas on how we can best use some space we intend to convert into something useful so come along, have some fun and have your say!”

Tours take place on the last Sunday of each month, the next one is on Sunday (26 February 2023).

Find out more at oldchapelleeds.org/events

 

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