Leeds music venue The Cockpit closes after 20 years

A LEEDS music venue announced today it would close its doors for good after 20 years in business.
The Cockpit, Leeds, which has announced today that it will close.The Cockpit, Leeds, which has announced today that it will close.
The Cockpit, Leeds, which has announced today that it will close.

The Cockpit in Leeds city centre said in a statement on its website it was closing because of issues with the building.

It said: “It is with great regret that we have to announce the permanent closure of the Cockpit.

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“After 20 great years as an integral pillar of the Leeds music scene we have decided that it is no longer viable to deliver you the level of service you deserve with the building in its current condition.

The Cockpit, Leeds, which has announced today that it will close.The Cockpit, Leeds, which has announced today that it will close.
The Cockpit, Leeds, which has announced today that it will close.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you who came to watch your favourite bands, danced, stage dived, crowd surfed, found your life partner and gave the Cockpit its reputation as one of the best live music venues in the UK.”

It added: “All forthcoming live events will be moved to alternative venues and all original tickets will remain valid.”

The popular venue under the Dark Arches has played host to some of the biggest names in the industry during its two-decade run, including The White Stripes, Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stoneage, Flaming Lips, The Libertines, Feeder, Mumford & Sons, Vampire Weekend, The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Bloc Party, Coldplay and The Kaiser Chiefs.

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Back in July, the venue on Swinegate had closed for the summer and was moving several gigs to other sites across the city.

The Cockpit hosted its last club night – called The Garage – on July 19, before closing for the summer.

A spokesperson previously claimed it would only close temporarily for ‘essential maintenance work’ to be carried out.