Another tricky post, as I find myself having to praise That Leeds, something an (honorary) Mancunian hates to do almost as much as taking a coach trip round Anfield.
I was there the other Sunday to see Phosphorescent at the Brudenell, enjoying the £35 rates you get at Accor hotels before the suits and tourists arrive on Monday. Pains me to say it, but it’s a wonderful town to amble around on a weekend.
I shan’t tell you where I park for free, but I pass this place on the way into town.
I’ll have to go in the Adelphi soon and review the toilets Doom Bar for you.
Instead I walked into The Calls.
I thought I’d found a rare Leeds pub unmarked on WhatPub to tell Richard about,
but apparently it’s not a Moorish (as opposed to morish) craft lager bar.
Ah, Slocken. It’s Yorkshire for “pre-emptive tick”. I missed this place when Dick and Dave visited in the summer as I was fetching underpants from Jack Lane.
I loved this place, and you’ll know how sniffy I can be about the new wave of beer bars. The age range was so wide, you could have been in a Wetherspoons, and there’s no higher compliment for a Leeds bar.
At the bar, Old Boys were asking Young Boys (not from Bern) to taste their beer. Seemingly uninvited. It was all very BRAPA.
I can see why that Coldwell fella, stuck on OBB and Doom Bar out in the sticks, loves this place.
And cask was two quid (£2, Americans), to get shot of it before closing on Monday. Perhaps that was what was attracting the proper Yorkies in.
Anyway, the Nomadic Strider was flying out, as people these days tend to say when they’re selling a pint an hour, and was cool and chewy (NBSS 3.5+).
Yes, it was so busy at 6pm I was stuck at the bar, dodging the bloke delivering gig flyers. I stuck a copy of Ullage over his ad for a Mumford & Sons tribute band (small fib).
It was so trendy they were playing “Dreams” by The Mac. It’s a dream of a pub, as is the one below, whose charms I resisted on this dining occasion.
retiredmartin 
Sam Smith has really done up the Elliot. I’m no fan of their beers, but I really appreciate what they do to their pubs. Refurbushed, yet still maintaining the old man’s drinking den atmosphere.
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Next time then, we all have our limits. NB You really come across a really scruffy Sam’s house, do you ? (bar one near Oldham that closed).
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Had you ventured out of Leeds along the A58, then you would have come to the Valley Inn, at Cockersdale, Drighlington. Why, it’s got Sam Smith’s authenticity in spades. I never knew that so many people cared, love ’em. Not refurbished – at least, not as of of a year ago – though.
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The Duncan on Boar Lane is a bit rough, but it used to be a lot rougher. Still a proper Yorkshire drinking den, though. No amateurs in there.
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Yes Morten. The Brown Bear in Sheffield fits that description perfectly. I must look out those elasticated waist bands…
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Old men? Thieves, thieves, tramps and thieves more like.
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We’re not in Northampton now, Tonto.
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Different place similar sort of people …
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Funny you should say that. As I was walking into the Elliot in Leeds a few months ago I was offered some stolen property (probably from the nearby Kirkgate market). I doubt it’s a Sam Smith thing though.
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It’s not a Sam Smith’s thing. Everywhere needs a place for everyone, where they can feel safe and valued. In the summer myself, Martin and The Stafford Mudgie went into The Rifle Drum in Northampton an independent free house/lease, a sort of similar place to the GE. Obviously Leeds has several of these type of places. Strangely enough Sam’s has two of these in close proximity in Leeds.
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I was in the Adelphi a few months ago and it’s a right Proper Pub.
That one with the waggon wheels and coloured lights looks like a barrel organ.
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Sadly I don’t think the Adelphi is a shadow of itself these days Paul.
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Mancunian??? I thought you were an honorary Stopfordian??
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Stockport has been ruined since they filled it with micros and kicked out all the rough Robbies pubs. Just ask Mudgie.
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How could I not read/like a post about my Home Town (wipes a nostalgic tear away ) It has changed beyond recognition since we left in 96 -back then we rarely went into “town ” on an evening & as for the Brudnell -always a bit wary although we were tempted recently when we saw Seth Lakeman was appearing.Glad you enjoyed it -Leeds folk are alright !
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Yes Pauline, Leeds is another fine, forward-looking, Remain-voting city (dons steel helmet).
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Here we go again…
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Can you change your name to Hereford the Woke for Christmas ?
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I don’t live there & have no interest in it’s politics either -I like the pubs & restaurants,have lots of good friends there & love the fact that it is within reach of the most stunning scenery in the country.As for the rest I don’t care as I am a fairly shallow person ,read the daily Mail & sometimes wear a pashmina/scarf.I am a happy soul though
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Daily Mail is OK these days, I’m told. It’s the Indi you need to watch out for. My parents by the Mail for the TV listings and the health advice (not joking).
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Wakey old bean.
I’ve just been browsing “Schools Of Wit And Repartee”, hoping to find one to recommend to you, but without success for now.
In the meantime, consider this question however:
What are the two main secrets of humour?
Well, the first is, always leave your listeners wanting more.
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That’ll do fine for me, Pauline. But does a pashmina have to be made of, er, pashmina? I’m not really across these subtleties.
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A pashmina is made from the silken tears of Purgatory, I believe.
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Yeah,they’re “alright”. Mostly.
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I’ve never been to the Brudenell Social Club, but was the hat-tip to the Blues Brothers pic taken there?
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Actually from the Slocken itself, a real cornucopia of musical stuff.
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“something an (honorary) Mancunian hates to do”
A bit like Calgary/Edmonton over here then.
“before the suits and tourists arrive on Monday.”
We get that over here as well.
“Instead I walked into The Calls.”
Bit tricky getting into the building in the photo below.
“Caravanserai”
More like double deckerserai. 😉
“as I was fetching underpants from Jack Lane.”
As opposed to either fetching underpants for Jack Lane or wearing fetching underpants from Jack. 🙂
“Typical Slocken man”
Definitely on the far curve of that age range.
“And cask was two quid”
That’s a very good pro quo. 🙂
Cheers
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I had a good chuckle at “as people these days tend to say when they’re selling a pint an hour”– I expect when you ask bar staff what’s going fastest you get these sorts of statements, and then have your doubts once you’ve sampled the allegedly fast-selling beer!
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Terrific post!!! Love the humour re flying out at one pint an hour!!!!
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We all hate L**ds.
Despite that, the place does have some superb boozers, the good Pakistani curry caravan, the curry house in the converted park bogs. Never used to rate the Brudenell, always thought it was a bit of a pretentious student scum infested shit house. Has it improved markedly now it has got in the GBG?
Despite all the good things I have to admit about the place, still We all hate L**ds.
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