I think that I can honestly say that I’ve never had a good night out in Leeds, even when my husband and I went together.
I find the gay bars in Leeds to be dreadful at best. The community itself seems to be stuck in the 1990’s. It’s like stepping into a time machine. Let’s go on a little trip.
I start my night arriving at the New Penny, which was my husband’s favorite bar and one of the oldest in Leeds. It’s very no frills, and the staff are delightful. The drinks, as with anywhere, are reasonably priced, but I only drink spirits. Beer, wine, drafts don’t touch my lips, I can’t stand them. As with anywhere in Leeds, good luck finding anyone who can make a decent cocktail that’s not already premixed. They’re tap pullers, nothing more.
New Penny is often spattered with locals or long time patrons. Too often it’s just a hideous hen party going on. I’m very old-fashioned and expect when I go into a gay bar to see… gay men! I have absolutely no interest in socializing with drunk chicks. So I have my customary drink to toast my beloved and out I go.
My next stop is often Blayd’s bar. Tucked away through a little tunnel, it’s a basic bar. Once again, there’s usually a hideously tacky drag queen as the DJ who has a tendency to think that everyone is interested in their one-sided conversation over the microphone. They all do it. The bar often has regulars in there, off in their groups. Once more, I stand about with my drink and see if anyone will take an interest. No? Then off I go once more.
Going down the street, I go to my usual bar which is Queens Court. I like the sophistication of this bar. It’s probably the most elegant of the gay bars and the staff are marvelous. I seem to talk more with them than I do the patrons. The outdoor patio is shared with the detestable Fibre bar next door, which is filled with drunken straight boys and their drunken gals with the occasional gay boy and his purse. You couldn’t convince me to set foot in there for anything. Unfortunately, my last foray out, which was last night, Fibre had spilled over into Queens Court. I took one look at the patronage and made a fast U-turn.
I bypass Viaduct since I’ve had my fill of hideous drag queens with an over-inflated sense of self-importance caterwauling over a microphone. And the clientele is equally hideous. If it’s not some degenerate from the neighborhood then it’s some gay boy with a beer gut who thinks he’s all that or his purse. I did go into the new venue last night to check it out but didn’t stay too long. I think they’re trying to reinvent themselves so I may have to give it another visit on a less boring night.
So I typically finish off my night at the Bridge Inn. Although this also does have a tacky drag queen DJ, the staff are spectacular and the clientelle are tolerable. Except for last night. I stepped right in to karaoke night. Never had my eardrums been so assaulted. Once more the room had either straight boys and girls or gay boys pulling the whole ‘straight acting’ routine. As I said, how 1990’s. One of these drunken denizens even thought to pseudo-serenade me, trying to pull me into his circus. I looked at him like something I’d just got stuck to my boot. When I went to get my drink, one of the drunk chicks decided to rub up against me, and the look of disgust, let alone the disdain, must have been precious. I only managed to get through two drinks in this place last night, where I would normally spend the remainder of the night there.
In all of my times out in Leeds, in the ten years I’ve lived here, I have not once met a person to speak with. They stay in their little clusters. They are intent on getting blasted out of their minds. Then to stumble home and pass out.
And I’ve tried the gay groups as well which aren’t much better. The whole community is very cliquish, whether the bars or the groups. Even my late husband, who anyone will talk to and was the most gregarious person on the planet, never managed to get these people talking. I don’t have much of a chance. So I think that my days of going out in Leeds are going to be sparse.
I’ll take myself to Manchester for a better time.
Categories: Gay Life
wildcatleeds
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WildcatLeeds 