After opening its doors in late 2013, the Belgrave Music Hall has become a bit of a second home for LSi’s music team. The spacious venue spreads across three floors housing two kitchens, a live room and a stylish roof garden. Last semester it boasted an array of impressive and diverse musical acts, including Simian Mobile Disco, latest buzzband Jungle and a special performance of British Sea Power’s soundtrack for the 1934 film ‘Man of Aran’.
Seated on the worn-in leather sofas of the second floor, Ash and Simon – the venue’s owners – warmly greet us for an update on how it’s all going. Armed with fresh coffees from the newly installed Laynes espresso bar situated the ground floor, the pair fill us in on the backstory. “Simon and I have always known each other since we started promoting around Leeds. We were always chasing the same bands; I was chasing them for the Faversham, he was chasing them for The Cockpit. I guess a few years later – I was at Nation of Shopkeepers by this point – we got chatting after our first Beacons festival and we realised we had the same goal: to run our own venue. It’s a natural thing for a promoter – you’re putting gigs on at other people’s venues, but ultimately you wanna put them on at your own. We just wanted that control and freedom”. It becomes apparent that their ideas were so in synch, it seemed a too good an opportunity to miss. “It got to the point where we were both so close to getting our own venue, we felt like we were going for the same venue. We had too many things in common not to do something together; it would’ve been ridiculous for two promoters to separately be going for the same goal.”
With its rough around the edges feel, full of warmth character and classic decor, we’re informed its aesthetic is not accidental; instead its an amalgamation of years spent hanging out at venues. “Everywhere you go, there’s always an idea, whether it’s an idea you want to replicate, or something you definitely don’t wanna do, there’s little things you pick up on. With the variety of stuff we put on, the space has got to fit everything. Downstairs feels pretty up to date. I mean if you go to Berlin or Brooklyn, it doesn’t feel a million miles away… and Austin. Simon and I have been to Austin quite a few times because of SXSW. There’s about 100 different venues, each one is completely different and got it’s own character. There’s a lot of nice and weird things going on. We wanted something that had character – the more it gets used, the more lived in it feels, the better the venue gets.”
The duo are well aware that the music industry is very much propped up by the live show, so as a venue, it’s important to make a name for yourself as one that can provide the whole package. “Some of the gigs are packed out, some of them not. With the folk things, the sofas get used a lot. But with Shigeto – as you guys saw the other night – it’s a bit more wild.” Ash grins across to Simon, then to us: “Apparently Derrick May was bonkers. The manager who was working didn’t get out ‘til 9 am. “Really?” remarks Simon, who seems genuinely surprised. “Yeah, Kate left at 9. Good stuff.”
The music is accompanied by equally impressive food and drinks. “You need that attention to detail with everything you do to really make the venue work. I think people get that when they come in here.” Anecdotally, Ash furthers the interest in food: “Our other business partner, Dan, he always says ‘do one thing, and do it really well’. So when we were talking about food, we said ‘right, let’s just do pizzas and let’s do them really well’. And if you nail it with one thing, other things will follow just as well”.
Only four months in, the future of the Belgrave looks certainly looks exciting. Simon and Ash are hoping to continue in the same vein of success, looking towards Beacons in the summer and booking more exciting bands. “Oh yeah, there’s a staircase just there that we still haven’t used since we moved in” – evidently still lots to do.