Saturday 18th October saw the return of SubDub to Leeds’ West Indian Centre. As one of Leeds longest-running events providing the best of Reggae, Dub and Roots, SubDub and Exodus are uncontested in their field and have rapidly earned nationwide respect as a collective. Also responsible for Outlook and Dimensions festivals, Simon Scott and Mark Salford have gained international acclaim since their SubDub venture began in 1998.

Favoured amongst Leeds’ partygoers and DJs, Hessle Audio’s Ben UFO described the West Indian Centre as ‘instrumental for dubstep, dub and dub-reggae in Leeds’. It is certainly unlike any other venue in the city. Escaping from Hyde Park and the city centre, the West Indian Centre is hidden in the West Indian community of Chapel Town and offers the perfect space to host such a friendly  night which is adored by so many. Everything is refreshingly low-key and even the bouncers are remarkably easy-going.

Iration Steppas hosted Room 1, alongside King Alpha collective. The sound was, as usual, second to none; the massive rigs in every corner provide a trembling bass with which few dancehall sound systems can compete. The tempo was truly upped in Room 2 with sets from Asher Senator and Peter King. Tippa Irie definitely earned his headlining spot in this smaller, more intimate setting as he made the crowd go wild for his entire set. Overall Subdub achieved what it has been aiming to do since its creation so many years ago: host a night in which music prevails and people keep on coming back for more.

If you can’t wait until the next Subdub, head to Momentum at Wire on the 1st for the Om Unit Inervision launch party. Tickets available from Ticket Arena.

[Harriet Shepherd]

Photo: Subdub Official Photographer