Leeds pub the Faversham became a refuge and gateway to rave culture

A writer recalls the Faversham, a large pub close to Leeds University, as a refuge from teenage pressures and a gateway into the citys club scene. The piece traces earlier pub memories, from Saturdays at the Sandford Arms with grandparents to family members who ran a city centre pub, and a summer job in the tap room of the local Eyrie, nicknamed the Dreary.

The author says they became a regular at the Fav around 1990, when they were underage; bouncers would ask younger customers for dates of birth, but the writer does not remember being turned away. The Fav changed from a goth haunt into a rave venue, with house music, video screens showing fractal patterns and projections of lava lamp bubbles, and bottles of K Cider.

Nights that started there often moved on to the Gallery, the Warehouse, the West Indian Centre or the Trades Club in Chapeltown, with events such as Jungle and Vague described as gay raves that mixed hedonistic house music with an inclusive atmosphere. The writer says their teenage years were difficult at an all-male grammar school where rugby was compulsory and homophobia was common, and they came to realise they were probably gay.

Key Topics

Culture, The Faversham, Leeds, Leeds University, Jungle, Vague