FAQs

Yep. Quite a bit.

The TESTBED you knew isn’t disappearing, it’s growing up. Bigger spaces. Better sound. Better lighting. Better facilities. The same belief that Leeds deserves a place where music, creativity, community and experimentation can all live under one roof.

September is the next chapter.

You can find out all the accessibility info here

Not even close.

Some nights we’ll be a warehouse club. Other nights we’ll be a live music venue. Sometimes an exhibition. Sometimes a theatre. Sometimes a market. Sometimes a workshop. Sometimes something nobody’s quite got a name for yet.

That’s always been the point.

Quite a lot.

A new entrance. A brand new mezzanine. A balcony overlooking the main room. New permanent bars, 2 downstairs and one upstairs. Four brand new toilet blocks (finally). A custom-built stage. A huge LED wall. A completely redesigned lighting system. Massive improvements to ventilation.

Oh… and the sound.

We’ll get to that.

We’re very excited about this one.

TESTBED will be home to the only customised L-Acoustics L2 system in Leeds. It’s the kind of system you’d normally expect to find at major festivals and much larger venues.

Basically… it’ll sound incredible wherever you’re standing.

Massively.

We’ve completely reimagined it with moving lights, strobes, LED ceilings, custom under-balcony installations and an enormous LED screen.

Some shows will feel intimate.

Some will feel enormous.

Some will completely transform the room.

Yep.

We’ve grown from around 10,000 sq ft to over 23,000 sq ft.

More room to dance. More room to watch. More room to create. More room to bump into people you haven’t seen in years.

A brand new mezzanine with seating, a balcony overlooking the venue and another bar.

Sometimes it’ll be the best view in the house.

Sometimes it’ll be the place you accidentally spend the whole night.

We did.

Honestly… we’re as happy about it as you are.

We’ve massively increased the toilet capacity with four brand new custom-designed toilet blocks focused on comfort, cleanliness and making queues much less of a personality trait.

In a locker.

We’ve added bookable lockers so you’re not dragging your life around the venue all night.

Hands free. Shoulder free. Mind free.

Think of it as more possibilities.

They bring world-class booking experience, technical expertise, and investment.

We bring the vision, the city, the community and everything we’ve spent years building.

Together, we think Leeds gets something pretty special.

Yes.

You’ll see more national and international artists coming through Leeds, alongside emerging talent and the people already making brilliant things happen here.

We don’t think those worlds should be separate.

Absolutely.

TESTBED has always been built to be flexible, and now we’re doubling down on live music too.

It’s about giving artists another brilliant stage in Leeds, whether they’re just breaking through or selling out much bigger rooms.

Of course.

Electronic music is part of TESTBED’s DNA.

We’re just making room for lots of other things to sit alongside it.

They’re staying exactly where they belong.

Alto Radio will continue broadcasting from inside TESTBED, giving another platform to the people shaping music and culture in Leeds.

A little glimpse into the future.

It’s currently being built and will open in 2027 as a second multi-purpose space for different kinds of programming and somewhere to catch your breath between moments.

Watch this space.

September.

We’ll be announcing opening events, line-ups and everything else very soon.

Worth keeping an eye on.

We hope so.

We’re always looking to meet people making interesting things happen. Musicians. Artists. Theatre makers. Community organisers. Workshop hosts. Collectives. Designers. Comedians. Filmmakers. Producers. People with brilliant ideas we haven’t even thought of yet.

If you’ve got something you’d love to bring to TESTBED, we’d love to hear from you.

hello@testbedleeds.com