Oakwood Church Leeds

Astoria Ballroom

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Oakwood Church Leeds

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Walk Around The Clock

Opened in 1929 and formerly known as the Harehills Palais-de-Danse, the Astoria became one of Leeds’ prime entertainment venues

In the 1940s it hosted ‘Tea Dances’, where people wore dinner

jackets and long gowns

From 1969 until the early 1980s live televised wrestling bouts were staged at The Astoria, usually by Joint Promotions

During the 1980s there was a lively ‘music scene’ at The Astoria including Rock ‘N’ Roll, Northern Soul and Jazz

Concerts at The Astoria included James Saturday 23 November 1985; Pere Ubu 24 March 1988; Gong and Tribal Hearts Thursday 21 April 1988; Tanita Tikaram Wednesday 28 September 1988; Uria Heap Wednesday 22 November 1989; Thunder Monday 4 December 1989; The Psychedelic Furs Tuesday 30 January 1990; Dr Feelgood 14 November 1991

The Astoria even hosted a Goth Convention associated with The Sisters of Mercy, a band which was formed in Leeds. Its founder Andrew Eldritch, once called ‘The Godfather of Goth’, has since the early 1990s dissociated himself from Goth subculture

Krystyna has an autographed 1980s photo of Dynamite which is reproduced in the gallery on this page

She also donated a ticket to the Leeds Rock ‘N’ Roll Club at The Astoria Ballroom see The Jets; Vince St John and Red River Rock; and The Hot Dogs on 5 May 1984 which was buried in the time capsule at Oakwood Clock

The time capsule is due to be opened in 2112 – the bicentenary of Oakwood becoming part of the City of Leeds.

After its closure in 1992 The Astoria was used by Amrik’s for an electrical goods showroom until 1995 and then it was briefly a Gym

Eventually, The Astoria was demolished and replaced by residential apartments called, Astoria Court

Notes

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Article

Links

Wrestling

Leeds Jazz

Wikipedia - Northern Soul

www.andrewbannermanbayles.com

www.wearejames.com

www.ubuprojex.com

www.planetgong.co.uk

www.tanita-tikaram.com

www.uriah-heep.com

www.thepsychedelicfurs.com

Vince St John And The Red River Rock

Contact

history@oakwoodchurch.info

More Local History

MP3	Carol Wurr “The times that I had there were really happy...and boy did we use to dress up... We used to go every Saturday night and it was definitely the place to go if you wanted a little bit of ballroom dancing and a little bit of rock n’ roll...and people came from all over Leeds.”

MP3

Krystyna Spink “The first time we'd gone we weren't expecting much inside... The floor was really glossy and polished... there was a sweeping staircase, carpeted... the ladies toilets were gorgeous, they had carpets inside... you could just chat and make friends... talk about where they got their clothes...”