Leeds\u2019 major new revamped music venue TESTBED is set to reopen next month after a major overhaul.<\/p>\n
Founders Laura Wellington and James Abbott-Donnelly have overseen the project which sees the venue expanding from 10,000 square feet to 23,000 square feet with an overall crowd capacity of 2,500.<\/p>\n
Guests entering through the new lobby will find a brand-new 5,000 square feet mezzanine level, an upstairs bar and a balcony view overlooking the main dance floor. Downstairs, a custom-built stage allows for an immersive 360-degree crowd setup around the DJ booth, with plans already underway for a Room 2 reveal in 2027.<\/p>\n
It will also be the \u201conly venue in Leeds equipped with a custom-built L-Acoustics L2 system for festival-grade audio clarity\u201d along with a huge 8m x 4m high-res LED video wall, and a custom LED ceiling display. You can take a first look inside the venue below.<\/p>\n
\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<\/blockquote>\nTemporary portaloos have also been permanently removed, replaced by four brand-new, custom-designed toilet blocks that double previous capacity. In addition, a\u00a0high-capacity ventilation and air circulation system has been fitted throughout the industrial warehouse space.<\/p>\n
Since opening in 2021, TESTBED has \u201ccarved out a reputation as a unique, forward-thinking, multi-purpose space,\u201d according to a press release.<\/p>\n
AMAAD \u2013 the promoters behind Junction 2 Festival, LWE events, and Ironworks \u2013 has partnered with the venue, along with live music programmer Ghostwriter who has brought the likes of Little Simz<\/a>, Yungblud<\/a> and Geese<\/a> to The Prospect Building in Bristol, and Everything Everything<\/a>, The Sherlocks<\/a>, and The Callous Daoboys to Quarters in Brighton.<\/p>\n
Full lineups and opening details for TESTBED will be announced in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Reading & Leeds<\/a> has also seen the upcoming festival\u2019s \u201cbiggest staging and arena overhaul\u201d ever for this year\u2019s edition<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The northern leg in Leeds will take place at Bramham Park between August 27 and 30. Florence + The Machine<\/a>,\u00a0Charli XCX<\/a>,\u00a0Fontaines D.C.<\/a>,\u00a0Dave<\/a>,\u00a0Raye<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Chase & Status<\/a>\u00a0will all top the bill.<\/p>\n
Kasabian<\/a>\u00a0are due to open proceedings up in Leeds, serving as the northern site\u2019s first-ever Thursday night headliners. There\u2019ll be various acts exclusive to each location, too, including\u00a0Blossoms<\/a>\u00a0(Leeds),\u00a0Loyle Carner<\/a>\u00a0(Reading),\u00a0Jamie Webster<\/a>\u00a0(Leeds),\u00a0Men I Trust<\/a>\u00a0(Reading),\u00a0The K\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0(Leeds) and\u00a0Gunna<\/a>\u00a0(Reading).<\/p>\n
As part of these major improvements, the festival\u2019s main stage has been revamped as\u00a0The Grid. <\/strong>Other stages include The Gallery, The Ballroom <\/strong>and The Canopy<\/strong><\/p>\n