Brighton Beach: Why a legendary club night is returning to a dancefloor in Leeds

A legendary club night is making a return to its home city.

Brighton Beach is taking over at Project House this first Bank Holiday Sunday in May for a day/night of 60s soul, Motown, indie, northern soul and Britpop bangers.

Rewind to 1994, the dance mega clubs ruled the roost from a corporate perch, the guitar scene had been dominated by everything Seattle, earlier that year Kurt Cobain had left this earth, and it was time for change.

Brighton Beach started at The Cockpit in Leeds the same year, playing classic 60s mod and soul tracks, alongside songs by the great British groups of the 90s.

As Britpop emerged, the night could not have been better timed. Massive bands like Supergrass and Shed Seven hung out at the club and performed frenzied secret gigs there too. Local heroes, the Kaiser Chiefs, spent many formative nights at the Beach before starting the band. DJs from the vinyl-obsessed underground UK 60s scene were brought in to host a second room at the club, playing pure northern soul, R&B, jazz and freakbeat, introducing fuzzed-up garage and speed-fuelled psych to salivating kids.

READ MORE: Brighton Beach - Memories of the Leeds club night dedicated to Britpop and 1960s classics

On the dancefloor, mods from the local scooter clubs were teaching the new Britpop scenesters how to dress and dance, with tight ties and perfect hair. Brighton Beach went on to have hugely popular residencies in Sheffield, Newcastle, Leicester and London.

Ricky Wilson, frontman with Kaiser Chiefs, said: “Without Brighton Beach, there would be no Kaiser Chiefs, so they have a lot to apologise for. If my knees still worked, I’d be there every night. Some people had formative years, we had formative Friday nights.”

And Rick Witter of Shed Seven added: “What a time to be alive. We spent many nights at Brighton Beach in the Cockpit, Leeds. Great tunes, beautiful people and an amazing atmosphere. Getting the train back to York, slightly wired, at 4.30am was always a sign that a good time had been had by all. And we even played a gig there, which puts us in a long line of very cool acts to have graced the stage. Long Live Brighton Beach!”

Club founder Richard Todd says, “Ditch the Bank Holiday monotony for a weekend to remember at Brighton Beach. Two of the club’s original DJs from 1994, Red Helen and Dan Guest, are joining us, plus Room 2 heavyweights Eddie Wainwright, Callum Simpson and Tony Pass. With club-goers travelling in from all the Brighton Beach cities, it’s going to be unforgettable!”

* Brighton Beach at Project House is taking place on Bank Holiday Sunday, May 3, 2026, from 5pm until 10pm. Tickets available from fatsoma.com and dice.fm