A Personal Memory of Scrumpies

purplezulu · Post by **purplezulu** » Thu 29 Oct, 2009 10:30 pm

This is Scrumpies as I remember it, my own 'little piece of heaven' in Leeds....There is a black door in a town prescient that most people walk past without even seeing. It opens inwards onto a dark stairway leading down, metal music getting louder as you make your way down the stairs.As you enter the room there are people sat on a small stage area to your right, you can see the DJ in his cowboy hat, being heckled by people to put on their fave track next. As your eyes adjust to the gloom, you look across the room into the various alcoves and dark corners, waving across at people you recognise before making your way to the bar on the left - your feet sticking to the floor as you walk.There is a pool table to the right of the bar that has seen better days. The regulars know to adjust their shots to compensate for the way the table leans. Behind the pool table is the entrance to the toilets, a ratty padded bench in there has been the setting for many meaningful (if drunken) conversations that you cant remember in the morning.After buying a bottle of brown ale you turn and lean on the bar, drinking the atmosphere as well as the ale. The smell of smoke and dry ice fills your nostrils and the pounding music vibrates in your ribcage.You drink from the bottle, glancing at the stairway occasionally to check out who's coming in -people in the same gear as you - jeans, black tee shirt with metalband design and leather jacket.As you wait for your companions to arrive you grin to yourself - 'god, I love this place'

Crazy Jane · Post by **Crazy Jane** » Thu 29 Oct, 2009 10:44 pm

I still have a black velvet cloak somewhere (guess which night i went to lol) that has a bleach stain on the hem from Scrumpies toilets. I guess they just squirted the stuff on the floor O_o

weenie · Post by **weenie** » Thu 29 Oct, 2009 10:45 pm

now thats what i call a good pub! no matter what type of music you are into.A good pub for anyone is the atmosphere, the crowd, the welcome and a pub that sells your type of drink!. not many left

purplezulu · Post by **purplezulu** » Thu 29 Oct, 2009 10:55 pm

Crazy Jane - Bleach? In Scrumpies! - flipping heck one of the staff must have been having an epiphany or a nervous breakdown, I never heard of bleach being used in there ha haWeenie - You said it, not many left indeed. Sadly this place bit the dust a long time ago and all we have left are the (somewhat rose tinted) memories

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 29 Oct, 2009 11:23 pm

There's mentions at least on most pages in this one -http://www.secretleeds.co.uk/forum/Mess ... Light=1The lost night clubs thread might lend a little nostagia too

Crazy Jane · Post by **Crazy Jane** » Sat 31 Oct, 2009 5:48 pm

Well i presumed it was bleach. Maybe someone had just spilt speed cut with ajax down the back or something. Either way, it turned my cape from black to off white O_o

Post by **cnosni** » Sat 31 Oct, 2009 7:03 pm

Crazy Jane wrote: Well i presumed it was bleach. Maybe someone had just spilt speed cut with ajax down the back or something. Either way, it turned my cape from black to off white O_o No,it was the budget vinegar that was there when they started selling food,the kitchens being right next to the gents.Those toilets were the worst in the world.I started going in 82 and it was just at the right time.A good mix of rock fans ,from the hippy types right through to the (as this was pre Metallica etc)WASP type fans.Never saw any trouble.What a shame it had to go.

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Sat 31 Oct, 2009 9:13 pm

purplezulu wrote: This is Scrumpies as I remember it, my own 'little piece of heaven' in Leeds....There is a black door in a town prescient that most people walk past without even seeing. It opens inwards onto a dark stairway leading down, metal music getting louder as you make your way down the stairs.As you enter the room there are people sat on a small stage area to your right, you can see the DJ in his cowboy hat, being heckled by people to put on their fave track next. As your eyes adjust to the gloom, you look across the room into the various alcoves and dark corners, waving across at people you recognise before making your way to the bar on the left - your feet sticking to the floor as you walk.There is a pool table to the right of the bar that has seen better days. The regulars know to adjust their shots to compensate for the way the table leans. Behind the pool table is the entrance to the toilets, a ratty padded bench in there has been the setting for many meaningful (if drunken) conversations that you cant remember in the morning.After buying a bottle of brown ale you turn and lean on the bar, drinking the atmosphere as well as the ale. The smell of smoke and dry ice fills your nostrils and the pounding music vibrates in your ribcage.You drink from the bottle, glancing at the stairway occasionally to check out who's coming in -people in the same gear as you - jeans, black tee shirt with metalband design and leather jacket.As you wait for your companions to arrive you grin to yourself - 'god, I love this place' I used to just about live in that place lol great times first going to jeans cafe int merrion centre spend hours in there then all walk down to Scrumpies (I also used to go to Scrumpies when it was under the corn exchange).thanks for bringing back such fond memories.thanks & all the bestPaul B (ps my nickname was reaper when i went in there & some people still call me it now lol)

purplezulu · Post by **purplezulu** » Sun 01 Nov, 2009 11:39 pm

Reaper!!! I know you I also used to spend a lot of time in Jeans cafe waiting for Scrumps to open.Those were the days indeed - much missed

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Sun 01 Nov, 2009 11:47 pm

Those toilets were the worst in the world.Worse than the Phono loos??