SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

John Keenan continues to book great acts at the Brudenell and at Korks in Otley and is still the same approachable friendly guy. Incidentally, I was at one of the Grandmothers gigs at the Duchess (with Bunk Gardener and Don Preston as well as JCB) myself, and had a word or two with JCB, an equally friendly and approachable character.

The real point of it for me was that if you asked John nicely you'd get a gig and you could be on the same stage as the likes of John Spencer. The whole nirvana oasis thing is a sideshow concern for me. I wasn't there. So what. I was there for literally hundreds of other nights Humping gear for beer or a free in and that's what really counted....you know the whole "scene" thing....the characters that "lived there" like flat nose and Jeff (rip) on the desk and Rachel behind the bar. One legacy I do have to this day from the duchess is enduring tinnitus from PInk PA which was desperately loud!!

John Keenan must have done more for the Leeds music scene than pretty much any other single individual.

Geoff Bell, affectionately known as Deaf Geoff at the Duchess, was one of my closest friends. Before he started sound engineering at the Duchess we were habit of popping down to the Fav for "a quick pint" pretty much seven days a week.

He was someone I just assumed would be a friend for life, but unfortunately that wasn't to be. Must be 20 years since he died. RIP.

No doubt Jeff was an ace Geordie And he loved his lager. And he really was part deaf. he could prove it with a graphic equaliser. I remember him demonstrating how 5K was particularly shot for him. "there's hooles in ma hearin man"

Vongoloka wrote:The real point of it for me was that if you asked John nicely you'd get a gig and you could be on the same stage as the likes of John Spencer.

Certainly could. Our band at the time had some forty or so gigs there over the years, both headlining and as support. I recall being on bills with Gallon Drunk, Jonathan Fireeater, Flaming Stars, Royal Trux, Terry Edwards, and R.L. Burnside, amongst others, all of who bar one group being absolutely great to us (I won't name the culprits as they don't deserve the oxygen of even bad publicity) and it was always a pleasure to work for John Keenan.

I only managed three so your way ahead of me. I remember being startled at how much the stage shook when you gave it some welly. Supported bastard and ron tree once which was absolutely hilarious

Loved the place. In an earlier band we played a residency there in the days when it was the Robin Hood, an appalling dive but an education, and I had fun on around ten Saturday(?) afternoon sessions sitting in with The Four Horsemen in Duchess days. Plus I regularly went there to listen to all sorts of wonderful bands and acts.

Bloody hell i'd forgotten those afternoon gigs. I'd call in for some of those on the way back from Leeds markets with my anaemic mince to fortify myself with some beer on the way back to the autumns. I remember the Horsemen.

Used to go see the Four Horsemen on an evening at the New Roscoe, great music and quiet nights

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any photos of the Duchess that they could send me?
Any snaps of the inside, outside, queues waiting to get in, people dancing etc..
I would be enormously greatful!

My email is [email protected].

Thanks everyone!