NEWS
Leeds venue Boom has launched a crowdfunder after finding new premises. This follows their announcement last November that they are “being forced” to shut down in March this year.
The venue previously said that its landlord decided to terminate its lease to start work developing the building into flats and shops.
However, in an update shared yesterday (January 29), the venue looks set instead to relocate – and they’ll need some help.
“Before Christmas we made a formal offer to take on a building on the fringe of Leeds City centre,” they revealed. This new venue – which they note is larger than their current Millwright Street location – will be set up as a Community Interest Company (CIC) music venue to offer various community facilities and initiatives, such as rehearsal spaces, a recording studio, education programmes, and F&B offerings.
“We will protect everything we have built over the last decade including the scenes and communities that use our spaces, the bands and gigs we work with and all the connected businesses involved,” they continued.
“Boom has [been] through a pandemic and a cost of living crisis and many challenges in recent years – we’ve learnt a lot especially around how our organisation needs to be more resilient and how that looks and works with a fresh start.”
The venue has raised £30,000 for the new location so far, but they require another £52,000 to secure the deal.
Boom has since launched an official crowdfunding campaign with a target goal of £15,000, with the venue aiming to raise remaining funds through exclusive merchandise and physical media releases on vinyl and cassette tape. Find the campaign here.
Boom has been a vital part of Leeds’ alternative music scene, having helped foster a generation of hardcore bands in the city. “If people didn’t get to experience Boom,” Higher Power guitarist Max Harper told NME, “it would be very, very sad.”
“Leeds would definitely not have the scene that it has without Boom – maybe the desire for other people to travel to Leeds for shows wouldn’t be there as much. There are other small venues too, but Boom has been the constant and the foundation, and probably the inspiration for people because it’s a very encouraging space.”
Earlier this week, it was reported that 2024 saw the UK lose one grassroots music venue every two weeks – with nearly half making a loss and 200 remaining in a state of emergency as the country faces a “collapse in touring”.
Kate Nash, a Music Venue Trust patron, told the Houses of Parliament in an effort to highlight the growing issues that touring musicians and venues face.
She said, despite being “pretty successful” with “thousands and thousands of fans” and being able to “sell out a venue or two”, the practice of planning a tour was now “never exactly what you think and you’re always going to go over budget.
“The way touring works right now is that you’re always over-budget, you go into the red, and fingers crossed you make nothing,” she continued. “You’re hoping you can make it zero and make absolutely fuck-all. It’s a bit of a weird job, really.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso honored Shyne with a key to the city during a ceremony held at the East Flatbush Young Men’s Mentorship Expo on Saturday. The recognition highlighted both his influence in hip hop and his contributions as a public figure and advocate. Reynoso also declared April 25, 2026 as “Shyne Day” in Brooklyn.
“Shyne embodies what is possible when a community believes in its young people, and the magic that can happen when young people are given the resources they need to thrive. East Flatbush raised Shyne, and it only made sense to present him with the Key to Brooklyn as we team up to deliver hope and opportunity to dozens of young men today,” Reynoso said at the event, as caught by BK Reader.
Shyne also addressed the crowd. “This is the community that raised me, and it’s important for me to pass that love forward,” he said. “There couldn’t be a better way to celebrate this milestone than coming back home and pouring into the next generation.” He also revealed that everyone in attendance would receive complimentary tickets to his 25th anniversary concert on May 2 at the Kings Theatre.
The show will mark 25 years since the release of his self titled debut studio album, which arrived on September 26, 2000. Even while Shyne was incarcerated at the time, the project debuted and reached number five on the Billboard 200 chart. It moved close to 160,000 units in its opening week.
Earlier this week, Shyne posted a video of himself standing outside the Kings Theatre on Instagram while promoting the upcoming performance. "Can’t wait to see you this Saturday, May 2 @kingsbklyn as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Shyne Album…..the celebration will continue @crownhilltheatre where I will meet, take pictures and party with you, my loyal supporters, who’ve made Shyne a Rap Legend," he captioned the post. Fans filled the comments with fire emojis in response.
