on the scene
from June 2007

When the word got out that Leeds was getting a new gay venue, there was a lot of speculation about what we’d be getting.

And now that Religion - just five seconds’ walk from Fibre - has opened there are going to be quite a lot of pleasantly-surprised people.

For one thing, it’s much bigger than anyone expected: what used to be Oslo has now been opened out into a large, glossy, stylish bar, complete with slick, black glass dancefloor (with mirrors under your feet - it’s a bit disconcerting to look down whilst you’re dancing and see your own sweaty face staring up at you!).

The decor is decidedly modern and minimalist - straight edges and flat surfaces are everywhere, not least in the toilets where the urinals are screened from the entrance by a growing wall of thin glass bricks, and where the cubicles are made of frosted glass!

Robbie Jones, manager, says that he’s deliberately aiming the club at ‘sophisticated over-25s’, and the funky house music played on the opening weekend suggests that they’re going for a club vibe. And for such a sleek and swanky venue, the drinks prices are amazingly good (unless, of course, you decide to opt for a bottle of Cristal champagne at - gulp! - £250 to sip in the gloriously fishtanked VIP area).

Leeds’ gay scene has just moved up a sizeable notch!