Venues

The Allan Fold

Address: Warley Road, King Cross, Halifax
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Infamous as a gig venue in past years. Thanks to Eamonn for resurrecting the gigs over the last few years. New landlady, Kelly, continues to fly the live music flag - good for her!

Almondbury Working Men's Club

Address: Almondbury, Huddersfield
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A typical WMC ! Stop the band, it's eyes down for a full house !

Atlas Mill Brewery (The Tip Inn)

Address: Atlas Mill Road, Brighouse
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Fantastic little acoustic venue, Small bar beneath micro-brewery. Very cosy, great atmosphere.

The Barge, Brighouse

Address: Town Centre, Brighouse (Opposite Sainsbury's car park)
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Since Julian arrived at the pub, it has really built up a great music reputation - gigs every weekend including Sunday afternoons - with dancing if Percy and Noreen get hold of you! Seems to generate a good sound despite the 'u' shape interior restricting the sound from carrying all the way around the pub (might not be a bad thing!). A good crowd and friendly welcome. Bring your sleeping bag!

Batley Irish Democratic Club (The Nash)

Address: Town Centre, Batley

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Very friendly Irish club with a true Yorkshire accent. Easily spotted by the massive electronic shamrock on the outside wall. Good little club that doubles-up as a meeting point for the Batley early doors drinkers on a weekend night out - well worth a visit.

Berties, Elland

Address: Bertie's Banqueting Rooms, Town Centre, Elland
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Great venue for wedding receptions, dinners, and other formal events. Plenty of dancing space.

The Blue Bell, Taylor Hill, Huddersfield

Address: Close Hill Lane, Taylor Hill
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A pub with a stage - fantastic. Made for gigs venue. Good atmosphere, and a good crowd of people. Well worth a visit.

Bowers Mill, Barkisland, Nr Halifax

Address: The Venue, Branch Road, Barkisland, Near Halifax
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Fantastic renovated mill. Top floor holds a large function area - very plush. Superb place for a big do, even if it is off the beaten track. Acoustics are a bit of hard work due to the size of the room, high glass roof and stone walls. But still creates a good atmosphere.

The Bowling Green

Address: Winding Road, Halifax (near the bus station)
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Great 'made for a do' venue. Regular band nights, now on Saturdays. Handy for the late sesh and taxis home.

Bradshaw Cricket Club

Address: Bradshaw, Halifax.
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Fantastic little club, great atmosphere, nice maidens, good crowd with Harry Gration's wife often in attendance!

Briercourt Hotel, Huddersfield

Address: A629 Halifax Road, Birchencliffe, Huddersfield
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Wedding venue - nice room well away from main hotel bar.

The Buck Inn, Malham, North Yorkshire

Address: Malham Village, about 9 miles north of Skipton
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Hotel/Pub set in beautiful rural dales village. Great venue catering for locals and holiday/weekenders. Large room with good atmosphere, friendly staff and clientele. Hope John and Sue can keep the live stuff going.

Clay House

Address: West Vale, near Halifax
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Private function venue in the middle of the park, with medieval decor and first world war licensing. Swings and roundabouts really.

The Country House

Address: On the Halifax to Leeds Road (A58), Hipperholme, Halifax
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Great 'locals' pub with a proper stage for the band. Lots of passing trade, and a great looking netball team. Good atmosphere if the crowd stays, including the Romans from a local toga party.

The Crown Hotel, Wyke

Address: Next to the mini-roundabout, Wyke, Bradford
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Fine locals pub. Carol and Kevin continue the 'live' theme from Trish. A lenient attitude to drinking up. Good crowd after 10 pm when they've all done the Westgate Wobble, and decided to end their wobbling in the Crown.

Elland Golf Club

Address: Near Hammerstones, at the top of Victoria Rd, Elland

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Standard golf club attire, but very comfortable, cosy atmosphere. Great crowd, nice setting, good bar staff/stewards, top night.

The Falcon

Address: Salterhebble (A629 Huddersfield Rd), Halifax
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Excellent place for a diddle. These are usually outdoor affairs in the car park at the front - great view of car accidents on the A629 as they usually slow down to have a sneck. Bob and Linda got the ball rolling and Alan and Pam have got the cosy Sunday afternoons going again.

The Fleece

Address: Barkisland, Halifax
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Great venue for music and a few after hours as it's out in the sticks. Worth the trip.

The Fountain Head

Address: Mount Pellon , just off Moor End Road, Pellon, Halifax
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Newish venue from 2007. Good cosy atmosphere with plenty of potential for larger gigs.

The Friendly Inn

Address: Burnley Road, Friendly, Sowerby Bridge. Just beyond the junction of Halifax to Burnley road with Tuel Lane, towards Luddenden Foot.

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This new venue came on the scene in 2008. Closed down early 2009, but has re-opened February 2009 - Tom & Katie and Steve. Large conservatory serves as stage area. Good local, spacious, friendly pub with the biggest stage divers you're likely to get flattened by.

G&T's

Address: Queensbury, Bradford
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Popular venue in middle of Queensbury. Regular Sunday night live band events, so get along and support.

The George & Dragon, Dent, Cumbria

Address: Main Street, Dent, Cumbria
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Great pub in fantastic dales countryside village. Good mix of locals and holiday makers, and a warm welcome from Anne and John, and the rest of the staff.

Gladstones

Address: Horton St, Halifax
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Good St.Patrick's afternoon gig venue.

The Great House (formerly The Fleece)

Address: Elland, Halifax
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Previous Paddy's Nights turned out to be real 'crackers' - after a slow start. Legend has it that the Headless Horseman's ghost still resides there. There's a few Legless Irishmen when we're there!

Greetland Community Centre

Address: Greetland, Halifax
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Fantastic facilities for both the indoor and outdoor sessions, and the gigs here always seem to have a great atmosphere. Previous Spudstock venue.

The Halfway House

Address: Pellon, Halifax
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A good locals pub that usually gets rocking. Recently lost some of it's smokey charm due to the smoking ban, but still a good venue on a good night.

Halifax RUFC

Address: Ovenden Park, Halifax
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Good venue with the right crowd. Top night had by all for the club January 2005. Book your taxis early though.

Halifax Vandals RUFC

Address: Newlands, Warley, Halifax
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New clubhouse doesn't have that quaint feeling of the old place, but a nice clean tidy venue. Well away from nearest residents, so ought to be generous on the sound levels if required.

Hazlewood Castle Hotel, Tadcaster

Address: Just off the A1/A64 junction
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Superb mansion/hotel complex in beautiful countryside - wedding venue.

Heath RUFC

Address: Stainland Road, West Vale, Greetland, Halifax
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Great open expanse behind the clubhouse for 2007 inaugural Live 'Eath gig. Good set up thanks mainly to the organisational efforts of one Jim Farrell.

Hey Green Hotel, Marsden

Address: Marsden, West Yorkshire (just)
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Not easily found, but good wedding-do venue. Decent size room. Top (ex) resident DJ - Biggles. Get your hair cut!

Huddersfield Narrowboat, Uppermill, Lancs

Address: The canal, next to the museum, Uppermill, Lancashire
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Unusual setting - private parties on John's narrowboat. Has to be acoustic set, but creates a great atmosphere. Good for a lock-in. (Ha ha!)

Huddersfield Irish Centre

Address: Fitzwilliam Street, Huddersfield
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2006 debut for BotC. Great atmosphere when full, but lay out a little restrictive. Having said that, it's a good venue with a good mix of people, and a great attitude to catering musically for the younger people. Acoustic nights also held.

Huddersfield Ukranian Club

Address: Halifax Road, Huddersfield
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Nice venue for private functions, but chip shop style lighting doesn't lend well to the visual effects, especially when the band consists of a set of ugly gargs like us.

The Irish Club

Address: Halifax
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Halifax's very own. Decent venue - depends on the type of night or afternoon. Fine pint of cheap Guinness though, so you can forgive it almost anything. This is the only venue where we have actually had the plug pulled (literally) on us for playing over time. Our faces must have been a picture. Great to see the club full again for our gig early May 2009.

The Junction

Address: King Cross, Halifax
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Top pub gig venue for a rowdy do but the layout of the pub makes it a little difficult to get all involved. Great hosts.

The King's Head

Address: South Street, Keighley
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Good music venue, for Sunday night sessions. Bizarrely, can only cater for maximum of two songsters (something to do with the extortionate costs of music licenses).

King Cross Cricket club

Address: Hanson Lane, Halifax
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An occassional venue for parties and Belt of the Both Barrels gigs .lots of familiar faces and a healthy approach to late serving make for happy belts.

Kingston Social Club

Address: Hopwood Lane, West End, Halifax
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As near as we get to Jamaica, no sign of any Red Stripe, and the the only yardies you'll find are round the back where the dustbinies are kept. Cosy little club with a proper stage!

Lee Mount WMC

Address: Lee Mount, Halifax
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Clubland venue especially for two boy duos with lights, or vocalists who always have a bloke's christian name as their surname (e.g. Billy David, Amanda James, Stephanie Peters etc etc etc). We love venues with a little room for 'Artistes only' (with top photos of previous entertainers) just in case we need somewhere to change into our stage clothes! Having said that, we enjoyed the night for the Noah's Ark fund raiser, despite a boat-load of problems with the sound equipment (boat/ark - get it?). Good friendly club, and great beer prices.

Lock, Stock and Barrell

Address: Boothtown Road, Boothtown, Halifax
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Large, lively cavernous pub adjacent and visible from the Halifax Bradford road towards Queensbury. Good venue for live music - loads of bands most weeks.

Maguire's, Leeds

Address: Regent Street, Leeds, just off York Road
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Real Irish pub, home of Leeds branch Celtic Supporters Club. Big name venue with excellent facilities.

The Moorlands Inn

Address: Keighley Road (A629), Ogden, Halifax

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Big, very popular, open fires, eating pub - live music Friday nights.

The Murgatroyd Arms

Address: Skircoat Green, Halifax

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Fabulous acoustic venue. Live music every Thursday evening. Free admission but please put a penny (a fiver would be great!) in the old man's hat!

NALGO Club

Address: Beneath the council offices, Halifax
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Easy going gig, with a good atmosphere. Appreciative crowd, good bar prices, and a considerate attitude to drinking up time, despite the bar staff living in Rochdale - thanks.

The Navigation

Address: Next to the canal, Sowerby Bridge
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Very cosy locals pub. 2003 venue for Rushbearing warm-up in a marquee in the car-park - very cosy!

The New Furnace

Address: Halifax Road, Shelf (Near Tescos at Buttershaw)
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Pub in Club surroundings - proper stage with trimmings. Locals place with a welcome for the traveller. Good music venue. Belt of the Celts 100th venue in December 2000.

The New Variety Club, Keighley

Address: Previously know as the Gas Club
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Nice little isolated venue with lights. Needs a crowd to get the atmosphere, and a bit Phoenix Nights. Good do for Eddie's fundraiser.

Ogden (Halifax)Golf Club

Address: Ogden, Halifax off A629 towards Keighley
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Secluded venue for good party or function. A good crowd guarantees a good night. Good friendly staff.

The Olde Shears Inn

Address: Dean Clough, Halifax (Underneath the A629 Keighley Rd flyover)
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Good little music venue. Good real ales to spill to the live music - usually Friday nights.

Ossett Albion FC

Address: Ossett
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The rating above is along the lines of how many people turned up. Either it was badly publicised or everyone in Ossett has heard of us before.

Ovenden Way

Address: Ovenden Way, Ovenden, Halifax.
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Large estate pub - community-centred, very friendly establishment. Had a great gig here on St Pats 2009.

The Peels Arms

Address: 143 Den Lane, Springhead, Oldham
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Well hidden great locals pub (home of some famous locals - PS of MU) - the landlord and lady (Les and Pauline) are about as local to Oldham as Rodney Bewes is to Newcastle. The Fog on the Tame is all mine all mine. Friendly welcome, good atmosphere, even though Shane MacGowan was previously unheard of.

The Pennine Manor Hotel

Address: Scapegoat Hill, Huddersfield
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Neat little hotel with fantastic views. Bit of an odd low-roofed function room keeps the volume down. No swearing please!

Platinum Club (previously La Mania)

Address: Halifax
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Night club venue - good setting but not really our style - (old gits!)

The Pump Room

Address: Junction of Church Street and New Road, Halifax. Near the railway station.
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Great real ale pub and friendly music venue.

The Puzzle Hall Inn

Address: Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax. Get to Sowerby Bridge and ask for directions!
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Well out of the way pub just off the centre of Sowerby Bridge. Live music in plentiful supply with a great close atmosphere and a real 'pub' feeling about it. Very small but very cosy. Big hat required!

The Quays

Address: Huddersfield Rd, Salterhebble, Halifax
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Had some tremendous evenings here in the past. Always thought it was never quite the same once it became a 'food' pub. Good venue if the crowd's up for it.

The Revival Bar

Address: Broad St, Halifax
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Played an Irish Night with Rakish Paddy and Irish dancers Celtic Beat. Sounded OK from where we were but quite a lot of complaints were given to Rakish soundman Malcolm, accusing him of sabotaging our set. The main culprit was a man called Kenneth - you know who you are!

The Ridings School

Address: Ovenden, Halifax
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Wasn't sure what to expect here. What a great venue and a very friendly and appreciative audience. A bit of a contradiction in terms allowing us to 'play' in a performing arts theatre.

Rishworthians Rugby Club

Address: Copley, Halifax
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Very hospitable venue and appreciative audience - a long, long night from what I remember.

Rochdale Town Hall

Address: erm....Rochdale!
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Gothic cathedral - gargoylish accoustics but a good wedding venue.

Rose & Crown, Greetland, Halifax

Address: Rochdale Road, Greetland
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Not too spacious bar area but good atmosphere. Good pub for keeping the live music going.

The Royal (Now known as The Bridge)

Address: Elland, Halifax
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Always a storming night. The very best of the venues, in my opinion. Fine pint of Guinness, a liberal attitude towards drinking up time (and at this level of understatement I can also say that Vlad the Impaler was quite a naughty man) and the best landlord in the North of England - well, Dave was last reported to be in this region, but who knows as he has done a bunk. Would be great is this took off again, especially as we had some superb Christmas gigs in the past.
Not wanting to delete the above references attributed to The Royal (of which many are still relevant), it has to be said that we had another stormer of a night on our Feb 2001 visit. Landlord doubles up as roadie (cheers Derek), and a great crowd seemed to enjoy the night despite the band being relocated to the concert room!

Saddleworth Hotel, Delph, near Oldham

Address: A62, Huddersfield Road, Delph
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Very cosy and plush hotel in middle of nowhere. Beautiful surroundings, but hard work from a gig point of view.

The Shears Inn, Paris Gates, Halifax

Address: Paris Gates, close to The Shay football ground.
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Great real ale and food pub tucked away in the valley bottom amongst the mills. We played an outdoor gig there in June 2009 - appropriately on the back of a potato wagon!

Shoulder of Mutton, Thwaites, Keighley

Address: Thwaites village, Near Keighley
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Good locals pub, with clientele who know how to enjoy themselves.

Siddal Rugby League Club - Old

Address: By the bus terminus, Siddal, Halifax
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Early years venue for BotC, now replaced by the new clubhouse -see below. Lots of old friends there, and a long association between the band and the club. Top Rugby League team.

Siddal Rugby League Club - New

Address: Chevinedge, Exley/Siddal, Halifax - right next to the pitch.
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New clubhouse opened April 2008 - splendid structure. Paint was still drying as we played! Fantastic facilities, large bar and function room. May take a bit of getting used to if you've grown up around those parts, or being associated with the club for a long period, but one thing that hasn't changed from the old place - still a great set of people.

Siddal Ex-Servicemen's Club

Address: Siddal, Halifax
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Nice little venue, but be prepared to step back into the 1970's for the decor but not the bar prices. Top venue for Rock Nights, and Rock & Roll nights. (Oh, and Belt of the Celts have played there). Warm friendly welcome so don't be put off by the tinsel stage backdrop. Venue for 2004 SPUDAID.
Spenborough Ex-servicemen's Club
Address: On the road between Chain Bar and Cleckheaton.
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Good friendly club, with appreciative crowd. Very enjoyable evening; we always like to know who'll be 'in the chair tonight'.

Slaithwaite Cricket Club

Address: T'other side of 'uddersfield, on't way to Oldham
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Picturesque (in many ways) setting for booze fuelled fantastic night - Marquee style. Great to see Biggles the DJ - still with his hair!

Skipton RUFC

Address: er, Skipton, North Yorkshire. (You can see it from the by-pass, but try finding your way there!)
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Lovely clubhouse in scenic surroundings (if you look beyond the industrial units and by-pass). Very friendly crowd. Good little venue.

The Stafford Arms

Address: Huddersfield Road, Salterhebble, Halifax Near the hospital
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Picking up the live gig pace since 2007, a good friendly atmosphere, handy for town and A&E.

Stone Chair Variety Club

Address: Next to the roundabout where the Brighouse and Denholmegate Road crosses the Bradford to Halifax road, near Shelf
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Not as glitzy as you might imagine, and more comfortable than the name suggests! (Not sure about the variety bit). Small friendly club with pub atmosphere, good beer prices, and generally a good egg of a place.

The Tipp Inn (Atlas Mill Brewery)

Address: Atlas Mill Road, Brighouse
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Fantastic little acoustic venue, Small bar beneath micro-brewery. Very cosy, great atmosphere.

Triangle Inn

Address: Triangle, Sowerby Bridge, Near Halifax (A58)
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Good close atmosphere in nice tidy pub.

The West End

Address: Gomersal, Cleckheaton
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New to us from 2007. Large pub off the beaten track with space in the back for large 'rock' bands. We played in the bar, and had a fantastic night.

Waterloo Bowling Club

Address: On the Wakefield/Sheffield road out of Huddersfield, just before Waterloo traffic lights.
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Friendly little club willing to give 'something different' a try. Eyes-down between sets. A bizarre toilet arrangement where there's a gent's and ladies trap at either side of the stage for the audience to use mid-turn!

Ziggy's Spice House

Address: Half way between Irish Club and Plummet Line, Halifax
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Used to be the Spice Gardens curry house - the regular venue for the end of a Friday night. Got to be one of the most unusual venues.