Clubs Quiz Melt at Rio's

We caught up with co-promoter Aaron and resident DJ Piers to chat about new three-in-one student night Melt, which takes place at Rio's every Thursday

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Will Melt offer students something a bit different?
Aaron: Melt offers a fantastic three clubs in one, very cheap drinks, and the future will see us
getting cutting-edge bands - both local and national - in on the act too.
Piers: Hopefully the night will try to encompass the whole of the alternative scene instead of just a small niche, which is the trend for nights in Leeds.

What does Rio’s offer as a venue?
Aaron: Three huge floors, but they’re all interlinked with little tunnels going off everywhere, so you can literally go exploring and find the place for you, and loads of cosy alcoves you can nestle in.
Piers: It has a kick-arse sound system, room to grow and a very positive approach!

What kinds of music can students expect at Melt?
Aaron: People can chop and change floors as they like: Lush is our indie club playing the latest alternative floor-fillers; Ministry of Rock belts out new and classic rock and metal; Blitz is the skate/punk/ska-themed club.

And apart from the music, what else can students look forward to?
Aaron: We’ve got a giant-screen Guitar Hero room, which we’re very excited about, and we’re gonna be having competitions every week, with the best ‘guitarists’ going through to further heats. All of this will be beamed live to screens around the club (with the sound down!), so revellers can have a laugh too.
Piers: And cheap beer! At £1.25 a pint you can’t go wrong.

Do you have regular DJs and will you be hosting visiting DJs?
Aaron: Some people might recognise Piers from Mook, or indeed Ministry of Rock DJ James as a regular in The Fenton, and Rik who DJs in Blitz is well known on the scene. We’ll also hopefully be hosting DJ sets from many well-known personalities, young and old.

Is the student market one of the most dependable during an economic downturn?
Aaron: For sure, it’s one of the safest markets to be in at the moment. There’ll always be students!
Piers: Yes, uptake on university places tends to increase during a recession because people don’t want to try and get a job in a declining market, so sitting it out for three years seems quite prudent!

What big tracks do you expect will become Melt favourites in the upcoming weeks?
Piers: Kings of Leon, of course! I’m hoping for good things with the new Kaiser Chiefs album, and Late of the Pier and Cold War Kids are awesome.

Do you have any guilty pleasures in your record collection?
Piers: Thousands - I used to DJ a night called Cheese!

What do you think of the Leeds music scene right now?
Piers: I love the whole DIY music scene Leeds has, it really sets the city apart from other university towns. Leeds has always been ahead of the pack, whether it was the goth scene at the beginning of the 80s, the creation of the best dance nights in the country (Basics, Ronson and Vague) in the early 90s and the current crop of bands just shows how strong it still is today. Leeds leads - it just takes the London media a bit of a while to follow!

What do you think of the Leeds bar and clubs scene right now?
Piers: The bar scene in Leeds is excellent and we still have an excellent range of clubs, with some great nights like Dirty Disco and Wax On. Hell, even Brighton Beach and Wendy House are still doing the business. And not to forget the institution that is Basics. Though it’s the arrival of the Academy which I am most looking forward to, Leeds has missed the old Town & Country Club, it now seems whole again. Now if only somebody would buy and reopen the Warehouse…
Melt, every Thursday, Rio’s

Posted on Tuesday 14th October 2008
SO'H

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