Hedonistic Tendencies by Gabi Harris

After moving from the smog of London to the relatively paradise like serenity of Leeds I have been pleasantly surprised and seduced by this diverse new city. Pub-crawls in Leeds are no longer the primeval fumbling of 80’s glam and gloss but the seemingly sophisticated charms of my more familiar London. Nice one Leeds! I am now faced with an array of bars to celebrate my new singleton life and party life in Leeds- after moving back from eight years in London. Seductive seedy Soho, Camden’s bohemian hippy life, Basement Jaxx in Brixton or Café de Paris and the stars and minor celebs queuing and begging to get in when all the time the club in heaving to boiling point ready to explode. At least Leeds hasn’t got this manic – ‘too many cooks spoil the broth thing’!

So- I am left standing in one such bar - Dr Wus - (Dr Who?) with a crowd of New York Street style punters dancing to Hip Hop and wishing tonight was the night I had chosen to wear my baseball cap. Yep! Well if happiness is truly hedonism then this place sure knows the score. Well this country sure as hell needs to party with rain, the pubs closing at 11 and the longest work hours in Europe- we need to let lose and let go of the mundane.

Anyway, this brings us back to Dr Wus with enough Hip Hop style to shake a microphone at. Open mic session for budding rappers to air their wares. Not for the faint hearted- there was enough testosterone on that stage to create a bit of a buzz- needless to say my singing on Dr Wus mic days are now officially over! So break beats n fresh toons fresh in my mind I set off up the road to a gig a friend was playing, at the Hi Fi club.

Walking down the stairs at the HiFi club I am hit with a sorta 60’s psychedelia, an ambience of jazzy high-living energy reminiscent of days spent chilling in bars in Greenwich Village.

The band at the HiFi wasn’t one to be messed with, a full band of bass, sax, trumpet, drums, and lead singer- a diverse mix of jazzy funk with a twist of tang!Joining the crowd to dance I came to the realisation along with a vodka that this idea of cramming a weeks worth of happiness into a night- usually a Saturday- was no more- Leeds was turning cool- when this happened I’m not sure- but I’m along for the ride. The mid- weeks partying seem more enticing now with the ease of actually getting to where the action is and the close proximity of the bars- I’m hooked baby!

So even if this hedonistic lifestyle is a perilous business and I risk walking round in years to come wishing I’d have gone home early instead of going to that last bar for just that final drink or saying no to staying at Glastonbury festival longer than I should have safely done! This party girl is here to stay! Well one day I sure will have to slow down or suffer one sore head- but until that day comes- I am enthusiastically devoted to my new hedonistic hobby of living life in Leeds! See You around!" - Gabi Harris.