BACK TO BASICS 18TH ANNIVERSARY

Jay D wrote: »

Can see so many people from here going to that :pac:

For queen and country....

It's only a theme night you don't have to dress up and chances are loads wont, it's gonna be a top night, Andrew Weatherall is absolutely amazing.

Here's a video from their 15th birthday, im really excited bout this, Leeds is amazing for clubbing, some clubs are open until 9am and there's always afterpartys on until the next day:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKDUFgcO0S4

Happy New Beer: Back to basics with club king Dave

Beer, not always sitting so pretty: "I had a really difficult childhood. I came from a single parent family on a council estate in Pontefract. You would get called all sorts of horrible names, so I had to learn to look after myself pretty quickly."

PARTY animal Dave Beer hasn't had the easiest of lives. He was born in a single-parent family on a Yorkshire council estate but grew up to become the owner of Britain's oldest club night, Back to Basics.

This year B2B celebrates 18 glorious years of reigning over Leeds nightlife.

Now 43, Beer entered music as a teenager, working as a roadie and later manager for bands like That Petrol Emotion, Pop Will Eat Itself and at one stage even lived with the Sisters of Mercy in Leeds.

After being bitten by the clubbing bug by visiting various local raves, he set up Back to Basics in 1991 with best friend and DJ Alistair Cooke whom he met at Wakefield Art College in the early 1980s.

Shortly after both men were involved in a car crash which killed Cooke and his partner Jocelyn and nearly took Beer's life too.

Despite this tragedy he eventually took the decision to continue with the night, putting Leeds on the national clubbing map and securing a hellraising reputation for himself. Small wonder his passport reads 'Occupation: The purveyor of good times.'

Now times have never been better for Beer, he's just seen in 2009 with a suitably spectacular party at B2B and intends to continue juggling his wild ways with raising his two children, Evie, eight, and 14-year-old Danny. He has the dates of their birthdays tattooed on his arm and leg .

What's the one thing you couldn't live without?
Music and my bed, both have played a very big part in my life. Music is the one thing that can totally change my mood and I have songs for every moment and memory in my life. And as for my bed it's the most expensive thing I own, I like to stay out of bed as long as possible and then stay in bed as long as possible.

What's the best thing about Leeds?Back to Basics! No, seriously, the best thing by far about Leeds is the people that live here – they make this city. Loiners are like no one else, it's probably one of the most welcoming cities your ever likely to come across. Anytime I bring anyone to Leeds the first thing they always comment on is how friendly everyone is. And it's cool as hell.

What was your first job? I've never really had what you would call a "proper" job, I was a roadie for years and had the odd part time shop jobs but my first job was a paperboy, it didn't pay very much but it meant that I could help myself to the cigarettes each morning which was a bonus especially when you're on 20 a day at school and I never got any pocket money.

What are you most proud of? I'm really proud of the way my kids are turning out. I've got two kids to two different mums, Evie my princess is aged eight and Danny, 14, who's turning out to be an all new improved Beero. He's amazing, I wish I had some of his qualities.

What do you do to relax?I hardly ever find time to relax but when I do I like to just kick back on the sofa, get cosy and watch a good movie.

What was your childhood like?I had a really difficult childhood. I came from a single parent family on a council estate in Pontefract, back then that was really tough. You would get called all sorts of horrible names, so I had to learn to look after myself pretty quickly. School was like one continuous fight although I still got lots of love from my old lady. When I was 15 I started going off on tours to see bands, it's been a bit of a blur since then. That's probably why I never found time to actually grow up and I'm still a kid at heart.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? Both pieces of advice were given to me by my granddad. One was: "If something looks too good to be true, it generally is" and "If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing right". And then there's "Don't put black polish on brown shoes" which I did the other day.

When did you last cry? I'm actually quite an emotional guy so often get a lump in my throat, I've been known to cry watching Gladiators, but last year I did enough crying to last a lifetime but thankfully the tears have dried up and I'm not planning on crying again for sometime. I'm really happy at the moment.

What's your philosophy of life? Have a good time all the time, bop til you drop, do unto others as you would have others do to you, there's a lot to be said for good karma, so be nice!

Who, living or dead, would you most like to meet and why?The King, I've always had a thing about Elvis Presley. There's been nobody before or after him who makes such an impact on the world of music and I'd like to know if he really did eat hamster sandwiches and really do those amounts of drugs. I'd of loved to have met him in his early Vegas years.

Who was your first kiss?The sweetest girl I ever kissed was another man's wife – my mum.

Tell us a joke!Egg and bacon in a frying pan, the egg says to the bacon "Gosh, it's getting really hot in here" and the bacon turns round and says "Cor blimey, a talking egg!

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/barsandclubs/Happy-New-Beer-Back-to.4855749.jp