'A venue that's never finished': Inside TESTBED as Hunslet warehouse enters its 'version 2.0' phase

It is being touted as 'Version 2.0' - and Hunslet venue TESTBED is currently undertaking a series of transformative upgrades to its space.

What was once operated as a 2,100-capacity ‘festival site with a roof’ — where promoters had to hire in every piece of basic infrastructure from scratch — is being converted into a fully fitted 23,000 sq ft live music and events space.

The five-month overhaul includes a new first-floor mezzanine viewing platform, gold-standard accessibility facilities, and — perhaps most impressive of all for regular visitors — permanent, high-spec toilets.

"No one likes portaloos," co-founder James Abbott-Donnelly laughs. "It massively reduced our potential for corporate work. You simply can't do a big awards dinner and then send guests off to a portaloo. We had a lot of interest for those kinds of events, but we weren't getting the bookings because it just didn't add up."

Having started life as a companion to the dearly missed Sheaf Street Studios, TESTBED’s industrial footprint was originally meant to act as a natural ‘grow-on’ space for the 400-capacity venue over the road. But when the team took on the building in early 2020, the timing could not have been worse.

"It was an absolutely terrible time to get an enormous, large-scale building," James recalls. "When Sheaf Street didn't survive the aftermath of the pandemic and closed at the end of 2023, there was literally no money left to lose.

“But we didn't want to lose the whole project, so we switched to a dry-hire model just to survive."

Operating as Version 1.3 of their self-styled ‘stress testing’ rollout, promoters previously had to bring in every single piece of temporary kit - from staging and security down to PA systems.

While this de-risked operations, it severely limited what could occur within the walls.

"Version 1.3 only allowed us to do two ends of the spectrum," James explains. "You could host low-impact flea markets or film shoots that just needed a blank room, or massive 2,100-capacity electronic raves. But there was a whole chunk of amazing stuff in the middle that wasn't possible with that model, because you needed to bring in toilets, security, staging, and literally everything."

Attempting to secure capital to upgrade to Version 1.4 - which centred primarily on installing permanent indoor plumbing - proved frustratingly difficult within local public funding structures.

"We pretty much exhausted local funding channels in Leeds trying to find match funding or a boost," James says. "A lot of public infrastructure investment is geared toward what I call 'widget making' — if you buy a machine to manufacture physical goods, the frameworks understand it.

“But when you spend a huge amount of money on sound systems, lighting, and venue infrastructure, the physically measurable output doesn't fit into their frameworks."

The AMAAD Lifeline: Jumping Straight to 2.0

The breakthrough came through conversations with AMAAD (A Man About A Dog), the prominent UK live music group behind London’s Printworks, Bristol’s Prospect Building, and Brighton Quarters.

"We initially went in just asking how we could get hold of money for permanent toilets," James admits. "AMAAD looked at what we were doing and said: 'How about if we help you get all the way to 2.0 in one go?'

Being able to close the building for five months was not even on our radar. Partnering with them gives us an independent mindset, but with some commercial backing, which a space of this scale really does need."

Beyond the physical layout, TESTBED’s transformation directly tackles one of the biggest issues facing West Yorkshire’s live music scene: the city’s glaring capacity bottleneck.

While Leeds boasts world-class independent venues under 800 capacity - like Brudenell Social Club, The Wardrobe, Belgrave Music Hall, and Project House - alongside large-scale spaces like the 2,300-capacity O2 Academy and First Direct Bank Arena, it has lacked a turnkey 1,200 to 1,800 capacity space specifically equipped for mid-tier touring live bands.

"There is a huge chunk of the 1,500 to 1,600 capacity range, potentially stretching up to 2,000, that gets missed out of the Leeds touring schedule because bands haven't made it that big yet," James explains. "They haven't got that stepping stone in between."

With major national tours frequently bypassing Leeds for neighbouring cities, James highlights how tour routing currently works against the local scene: "Because we're so close to Manchester, promoters have got used to going, 'Well, if we've got a fanbase, they will travel to Manchester to see us, and we know it has the venues there to service the size that we need.

“So what's the point of putting Leeds on the schedule?'" James says.

"Which is really sad. We wanted to provide a place that plugs into a gap that we know exists."

By providing a fully equipped 1,600-capacity setup, TESTBED 2.0 fills that missing link, opening up opportunities for local artists.

"It helps the local side of things as well," James notes. "If you've got a band selling out a 1,600-capacity show, it gives room for a 400-capacity local band to fill that support slot. Everyone gets a chance to nudge up a bit, giving local bands more potential to pick up those opportunities."

Crucially, as TESTBED scales up its commercial footprint, James is adamant that the space will retain its community roots, including serving as the permanent home for independent station alto radio.

"We want to make sure it can act as a space that anybody can come in and use as their own," James reflects. "Whether you’re on stage or a customer."

And true to its name, Version 2.0 is far from the final chapter.

"We want people to come and stress test it at 2.0, but we've got to get 2.0 right," James smiles.

"Very swiftly, there will be a 2.1 - it's a venue that is never finished."