It’s coming home again…

The Tab had a quick catch up with the curators of Itchy Feet, one of the most successful club nights to leave Leeds.


Our favourite night of electro swing, rock and roll, ska and funk is back, and we caught up with the Itchy Feet creator- Leo Bedford to find out how it all started, what goes on behind the scenes, and what we should be listening to to get us in the mood.


The Tab: We know Itchy Feet started in Leeds, but don’t know how or why! Can you explain its roots?

Leo: I founded Itchy Feet in 2007. I’d already been a DJ for some 4 years, but it was only then that I started listening to, and playing out the old music. People were asking me to DJ house parties a lot, so I decided to hire a small club and do it properly. I invited 50 friends to the first event, with the idea of drinking and dancing to straight up rock and roll, with nothing else! 250 showed up to that first party, 800 to the next, and the rest is history!!

T: And now you’re set in London, touring all over the place!

L: Yep – London is a great place to play, but there is something special about the university towns.

T: Of all the other student towns and unis you go to, what’s the next best… obviously Leeds is your favourite!

L: Leeds is great! But they all vary and have different ups and downs. In places like Exeter and Birmingham people dress up loads which is great. In Bristol we have 3 rooms, so we’re able to do a lot more in terms of variety. In places like Edinburgh and Sheffield we’re able to have a band… but its definitely the northern towns like Leeds and Newcastle where the parties are the rowdiest, and thats always great fun .

T: Ever had any serious Itchy Feet disasters (any funny stories, annecdotes etc)

L: Over the years almost everything has happened! Probably the least slick was when we found out on the morning of a party in Newcastle that the venue had cancelled the gig, and not told us! We had 10 hours to find somewhere new, but ironically, it turned out to be a great party in the end. I also once got thrown out of my own gig by a bouncer. That was embarrassing.

T: Who would you recommend? What’s always on the list for the Itchy Feet DJs?

L: Our DJs always take the cues from the crowd before deciding what to play. But the secret to any good party is to turn the lights down, the music up, and the A/C off. If you’ve got a cool crowd, everything will be perfect. Louis Prima helps too.

T: And any new music coming out?

L: At Itchy Feet parties, it will always been all about the Old, but Leo still DJs loads, and has a radio show which he plays and talks about new and interesting music. Search for the Itchy Feet Radio Show on Facebook. You can listen to it all again too.

Check out the website or facebook group for more information, and to check out the club photos!

Itchy Feet will be returning to Leeds on Monday 11th February at the Faversham.