Forget Leeds and Manchester, dance music has found a new home in Dewsbury

It may not have the reputation (or weather!) of Ibiza, nor the big city pull of Leeds or Manchester, but there are some big-name acts lined up in this small West Yorkshire town, so it's definitely the one to watch.

Dewsbury may not be known for banging dance and electronica but that is changing with live music venue, The Terrace, attracting some of the biggest names in the business.

A seemingly humble venue, with a capacity of just 100, in a small town like Dewsbury, doesn’t seem like the natural home of dance. But with names like The Secret DJ, LDouble and Utah Saints all due to appear over the next few weeks (plus some huge names to come), its growing profile is undeniable.

If you don’t know who the Secret DJ is now, all dance music fans will have known him back in the 80s and 90s when he was one of the scene’s greatest superstar DJs and producers.

Having achieved superstardom and then lost it all, he’s back as The Secret DJ, banging out house and electronica sets under his mysterious mask. Who is he? Who knows?

He delivered a sell-out gig at The Terrace back in August, performing in Dewsbury before going on to Ministry of Sound, and he’s back on December 22, which will be one hell of a Mad Friday!

You don’t even have to be an electronica fan to know Utah Saints. This huge 90s dance duo are bringing their very memorable hits to Dewsbury in January, but anyone looking to hit up the internet for tickets is out of luck.

This event sold out straight away but those who were lucky enough to get tickets are in for a banging night.

Dewsburg Beatz hosted its first drum ‘n’ bass night at The Terrace in September with a line-up that included LD50, DJ Promo, Spoken Audio and Sigil.

It was such a success that returned on December 8 with headliner L Double; for many years the voice of drum ‘n’ bass on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 1 Extra.

Bizarre offers the best techno nights in Yorkshire, and recently celebrated its second birthday with a huge bash featuring Galvatron, Waveslave and Hellenistic among others. Further events will be planned in 2024.

As The Terrace’s reputation as a dance music venue grows, it is securing some huge stars for 2024, though they are still under wraps at the moment.

Pioneering this dance explosion is Sarah Barnes, MD of Beerhouses, the group that operates The Terrace.

She said: “We host all genres of music at The Terrace but house and electronica is my personal jam so I have a special interest in creating something amazing in this space.

"Not only do I want people from Dewsbury and the surrounding areas to not feel they have to go to Leeds, Manchester, or even London to see great dance acts, I want people from Leeds, Manchester and London to come here for them.

"We’re only just getting going but I don’t see why we can’t achieve that one day when you look at what we’ve done already.”

The Terrace is taking part in Independent Venue Week 2024 and will be announcing many more gigs and shows over the coming weeks.