Having finished a long day of rehearsing, it’s always nice to let your hair down with the gals, says Dave Cartwright from Manic Chord Theatre Company …
With a golden wristband invite to the new Roxy Lanes launch party, an evening of booze, burgers and bowling was on the cards. Pink Gorilla seem to know exactly how to pick their clientèle as the place was packed out with the ‘after-work-kick-off-your-stilettos-or-undo-your-tie’ crowd, all of who were having a blast. With Leeds championing business, law and financial services outside the capital, it was great to see that office life (which I am making a sweeping assumption that this is generally where these affairs are undertaken) is not restricting the corporate citizens of Leeds in their playful antics. The bowling in particular was bringing out the inner competitive fire in all the neatly dressed moguls. With beer pong and ping pong (although I just want to point out I am only referring to it as ping pong for the repetition of the word ‘pong’…it is actually table tennis) alongside the bowling, the mood in both Roxy Ballroom and Roxy Lanes is one of playful, competitive camaraderie. Don’t get me wrong this is no swanky restaurant or pretentious bar, what it is is a place, not just for workers, but for anyone to go and have a laugh.
The event also allowed for us to sample a selection of Roxy’s menu, namely their pizza and burgers. Their burgers were extremely good. Although we were treated to just a sample, I will definitely be making the trip back to get the other three quarters of a burger which I didn’t get to scoff. The bar, although slightly too small for what I expected to be a very popular hotspot, produced some surprisingly and cheekily named cocktails. When I found myself at the end of the night sipping ‘balls deep in chocolate’, I knew it was time to go.
I think Roxy Lanes has huge potential to grow as more people discover it, tucked behind Natwest. I also foresee a mixed audience. The bowling, coupled with the food and drinks, make it a perfect place for dates, mates and work socials. I have a feeling free booking slots will be few and far between, as with only 4 lanes it is likely to fill up quickly. However, I wouldn’t let this deter you from going, getting (a) balls deep in chocolate and watching as the hunky guy from reprographics tries to impress the unimpressable lawyer by bowling her a strike. Give it a go and see who you see.