Time to sing the praises of the Howard Assembly Rooms, which has had an exciting, and I understand, successful first season. You have to admire the programming: I’ve seen The Unthanks, (twice!), a magnificent performance by Bassekou Kouyate, and last weekend, a great dance piece for children by Fevered Sleep. It’s great to see niche programming find a suitable venue in Leeds - and it’s interesting that it’s an offshoot of a parent opera company, a kind of Stealth Opera North. Leeds is better for it.