James Keane

Oct 14, 20233 min read

Live at Leeds (In the City)

Keg - Leeds Beckett University - Photo: James Keane - @jameskeanephoto

Since the first Live at Leeds in 2007, the festival has come a long way, going from a 1,500 capacity to now having two festivals each year, one at Temple Newsam Park in the summer, and its original, inner-city festival, now taking place in the later months of the year.

This years “In the City’ portion of the years programming comprised of over 130 acts, across 16 stages, hosted in 14 different venues in and around the city centre. Everywhere from Dedicated Music Venues, to Bars, and even a church saw the action of this years festival.

Live at Leeds plays a huge part in my early live music memories, seeing sets from the likes of Darwin Deez, Lizzo and Electric Guest, just to name a few. It is great to see the event expand and grow, while still providing a much needed platform for smaller upcoming artists.

English Teacher

My Day started at The Wardrobe, for a secret set by Leeds’ own, “English Teacher” (Originally billed as Parents Evening).

The venue quickly filled with people wanting to catch the band’s set ahead of their UK tour starting next week. With the band’s Leeds date at Brudenell Social Club selling out quickly upon release, this may well have been the only chance for many to see them this year, and they most definitely wouldn't have left disappointed. My personal highlight from the set came from the latest releases, “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”, and “Nearly Daffodils”.

The Dream Machine

I first saw The Dream Machine at Huddersfield’s Yours to Keep Festival, and have kept a close eye on them since. Having since released their debut album, as well as having a headline tour under their belt, I was excited to see them once again.

Their debut album, “Thank God! It’s the Dream Machine…” Is easily one of my favourite releases of the year, and is a great representation of what this band is capable of, their live show only adds to this. With songs covering a wide range of styles and influences, most people would be sure to find something of value from them. I’d highly recommend keeping an eye out for the next time they are playing near you!

Hamish Hawk

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Hamish Hawk a number of times this year, and I can’t stop myself from returning. His exceptional stage presence, rock-solid band, and obvious love for his craft leave little to be desired.

Their set at Live at Leeds came in the middle of an extensive run of European dates for the band.Seeing the band’s show live, is more akin to a theatre production in part, especially with Hamish’s stage presence and talent in getting the crowd going. Standouts from the set were the obvious “The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973”, and one of my personal favourites to close out the set, “Caterpillar”.

The Last Dinner Party

One of my biggest surprises of the day came from The Last Dinner Party. For a band that only released their debut single in April of this year, they have seemingly taken the world by storm, and their live performance most definitely lives up to the hype.

A well-put-together show consisted of songs which have become instant hits for the band, as well as many new ones, which seemingly went down very well in front of the packed-out Leeds Beckett University crowd.

Wunderhorse

My final act of the day was Wunderhorse. I first saw Wunderhose supporting Foals at Leeds’ Millennium Square and was instantly blown away, having seen them multiple times since. The set started strong with crowd favourite “Leader of The Pack”. The set then went on to mainly feature songs from their impeccable debut album, “Cub”, but with a few new ones added for good measure.

The bands set at Live at Leeds was the first show of a longer run of UK/EU dates, and is a good sign of things to come for those attending any of those gigs.

Tickets for the upcoming shows can be found HERE