Gracie Abrams brought the vibes, bows, songs and girlies to Leeds.
Let's face it, you were either at Gracie Abrams or Sabrina Carpenter last night but wow were we glad to be at Leeds First Direct Arena.
Gracie is a sensational performer and I personally only became a big fan of her at the end of last year after "That's So True” went viral on TikTok.
After a cancelled show last week, Gracie made a speedy recovery and rescheduled for Thursday 13 March. Best friend in hand, surrounded by girlies (and their parents) in bows, the atmosphere was wild and we were ready for the show to begin. With one beady eye on the look out for Paul Mescal.
She elegantly flowed onto the stage, wearing the most gorgeous long silk dress with sparkled black bowed arm ties. Kicking off the show with "Felt So Good About You” and "Risk” back to back and it's safe to say I’ve never heard the crowd roar with applause like that ever.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
She quickly apologised for being poorly and welcomed everyone by saying “Leeds, we made it, welcome to the Secret Of Us Tour”. She then went onto say how she has so many feelings about this rescheduled gig and thanked the crowd for being there "you're so understanding, showing up and being so generous. I can’t tell you what this means to be - sincerely thank you”
I’ve never seen a performer like Gracie before, she was beautifully interacting with the crowd at every opportunity, whether that was taking scrap books off the super fans, phones for selfies, talking to them directly or waving at every part of the arena possible. It was very clear to see her fans loved her and she loved them just as much.
Mid-set she took everyone to a re-creation of her childhood bedroom in the middle of the standing pit, where she wrote most of her early material. She sat down on her white double bed, next to her a bedside table with a lamp and of course, her keyboard where she continued to interact with fans and perform some of her early material.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The evening was truly electric and I genuinely felt like I made a friend in Gracie. Her warm approach to the crowd was genuine and really beautiful. Time for one of my favourites “Cool”, although we all knew it was closing to the end, the roars and screams to every single lyric did not stop.
And that was my night over with, heading to my car with headphones on blasting Gracie Abrams complete on Spotify and contemplating If I could pull off cutting my hair into a sharp bob.
Hollywood Vampires are heading back out on tour, with a huge Yorkshire gig announced for this year.
The supergroup, which consists of one of the biggest names in Hollywood as well as one of rock’n’roll’s most iconic names, are set to perform at the AO Arena as part of a run of shows.
Hollywood Vampires is made up of A-lister Johnny Depp, as well as rock royalty including Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, plus Tommy Henriksen.
They last performed with an arena tour back in 2023, making these their first gigs in almost three years.
Hollywood Vampires have now announced a return to the stage, with a show at the iconic Piece Hall in Halifax on 22 August.
They’ll be supported by The Jesus and Mary Chain, who marked their 40th anniversary in 2024 with a new album, Glasgow Eyes.
Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires announce Manchester gig. Credit: Aaron Perry
Hollywood Vampires formed in 2012, named after Cooper’s celebrity drinking club of the same name where the aim was reportedly to ‘drink until no one could stand up’.
Over the years, the supergroup has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Zak Starkey (formerly the drummer for Oasis).
A Three Presale for tickets will take place from 10am on Wednesday 21 January, followed by a venue presale on Thursday 22 January, then general sale from 10am on Friday 23 January.
You can now apply to play at Tramlines Festival 2026 as part of programme to support emerging artists
Clementine Hall
Ever wanted to play at Tramlines Festival? Well, now's your chance.
Applications are now open until Wednesday 28 January for Tramlines Festival’s 2026 Apply to Play programme.
This fantastic initiative offers emerging and unsigned artists the chance to perform at the festival, which is set to take place from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July.
This year's Tramlines Festival will be headlined by Fatboy Slim, Courteeners and Wolf Alice - so it's safe to say that if you win, you'll be in great company.
Alongside a paid slot at the festival, the overall winner will also perform at Truck Festival, Y Not Festival and Victorious Festival.
Images: The Sheff
The talented winner will also receive an official endorsement with Epiphone, one of the most iconic guitar brands in the world, a professional electric guitar, 12 months of artist relations support, access to Epiphone’s London showroom and a performance slot at the Gibson Garage.
And it doesn't stop there as they will also get £500 in studio credit from Pirate Studios and a slot at the This Feeling industry showcase.
Finalists will receive paid performance slots at Tramlines and a second artist will be chosen through a public vote from a shortlist of 100 entries. That artist will also receive the full Epiphone package and secure a guaranteed place in the final selection.
Timm Cleasby, Operations Director at Tramlines, said: “Apply to Play is one of the things at Tramlines I’m proudest of. Every year we get blown away by the talent coming through, not just from Sheffield but from all over the UK.
"We’ve had artists start out on a small stage and come back a couple of years later to play a packed tent. That kind of journey means a lot to us and shows emerging artists there is a pathway for them to grow. It’s why we do it and I can’t wait to see who steps up in 2026.”
Fran Mallinson -
14th March 2025 
