If there's one thing us Leeds lot love, it's music.
From The Kaiser Chiefs and Corinne Bailey Rae to Yard Act, it's safe to say we've got some pretty fantastic homegrown talent.
Not only that, the city's live music scene has always been thriving, as you'll see big-name musicians include Leeds as a destination on their UK tour schedule more often than not.
We've also got a great selection of independent venues too, from the iconic Brudenell Social Club to The Wardrobe, if you're looking for a local gig then you rarely have to look far.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
So it comes as no surprise that Leeds has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers, especially as the IFPI Global Music Report has revealed that the UK has the third largest music market globally - with the music industry's contribution to the UK economy being £6.7 billion on average.
Taking this recent report into consideration, the experts over at SeatPick have collated data to uncover the best UK cities for music lovers, analysing factors such as the number of concerts, homegrown talents, music businesses, and the total number of music venues, to reveal each city's overall music score out of 10.
Coming in at a very respectable sixth place, with a music scene score of 6.97/10 is Leeds.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Unsurprisingly London came in the top spot, followed closely behind our friends across The Pennines in sunny Manchester.
Gilad Zilberman CEO of SeatPick said: “Recent reports show that live music ticket sales are forecast to continuously increase until 2029, by 34 percent. Music ticket sales are therefore a driving force in the growth of the music industry, and are expected to continue to be highly in demand.
"For this reason, concerts, festivals, and venues are crucial to each city’s music scene and its ability to thrive and provide the highly demanded entertainment that the music industry offers.
“Unsurprisingly, London dominates in the homegrown artists category. This is a crucial metric in creating a vibrant music scene within a city, as it boosts the city’s cultural identity, and creates a sense of community, with local artists contributing to the creative atmosphere of the city. It is highly likely that the music industry will only continue to grow, and there are many cities both in the UK and globally, that music fans can thrive in.”
Courteeners have just announced a UK tour including a date at Leeds' First Direct Bank Arena.
The indie rock legends have just confirmed that they're heading back out on tour, and of course they'll be returning to Leeds.
The news comes alongside an announcement for a best-of album, God Bless The Band.
Courteeners will be playing the Leeds First Direct Arena, London’s Alexandra Palace, Cardiff Utilita Arena, Liverpool M&S Bank Arena, Glasgow OVO Hydro and Birmingham Utilita Arena this autumn.
That comes in addition to their existing live shows this summer, which include an almighty outdoor summer show at Wythenshawe Park.
Courteeners have also released a new single, The Luckiest Man Alive.
£1 + VAT from every ticket sold will be donated to the newly launched LIVE Trust, a new funding initiative from LIVE that will offer much-needed financial support to those working across live music.
“It’s fantastic to see Courteeners supporting the LIVE Trust with a £1 per ticket contribution on their upcoming tour, building on their commitment for the Wythenshawe Park show in August,” said Jon Collins, CEO of the LIVE Trust. “This donation will directly benefit the full grassroots ecosystem – from venues and artists to promoters and festivals – helping to protect, expand and support grassroots music across the UK.”
Speaking about the release, Liam Fray says “In October it’s 20 years since our first gig, so with a couple of new songs fresh from the studio, the timing just seemed right for a Best Of. If we mean half as much to people as they have done to us over the years, then we’ve not done too bad. We look forward to seeing you down the front God Bless The Fans x”
Newly Announced Courteeners Arena Dates
Fri 06 Nov Leeds, First Direct Arena
Sat 07 Nov Cardiff, Utilita Arena
Fri 13 Nov Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
Sat 14 Nov London, Alexandra Palace
Fri 20 Nov Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Sat 21 Nov Birmingham, Utilita Arena
Pre-sale tickets go on sale Wednesday 15 April. General sale from Friday 17 April from ticketmaster.co.uk and gigsandtours.com.
Additional Summer Shows already announced:
Thu 23 Jul Stoke-On-Trent, Victoria Hall (sold out)
Sat 25 July Sheffield, Tramlines (festival headline, sold out)
Thu 27 Aug Leicester, O2 Academy (sold out)
Sat 29 Aug Manchester, Wythenshawe Park (sold out)
A boutique house and disco music festival is coming to the grounds of Harewood House this summer
Clementine Hall
After welcoming around 4,500 attendees in its first year, the intimate house and disco festival is coming back.
Goodlife, held in the beautiful grounds of Harewood House, has fast established itself as one of the region’s most exciting new music events.
After its huge success last year, Goodlife will be back this year even bigger and better than before with a capacity ready to welcome 12,000 festival-goers.
The festival will take place on Saturday 6 June, and the lineup is already stacked.
The Main Stage will host an incredible line up of house music heavyweights including Armand Van Helden, Groove Armada, Alison Limerick, Roger Sanchez and Inner City (Live).
The Downtown Disco Stage will once again bring its signature blend of soulful house to the fields of Harewood House with artists announced including The Shapeshifters, Craig Charles, Michael Gray and Ian Ossia.
This year sees a brand-new stage being thrown into the mix called The Goodlife Tavern that will celebrate Yorkshire’s thriving DJ scene, showcasing local artists and shining a spotlight on regional talent.
Artists performing at The Goodlife Tavern will include Darren Cross, Smudged Soul, Alex Malam, Emiiyuu, Kavita, PJ Gardner and Lee Wright.
Liam Hardy, co-founder of New Vision Events, said: "The response to Goodlife’s first year was incredible and we’ve been stunned by the extremely high demand for tickets for this years’ event so far. We always believed there was room for a dedicated house and disco festival in the region, but the atmosphere and support from the crowd last year completely exceeded our expectations.
“For 2026 we wanted to take things up a notch and create something even better. Introducing a third stage allows us to bring more artists to the festival and showcase some amazing local talent, while the increased capacity means even more people can enjoy the Goodlife experience."
Goodlife Festival takes place on Saturday 6 June and you can buy your tickets here.
Clementine Hall -
2nd July 2025 
