Leeds International Festival of Ideas has announced its full festival lineup, and it's combining some of the UK's most influential speakers with some of the most important questions of our time.
Taking place this September inside new venue Leeds Playhouse, this is set to be LIFI's biggest year to date.
Announcing the full lineup last night, festival organisers have revealed that the likes of Davina McCall, Dame Prue Leith and Will Young, will be taking to the stage alongside huge names from the world of entertainment, politics and business, including Yorkshire's Michelin starred chef Tommy Banks, Matt Baker MBE, Jay Blades MBE, Gemma Whelan, Amber Rudd, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Rob Rinder, Sir Jon Cuncliffe, and many more.
These exciting names will be joining TV personality Bimini, who will be talking about 'a world beyond the binary'; author and comedian Ruby Wax OBE will be bringing 'my journey to mindfulness' to life with a key note speaker show whilst 'a new generation of entrepreneurism' will be covered by Diary of a CEO's Steven Bartlett.
Working in partnership with LeedsBID, The Hoot Leeds and Weightmans, the idea of the festival is to bring conversations to the surface, using a combination of panels, fireside chats and speeches to inspire, provoke and encourage discussions.
Questions vary from 'what’s our obsession with true crime?' to 'who does our political system benefit?' and 'how do we talk about grief?' - and this year's lineup is perfectly certainly won't be shying away from the hard questions.
Will Young, appearing at LIFI23 says: “I’m excited to be part of a festival exploring many of the things that make us human. It’s so important not only to ask these questions of each other, but to spend time listening when we don’t have all the answers. What a fantastic line up!”
Leeds International Festival of Idas Full Lineup
The full programme schedule is as followed:
Wednesday 27 September 2023
Davina McCall will be on the panel for 'when will women's health be taken seriously'. / Image: Chapter 81
Panel: When will women's health be taken seriously? with Davina McCall, Dr Christine Ekechi and Lauren Mahon, plus more names to be announced
Fireside chat: A New Generation Of Entrepreneurism with Steven Bartlett
Tickets cost from £10 - £15 each for subsidised tickets, and this year there's more seats than ever before (moving to the Playhouse has increased seating capacity by 40%).
Leeds Playhouse, Artistic Director and CEO James Brining said: “It is so exciting to see the range of artists and speakers attending Leeds International Festival 2023. All are individuals at the top of their game and using their platforms to amplify the voices of others as well as exploring issues of importance and significance for contemporary society.
"At Leeds Playhouse, our aim is to open up our theatre, with its flexible conference spaces and three auditoria, welcoming local, national and international artists to the region, facilitating conversations and sharing stories that reflect the world we live in. We also aim to celebrate Leeds as a culture rich, vibrant city and hosting LIFI in 2023 certainly helps us achieve that goal.”
Feature Image - Chapter 81
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Arctic Monkeys release first song in four years as part of upcoming all-star War Child album
The full track list for the charity album has been released, featuring Fontaines D.C., Pulp, Olivia Rodrigo and loads more.
The legendary Sheffield indie group have been largely silent (as usual) since the release of their last album, The Car, back in 2022.
But today, the monkeys are back with a brand new song titled 'Opening Night' , in support of War Child's upcoming project to provide aid for children living through war.
That project being 'HELP(2)' - a brand new collaborative album inspired by the landmark 1995 release 'HELP' to engage music lovers globally in support of the charity's vital work.
The new album will be released on Friday 6 March and was brought to life through close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios, recorded predominantly across one extraordinary week in November 2025 under the stewardship of acclaimed producer James Ford.
There's so me pretty huge names on the album who have contributed, including Fontaines D.C, Pulp, Damon Albarn, Wet Leg, Young Fathers and so many more.
Recorded in a single day in 1995, the original ‘HELP’ album raised over £1.2 million, enabling War Child to provide vital support to thousands of children caught in the Bosnian conflict.
The full track list to the album is: ‘HELP(2)’ Tracklist:
Arctic Monkeys - Opening Night
Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest - Flags
Black Country, New Road - Strangers
The Last Dinner Party - Let’s do it again!
Beth Gibbons - Sunday Morning
Arooj Aftab & Beck - Lilac Wine
King Krule - The 343 Loop
Depeche Mode - Universal Soldier
Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng - Helicopters
Arlo Parks - Nothing I Could Hide
English Teacher & Graham Coxon - Parasite
Beabadoobee - Say Yes
Big Thief - Relive, Redie
Fontaines D.C. - Black Boys on Mopeds
Cameron Winter - Warning
Young Fathers - Don’t Fight the Young
Pulp - Begging for Change
Sampha - Naboo
Wet Leg - Obvious
Foals - When the War is Finally Done
Bat For Lashes - Carried my girl
Anna Calvi, Ellie Rowsell, Nilüfer Yanya & Dove Ellis - Sunday Light
Olivia Rodrigo - The Book of Love
You can pre-order the album here and listen to the new song by the Arctic Monkeys here.
Arctic Monkeys are releasing new music THIS WEEK as part of an upcoming War Child project
Daisy Jackson
Arctic Monkeys are back in business, with new music on the way later this week.
The legendary Sheffield indie group have been largely silent (as usual) since the release of their last album, The Car, back in 2022.
But today, War Child has confirmed that the Alex Turner-fronted group are coming back with a new song, in support of the charity's upcoming project to provide aid for children living through war.
Arctic Monkeys are the first to be announced for the new War Child Records project, but if you leap to some conclusions based on who the new account is following, there are set to be some BIG names involved.
As well as Arctic Monkeys, War Child Records is also following 32 artists including Fontaines DC, Olivia Rodrigo, Wet Leg, Foals, Damon Albarn, Pulp, Depeche Mode, English Teacher, and Beck - to name just a few.
Based on this afternoon's teaser announcement, the new Arctic Monkeys single will be live at 3pm on Thursday 22 January.
War Child has said: "There is a group of artists who are working on something important in support of War Child. There will be more information coming soon.
"No child should be part of war. Ever. For over 30 years, War Child has worked in some of the world's most dangerous places to protect, educate, support mental health and stand up for the rights of children.
"Today our challenge is bigger than ever.
"When the legendary HELP album was released in 1995, 10% of the world's children were affected by conflict.
"That figure has almost doubled to 19%, affecting 520 million children. Right now, 1 in 5 children worldwide are at risk of losing their childhoods to conflict.
"Help us support children to heal and grow for a safer, brighter future. Donate and sign up to hear more news about forthcoming music releases."
You can sign up for the latest War Child Records announcements HERE.
Sophie Smith -
5th April 2023 
