Local music venues all around the West Yorkshire city are coming together to celebrate and showcase everything live music.
Avid gig-goers will recognise some classic Leeds live music staples like the lively Brudenell Social Club, The Key Club and The Wardrobe which have all housed some of music’s most famous faces.
Live at Leeds started back in 2007 and features two unmissable events each year including ‘Live at Leeds in the Park’ and ‘Live at Leeds in the City’ with the latter taking place this weekend!
Throughout the history the festival has established a reputation for showcasing the best names in new music including past acts likeRag ‘n’ Bone Man, Stormzy, Tom Grennan and even US singer, rapper and body-positivity advocate Lizzo, even discovering some talents before they were famous.
‘Live at Leeds in the City 2024’ is taking place at 15 phenomenal venues which it has been doing since founding in 2007. Originally running on every bank holiday before the arrival of the summer festival, the city music takeover has found a recurring November slot showcasing the same adored independent music venues across the city.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Good for the heart and the soul, Belgrave Music Hallhas been serving up foodie favourites and musical selects from up and down the country – Young Blood, Jorja Smith, The Slow Readers Club. These are some of the standout acts on this establishment’s large performing roster.
This next spot hosted a secret show 20 years ago for a not-so-secret Scottish rock band, Franz Ferdinand. Brudenell Social Club have been home to many talented musicians with Wakefield’s own The Cribs loving the crowds so much, they’ve returned 17 times throughout their career.
From secret gigs to a venue which holds every homes best kept secrets, The Wardrobe. This indie joint may be small but the acts they secure really are mighty from worldwide music icon Amy Winehouse to Scottish songwriter Lewis Capaldi and in more recent years they’ve called upon Mabel to pack out this neat little spot for an intimate album launch show.
Now with chillier weather on the horizon,‘Live at Leeds in the City 2024’ hopes to warm up concertgoers with some incredible entertainment by Mercury Prize Winners and famous Leeds talent, English Teacher, rising star Alfie Templeman with bands such as Everything Everything The K’s, and many more ready to raise the roof.
Award-winning bands Everything Everything and English Teacher are playing out to crowds of just over 1,000 in the always buzzing Leeds Beckett Student Union, which since 1970 has been blessed by Rock Gods Nirvana, Radiohead, Foo Fighters andColdplay.
Stylus at Leeds University Student Union, with Merseyside prodigies The K’s kicking things off with the opening slot and Alfie Templeman playing an over-hour-long set, guests are in for a real treat all day long.
All these locations have a special place in music lover’s hearts through bringing incredible acts to the north but also by preserving and continuing northern music history. As much as it’s great to stick to your home comforts, it’s also good to venture out and expand your musical palate. This year there are 17 different sites and stages, so why limit yourself?
Four piece alt-rock band Terra Twin have found themselves featured in various music magazines and playing headline shows in London, Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham at the start of this year.
Guest Singer, Hang Linton, Eades, Eve Buckley, Free Party and Eszter Vida are the six lucky singers who were selected from Live at Leeds’ Artist Submission competition. Eager fans can catch Vida twice as she’s supporting House of Women at Hyde Park, Leeds the night before.
This competition allowed artists to handpick and send in their tracks with hopes of securing a slot on the coveted lineup. These six chosen creatives join the immense jam-packed bill and now get to perform to all the events excited attendees.
There’s transatlantic-talk too with New York based Rock and R&B four-sibling band, Infinity Song stopping off in this stunning Yorkshire city. Signed by A-List label Roc Nation who manage acts like Rihanna and Big Sean, this formidable foursome have even featured on Kanye West’s Jesus Is King record through writing credits in 2019.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is set to be one to remember and if you’re already thinking about what to do at the end of the night, two venues have got just the plan for you.
Both The Key Club and The Wardrobe are running official after parties for the event with the first site boasting ‘Rock Anthems and Guilty Pleasures’, how can you possibly go wrong?
After all that partying, what better way than doing it all over again as Live at Leeds in the Park 2025 has recently announced their first batch of acts for the summer festival including Natasha Bedingfield whose smash-hit ‘Unwritten’ had an unexpected revival while also celebrating a landmark 20 years since its release.
If that’s not enough to prick your ears up, there’s a headline slot by Bloc Party who are celebrating 20 years of their debut studio alarm ‘Silent Alarm’, with Jamie Webster, Yard Act and Sigrid also sitting pretty on the bill.
The city-wide festival, Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is spread out across 17 lovely locations that all share a small piece of northern music culture and there’s a huge assortment of acts performing for everyone to enjoy.
Full list of venues getting involved:
Belgrave Music Hall
Brudenell Social Club
Brudenell Social Club, Community Room
Doghouse
Headrow House
Hyde Park Book Club
Leeds Beckett Student Union
Leeds Beckett Student Union, Stage 2
Leeds Beckett Student Union Theatre
Lending Room
Leeds University Student Union, Stylus
Northern Guitars
Oporto
Santiagos
Sela Bar
The Key Club
The Wardrobe
Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is coming to various music venues across our tight-knit music hub on 16 November with more information and tickets foundhere.
And if you’re already eager to fill up your summer festival calendar for 2025, tickets for Live at Leeds in the Park 2025 are on sale here.
Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson is heading out on a UK tour, visiting First Direct Arena for his biggest Leeds solo show to date.
Ten years since launching his solo career with debut single 'Just Hold On', Tomlinson is hitting the road again for his tour, which shares its title with the name of his latest LP - How Did I Get Here?
Tomlinson's last visit to Leeds saw him play an intimate show at The Wardrobe back in 2020 and is set to perform to 13,500 - he has definitely made sure to 'Jump the Gun' in terms of crowd size.
Now, the Doncaster-born musician is visiting one of Leeds biggest indoor live music venues First Direct Arena and it's sure to be a jam-packed night of live music.
Gig guide | Louis Tomlinson at First Direct Arena, Leeds - all you need to know
Are there tickets left for Louis Tomlinson at First Direct Arena?
Louis Tomlinson is bringing the How Did I Get Here? tour to Leeds on 28 April / Credit: Flickr via Javie Rosh / Wikimedia Commons via Kurt Kulac (Supplied)
Well if you've made it this far through, it's safe to say the fact you're after Louis Tomlinson tickets is 'Written All Over Your Face'.
If you're wanting to 'Face The Music' or 'Jump the Gun' you can do so as there's tickets to his Leeds show at First Direct Arena HERE.
Standing tickets are still available priced at £55.85, while seated tickets remaining are priced between £55.85 and £83.35 each.
Louis Tomlinson setlist for 2026 tour
The How Did I Get Here? Tour officially kicked off in Europe and it prioritises songs from his latest LP.
Here is the set list:
Lemonade
On Fire
Written All Over Your Face
Out Of My System
Bigger Than Me
Saturdays
Angels Fly
Dark to Light
Broken Bones
Defenceless
Just Hold On
Lazy
Sunflowers
Lucid
Jump the Gun
Imposter
Sanity
Kill My Mind
Face the Music
Silver Tounges
The Observer
The Answer
Miss You
Palaces
Wristbands and queue system
To manage crowds and ensure a 'fair and comfortable' experience for fans, a randomly allocated wristband system will be in place for standing ticket holders.
This is how it works:
Arrive at the arena between 11am and 2pm on the day of the show, Tuesday 28 April 2026.
Wristbands will be given out in batches at random to standing ticket holders, while availability lasts
Once you have your wristband, you will be asked to leave the area surrounding the venue and return between 4.30pm and 5.30pm
Upon your return to the arena, you will be asked to join a dedicated queue related to the number or colour on your wristband as guided by the dedicated venue team.
Doors open to the show at 6pm for general admission.
Stage times for Louis Tomlinson at First Direct Arena, Leeds
First Direct Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm meaning you can get home before having to watch the sky turn from 'Dark to Light'.
Anyone attending this show is in luck as the North has been well and truly represented in the form of Manc-based rock group Pale Waves and Doncaster talent ADMT.
Alex Spencer, another Northern act from Manchester is also joining the bill, but he's only playing at select Europe dates of the tour.
These are the expected stage times for Louis Tomlinson in Leeds tonight, based on his other shows so far:
Located on Dyer Street next to Leeds City Bus Station and approx. 15min walk from first direct arena and is wheelchair friendly.
Support and help for any persons with a disability is available as the station is a registered ‘Safe place’ to come into and ask for assistance.
Nearest Bus Stops
Clay Pit Lane
Wade Lane/Lovell Park Road
Woodhouse Lane
Nearest Train Station
Leeds City Station on New Station Street is around a 15min walk from first direct arena and a major hub on the national, regional and local rail network providing connections to a wide variety of destinations.
Parking
There are over 7,500 car parking spaces within a 15-minute walk of the arena. The arena doesn’t have it’s own car park however there are lots of options nearby. To receive 5% off Q Park when attending a show at first direct arena click here
The nearest Car Park with EV charging is located on Albion Street click here.
None of the above car parks are operated by the arena so for questions, queries or comments we ask that you contact the companies directly.
Hiring Bikes in Leeds
If you’re looking to hire a bike in Leeds, here are some of the best options you can try:
Beryl bikes – you’ll find the ‘Leeds City Bikes’ from Beryl stationed throughout the city. These are all e-bikes, and they’re available to hire on a pay-as-you-go basis. It costs £1 to unlock the bikes, and then 16p per minute to use them. We’d say these are great for zipping around the city and getting from A to B.
Talio – for a wider selection of electric bikes to choose from, Talio based at Buslinthorpe Green is a great option. From this company, you can hire cruiser bikes, mountain bikes, and cargo bikes. Prices start from £20 per day for rental, but if you’re hiring for a month or longer you’ll get a good discount.
Featured Images - Press shot / Flickr via Javie Rosh / Wikimedia Commons via Kurt Kulac (Supplied)
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Alex Warren at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Singer-songwriter and social media star Alex Warren is visiting First Direct Arena, Leeds, for two nights of out of the 'Ordinary' live music.
One of the founding members of the TikTok group, Hype House, which also included fellow pop performer Addison Rae, Warren has gone on to receive global recognition for his contributions to music.
Born in California, it's no surprise his music has managed to catapult into the mainstream as he's been mastering content creation since he was 10 on YouTube.
His music journey began back in 2021, when he released music as an independent artist in 2021 before signing a record deal one year later, dropping the chart-topping 'Ordinary' in 2025.
Now, Alex Warren prepares for his biggest UK tour to date, and he's playing two shows right here in Leeds at the 13,500 seater First Direct Arena in April and May.
Gig guide | Alex Warren at First Direct Arena, Leeds - all the info
Alex Warren is visiting Leeds at First Direct Arena on 29 April / Credit: Press Shots (supplied)
Alex Warren UK tour dates
Fri 24 April - Birmingham, UK - Utilita Arena
Sun 26 April - Glasgow, UK - OVO Hydro
Mon 27 April - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
Wed 29 April - Leeds, UK - First Direct Arena
Thu 30 April - Nottingham, UK - Motorpoint Arena
Sat 2 May - Belfast, UK - SSE Arena
Mon 4 May - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
Wed 6 May - Dublin, IE - 3Arena
Thu 7 May - Dublin, IE - 3Arena
Are there tickets left for Alex Warren at First Direct Arena?
If you're looking for somebody to 'Save You a Seat', look no further as you can get tickets to Alex Warren's 29 April at First Direct Arena in Leeds HERE.
Stage times for Alex Warren at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Warren has built a cult following thanks to chart-topping hits like 'Ordinary'/ Credit: Press Shots (supplied)
First Direct Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can get home without having to start ‘Chasing Shadows’.
Supporting Alex Warren on the night will be Claire Rosinkranz, a singer-songwriter from California with tracks like 'Frankenstein' and 'Backyard Boy'.
How to get to first direct arena
Bus Station
Located on Dyer Street next to Leeds City Bus Station and approximately a 15min walk from the arena, it's also wheelchair friendly.
Support and help for any persons with a disability is available as the station is a registered ‘Safe place’ to come into and ask for assistance.
Nearest Bus Stops
Clay Pit Lane
Wade Lane/Lovell Park Road
Woodhouse Lane
Nearest Train Station
Leeds City Station on New Station Street is around a 15min walk from first direct arena and a major hub on the national, regional and local rail network, providing connections to a wide variety of destinations.
Parking
There are over 7,500 car parking spaces within a 15-minute walk of the arena. The arena doesn’t have its own car park; however, there are lots of options nearby. To receive 5% off Q Park when attending a show at first direct, click HERE.
The nearest Car Park with EV charging is located on Albion Street, click HERE.
None of the above car parks is operated by the arena, so for questions, queries or comments, we'd recommend contacting the companies directly.
Hiring Bikes in Leeds
If you’re looking to hire a bike in Leeds, here are some of the best options you can try:
Beryl bikes: you’ll find the ‘Leeds City Bikes’ from Beryl stationed throughout the city. These are all e-bikes, and they’re available to hire on a pay-as-you-go basis. It costs £1 to unlock them, and then 16p per minute to use. We’d say these are great for zipping around the city and getting from A to B.
Talio: for a wider selection of electric bikes to choose from, Talio - based at Buslinthorpe Green - is a great option. You can hire cruiser bikes, mountain bikes, and cargo bikes. Prices start from £20 per day for rental, but if you’re hiring for a month or longer, you’ll get a good discount.
Thomas Melia -
12th November 2024 
