15 venues, some 100 artists and 20,000 steps later...
Live At Leeds: In The City is one of the biggest events in the indie music lover's calendar in Leeds, and for good reason.
The festival, no matter how big it's grown over the years, still manages to hold onto its community feel, and given it's track record of spotting up-and-coming artists, it's no wonder that people across the north will travel over for a day of none-stop hits from those 'one's to watch'.
Ed Sheeran, Royal Blood, George Ezra, Catfish and the Bottleman, Jake Bugg, Rudimental, Bombay Bicycle Club, Mumfords and Sons, The Cribs, Spector, Stormzy, Alt-J, Frightened Rabbit, The Ememy, Pulled Apart By Horses, Everything Everything, Clean Bandit, The Maccabees, Frank Carter and the Rattle Snakes, Sam Fender, Lewis Capaldi, Rag n Bone Man, Northing But Thieves, DMAs, Tom Grennan, Easy Life, Arlo Parks... the list is truly endless: this festival has seen some huge names over the years.
Hosted at fifteen venues across the city centre, the 12-hour festival is like almost like a scavenger hunt for musical talent, and a great opportunity to venture into venues you would never normally would have step foot into.
Every Live At Leeds: In The City route will be completely different. It's one of the joys of attending a city-wide festival.
And this year's was no different...
Paris Paloma kicked off the Stylus at Leeds University Union, bringing a fusion of dark pop, folk, and indie tunes to the stage. Following her viral success for Labour, a song 'giving a voice to feminine rage' with strong repetitive beats that wouldn't be out of place in a battle march, the Derbyshire-born artist explained that she thought "that would be the peak of my career". How wrong she was.
The SU begins to pack out for new single Dry Wall, a song that's only been out for three days, but every syllable is already uttered by the front row.
Paris Paloma at LUU Stylus. / Images: The Hoot Leeds
Our route took us down to Mill Hill Chapel opposite Leeds Train Station to listen to the soft melodies of Katie Malco, a singer-songwriter that's well atuned to the festival circuit. Describing herself as 'post ironic and overly emotional', Malco's emotional acoustic set touched on breakdowns, boyfriends and breakups "where you still have to live in the same house as them because you're not rich".
Sat on pews taking in the architecture of the Grade II listed chapel, surrounded by candles, LGBTQ+ flags and a well-stocked bar, once you're inside the doors of Mill Hill, you really do escape reality for a moment - it's got to be one of the more unusual music venues in the city, but one that's built for acoustic sets like this.
Katie Malco at Mill Hill Chapel. / Images: The Hoot Leeds
The festival is all about exploring different genres and undiscovered talent, and as the sun began to hide away for another day, ever Live At Leeds: In The City venue started to fill out with indie music enthusiasts searching for a new favourite band.
Bedroom High Club, a Barnsley-based band packed out Oporto, and nodded as the 'one's to watch', the four-piece arrived hot from supporting Seb Lowe on tour. For anyone that missed the rock band, tickets to their now sold out gig at The Leadmill will be like gold dust to find, but well worth every penny.
'Alternative Rock Project' Tummyache, brought The Key Club harsh guitar riffs and Delights, hot from a performance over the Pennines at new Manchester venue CANVAS MCR, had The Wardrobe on its feet. Since performing an intimate headline gig at The Lending Room last year, the band has had a whirlwind year, ticking off nine festivals prior to Live At Leeds.
Tummyache at The Key Club. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
The Last Dinner Party at Leeds Beckett SU. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Over at Leeds Beckett Student Union, The Last Dinner Party, brought a mesmerising performance that showed just how far the band have projected themselves since their last performance at the Brudenell Social Club (that they say had a very small turnout), "look at us now!" proclaimed lead singer Abigail Morris as she introduced her band members to the stage.
Running around the stage for the full set and hopping down from the stage on more than one occasion to serenade the audience, Morris truly kept the crowd alive and made this one of the most memorable performances of the day. The five-piece band dressed in their signature floaty dresses and structured corset-style tops, only have three released singles on Spotify, but packed their set with six confident, well-rehearsed tracks.
The Last Dinner Party at Leeds Beckett SU. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Kid Kapichi at LUU Stylus. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Having signed with Island Records (think Foals, Muse) even before releasing their debut single, supported names like Lana Del Ray and Florence and the Machine, and now selling out an upcoming US tour, there's a lot of hype around The Last Dinner Party with a momentum that just keeps building.
By contrast, over at Leeds University Union Stylus, Kid Kapichi brought circle pits and handed out English muffins and gravy from the Co-op. The four-piece British indie punk band from Hastings draw some similarities to Soft Play (formerly Slaves) and Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, both bands that have graced the Live At Leeds stages in previous years.
As the night drew in new crowds, Wunderhorse took to Leeds Beckett SU for one last rock set, whilst Antony Szmierek at The Wardrobe, Lynks at the Brudenell Social Club and The Covasettes all brought the small Leeds venues to their final crescendos.
Walking away with plenty of new musical inspiration, Live At Leeds: In The City continues year-after-year to predict artists destined for global success, and we can't help but wonder who we've seen this weekend that'll be on the Main Stage at Leeds Festival in a few years time.
Aaron Dinning is an indie-pop act whose songs span the highs and lows of relationships, and now he’s Audio North’s latest Artist of the Month.
Born in County Durham, studied in Leeds, and now the curator of a live music events organisation based in Manchester, Dinning sure knows a thing about northern music.
With hits to his name already like ’24’, ‘Look Who’s Holding The Gun Now!’, this queer musician is gearing up to release a deluxe edition of his sophomore EP Boys Become Men.
If his name feels familiar to you, that’s because it probably is, as Aaron Dinning has performed at a multitude of venues across the north – including Feel Good Club, Popup Bikes, and The Proud Place.
Now, Dinning chats to Audio North about his upbringing and music journey, as he accepts the title of Artist of the Month for June.
An interview with Aaron Dinning – Audio North’s Artist of the Month | June 2026
Aaron Dinning is making his mark in the Manchester music scene with his indie-pop tracks / Credit: Press Shots via Emily Atherton (Supplied)
You were born in County Durham and now live in Manchester. How have those two places shaped you as an artist?
I think there’s such a contrast in the environment of those two places. Durham was so formative for me growing up, back then I didn’t have the autonomy to vocalise it but now I see Chester-Le-Street specifically as such a ‘small town mindset’ kind of place.
If I stayed at home, I would never be the artist I am today. That’s not to say that growing up somewhere like that isn’t just as important as the place which makes you feel accepted. You can’t have such a strong desire for one without a disdain for the other.
What does being a northern musician mean to you?
I think being northern, to me, just means breaking the mould and showing that if I can do it, anybody can. It means building my career on my own terms, it’s taught me to unapologetically be myself, on and off stage.
I always say that I want to write the songs I needed when I grew up because there was nobody like me from the North. Sometimes it still feels like I’m the only one too.
To me, if I can write a song, or put on a performance that resonates with a 15-year-old kid who’s still figuring out who they are or who they love, that’s the most fulfilling thing that can come from sharing my art.
This Northern talent is from Country Durham, studied in Leeds and is now based in Manchester / Credit: Press Shots via Jack Garrod (Supplied)
The music industry can feel very London-centric at times. Have you found being based in the North to be an advantage or a challenge?
It’s a bit of both really. Yes, London is where the majority of the big names in music are, but in my mind, I always compare it to that scene in Baby Reindeer when the guy says ‘You find yourself a background artist in a cast of millions’ (niche).
I like that the industry isn’t as saturated as London up here, but I can see that changing in years to come. The North has always been where it’s at and truly where all these major labels should be looking for who’s up next because you might just find a gem like me waiting to be found.
Is there a northern artist who made you think, “If they can do it, so can I”?
Definitely Sam Fender. I know it’s a bit of a cliche nowadays, but I absolutely love him and he’s what I think of when it comes to a classic northern success story.
I’ve seen him six times and the last time at St James’ Park was a completely different calibre of show to when I saw him at Boiler Room in 2019 and paid fifteen quid for the ticket.
Me and him are completely different, but I imagine we had a similar sort of upbringing in the terms of characters we knew growing up in rougher areas. I feel like he cracked the mainstream so well with his first album and he’s only gotten better since. I’d want my first album to have the same kind of critical acclaim as his.
Dinning fuses his sexuality throughout his music, being an openly queer pop musician / Credit: Press Shots via Tom Hargreaves (Supplied)
What made Manchester feel like the right place for the next chapter of your career?
I recorded my entire EP here whilst I was still living in Leeds with Toby Ollis Brownstone from the beginning of 2024. That year and a half which I spent travelling back and forth in Manchester made me love the city and loathe commuting.
I knew I wanted to move to Manchester when I got invited to play the Queer as F*ck open mic on Valentine’s Day in 2025. That was the first show I played accompanying myself on the guitar, I agreed to play three hours before doors and completely fumbled my way through the set.
The feeling of the room was like nothing I’d experienced before, to come to a show in another city I had never played in and feel so welcomed, at home and accepted by a room full of likeminded people, felt like a feeling I could only replicate in Manchester.
Has living in Manchester changed your songwriting at all?
Generally speaking, I’ve been playing guitar a lot more since moving here. I feel like there’s a naive fresh start that comes along with moving to new places and feeling like your life’s going to drastically change.
Becoming the Producer of SoFar Manchester helped me feel integrated and I’ve met so many cool people doing that job while spotlight my friends who are artists and bring them to the city that I fell in love with – It’s all very full circle.
I’ve brought Romy Taylor, Caitlin Doran, Sophie Green, and GRACEY over to play SoFar events and they’re all equally amazing creatives who are based in Leeds, like I once was.
The ’24’ singer has played gigs in unusual Manchester city centre locations like Popup Bikes in Ancoats / Credit: Credit: Press Shots via Emily Atherton (Supplied)
What do you think Manchester does better than anywhere else when it comes to music?
I think Manchester is such a hot pot of different styles and genres. I think the thing it does best is spotlight LGBTQ+ artists. Not just in music, but drag is somewhere I look to when I think of performance, and the queens in the village are truly a sign of resilience and individuality.
I’ve had more shows just for being queer in Manchester than anywhere else I’ve lived, there’s so many freelance creatives, charities and gig promoters who are looking out for LGBTQ+ artists to celebrate, even making entire lineups out of us.
Featured Images – The Manc Group/Press Shots (supplied)
Audio
Lily Allen at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, setlist, stage times and more
The Hoot
Following one of the most iconic returns to music late last year, Lily Allen is heading to Leeds with her West End Girl UK tour.
The 'Nonmonogamummy' herself will be performing at the First Direct Arena in Leeds this weekend, following a run of intimate gig dates up and down the country earlier this year.
The demand for this British pop star to add more dates was inevitable and that's exactly what Allen did, as she now kicks off an arena tour across the UK.
Once wasn’t ‘Just Enough', and we've been blessed new Lily Allen dates, including her gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Sunday 21 June.
Although the 'Smile' singer refrains from playing some of her older smash hits, this gig is still remarkable, with the Hammersmith-born singer performing the previously mentioned tongue-in-cheek LP in full.
Meet us at the ‘Pussy Palace’ for an evening of messy lyrics and quality vocals, fulfilling all of our nosey desires, she even provides text receipts for us to read.
Expect to feel like you’re having your friend relay the truth about their toxic relationship post-break up and then celebrating them finally leaving that loser - Lily just gets us.
Gig Guide | Lily Allen at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Lily Allen returns to Leeds for a gig at First Direct Arena. Credit: Henry Redcliffe
Lily Allen UK tour dates
16 June – Newcastle Utilita Arena
17 June – Glasgow OVO Hydro
19 June – Manchester AO Arena
20 June– Manchester AO Arena
21 June – Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
23 June – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
24 June – Cardiff Utilita Arena
26 June – Birmingham BP Pulse Live
27 June – London The O2
30 June – Dublin 3Arena
Are there tickets left for Lily Allen at First Direct Arena?
Yes and it’d be a real ‘Shame For You’ to miss out on this one.
On Sunday 21 June you can get seats for £49.85, £66.35, or £88.35, or standing tickets for £66.35 - see the latest HERE.
Seriously, ‘What You Waiting For?’ - get it booked.
Lily's gone for a rather novel support act on her West End Girl tour, which is proving to be quite a laugh at arenas so far.
She's pulled in Dallas Minor Trio to warm up the crowds, a trio of cellists who perform a setlist of Lily Allen's biggest hits from through the years.
And if that's not enough, they put the lyrics on screen too, so it's like a true karaoke moment.
Lily Allen setlist for 2026 tour
The show ‘Lily Allen Performs West End Girl‘ will see the singer/songwriter play her brand-new album in its entirety, in the order the songs appear on the record:
West End Girl
Ruminating
Sleepwalking
Tennis
Madeline
Relapse
Pussy Palace
4chan Stan
Nonmonogamummy
Just Enough
Dallas Major
Beg For Me
Let You W/In
Fruityloop
Stage times for Lily Allen at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Lily Allen has announced a gig at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. Credit: Charlie Denis
These are the only times that are confirmed, but it's expected that Lily Allen will be on stage around 9pm:
Doors open 6pm
Starts 7.50pm
Getting to First Direct Arena
Bus Station
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.
Sophie Smith -
15th October 2023 
