All the biggest gigs to look forward to in Leeds, Sheffield, Halifax, Scarborough and more....
It's that time of the year where we all start to review the year ahead and book in some adventures - and lucky for us in Yorkshire, we won't have to travel far.
The four ridings has plenty of homegrown talent on tour this year, as well as space for some of the world's biggest names - and that's all just in the first half of the year.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the biggest gigs of 2024...
The Sheffield alternative-rock band recently parted ways with keyboardist Jordan Fish, but still plan to tour from next month, with a special homecoming gig planned in Sheffield.
Tickets: £56.70 each, join the waitlist via See Tickets here
Strictly Come Dancing
23 January - 2 February 2024 | Utilita Arena, Sheffield / First Direct Arena, Leeds
Image: Strictly Come Dancing
Get your paddles at the ready because Strictly Come Dancing is coming to Yorkshire, stopping in Leeds and Sheffield for four shows across three nights.
When: Tuesday 23 January 2024 in Sheffield, 1 - 2 February 2024 in Leeds
Where: Utilita Arena Sheffield, 45 Broughton Lane, Sheffield S9 2DF / First Direct Arena, Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
Tickets: From £53.50 and available via the Strictly Come Dancing Tour website here
Wednesday 7 February 2024 | Utilita Arena, Sheffield
Image: MOBO Awards
The UK’s biggest celebration of black music and culture will kick off the 2024 awards season in God’s Own County this year. When: Wednesday 7 February 2024
Pete Doherty and Co. will be performing to just 400 people at The Wardrobe's intimate gig this February as part of the venue's 25 year anniversary shows.
When: Thursday 15 February 2024
Where: The Wardrobe, 6 St Peter's Square, Leeds LS9 8AH
Sunday 11 February 2023 | First Direct Arena, Leeds
Image: Noah Kahan via Facebook
It might not quite be the Season Of The Sticks when Noah Kahan comes back to Leeds, but the breakthrough artist has gone from selling out the SU and heading for a pint at Dry Dock to booking an already sold-out show at the Arena just months on.
When: Sunday 11 February 2023
Where: First Direct Arena, Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
Tickets: Either £39.81 and £48.25, join the waitlist via See Tickets here
The Never Gonna Give You Up singer has not one, not two, but three shows planned across Yorkshire for 2024, including a stop here in Leeds' own First Direct Arena.
When: Saturday 24 February 2024 in Leeds; 5 July in Scarborough and 7 July in Halifax
Where: First Direct Arena, Scarborough Open Air Theatre and The Piece Hall, Halifax
Tickets: Last few seats at the First Direct are available for £38.80 via See Tickets here
Find out more here.
Ne-Yo
8 March 2024 | First Direct Arena, Leeds
Image: Spotify
The Closer singer is going back on tour this year with Champagne & Roses with special guest Mario along for the ride too
When: 8 March 2024
Where: First Direct Arena, Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
Tickets: Last few seats are available via See Tickets for £64.55 here
Where: First Direct Arena, Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
Tickets: From £42.30 - £527 if you want a VIP experience, including the chance to make a TikTok with Jason Derulo himself. All available via See Tickets here
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen are heading back on tour for another year - and as with all Take That gigs, there's a lot of hype around the six-day leg in Yorkshire.
When: 13 - 14 April in Sheffield, then 17 -20 April 2024 in Leeds
Where: Utilita Arena Sheffield, 45 Broughton Lane, Sheffield S9 2DF / First Direct Arena, Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
Tickets: From £69.05 for seats - £241.95 for VIP package, all available via See Tickets here
Find out more here.
Elbow
12 May 2024 | First Direct Arena, Leeds
Image: Ticketmaster
The 25-year-strong rock band have dates across the UK booked for 2024 and Leeds is lucky enough to be slap bang in the middle of it. The Waeve, featuring Blur's Graham Coxon, Rose Elinor Dougall, will be special guests.
When: Sunday 12 May 2024
Where: First Direct Arena, Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
Tickets: From £49.50 for seats and £55 standing, all available via See Tickets here.
The Kooks, Declan McKenna, The Cribs, Future Islands, Slow Readers Club, the list goes on! Leeds' huge indie day festival kicks off the May bank holiday weekend with some much-loved favourites.
The UK’s biggest independent rock music festival returns to Temple Newsam for another year, and has already announced names like You Me At Six, The All American Rejects, BoysLikeGirls, We The Kings, State Champs and more.
Tickets: All dates across the entire tour sold out within minutes - sorry!
Find out more here.
Girls Aloud
28 May / 15-16 June 2024 | Utilita Arena Sheffield / First Direct Arena Leeds
Image: Supplied
Could this be the biggest reunion of 2024? Entitled ‘The Girls Aloud Show’, the band have confirmed the tour will not feature any new music, but will instead “be a celebration of Girls Aloud’s rich back catalogue and all the ground-breaking success they have achieved as a band.”
When: 28 May 2024 in Sheffield and 15 - 16 May 2024 in Leeds
Where: Utilita Arena Sheffield, 45 Broughton Lane, Sheffield S9 2DF / First Direct Arena, Arena Way, Leeds LS2 8BY
Tickets: There's still a handful available via Ticketmaster here
Sir Tom Jones has got quite the summer planned. There's stops across the UK at some of the fanciest open air venues about - including The Piece Hall and Scarborough Open Air Theatre.
When: Wednesday 26 June and Friday 12 July 2024
Where: Scarborough Open Air Theatre and The Piece Hall, Halifax
Tickets: Available via Ticketmaster here with hotel packages available
West Yorkshire's very own Jane McDonald is coming to First Direct Arena in Leeds for a hometown show that's set to be spellbinding.
Making her British TV screen debut nearly 30 years ago on The Cruise, before joining the Loose Women panel and going on to present a whole host of travel shows including Cruising with Jane McDonald, now this Wakefield legend returns to First Direct Arena.
This latest tour titled after her 2026 LP Living The Dream, will see Jane singing hits from both past and present including a couple covers too.
Earlier this year, Jane's Mighty Hoopla performance went viral online after she commanded the stage in a red leather jacket, donning a singular rainbow hair extension while belting out RAYE's 'Where Is My Husband!'
Audio North even got the opportunity to interview this legendary lady when she visited her hometown HMV store in Wakefield for an exclusive album signing - Oh look, it's me!
The Wakefield wonder-woman's latest album Living The Dream was released in March and considering the tour is named after this impressive LP, we're sure fans can expect to hear quite a few tracks from this album.
Living The Dream
I'll Not Be Beaten
You Don't Know What You Got
Don't Mind If I Do
The Hand That Leads Me
Ain't Gonna Beg
I Will Always Love You
Islands in the Stream
Jolene
9 to 5
You're My World
Where Is My Husband!
Let the Light In
Cake by the Ocean
Jai Ho!
APT.
Right Where I Belong
How Do I Move On
Beautiful Soul
All By Myself
You Still Lead Me
Of course, Jane also loves to cover a tune or two, and we'll never forget her renditions of 'Cake By The Ocean', 'Jai Ho' or 'APT.'.
What are the stage times for Jane McDonald in Leeds?
The doors for Jane McDonald's Living The Dream Tour in Leeds are set for 6pm with the event set to start at 7.30pm.
First Direct Arena has a curfew of 11pm meaning you have enough time to dash home and eat 'Cake by the (Sofa)' before ringing in the new day.
How to get 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.
Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
American rock band Kings of Leon are making their way to Leeds for a visit to First Direct Arena as part of their current EU/UK tour.
Formed in 1999 by brothers Caleb, Nathan, Jared, plus their cousin Matthew Followill, the rock band has gone on to achieve nine top 40 singles and six UK number one albums.
The rockers have two singles in Spotify’s Billions Club, including their standout hit ‘Sex on Fire’, which has amassed over 2 billion streams and ‘Use Somebody’ with 1.2 billion – two tracks that helped skyrocket them from cult favourites here in Britain to global superstars.
This four-piece’s latest LP, Can We Please Have Fun, dropped mid-2024 and knowing how energetic Northern crowds can be, it’s safe to say we’ve got this covered.
Last time they travelled over the pond, they let the Manchester crowd know the England score in real-time (read our full review).
Gig guide – Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Kings of Leon UK tour dates
Fri 3 July – Glasgow, UK – Bellahouston Park
Sat 4 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 6 July – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
Are there any tickets left for Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena?
If you’re wondering where you’ll ‘Find Me’ on Monday 6 July, it is probably watching these four relatives play their two decades’ worth of hits at First Direct Arena.
Don’t ‘Waste a Moment’ as there’s only a limited number of tickets left if you’re after catching a glimpse of Kings of Leon live – get yours HERE.
Kings of Leon are gearing up for their Leeds gig at First Direct this July (Credit: Press shot)
Kings of Leon setlist for 2026 UK tour
These American rockers have been performing all across Europe, switching up a couple of songs at each show; however, the hits below have featured at most of their appearances.
Slow Night, So Long
Waste a Moment
Find Me
On Call
Radioactive
The Bucket
Revelry
Manhattan
Use Somebody
Wait For M
Split Screen
Closer
Molly’s Chambers
Razz
MyParty
Supersoaker
Fans
Back Down South
Seen
Pyro
Black Thumbnail
To Space
Knocked Up
Sex on Fire
What are the stage times for Kings of Leon in Leeds?
Doors for Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena in Leeds are set to open at 6pm with a kick-off time of 7.30pm from a huge indie rock band.
Supporting the US rockers is a band who have received comparisons to Kings of Leon, the loud-and-proud Scottish stars The Snuts, known for their tracks like ‘Glasgow’, ‘Elephants’ and ‘Maybe California'.
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 -
3rd January 2024 
