As part of its landmark year as UK City of Culture, Bradford 2025 is proud to present Summer Sounds.
Get ready to dance Leeds, because a brand-new music festival is coming to the beautiful surroundings of Cliffe Castle Park, Keighley, this summer.
Taking place Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August 2025, Summer Sounds is boasting an incredible line-up in celebration of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
Summer Sounds celebrates international pioneers, boundary-pushing talent, and local heroes - expect artists of all genres from soul and blues to to afrobeat and drum 'n' bass taking to the stage.
Image: Supplied
Whatever music you're into, there's an artist for everyone.
Curated in collaboration with South Asian culture and arts platform Dialled In, Saturday will be headlined by the incredible Asha Puthli – the pioneering Indian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress, whose genre-defying blend of spacey jazz, disco, and psychedelia earned cult status around the world.
Trust us, you don't want to miss this.
Image: Supplied
Asha will be joined by the mystical improvisations of legendary Balochi Benju instrumentalist Ustad Noor Bakhsh, and pioneers of the contemporary British Asian music scene Metz n Trix.
And it doesn't stop there folks, ganavya will be bringing her transcendental melding of South Asian classical music with spiritual jazz to the party whilst Fun’Da’Mental’s Inder Goldfinger will present a back-to-back set with Silverfinger Singh.
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On the Sunday, multi-award-winning musician Nitin Sawhney will take to the stage along with pop-soul singer Poppy Ajudha, and spoken word powerhouse Joshua Idehen.
Iconic Leeds 10-piece TC & the Groove Family and rapper Kenzo Jae will also be performing as well as soul singer Summer Pearl and Inso-jazz pioneer Sarathy Korwar.
Now that's what we call a star-studded lineup.
Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director of Bradford 2025, said: "At Summer Sounds legendary pioneers share the stage with next-generation voices, a mix of international trailblazers and local talent. We invite everyone to join us for this eclectic event and soak up the festival atmosphere.”
Image: Supplied
DialledIn spoke about the festival: "We’re so excited to be working with Bradford 2025 as part of this landmark year for the city. Curating a line-up that bridges generations and genres has always been core to Dialled In, and bringing an icon like Asha Puthli – whose influence spans continents and decades – to Summer Sounds is a dream. It’s rare to witness an artist like Asha live, and we can’t wait to share this moment with the community in Keighley.”
It's set to be an incredible weekend full of fantastic music, so make sure you don't miss out.
Day tickets cost just £15 with weekend tickets costing only £25, and you can get yours here.
Leeds-based events brand Mint has officially revealed the location of its highly anticipated new venue, Mint XL.
And it's set to open in none other than the iconic former PRYZM nightclub site on Woodhouse Lane in the heart of Leeds city centre.
Known for its longstanding contribution to the city's electronic music landscape through Mint Festival, the brand is now embarking on its most ambitious venue project to date with the launch of a completely reimagined 2,500-capacity space.
The vast space is currently undergoing an extensive redevelopment and full-scale renovation, which will see Mint XL transformed into a state-of-the-art venue built around high-spec production, immersive experiences and forward-thinking programming.
Of course, it's all about the music. So at the heart of the venue is a major commitment to sound and production with a newly installed Funktion-One Vero sound system throughout the main space complemented by cutting-edge lighting, immersive visual production and bespoke room design.
Enough of the details though, let's get stuck into when it's actually going to open its doors.
Mint XL will officially launch on Friday 25 September with an opening party curated by renowned electronic music platform system which aims to set the tone for an ambitious inaugural season.
Taking over the entire venue, the event will bring together some of the most respected and influential names in underground electronic music, including Craig Richards, Enzo Siragusa, Fumiya Tanaka and Sonja Moonear, alongside a carefully selected lineup of acclaimed artists from across the scene.
Also on the line up is none other than Francesco Del Garda, Truly Madly, Prosumer, Laidlaw, Rich NXT, Voightmann, Foehn & Jerome Kinso, Isabelle Koci and of course long standing residents Annie Errez & Bobby ODonnell.
Tickets for the opening party for Mint XL will go live this Thursday 6 June at 6pm and you can get yours here.
UB40 at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
British-based reggae band UB40 are coming to Leeds for a celebration of all their greatest hits live at First Direct Arena.
Formed in Birmingham in the late 70's, this predominantly dub and reggae band has gone onto achieve much success including 50 UK charting singles.
UB40 have also sold over 100 million records as well as keeping a consistent line-up for almost 30 years, before lead vocalist Ali Campbell decided to leave the band.
Now, the band's lead vocalist is former Kioko lead singer Matt Doyle, who's taken on this role since mid-2021 and is ready to soundtrack your night while you enjoy some 'Red Red Wine'.
There's no official setlist confirmed for their latest tour, however, this 11-piece band have played an array of European dates with a pretty consistent roster of tracks:
Here I Am (Come and Take Me)
Maybe Tomorrow
Homely Girl
Sing Our Own Song
One in Ten
Home
Please Don't Make Me Cry
Many Rivers to Cross
Higher Ground
The Way You Do the Things You Do
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Cherry Oh Baby
Johnny Too Bad
Red Red Wine
Food For Thought
Forever True
Kingston Town
Can't Help Falling in Love
What are the stage times for UB40 in Leeds?
Anyone up for seeing UB40 play out at Leeds' impressive over 13,500 seater First Direct Arena will have to get there a tad early.
Doors will open at 6pm with a gig start time of 6.45pm due to the special guests who will be taking to the stage before them.
Make sure you get down early as you really won't want to miss the phenomenal duo Aswad, as well as standout vocalist Maxi Priest - It really is a reggae revolution.
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.
Clementine Hall -
18th July 2025 
