The Leeds icon will return for two very special gigs in celebration of The Wardrobe's 25th birthday
Award-winning Leeds singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae has announced she will be returning to The Wardrobe for two intimate trio shows as part of the venue's birthday celebrations this August.
Not only that, indie icons The Vaccines will also be taking to the stage for a two night residency.
Before her incredible global success, Leeds-born Corinne was a familiar face at The Wardrobe, both on stage and working in the venues cloakroom.
Image: Supplied
So it seems only right that someone so important to the very fabric of the venue should return to help them celebrate 25 years in the city.
Not only that, the bar will be closing mid-August for a mini-refurb and refit, with the venue’s beer selection to be stocked by Leeds’ own Kirkstall Brewery and Camden Town Brewery, who will be bringing some exclusive pours up north with them too.
On Friday 20 September, they'll be hosting a huge birthday party with a great lineup of DJs featuring a few familiar faces.
Image: Supplied
They'll also be celebrating its 25th birthday all year long by giving away a free pint to the first 25 people through the door on the last Friday of every month throughout 2024.
Beginning life as a jazz venue, The Wardrobe opened in 1999 in the heart of Leeds’ cultural quarter and has played host to artists & comedians including Amy Winehouse, Lewis Capaldi, Arlo Parks, IDLES, Sara Pascoe, Tony Allen and hundreds more in its storied history.
Image: Supplied
With a large bar & restaurant above its iconic 400 capacity live room, The Wardrobe is a staple of the city’s hospitality industry, hosting hundreds of performances each year.
Modern funk and soul band Jungle are officially heading back to Leeds.
The Mercury Prize-nominated group will be performing at the First Direct Bank Arena this November, following their blistering summer on the festival circuit last year.
They'll be heading to Leeds on Saturday 21 November 2026.
Jungle was formed back in 2013 by producers and friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland.
While they technically worked as a duo for years (until 2023, when touring member Lydia Kitto became an official member of the band), Jungle are known for their huge live performances.
They always fill stages with musicians and vocalists, for incredible funk n soul live shows.
The bands huge hits include Back on 74, Casio, and Busy Earnin’, from four top-10 albums including 2023’s groundbreaking Volcano.
The upcoming Leeds date forms part of the band’s upcoming world tour, which arrives in the UK in November 2026 following a string of international performances across Europe, North America, and beyond.
Fans can expect a setlist jam packed with standout tracks, including fan favourites such as ‘Volcano’ and ‘Back On 74’ and newer material from their upcoming album ‘Sunshine’, released on 14 August that continues to push the band’s signature sound forward.
With over 3.4 billion streams to their name, Jungle’s Leeds show is set to be one of the hottest tickets of 2026 so we wouldn't mess about if we were you.
Tickets for Jungle in Manchester will go on general sale from 10am on Friday 27 March, with pre-sale from 10am on Thursday 26 March.
Leeds band Yard Act announce 2026 UK tour including homecoming gig
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024.
We are so, so back.
It's been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a small selection of UK gigs for later in the year including a homecoming gig at the O2 Academy on Friday 6 November.
The dates follow the band’s first show of the year at the 6Music Festival this Friday across The Pennines in Manchester.
After Leeds, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on Friday 13 November before making their way down south to the O2 Academy in Brixton on Thursday 26 November.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album Where’s My Utopia? with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August 2024.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy. It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have remained active, whether writing Where’s My Utopia’s follow-up on scratching the itch to get back on stage, heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives, which was preceded by an intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to the Autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait.
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday 27 March. Sign up here.
Clementine Hall -
21st June 2024 
