Your ultimate comedy, pop, indie and festival guide for July.
The summer month's aren't always known for their live music offerings. Whilst there may be festivals in their plenty throughout July and August, this usually means there's a sharp decline in live individual concerts, especially intimate gigs in small venues.
This year, we appear to be getting the best of both and nobody is complaining- from rescheduled pre-Covid live performances to huge sellout shows, no less than three festivals and some of the UK's biggest names taking to stages around Leeds, we're in for a real treat this month.
Keeping reading to find out our top ten gigs to attend this month, including all the information you need on how you can grab a ticket before they sell out.
Tom Grennan at Halifax Piece Hall
Friday 1 July 2022 | Halifax Piece Hall, Halifax
Image: Tom Grennan
The Found What I've Been Looking For singer-songwriter will be taking over Halifax's Piece Hall and kicking off everyone's weekend with melodic riffs and feel good summer anthems aplenty.
Tickets cost £32.50 but there are also a number of premium tickets availble at £70 each.
Mardi Gras Festival is back for another year with legendary locals and international acts set to take over Roundhay Park all day Saturday. Expect to witness the likes of Clean Bandit and Joel Corry on the main stage with Raye, Roger Sanchez, Majestic, Jodie Harsh and so much more to embrace.
If that’s not enough, there’s some serious foodie options inside the International Food Village. Choose from legendary slices from Homeboy Pizza Co, Soul Stone Coffee, Istanbul Grill and The Chaat Walas, as well as options like Barney’s Churros and taco conessuiers Jimmy Macks Street Kitchen.
Geoff Norcott: I Blame The Parents (Edinburgh Preview)
Wednesday 6 July 2022 | The Wardrobe, Quarry Hill
Image: Geoff Nocott
The only preview performance before the Edinburgh Fringe is taking place right here in Leeds for Have I Got News For You regular Geoff Norcott-so this is a rare opportunity to witness the best of comedy without taking a trip up and across the border.
Often featured on Live at the Apollo and Would I Lie To You, Geoff is no stranger to the stand-up game, and many Loiners are bound to be in hysterics over his latest set 'I Blame The Parents', which takes on the passionately held views we all have based on our parent's experiences and ideals- all in stand-up format.
On top of the exciting headline acts like: Marco Carola, Jamie Jones, Mall Grab and Jayda G deeper house will come from Dan Shake and Chaos in the CBD, there will be spaced-out sounds from flying Dutchman Chris Stussy and no-frills beats from Djoko as well as plenty of goodness from local residents Annie Errez, Bobby O’Donnell, Foz, Reeshy and Sara Garvey.
Tickets start at £60.50, but if bought as a group, you can buy four and get your fifth free of charge. All tickets can be purchased from the Newsam Park website.
There aren't many sister girl groups that will have an entire city dancing, but HAIM are something quite special. The chart-topping trio are bringing their long-awaited The One More HAIM Tour to Millennium Square, Leeds for one night only.
Bringing the best of the girl's number one album, ‘Women in Music Pt.II’ between popular hits including ‘Want You Back’, ‘Right Now’ and ‘Little Of Your Love’, this is going to be a night to remember for any HAIM groupie. Tickets cost £41.25 each, including processing fee and can be purchased from the Millenium Square website.
Saturday 16 July 2022 | Millenium Square, Leeds City Centre
Image: SJM Concerts
As a two-time Ivor Novello winner, Richard Ashcroft is no stranger to award-winning performances, but this outdoor summer set in Leeds is sure to mark one of the artist’s first concerts post-pandemic, and is sure to be filled with all the singing and dancing we’ve missed out on in the past few years.
Millennium Square only hosts up to 5,700 seats, so this gig will be incredibly intimate compared to the rest of the bestselling artist’s tour stops like CarFest North and Highest Point Festival, so it’s well worth grabbing a ticket in your home town if you can.
Friday 22 July - Sunday 24 July 2022 | Hillsborough Park, Sheffield
Image: Tramlines Festival
Okay so this isn't in Leeds but given Tramlines is one of Yorkshire's biggest music festivals, we couldn't leave it off the list. This year, tramline-goers will have the opportunity to watch some of the UK’s best musical talent, as well as rising up-and-coming acts before they hit the mainstream.
The likes of Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Alfie Templeman, Kelis and Scouting for Girls will be joining the jam-packed lineup including James, Declan McKenna, The Vaccines, Sigrid, Self Esteem, Inhaler, The Wombats, Becky Hill, Reverend and the Makers and The Coral. Whilst these are just some of the big names taking to the stage, with smaller acts like Swim School, Coach Party, April and The Goa Express entertaining daytime crowds.
If you love to head down to the club on 80s night but would rather party outdoors than in a packed out nightclub, the 80s Classical is the summer festival you don’t want to miss- and that's before you've seen the incredible throwback line-up.
Taking place on Friday 22 July 2022 in Millenium Square, Kim Wilde, Belinda Carlisle, Johnny Hates Jazz, Hue and Cry, Denise Pearson, and The Orchestra of Opera North will all take to the stage for an all-singing, all-dancing evening of 80s hits set to have everyone on their feet.
Tickets start from £35.20 and can be booked via the Millenium Square Leeds website.
Saturday 23 July 2022 | Carriageworks Theatre, The Electric Press
Image: Troy Hawke
Performing his hilarious character Troy Hawke, Milo McCabe is following his sold out 2021 performance at the Carriageworks with another exciting performance in the Main Theatre Room.
What to expect: "Fresh from finding and proving decisive links between IKEA, the CIA and the Nazi’s, 1930’s throwback home-schooled investigator Troy Hawke battles a new enemy on behalf of all people everywhere…the bastard saboteur that lurks in our own minds."
To celebrate the only band to dedicate a song to LS6, Easy Life will be performing at The Wardrobe to release their new album Maybe In Another Life. This intimate performance will give fans a rare opportunity to get up and personal with the band with an album signing listed in the itinerary, as well as an early evening performance of Easy Life's chosen tunes.
Tickets are extremely limited and given the rare opportunity, hosted by Crash Records, booking tickets to avoid disappointment is highly recommended. Tickets, tour exclusive CD albums and two different vinyls are all available from £15.50 from the Crash Records website.
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News
End of an era as historic Leeds pub announces shock closure with ‘heavy heart’
One of Leeds' longest-running pub will be closing.
The Cross Keys in Holbeck is a lovely little boozer.
And it's got a fair bit of history too. Dating back to the early 1800s, the pub has stood on Water Lane for more than two centuries, with its story closely tied to Holbeck's industrial past.
Back when the area was one of Leeds' major manufacturing hubs, the Cross Keys was a local drinking spot for workers from the surrounding foundries and engineering works.
The pub itself fell into disrepair and was abandoned in 1980s, before being brought back to life during a major restoration in the 2000s.
But now, The Cross Keys is closing once again.
Images: The Cross Keys
Announcing the sad news to Instagram, the pub said: "It's with a heavy heart that we share the Cross Key's will be closing its doors on the 3rd of October.
"The whole team thank you for your support during our time in business."
In classic Leeds fashion, the comments were flooded with support from fans of the pub alongside fellow local businesses.
One comment reads: "Absolutely gutted about this. I held my fiance (now husband’s) 30th at The Cross Keys and it was excellent and the team were so helpful and hospitable. So sad to hear this."
Whilst another said: "Gutted, the home of some great memories and significant pints in my life."
So, if you've had a significant pint in The Cross Keys and wish to bid it a proper farewell, you've got until Saturday 3 October to do so.
We’re In Love (Actually) at Lawrence Batley Theatre – romance is actually around each and every one of us | Review
Declan Kelly
Love is so much more than a rental Rom-Com movie.
Before heading off to Goole, we managed to catch We're In Love (Actually) stop off at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield on Thursday 24 September, giving audiences the chance to experience the latest work from Dark Horse as a northern-based theatre group.
If you don’t know much about Dark Horse Theatre Company, then I guess it’s time to find out.
The company shines a light on brilliant creatives with learning disabilities, challenging perceptions while giving its actors the opportunity to showcase exactly what they can do. Dark Horse premieres original work created by an ensemble of nine actors and theatre makers, while also providing vocational training to help actors with learning disabilities develop their skills and prepare for the industry.
Image: Supplied
And what better way to showcase that creativity than with a hilarious, heartwarming and wonderfully nostalgic love letter to the rom-com?
Set inside a video store on its opening day, We’re In Love (Actually) sees the staff quickly realise that their customers only seem to want one thing: romance films. The problem? There aren't any.
So, naturally, they decide to make their own.
From the moment the lights go up, the production transports us back to the nostalgia of video stores, where choosing a film was once an event in itself. The set creates that familiar Blockbuster feeling, with a huge screen hanging above the stage that helps transform the video store into a live film set.
And this small-scale production has a surprisingly huge creative pull. The staff begin piecing together their own romance film, taking inspiration from Titanic and Romeo and Juliet to Notting Hill, Love Actually and Pride and Prejudice.
Image: Supplied
The multimedia is one of the production's biggest strengths. Mark Craven live films many of the romance scenes on stage, with the action projected onto the screen above in real time.
It’s such a simple technique, but it makes the production feel so much bigger than its scale. Watching the actors create these cinematic moments while simultaneously seeing them appear on screen gives the show a real theatrical edge. There’s even a touch of Katie Mitchell in the way live performance and filmmaking are brought together, and honestly, it feels like the sort of inventive technique that wouldn’t look out of place on the National Theatre stage.
But we aren't just watching it happen - we're part of it.
From singing along to Céline Dion to playing a game of finding a movie star from the audience, the production constantly breaks the fourth wall and brings everyone into the story.
Image: Supplied
And this only adds another layer of comedy.
The cast have a brilliant sense of comic timing, with the character dynamics creating plenty of laughs throughout. Juliet, played by Rebekah Hill, is a particular standout, leading the ensemble with plenty of personality and leading lady talent. One of the highlights for me was her singing, getting the audience involved to then suddenly declare, “Just me, now”, is something that had me belly laughing.
One of my favourite moments is actually one of the simplest. The cast begin naming off romance films, only for Eve, played by Meghan Denton, to shoot them all down because apparently nobody wants to watch romance films.
And it got me thinking: are these sorts of films becoming dated? Do they give us false representations of what love actually is? We see a love story within this production between Rebekah Hill's character Juliet and Joe Sproulle’s Leo, and honestly I ship every moment.
But the question sits underneath the comedy throughout the production around the idea of love.
Then comes the second act, which kicks off with a full The Full Monty number - and what a way to start.
The production continues its journey through Notting Hill, Love Actually and Pride and Prejudice, before giving us the obligatory love triangle, because what would a rom-com be without one?
Image: Supplied
Rob, played by Mark Craven, gets his own Love Actually-inspired moment with the iconic handwritten signs for Juliet, and it’s exactly the kind of cheesy romantic moment you want from a production like this.
But underneath all the jokes, film references and romance anthems, there’s a much bigger message.
Towards the end, Eve begins to question the idea of love we so often see portrayed on screen. Because, actually, those perfect cinematic romances aren't always what love looks like in real life.
Love can come in all different forms. It can be romantic, but it can also be platonic. It can be found in family, friendship, community and in the people around us.
Romance is actually around each and every one of us - and that feels like the perfect message for this production.
But with Dark Horse behind it, there’s another layer that makes the whole thing feel even more important. It gives a group of actors who you might not always see taking centre stage the opportunity to lead a production, showcase their talents and, quite simply, have a bloody good time doing it.
And you know what? It’s pure joy.
Every actor who graces that stage deserves their flowers, and this production genuinely left me wanting more.
I think this is a production everyone needs to see. It shines such a bright light on the incredible talent on that stage, and it’s exactly the sort of work regional theatres such as Leeds Playhouse should be looking at when programming their seasons.
Representation, and more importantly visible representation, is beyond important. Seeing actors with learning disabilities leading a production, making an audience laugh and completely owning the stage shouldn’t feel like a rarity, it should be something we see far more often.
We’re In Love (Actually) doesn’t just give these actors a platform; it gives them the space to completely own it.
Showing at Goole Junction on 30 September - 1 October, tickets are available here.
Sophie Smith -
27th June 2022 
