Ever fancied dipping your toes into the world of live event production?
The Academy of Live Technology is where the world's biggest artists go to rehearse before heading out on arena tours.
And whilst it's pretty impressive that you'll walk through the same halls as Kayne West, Arctic Monkeys, One Direction, Pink, ITV, Netflix and more, it's even more exciting that you can kickstart your career in the same space.
At degree and master level you can explore different specialist areas of live entertainment design and production, but for those looking for fast-paced, skills-based courses, there's also a number of Skills Bootcamps to get stuck into.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The idea of the Skills Bootcamps are to give those who are considering a career in the industry the opportunity to see what a real day-in-the-life in live events is all about, and a taster of the skills needed to be able to work on major projects around the world.
These might appeal to someone looking at starting on one of the Academy of Live Technology's degree courses and want to learn more before sending off their application; as well as post-graduates looking to find their specialist areas, or someone who would like to know more about changing the path of their career and want to learn all about the ins and outs of the industry.
These courses really do bring the best of both practical hands-on and theoretical sessions together and take an inclusive approach to ensure that all types of learners feel heard and understood throughout the courses.
At present, there's four different Skills Bootcamps that you can enrol in:
Skills Bootcamp in Event Management
Images: The Hoot Leeds
About the course: This five-week course covers all areas of Event Management, splitting into different areas of planning, as well as marketing strategy; communication and credentials; health and safety and professional etiquette.
Planning is split into multiple sections, including: strategic, stakeholder, sustainability, financial planning (and procurement), as well as exploring site management plans.
Start Dates: Monday 12 February and Monday 18 March 2024
More dates are expected to be released throughout the year here.
How to apply: You can register your interest and start the application process here.
To take part in the Events Management course, you must be aged 19 or over and live in West Yorkshire (including Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield) and you cannot be in full-time education or undertaking an apprenticeship at the time of joining.
This course is fully-funded and free of charge to those that meet the criteria, but are limited to one per person, per year.
Skills Bootcamp in Event Production
Images: The Hoot Leeds
About the course: This bootcamp is designed to give you a flavour of four different areas of event production, over the course of five weeks. Giving an introduction to live sound engineering; rigging and event safety; show calling and stage, production and tour management, you'll train using the world-class facilities onsite that have already been tried and tested by the likes of Pink, Metallica, The Killers, Netflix, Amazon and ITV.
Start dates: Thursday 15 February and Monday 18 March 2024
More dates are expected to be released throughout the year here.
How to apply: You can register your interest and start the application process here.
To take part in the Events Production course, you must be aged 19 or over and live in West Yorkshire (including Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield) and you cannot be in full-time education or undertaking an apprenticeship at the time of joining.
This course is fully-funded and free of charge to those that meet the criteria, but are limited to one per person, per year.
Skills Bootcamp in Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine, for those of us who aren't in the industry, is 'the most powerful real-time 3D creation tool' and a great up-skill to have under your belt if you're looking to carve a career in virtual production, live events, TV, film or even game design.
The five-week-long course takes you through the basics of using Unreal Engine and its application in game design, VFX, virtual production and immersive events, before you start to look at more technical skills like level design, lighting, materials, cinematics and camera, game mechanics, blueprint visual scripting, UI widgets and project development.
Start dates: Wednesday 14 February and Monday 18 March 2024
More dates are expected to be released throughout the year here.
How to apply: You can register your interest and start the application process here.
To take part in the Events Production course, you must be aged 19 or over and live in West Yorkshire (including Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield) and you cannot be in full-time education at the time of joining.
This course is fully-funded for those that are unemployed, self-employed or in part-time education. If you are employed, the Academy of Live Technology will ask your employer to contribute 10% of fees for small and medium-sized enterprises, and 30% for large enterprises.
Skills Bootcamp in Virtual Production
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The virtual production course also covers the basics of Unreal Engine, but instead focuses on the specific application of the state-of-the-art software in the virtual production industry over a ten-week-long part time course.
There will be opportunity to learn all about materials, lighting, levels, cinematics, camera, storyboards, production design, and on-set virtual production skills and technical skills before you'll shoot your own virtual production project in groups, and understand the roles of Producers, Directors and Virtual Production logistics a well as post-production skills.
Course dates: 10-week course will run part-time from Monday 12 February - Monday 30 March 2024.
More dates are expected to be released throughout the year here.
How to apply: You can register your interest and start the application process here.
To take part in the Events Production course, you must be aged 19 or over and live in West Yorkshire (including Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield) and you cannot be in full-time education at the time of joining.
This course is fully-funded for those that are unemployed, self-employed or in part time education. If you are employed, the Academy of Live Technology will ask your employer to contribute 10% of fees for small and medium-sized enterprises (£300), and 30% for large enterprises (£900).
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 LeedsÂ
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 -
12th February 2024 
