If ‘Red Light Spells Danger’ then Billy Ocean live in Leeds spells a quality night of music as far as we’re concerned.
It’s time to go ‘Calypso Crazy’ as legend and all-round hitmaker Billy Ocean is making his way to first direct arena Leeds to celebrate his latest tour ‘The Very Best of Billy Ocean’.
Whether you’re there to party the night away with Ocean and his stacked roster of hits or are hoping ‘There’ll Be Sad Songs’, you’re definitely in for a treat.
Amassing 12 UK top 40 hits and six top ten albums, Ocean has certified his place in the music industry and built himself a very impressive legacy.
Eva Rinaldi via Wikimedia Commons
Now he’s ready to spread even more ‘Everlasting Love’ as he embarks on his latest UK tour across music venues up and down the country.
Billy Ocean UK tour dates
Wed 11 June - Bristol, UK - Bristol Beacon
Fri 13 June - Brighton, UK - Brighton Centre
Sat 14 June - Blackpool, UK - Blackpool Opera House
21 June - Leeds, UK - first direct arena
23 June - Liverpool, UK - Liverpool Empire Theatre
25 June - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
27 June - Wolverhampton, UK - University of Wolverhampton Civic Hall
28 June - Cardiff, UK - Utilita Arena
30 June - Nottingham, UK - Royal Concert Hall
2 July - Stockton, UK - Stockton Globe
4 July - Oxford, UK - New Theatre
5 July - Birmingham, UK - bp Pulse Live
Billy Ocean tickets for first direct arena gig
If you’re after a chance of catching the ‘Loverboy’ in the flesh, you’re in luck, there’s a good selection of tickets still for you to get your hands on HERE.
Billy Ocean setlist
One World
Love Really Hurts Without You
Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)
Stay the Night
Red Light Spells Danger
Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car
The Colour of Love
No Woman, No Cry
Mystery
Suddenly
Loverboy
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going
Daylight
Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)
What are the stage times for Billy Ocean in Leeds?
Image: Eva Rinaldi via Wikimedia Commons
First direct arena has a curfew of 10.30pm meaning concertgoers can be safe knowing they’ve heard a lifetime of hits without having to ‘Suddenly’ disappear before the clock strikes twelve.
Doors for ‘The Very Best of Billy Ocean’ are scheduled for 6pm with a kick off time of 7pm with support from German talent Ada Morghe who’s dropping an album of her own on 13 June titled ‘Pure Good Vibes’, how lovely.
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.
It's time folks, the full lineup for Leeds Pride 2026 has officially been revealed.
This year there are more acts than ever before set to take to the stage across a fabulous two-day festival.
Headlining the weekend will be the incredible La Voix and Sweet Female Attitude. They’ll be joined by, Tomara Thomas, Livin’ Joy ft. Luzahnn, and Baga Chipz, alongside a whole host of other exciting names.
And it doesn't stop there, as presenting the festivities this year will be Bradley Riches, Soraya Vivian, drag icons Mamma Bear and St Sordid Secret.
Taking place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July 2026, the milestone event will see the city come alive with its best Pride to date.
Organisers are already expecting record-breaking crowds for the packed programme of entertainment which will take place from 12pm – 10pm on both days.
Image: Supplied
A new addition for 2026 - Leeds Pride will host The Freedom Party, a ticketed Saturday event, helping to secure the future of the festival for years to come.
Guests can expect a high energy day featuring incredible stage shows and some of the UK’s best tribute acts, paying homage to the hit songs and pop icons of the last 20 years.
Tickets for The Freedom Party are available now from just £7.50, offering incredible value for a full day of live entertainment. Once inside, attendees can enter and exit the site freely
Image: Supplied
This year also introduces a new and improved VIP area on Lower Briggate, alongside an expanded festival footprint and enhanced production.
A spokesperson for Leeds Pride said: ““Celebrating 20 years of Leeds Pride is a huge moment for the city and the community. This year’s line-up is our biggest ever, with more acts, more local talent and more to experience across the entire weekend.
“What we have in Leeds is genuinely rare, and that’s a Pride celebration that takes place right in the heart of the city. While many other Pride events are moving out to parks and greenfield sites, we’re proud to keep Leeds Pride woven into the fabric of the city. It creates an incredible atmosphere and means the celebration is shared across Leeds, supporting hotels, bars, restaurants and local businesses throughout the weekend.
Image: Supplied
“Pride remains as important as ever, and introducing a ticketed Saturday allows us to protect and grow the event for the future. We’re asking people to support us where they can, even a small contribution helps us continue delivering Pride for everyone.
“We can’t wait to welcome Leeds and visitors from across the UK to what will be an unforgettable weekend.”
Antony Szmeirek announces sophomore album along with biggest UK tour dates yet
Clementine Hall
Greater Manchester spoken word artist Antony Szmeirek has finally revealed the name, cover art and release date for his second album, along with his biggest run of UK tour dates yet.
The Tameside teacher turned full-time artist dropped his maiden record, Service Station at the End of the Universe, back in February 2025, and now, just over a year on from its launch, he’s getting ready to deliver his highly anticipated follow-up.
Entitled Decoding Birdsong, the sophomore studio project is scheduled for this summer, with a series of live shows booked for the following autumn.
Having already dropped lead single ‘The Heron’ earlier this year, Szmeirek has just released the opener from his upcoming LP, which is simply called ‘Chalk’; he’s also unveiled the rest of the tracklist and a rather striking bit of album artwork.
The Hyde-born artist is making big moves not only within the spoken word space but across multiple genres, with his music blending everything from indie, hip-hop, electronica and more.
His latest song, for instance, is more of an acid-house-esque meets contemporary EDM outing, and has quickly gone down as a popular addition among fans.
On the album name itself, he’s never one to shy away from a weird title or two – case in point, ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ from his debut and ‘Dave’s Angling Superstore’ on this new record.
As for his latest raft of live shows, these will be some of the biggest domestic gigs that the local lad has played in his career so far.
In addition to an opening show here in Leeds, he is set to play a dozen different cities across Great Britain and Ireland.
Antony Szmierek UK/IE tour dates – October 2026
We’ve highlighted the Northern stops for you, too:
8 – O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds, UK
9 – The Level, Nottingham, UK
11 – Cambridge Junction, Cambridge, UK
12 – O2 Academy Oxford, Oxford, UK
14 – CHALK, Brighton, UK
15 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
16 – O2 Academy Bournemouth, Bournemouth, UK
17 – O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, UK
20 – Queen Margaret Union (QMU), Glasgow, UK
21 – Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
23 – Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK
For those of you looking to grab tickets to his headline gig, they go on sale at 10am on Friday, 8 May via the likes of SeeTickets.
You can get ready to grab your tickets right HERE.
Featured Images — Press shots via Zak Watson (supplied via SJM Concerts)
Thomas Melia -
16th June 2025 
