Local music venues all around the West Yorkshire city are coming together to celebrate and showcase everything live music.
Avid gig-goers will recognise some classic Leeds live music staples like the lively Brudenell Social Club, The Key Club and The Wardrobe which have all housed some of music’s most famous faces.
Live at Leeds started back in 2007 and features two unmissable events each year including ‘Live at Leeds in the Park’ and ‘Live at Leeds in the City’ with the latter taking place this weekend!
Throughout the history the festival has established a reputation for showcasing the best names in new music including past acts likeRag ‘n’ Bone Man, Stormzy, Tom Grennan and even US singer, rapper and body-positivity advocate Lizzo, even discovering some talents before they were famous.
‘Live at Leeds in the City 2024’ is taking place at 15 phenomenal venues which it has been doing since founding in 2007. Originally running on every bank holiday before the arrival of the summer festival, the city music takeover has found a recurring November slot showcasing the same adored independent music venues across the city.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Good for the heart and the soul, Belgrave Music Hallhas been serving up foodie favourites and musical selects from up and down the country – Young Blood, Jorja Smith, The Slow Readers Club. These are some of the standout acts on this establishment’s large performing roster.
This next spot hosted a secret show 20 years ago for a not-so-secret Scottish rock band, Franz Ferdinand. Brudenell Social Club have been home to many talented musicians with Wakefield’s own The Cribs loving the crowds so much, they’ve returned 17 times throughout their career.
From secret gigs to a venue which holds every homes best kept secrets, The Wardrobe. This indie joint may be small but the acts they secure really are mighty from worldwide music icon Amy Winehouse to Scottish songwriter Lewis Capaldi and in more recent years they’ve called upon Mabel to pack out this neat little spot for an intimate album launch show.
Now with chillier weather on the horizon,‘Live at Leeds in the City 2024’ hopes to warm up concertgoers with some incredible entertainment by Mercury Prize Winners and famous Leeds talent, English Teacher, rising star Alfie Templeman with bands such as Everything Everything The K’s, and many more ready to raise the roof.
Award-winning bands Everything Everything and English Teacher are playing out to crowds of just over 1,000 in the always buzzing Leeds Beckett Student Union, which since 1970 has been blessed by Rock Gods Nirvana, Radiohead, Foo Fighters andColdplay.
Stylus at Leeds University Student Union, with Merseyside prodigies The K’s kicking things off with the opening slot and Alfie Templeman playing an over-hour-long set, guests are in for a real treat all day long.
All these locations have a special place in music lover’s hearts through bringing incredible acts to the north but also by preserving and continuing northern music history. As much as it’s great to stick to your home comforts, it’s also good to venture out and expand your musical palate. This year there are 17 different sites and stages, so why limit yourself?
Four piece alt-rock band Terra Twin have found themselves featured in various music magazines and playing headline shows in London, Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham at the start of this year.
Guest Singer, Hang Linton, Eades, Eve Buckley, Free Party and Eszter Vida are the six lucky singers who were selected from Live at Leeds’ Artist Submission competition. Eager fans can catch Vida twice as she’s supporting House of Women at Hyde Park, Leeds the night before.
This competition allowed artists to handpick and send in their tracks with hopes of securing a slot on the coveted lineup. These six chosen creatives join the immense jam-packed bill and now get to perform to all the events excited attendees.
There’s transatlantic-talk too with New York based Rock and R&B four-sibling band, Infinity Song stopping off in this stunning Yorkshire city. Signed by A-List label Roc Nation who manage acts like Rihanna and Big Sean, this formidable foursome have even featured on Kanye West’s Jesus Is King record through writing credits in 2019.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is set to be one to remember and if you’re already thinking about what to do at the end of the night, two venues have got just the plan for you.
Both The Key Club and The Wardrobe are running official after parties for the event with the first site boasting ‘Rock Anthems and Guilty Pleasures’, how can you possibly go wrong?
After all that partying, what better way than doing it all over again as Live at Leeds in the Park 2025 has recently announced their first batch of acts for the summer festival including Natasha Bedingfield whose smash-hit ‘Unwritten’ had an unexpected revival while also celebrating a landmark 20 years since its release.
If that’s not enough to prick your ears up, there’s a headline slot by Bloc Party who are celebrating 20 years of their debut studio alarm ‘Silent Alarm’, with Jamie Webster, Yard Act and Sigrid also sitting pretty on the bill.
The city-wide festival, Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is spread out across 17 lovely locations that all share a small piece of northern music culture and there’s a huge assortment of acts performing for everyone to enjoy.
Full list of venues getting involved:
Belgrave Music Hall
Brudenell Social Club
Brudenell Social Club, Community Room
Doghouse
Headrow House
Hyde Park Book Club
Leeds Beckett Student Union
Leeds Beckett Student Union, Stage 2
Leeds Beckett Student Union Theatre
Lending Room
Leeds University Student Union, Stylus
Northern Guitars
Oporto
Santiagos
Sela Bar
The Key Club
The Wardrobe
Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is coming to various music venues across our tight-knit music hub on 16 November with more information and tickets foundhere.
And if you’re already eager to fill up your summer festival calendar for 2025, tickets for Live at Leeds in the Park 2025 are on sale here.
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.
Featured Images - Press Shot (Mara Publicity via supplied)
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Iconic band Blossoms set for BIG return to Leeds Festival this year
Thomas Melia
Stockport-originating band Blossoms have just announced their big return to Leeds Festival, as the four-day music event continues to impress with its stacked line-up.
They might have a 'Joke About Divorce' from time to time but when it comes to entertaining a Leeds Festival crowd, Blossoms take it very seriously, playing at Bramham Park three times in the past decade.
This band have captivated audiences since the rise of standout track 'Charlemagne' and more recently with the addition of their fifth album studio album, Gary, named after an eight-foot-tall gorilla.
Known for always putting on a stellar performance, Tom, Joe, Charlie, Myles and Josh are bringing a brand-new set to Leeds when they pay us a visit this August.
As well as releasing new music, Blossoms are making a big return to Leeds Festival 2026 / Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Currently, Leeds Festival 2026 has seven headline acts spanning all genres from Dance and EDM to Pop and Rap with the likes of Charli XCX, Raye, Dave and more topping the bill.
The Stockport five-piece are featured alongside three other insane artists as 'Special Guests', appearing next to Skepta, Sombr and Role Model.
Also listed on the line-up are rising stars like R&B vocal powerhouse Skye Newman, pop princess Jade, Merseyside indie rockers The K's and Wigan-formed The Lilacs with more to be announced.
Although nothing is confirmed yet, this upcoming Leeds Festival set from Blossoms will contain high energy and obviously all their biggest and best bangers from across their four chart topping albums as well as new music.
Leeds Festival 2026 is set to be a belter with the addition of Stockport band Blossoms returning for a fourth time / Credit: Publicity Video (Supplied)
Whether you're there for 'Your Girlfriend' or 'What Can I Say After I'm Sorry', one thing's for sure, you're guaranteed to have an absolutely spectacular night.
Blossoms are making their big return to Leeds Festival 2026 which is taking place from 27 to 30 August at Bramham Park with tickets live HERE.
Thomas Melia -
12th November 2024 
