OR   Search for Artist/Title    Advanced Search
 
you are not logged in...  [login] 
Back    List All News  
Preview: Live at Leeds 2015
11 April 2015

List All News - Back
While the measure of many festivals is the range of renowned and established artists on the bill, Live at Leeds has, over recent years, proved itself to be a festival that doesn’t so much have its finger on the pulse as much as it embodies and even pre-empts the pulse.

So often you’ll hear of smaller bands turning in career-defining sets mid-afternoon at Glastonbury or other major festivals, but you can bet that many of them played Live at Leeds just as they were on the cusp of breaking to the next level.

Last year saw Royal Blood pack out Leeds Met (now Beckett) at tea-time, while Drenge and Catfish and the Bottlemen both played venues barely a fraction of the size you could hope to see them playing now, 12 months on.

So when perusing the lineup – and let’s face it, Carl Barat and the Jackals, Thurston Moore, and The Cribs are all worthy headliners and Gaz Coombes’ early afternoon slot at the Academy is sure to be a draw – the real buzz about Live at Leeds is the opportunity it affords to take a punt or two, and later reflect on how you saw that massive band everyone’s talking about in a small venue or even a pub (Toy at Nation of Shopkeepers in 2013 was beyond insane, for example).

The fact the city’s many venues stage bands – this year, we’re talking about some 200 acts at 20 different venues, ranging from the 2,300 capacity O2 Academy to the minuscule Milos, via the legendary Brudenell Social Club and the newly-added Belgrave Music Hall – means its success isn’t weather dependent, and that there really is something for everyone.

So, who to see? Away from the headline slots, Dutch Uncles return after a strong performance in 2013, this time at the Town Hall and promise noodly, doodly talking Heads-influenced entertainment, and they’re joined at the same venue by Palma Violets who’ve got an incredible buzz around them at the moment, while local favourites, Menace Beach and NME-hyped Eagulls are both strong representatives of the lively Leeds scene. Meanwhile, Amy Studt continues her renaissance at the LCM Recital Room and Glaswegian synth-poppers Prides play The Wardrobe after some high-profile support slots and closing out the 2014 Commonwealth Games.


List All News - Back

It’s exciting to see some emerging bands covered by W&H in the last 12 months on the bill, too: The Riptide Movement (Oporto), Rupert Stroud (Faversham) and Emmy the Great (Leeds College of Music) rank amongst them, but for our money , if you fancy something exhilarating and are up for a bit of noise you won’t got far wrong with any of the following: Rolo Tomassi (Key Club) , Hookworms (Leeds Beckett), We Were Promised Jetpacks, Slaves , Black Honey (all at the Brudenell), The Computers (Key Club).

In short, there’s plenty to get excited about. See you down the front!

Live At Leeds 2015 takes place on Saturday, 2nd May. Full lineup, schedule and ticket purchase info available at liveatleeds.com
  author: CHRISTOPHER NOSNIBOR 11 April 2015