The final festival of the season, Live at Leeds have announced 38 new artists to complete the line-up for their In The City festival this October. A celebration of the best in new music across 15+ venues, Live at Leeds: In The City is all set to host over 100 artists and bring thousands of dedicated music fans into Leeds, filling its independent venues, bars and spaces with live music and passionate audiences. Staying true to its origins as a platform for the country’s best new music, this year’s Live At Leeds is packed with exciting emerging artists. The announcement includes the likes of avant-garde, ‘80s-inspired pop riser Jessica Winter, Frank Carter’s favourite new fist-in-the-air punk rockers Kid Kapichi, Manchester’s anthemic indie-pop power trio The Covasettes and many more.
Launched in 2007, Live at Leeds has become one of the country’s most recognisable and important festivals dedicated to championing new artists. An unforgettable stop on the careers of thousands of musicians, in its storied history the festival has notably hosted early performances from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, The 1975, George Ezra and countless others. So who will be the stand out new band at this years festival? That honour goes to Alt-rock quartet Another Sky, made up of singer Catrin Vincent, guitarist Jack Gilbert, bassist Naomi Le Dune and drummer Max Doohan, return after a three-year absence from the spotlight. The band formed at Goldsmiths in London, and have already seen great success from their debut album ‘I Slept On The Floor’, while also gracing Later… with Jools Holland, where their incendiary performance inspired Biffy Clyro to offer them a support slot on their UK tour. Expect to see them at the event’s sister festival Live At Leeds In The Park which will return to Temple Newsam on 25th May 2024.
The Last Dinner Party also play the festival in October and we urge you to catch their latest record Sinner.. It follows the scintillating debut, Nothing Matters, which provoked an instantaneous reaction of acclaim. Guitarist Lizzie Mayland told us “Sinner is a story of self-acceptance, and the longing for the past and present self to become one.”
Following a triumphant performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury this year, which The Independent described as “one of Friday’s most memorable performances”, Texas will return to the stage for a run of UK Arena shows in 2024. Kicking off at Leeds First Direct Arena on Friday September 6th and culminating with a home-town date at Glasgow’s the run will see the band play a set of classic hits from their recently released The Very Best Of 1989 – 2023. 34 years since they recorded ‘I Don’t Want A Lover’, then watched, gobsmacked, as it reached Number Eight in the charts, Texas, one of the UK’s most loved bands, have gone on to produce ten studio albums, selling over 40 million records worldwide.
If that is too long to wait from a blast from pre-Spotify days the recent announcement of their forthcoming new studio album, synth pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) will return to the stage, with the band taking to the road next year. Across February & March 2024, OMD will play 22 dates across the UK & Ireland, including a First Direct Arena headline show at on March 15th, 2024 – with support coming from the legendary Howard Jones & Walt Disco “We are so excited to be able to tour again with a brand new album to showcase.” Andy McCluskey of the band told us. “It’s been six years since we learned new songs for live performances. The songs from Bauhaus Staircase will fit beautifully into our set-list – we just have to choose which five to play, as we have to treat people to the hits as well!” The band also release ‘Slow Train’ – the second instalment from their forthcoming new studio album Bauhaus Staircase – out October 27th on 100% Records. A raucous, glam-tinged explosion, ‘Slow Train’ arrives with help from the band’s only other external influence David Watts. Known as a rock producer, who helmed Sheffield band The Reytons’ recent No 1 album What’s Rock And Roll?, he brings a sharp, exciting new sound to the record.
