Ones To Watch - Live At Leeds In The City
Festival season may be long gone for the year but the indoor circuit is still alive and kicking - as we gear up to one of my favourite days of the year, I will be taking a look at some of the must see bands who will be heading to Yorkshire this weekend for the incredible Live At Leeds In The City. After another joyous summer, the LAL team will return to Leeds City Centre taking over a number of venues across town bringing one almighty line-up for all to enjoy showcasing some of the best new names to be hitting the music scene right now. Over the full day, you have the choice of 150+ bands bands spread over 20 venues - who do you choose? I have got you covered.
Live At Leeds first hit the streets of Leeds in 2007 bringing some of the best upcoming artists from all over to one place and showing them off to the nation. Since then the festival has grown into something very special shining the spotlight on Leeds and its incredible music scene - they have also branched out to hosting their very own outdoor festival In The Park that takes place at Temple Newsam on the May Bank Holiday weekend every year.
To the bands, now I know what you’re thinking, 150 acts is a lot, who do you see? Lets dive into some the must see bands appearing over the day. Kicking off nice and early with Aussie’s, Betty Taylor. They have quickly grown into one of Australians most exciting emerging acts in recent years bursting on to the scene with their debut single “Stallin” in 2022. From playing open mic nights to worldwide stages in the space of two years, there is enough proof this is a name you need to be keeping an eye on. Catch them open up Belgrave Music Hall at lunchtime.
Sticking with Belgrave and female powerhouse bands, next up we have Girl Group. Based in Liverpool, 4 of the 5 members are actually Norwegian and having met at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, they formed their group in 2023. Taking inspiration from Wet Leg, they have produced their own take on bands they look up with singles like “Lil’s Room,” a song that was written about the safe environment they wrote the song in and their most recent pop punk banger “Rage Song.” They have already played the likes of Reading & Leeds Festival and opened up for Olivia Dean in Paris, they now set their sights on bigger things.
The Clause have built their own empire over the years having battled many obstacles to get to where they are today. Hailing from Birmingham, the 4-piece indie outfit smash together an incredible blend of 60’s, 80’s and 90’s into their sound that has seen them play some dream shows with the likes of The Snuts, DMA’S and The Raytons while reaching number 1 on the iTunes Rock Charts and airplay on Radio 1 and 6 Music. Having just released their debut album Victim Of A Casual Thing last month, they look towards their own headline tour across November & December in the UK where they round off with their biggest headline show in Birmingham’s O2 Academy.
Someone who has made sure her name is out there for all to hear is Stoke singer songwriter Lissy Taylor. She has forged her own path in the music scene through nothing but sheer commitment and dedication to what she loves. Her voice is instantly catching and weather you come across her on TikTok or Twitter, you stop and listen. In recent years Lissy has supported her hero Miles Kane and appeared on festival bills like Y-Not and Isle of Wight as well as playing at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium fan zone. The independent music scene in the UK is growing at high speed pace and artists like Lissy are exactly why.
The common theme of female ones to watch on this bill continues - Newcastle’s Du Blonde was one of the first stand out names on this years line-up. Their influences know no bounds with a sick blend of psychedelic rock, punk, blues and 60’s garage rock creating one almighty experience in the music they produce no forgetting just good the live shows are. Not only are they a singer songwriter, but they have produced animated music videos for the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ezra Furman and Laura Marling’s band LUMP. If you choose any act of the day, choose Du Blonde - with an incredible catalogue of music and a captivating live show, this set will be one for the LAL books.
That is an incredibly small selection of the stand out bands appearing this weekend but if you are attending Live At Leeds the options are endless and spread throughout the city. Out with my top five, more bands that are on my to do list are the some of the headline bands like Hot Wax, Fat Dog & Catty. Else where there are many underground treats like Panic Shack, Nxdia, Witch Post & Punchbag. The list goes on and on - it is set to be a very stacked day of live music and a great showcase for independent live music. Set times and venues could be found via the festival app now available on Woov to get your day planned out.
See you on the streets of Leeds.
