FESTIVAL GUIDE: Live At Leeds

Name: Live At Leeds

Where: 20 different venues in Leeds

When: 1st-4th May

Headliners: Dry The River, Dutch Uncles, Eagulls, Emmy The Great, Gaz Coombes, George The Poet, Hookworms, Lauren Aquilina, Lawson, Lucy Rose, MNEK, Palma Violets, Prides, Raleigh Ritchie, Reverend and the Makers, Rhodes, Saint Raymond, Slaves, Spector, Stormzy, Stornoway, Sunset Sons, Swim Deep, The Cribs, The Strypes, Thurston Moore and We Were Promised Jetpacks all top the bill at this year’s Live At Leeds.

Also Appearing: Childhood, Flo Morrissey, Gengahr, Jagaara, Laura Doggett, Menace Beach, Misty Miller, Yak and hundreds more over the 20 stages.

Brief History: The festival began in 2007 to mark the city of Leeds’ 800th birthday, jointly hosted by Leeds City Council and Futuresound. From the initial event, which saw around 50 bands play in and around Leeds – along with film screenings and a music industry seminar – the festival has grown, now featuring over 200 artists playing the festival. Winning Best Metropolitan Festival in 2014, Live at Leeds has now established itself as one of the best festivals to catch emerging talent as well as established acts.

How To Get There: All the venues are within walking distance of each other in Leeds city centre, so all that’s required is a train to Leeds. The Brudenell Social Club is a little further away but can be reached by the 56 bus.

Gigslutz Top Tip: Plan. As lame as it might sound, with 200 potential bands to see in one day you want to know who’s playing where and when so you don’t miss out or end up running round Leeds like a headless chicken: they’ve even made a pretty straightforward schedule. And if you have a spare minute, go to something you don’t know – who knows what you might find?

Memorable Moments: From Frank Turner completely filling up a venue (causing hopeless queuing outside), to intimate secret performances from Palma Violets, and headliners spanning all genres – The Pigeon Detectives, James Blake and Marina and the Diamonds have all appeared – Live At Leeds seems to be one big memorable moment. With such intimate performances, it’s certainly a one-off experience.

What We Said Last Year: Highlights for Gigslutz last year included Courtney Barnett, and some of this year’s festival favourites – Royal Blood and Catfish and the Bottlemen.

Did You Know: Live At Leeds is far more than just a day of music: the festival also sees the annual football tournament take place, as well as the Unconference, which will this year discuss the likes of the experience of being in a band, alternative funding methods and understanding publishing rights. It really is a necessity for anyone venturing into the music industry.

How To Get Tickets: Wristbands permitting entry to all venues on the day are available on the Live At Leeds website for £27.50

The Playlist: