My last Live@Leeds festival back in 2017 was arguably its finest ever incarnation; Superman still holding up the ravaged tectonic plates beneath Jumbo Records following Idles incendiary set in the basement Key Club directly below, Good Charlotte’s fabulously catchy Pictish pop filling the Faversham with many a lungful of pine-fresh Caledonian air, not forgetting Moonlandingz tearing Brudenell a new one at the end of an unforgettable day’s gigging.
Live @ Leeds is such a draw because it always seems to deliver, not simply a carefully curated selection of the coolest up-and-coming acts but also many wonderful surprises, unfamiliar bands from the fringes, some still here in 12 months’ time, others not, yet all stepping up to the plate at one of the City’s many venues, ripping the faces off a bunch of surprised and delighted attendees.
Pick of the many local acts include chief Pigeon Detective, keen supporter of his hometown music scene Matt Bowman, making a solo appearance sure to enrapture the local Pigeon’s unwavering fan base. Local fluid collective Menace Beach will also be there, showcasing recent material from ‘Black Rainbow Sound’. Unsurprisingly, venues hosting headliners are likely to fill quickly so be sure to arrive in good time, yet having graced several previous renewals, thanks to the skill of the organisers, it’s most likely prove the exception, not the rule.
Nearer the time, be sure to avail yourself of the festival’s mobile alert service advising the latest venue capacities and before that, here’s a list I’ve put together of never before seen acts I’ll hopefully be checking out, assuming no clashes on the day. Can’t wait!
AK Patterson – Brooding and beguiling roots music from Alex Patterson plus sidekicks Alfie Weedon and Nat Reading. Patterson’s soothing yet vulnerable tones prove an ideal foil when draped across a finely balanced blend of folk, meditative Eastern mysticism and Latin fieriness, helping to set her apart from the morass of like-minded contemporaries. Leeds’ music fans may already be familiar thanks to a memorable support slot at last year’s Alt-J Town Hall hometown hoedown.
Altopalo – Any overseas band gracing the Live @ Leeds roster is usually worth checking out, this Brooklyn based quartet certainly no exception. Altopalo recently crafted a bunch of woozy, unsettling yet highly polished lo-fi soundscapes on assured debut album ‘Frozenthere’.
Big Wild – Another Stateside raider, Jackson Stell’s debut pseudonym release ‘Superdream’ is something of a revelation. Enlisting the help of select friends, we’re treated to hyper-contagious sun-drenched electro, drawing influences from cerebral indie, gospel and soul, with definite Mediterranean overtones. Not tapping one’s feet to this record is harder than eating a fruit pastille without chewing.
Confidence Man – The quality control function at Heavenly Recordings has proven pretty reliable over the years and ‘Confident Music for Confident People’, the first long-player from this antipodean quartet, welds super-cool French techno with sassy house-tinged pop, perhaps also influenced by fellow Australians Jagwar Ma.
Death by Unga Bunga – Norwegian new wave quintet with a band name to die for. Unga Bunga songs are unlikely to change the world but if you’re looking to pogo along to impudent power-pop then look no further.
Elli Ingram – Anyone making a guest appearance on a Rudimental record is bound to prove more than decent. Assured, crisp and urbane, Elli Ingram promises lashings of modern hot buttered soul with plenty of attitude. Check out ‘Love You Really’, one of those Sunday morning records that may give ‘Moon Safari’ a run for its money.
Ibibo Sound Machine – Combining afrobeat with and taut, urgent 80s funk, ISM will have you stampeding to the nearest roller disco; you’ll be skating round backwards before you know it. Led by London based Eno Williams she expertly draws on her Nigerian musical heritage creating a West African take on a sound that’s part Talking Heads, part Miami Sound Machine, the band’s moniker inspired by the native tongue spoken by Williams’ mother.
Metronomy – One of this year’s headline acts are also celebrating their 20th anniversary. Admittedly it seems a lifetime ago since the West Country four-piece made the 2011 Mercury Music Prize shortlist with their stylishly indietronic ‘The English Riviera’, full of perfectly formed gems including ‘The Look’, ‘The Bay’ and ‘She Wants’, yet they’re sure to provide a popular draw.
Squid – With unyielding new single ‘Houseplants’ garnering plenty of critical approval, yet another band from Sussex’s premier seaside resort has made this list. Squid are an arty guitar band with a hearty rhythm section, prominent basslines carried along by understated yet super tight drums, choppy dissonant guitars and electronic frills, leaving just enough space for Ollie Judge’s unsettling vocal rant, part Jesus Freak, part Sergeant Major.
Tallsaint – Leeds’ very own Louisa Osborn, formerly of The Witch Hunt has swapped moody guitars for breathy electronica, her latest incarnation ‘Tallsaint’ already creating waves thanks to an alluring trio of accomplished pop nuggets released on ‘Dance to the Radio’ records, ‘Warm Skin’ proving a proper banger.
Words - Mike Price
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