The Only Place To Be Looking For Your New Favourite Band: Live At Leeds

Words: Darci Jackson

Photography: Izzi Glover

If it’s the last festival of the year, it’s got to be a good one, right?

And as our final festival this year, Live at Leeds In The City brought everything an inner city festival should.

Storm Claudia set out with every intent to bring a dampener to the day, but even with a constant drizzle and overcast skies, the energy was completely sky high, a buzz radiated across the city.

At the heart of the festival stood The Wardrobe, a hub of wristband collection, live sets and festival goers enjoying refreshments, offering a checkpoint to fall back to across the day.

As an expanse of Northern charm and a spiderweb of venues, Leeds offers something in every corner of the city centre. The issue? Getting to every corner of the city centre!

But with reliable transport links and venues (just about) within walking distance, Live at Leeds felt like a treat round every corner, with each romp through the rain rewarded with an energy refuelling set.

Offering a sliver of Barcelona sunshine was London based pop artist Marti Perramon, with his groovy, toe-tapping beats and sweet synths lighting up Leeds Beckett Students Union. His third EP Boy From Barcelona Baby lands at the end of the month.

“It’s the work that I think truly describes me as a person and I’m really proud of that,” commented Perramon on his upcoming release.

“I think for the longest time I tried to run away from the things that made me, me so that I could just slip through but I want to create my own culture and I want to create my own music and I want to do my own thing.”

He cited Girl Group and Jalen Ngonda as two artists playing the festival he was particularly excited about.

The Dork stages (housed at Leeds Beckett Student Union) hosted some of the current must-see acts, including Keo, Divorce and KuleeAngee.

As a venue buzzing with chat, enthusiasm and genuine fan environment, an act whose name we heard mentioned multiple times was that of Australian post-punk band Radio Free Alice.

Currently touring the UK and Europe with their melodic grungy riffs and Morrissey-esque vocals, the addition of saxophones and a driving bassline makes Radio Free Alice a gem in the space of post-punk bands currently dominating the scene. The four-piece have just announced they will be supporting Geese on their Australian tour dates next February.

The community at Live at Leeds is something that shines. A smile as you pass fellow festival goers here, an unspoken union between fans there.

And someone who isn’t a stranger to a strong community is alt-pop artist Nxdia.

"My community is incredible and I feel so lucky because they’re so just fun and cool and stylish and I just think they’re so sick," they mentioned after opening The Wardrobe stage earlier in the day.

Their debut album I Promise No One’s Watching, a grungy, powerhouse of a mixtape released earlier this summer has offered a space for empowerment and honesty, led by Nxdia themself.

“I feel really humbled by it because it’s one thing to dream about it when you’re in your bedroom at like 15 and you’re like ‘one day this is going to happen,’ and you really feel the conviction and you manifest it day in, day out, but then to actually see it in front of you is so real in a way that’s really overwhelming and hard to fully sink in.”

The Egyptian born Mancunian headlined the BBC Introducing stage at Reading & Leeds Festival earlier this summer.

“The fact that there was so many people there screaming with me, bouncing with me, singing with me, coming along and joining even if they didn’t know me meant the world.”

They mentioned that their favourite things about Leeds were The Wardrobe, and the train station. Which oddly enough, is something we can get behind.

As well as Nxdia, another band packing a punch during the day were London’s sibling duo PUNCHBAG. Taking noisy pop and turning it completely sideways, their frenetic energy danced across your skin like pure lightning bolts, leaving us with no time to breathe as they bounced across the stage, shaking the walls of Headrow House.

As we made the trek to Brudenell Social Club, we were warmly greeted by the working man’s club feel with its polished brown wooden pillars and green flowery carpet (and not to mention the cheap pints!)

There, we bore witness to two of the most exciting bands in the up and coming indie space; Arkayla and Keyside.

Both with driving melodies, catchy choruses and a way of drawing the crowd in with a single hook, Arkayla stormed through tracks from their debut EP DON’T LOOK FOR ANSWERS, as Keyside launched into brand new tracks If You Don’t Try and Rock My Love on night three of their headline UK tour.

But there’s one artist that simply had us wrapped around his finger, as we walked into the venue to thundering applause. Headliner Jalen Ngonda simply mesmerised with his rich, velvety vocals complete with bongos and licks of piano. Purely effortless and food for the soul, Ngonda draws inspiration from his upbringing in Maryland, Washington D.C. to his home away from home in Liverpool.

Dedicating every track to people in the crowd, it felt like more of a gathering between friends, as we weaved in and out of vocal solos and funky riffs.

Live at Leeds In The City offers a taste of the artists you should have on your radar, and that taste always leaves you wanting just that little bit more. With such a large, eclectic mix of acts, it’s the ideal place to find your new favourite artist.