Preview by Sam Monk (@smonk78)
This year’s rebranded and reformatted installment of the now firmly established multi-venue Live at Leeds Weekend – three days of music, lectures and football – takes place this coming bank holiday weekend. Unlike Constellations, which focuses on attracting the big names, traditionally Live At Leeds has always been about uncovering less heralded talent from local bands to those nascent international bands looking to build a live following but, given the financial imperatives at play, even an event like this needs a couple of marquee headliners to attract sponsorship, generate media interest and, most importantly of all ticket sales, and this year is no different. In fact this year’s headlining bill is shaping up to be arguably the most mainstream in the events short history what with its distinctly urban/pop flavour.
With a new album due this year kooky indie pop princess Marina and The Diamonds will be performing her latest clutch of songs that seem to have jettisoned the Kate Bush-inflected high concept pop pieces in favour of a more familiar electro-pop feel. In a similar vein New Zealander Pip Brown, better known as Ladyhawke, will be unveiling new classic synth-pop material from her forthcoming sophomore effort which, if they are anywhere near as deliriously catchy as her much-praised debut, will have the whole of Leeds floating on a cloud of euphoria. The urban grit is provided by rapper du jour Example, who will be performing a separate gig supported by Wretch 32 in Millennium Square and by Stooshe, the manufactured urban-pop/r’n’b trio who close the weekend on Sunday with a gig at the Cockpit. If these acts are slightly atypical, bold, brave choices, the predominant indie crowd will be catered for by the return of the swaggeringly anthemic three-piece The Enemy, making a sort-of-comeback to the live arena having taken a break to record a new album. Their last album was disappointingly safe and listless in places but they can be relied upon to turn in a nothing less than fully committed, energetic live show. The Subways, another indie-punk three piece who have fallen of the radar recently after a promising start, will be attempting to reinvigorate their career armed with a new batch of pithy, spiky, youthfully petulant punk pop and, with something to prove, they may turn in a performance to remember. The indie-collective Los Campesinos! are no strangers to the Leeds live music scene having played Constellations in 2010 but familiarity shouldn’t breed contempt as they are a raucous, rousing and charmingly chaotic proposition live (so much so that comparisons to Arcade Fire are not unwarranted).
So a diverse roster of headliners that seems to represent a conspicuous attempt to broaden the appeal of the weekend, but in an effort to please everyone does it run the risk of pleasing no one in particular? To this observer, the excitement provided by a returning hometown favourite like the Pigeon Detectives or Wild Beasts or a young artist on the cusp of breaking big in the mould of a James Blake or Aloe Blac seems to be lacking this year.
However it may be that the likes of the much-touted American indie guitar upstarts Howler and electro-funk popsters Friends, recent recipients of the Guardian’s attentions in their New Band of the Day column, where they were described as purveyors of ‘uptempo noise’ undercut ‘with a sense that the good times won’t last’, that may steal the thunder of the more established names. As ever the Leeds’ scene will be heavily represented with the likes of I Like Trains and the Vaccines-like This Many Boyfriends, Post War Glamour Girls and Just Handshakes possibly the pick of the bunch.
Ultimately though for most this may be immaterial, as Live at Leeds is not really about the main events; its more about getting the chance to see unheralded bands performing for the first time in Leeds in small and unique venues, the feeling of the city being alive with music, the excitement of picking up the programme and plotting your course across the city, falling in love with a band you saw by accident waiting for the next band on stage, bumping into old friends and bonding with complete strangers on the walk between venues. It is truly a communal event and we should be thankful for this.
Do you have any recommendations? Is this year’s event too mainstream? Let us know what you think.