Cassandra (@StocksUndStein) went to the Live At Leeds 2013 Launch last week, and bumped into some very unlikely Pigeon Detective fans …
Okay. I’m new to this and the start is always the hardest part, so I’ll jump right in: I’m Cassandra, half German/half English and I’m a “new kid on the block”.
I only moved to Leeds two weeks ago to start my very first “proper” job. So I have to admit I do not know the city or its people very well yet. Or to put it more accurately: I don’t know them in real life. Hours of surfing around websites like these have already convinced me, that Leeds is a city I will fall in love with more and more over time. With its music scene, rich culture, great events and even greater restaurants, it really reminds me of my favourite German city, Berlin (where I was lucky enough to live for about a year).
One of my biggest interests is music and especially live concerts, so I jumped at the chance, when Culture Vulture twittered that they were looking for someone to be their “ears & eyes” at the Live at Leeds Launch taking place in the Wardrobe that evening. It was all quite spontaneous and being at work, I didn’t have time to think about it.
So it only hit me when I actually entered the Wardrobe: “What the hell was I thinking? I’m going to this event all by myself and can be a very self-conscious person at times. There I was, standing at the bar clinging to my beer. Luckily, I had my camera with me and could keep myself looking busy.
And then something happened that just is unimaginable in most German places: Someone came up to me, we had a little chat and then I was invited to join the group. Turned out, that the three men were Wardrobe regulars who didn’t have a clue what all the fuss was about. I explained the concept of Live at Leeds a bit and decided to play them some Pigeon Detectives (one of the two bands that were leaked beforehand)…so now I can proudly present two of my newly recruited Pigeon Detective fans, Alistair and Mike:
The launch itself was not quite as spectacular as I’d imagined. It was all over a bit too quickly and The Pigeon Detectives sadly didn’t play any songs for the crowd. However, Charlie Straw (it was quite hard to find out who he actually was because I didn’t catch his name at the launch – this is his Twitter account, if you’re interested) performed a few songs and did a very good job.
But the main reason for the event was the announcement of the first bands and the Live at Leeds organisers did not fail to impress in that department. A total number of 66 bands were announced for the Live at Leeds Festival 2013:
Alunageorge / Darwin Deez / Everything Everything / Little Comets / Peace / Rudimental / The Pigeon Detectives / The Staves / Tribes
Arlissa / King Krule / Laura Mvula / Lewis Watson / Ryan Keen / Soley / Swim Deep / The 1975 / The Crookes / The Neighbourhood / Theme Park / Unknown Mortal Orchestra /
Wave Machines
Battle Lines / Blackeye / Charles Bruno / Charlie Straw / China Rats / Dan Croll / Dancing Years / Department M / Fawn Spots / George Ezra / Happy Daggers / Harry George Johns / Hudson Taylor / Hunting Bears / Indiana / Jacob Banks / Jagwar Ma / Joe Banfi / Joel Baker / Jordan Allen / Marika Hackman / Marsicans / Nick Mulvey / Ofei / Pete Roe / Peter & Kerry / Post War Glamour Girls / Roo Panes / Saint Raymond / Sam Smith / Seasfire / SJ. Bravo / Skaters / Sons and Lovers / Sweet Baboo / Swimming Lessons / The Family Rain / The Glass Caves / The Grand / The Struts / Thomas J Speight / We Were Frontiers / Witch Hunt / Yadi
My personal highlights are definitely The Crookes (have you heard their cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”? That guy’s voice!), Darwin Deez (he and his band have the best dance moves), Tribes (they were talked about as the next big thing in 2011, I loved their album and am eager to finally see them live) and of course The Pigeon Detectives (their music is great, but they’re just incredible live – because they love what they do and you can feel it).
All in all, the festival (and other concerts), the general atmosphere in the city and witnessing the “Yorkshire friendliness” firsthand at the launch, make me really look forward to my new life in Leeds. I think I have found my new favourite city!
Ps. For anyone who already wants to get into the mood for the festival, I’ve put together a SpotifyPlaylist.