What’s on in Leeds in March

Hello! @KayLinaBrown here. After much deliberation and research, I’ve chosen my picks in Leeds for March. I’m even on time this month, sort of. If you have an event that I haven’t mentioned, feel free to tell our readers about it in the comments section.

I try and include a bit of everything and consider all events that I am emailed/tweeted about so if I haven’t featured you this month, don’t despair, it could just be that I already had something in mind that’s similar. If you have an event in April, inform me of your event before the 25th of March for me to consider it for my next What’s On.

National Doodle Day at White Swan Leeds, Friday 2nd March
An evening of drawing and revelry. Pop along to design a postcard, draft a comic, draw a portrait or just get your doodle on!

In addition, draw a doodle to be submitted to the National Doodle Day judges, with fantastic prizes up for grabs, and all money donated will go to Epilepsy Action.

Join the doodle revolution, you know you want to.

The Back Porch at Mook, Friday 2nd March
Dress to impress, dance the jive and take yourself back to the Cotton Club era. The Back Porch presents a line up of live jazz, blues, cabaret, burlesque including Alligator Gumbo, Lindy Friday’s and many more! Doors open from 8.30pm and the organisers are promising fun, froliks and cupcakes with tickets available on the door for £10 / £8 concessions.

Think Visibility, Saturday 3rd March
Think Visibility is a SEO conference with a difference! Well it very much appears to be from the sound of the go-karting and after parties. Who knew that SEO could be accessible and fun? The 7th edition of the conference includes SEO for commerce, 25 useful things to do with WordPress and much more. Check out the website for full details.

Women in music and digital culture at High Court, Thursday 8th March
Wombeatz is hosting an open day for women interested in digital music culture in Leeds on International Women’s Day. The event is designed to celebrate and empower women in digital culture and technology through workshops and equipment demonstrations throughout the afternoon. In the evening there will be a panel of guest speakers from the industry, who will be talking about different aspects of electronic music and the difficulties facing women in the industry, as well as insights into how they have overcome these obstacles in their careers.

The Boy with Tape on his Face at Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery, Friday 9th March
The Boy with Tape on his Face was regularly highlighted during and following last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. You may have seen him on TV but now’s your chance to see him in Leeds. Mime with no noise, stand-up with no talking – drama with no acting. The boy has to be seen to be believed. You’ll laugh, you’ll scream and ultimately end up like The Boy – lost for words.

Let’s Stir it Up at Temple Works, Saturday 17th March
Let’s Stir It Up are mixing together the delicious tastes of Indian street food, courtesy of Manjits Kitchen, with the very best of Jamaican vintage and classic Reggae. Dr.Huxtable will be at the controls of the Axis ‘Dreadnought’ sound system. If some of the Twitter reviews for @ManjitsKitchen are enough to go on, it’s worth the entry fee alone to have access to the food!

Fictions of Every Kind: Hope at Victoria and Commercial Hotel, Monday 19th March
Fictions of Every Kind is a writer-run writers’ social night aimed at providing support and socialisation for anyone engaged in the lonely act of writing. The invited speakers for this event are @IrnaQureshi who writes about British Asian heritage and award-winning publisher, writer and live artist with an international profile, Adam Lowe. Music is provided by Gary Stewart a Scottish songwriter of folky tunes and there’s a writers open mic if you fancy getting up and showcasing some of your own work.

Travelling Light at Leeds Grand Theatre, Tuesday 20th – Saturday 24th March
On tour from the National Theatre, Travelling Light visit Leeds Grand Theatre this month and intends to reinforce our love of early cinema following the recent success of The Artist.

The flickering lights of his father’s cinematograph entrance a young Moti Mendl as they dance silently before his eyes. Sometime later, bankrolled by Jacob, an ebullient local timber merchant (played by Antony Sher) he stumbles on a revolutionary new way of telling stories. His inspiration is Ann, the girl whose beauty steals his heart and lights up the cinema screen.

Forty years on, Motl – now a famous American film director – looks back on his early life and contemplates the price he has paid for fulfilling his dreams.

Looking for a deal on tickets? You can save £10 off the top three prices for Tuesday – Thursday evenings by using the promotional code ‘Film’ online, over the phone (0844 848 2700) or in person.

The Traipse in Leeds City Centre, Thursday 22nd March
The Traipse is a never to be repeated celebration of English traditional rapper-sword play, contemporary dance, music, storytelling and bad jokes; a walked, talked, bustled performance that drops in unannounced to gather people’s own stories and re-tell them back to them. During the evenings, this motley crew will transform local pubs into a Trespass Inn, where for one uniquely rebellious night, stories will be sung, danced and spoken. Join us for a very English celebration of impromptu poetry, music, dance and laughter, served up with a hearty ale – and bring your stories too.

The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley at The Carriageworks, Thursday 22nd March
Sometimes life doesn’t make much sense and Shirley knows this too well, he has a girl’s name and his heart belongs to a classmate that hardly knows he exists.

Wound Man is an unconventional superhero, sprung from the pages of a medieval medical textbook, with an alarming assortment of weapons sticking out from every part of his body.

Wound Man has just moved into a house on Shirley’s street — and he happens to have a vacancy for a teenage sidekick…

The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley is a funny and touching story about two unlikely friends and the adventures they share.

The Russian Spectacular at Leeds Town Hall, Saturday 24th March
I have something I should tell you, I love Russian literature. My love for the literature has led to me discovering more about Russian culture and hence the inclusion of this event. The Russian Spectacular is a music and dance extravaganza featuring one of the finest musical ensembles in the world, the White Russian Central Band (formerly the Red Army Band) with special guest soloists from The Bolshoi and Dancers from The Belarussian National Folk Dance Academy.

Mystery Jets at Brudenell Social Club, Wednesday 28th March
Mystery Jets are starting their latest tour in Leeds! Since the release of their first album in 2006, music fans have enjoyed some of their more well known songs such as You Can’t Fool Me Dennis and Two Doors Down. If you like your indie darlings and are looking for a gig following the line up announcements for local festivals Live at Leeds and Beacons, this is for you.

Creative Networks Arts & Business Fair at Leeds College of Art, Thursday 29th March
This month Creative Networks throws open the doors of Leeds College of Art to artists and creative business-owners seeking information and advice. The Arts & Business Fair will include over 20 organisations that provide specialist support to those working in the creative industries, with an added focus on services for artists and arts organisations. The event is also an opportunity to meet up with a diverse range of people from across the creative sector.

We Are Poets at Leeds Town Hall, Friday 30th March
Y’know how we always say that we don’t shout about the great things people are doing in Leeds? We’re learning to and this screening of We Are Poets on the giant screen of Leeds Town Hall is just the start of showcasing our local film talent. Haven’t heard of We Are Poets yet? Where have you been? We Are Poets is an amazing documentary following a group of young authors from Chapeltown in Leeds on their emotional journey to compete at Brave New Voices in Washington DC, the largest poetry slam in the USA. A testament to the power of creativity, community and the dynamism of young people, the Leeds Young People’s Film Festival are excited to share this special preview in the amazing setting of Leeds Town Hall.

Twittamentary at National Media Museum, Friday 30th March
Hands up if you use Twitter. Me too and that’s why I’ve sneaked this Bradford event into my What’s On in Leeds picks, it’s not that far after all… Twittamentary looks at how lives connect and intersect within the Twitter community as the real-time web accelerates serendipity. Bonds are forged as a result of unexpected encounters between strangers as they share moments of their lives in real time. The film is created in the open spirit of the Web. Twitter users have been invited to contribute story ideas, rich media and videos to the film via the movie’s initial submissions website.

If you attend any of the above events, don’t forget to tell us what you think.