Live at Leeds In The City 2024: Festival organisers on finding local talent and shaping the city's musical identity
As the citywide festival in Leeds returns for its 17th edition in just a few weeks, Yorkshire Evening Post met up with two of the minds behind this year's packed line-up.
Live at Leeds In The City has become a staple event on the festival calendar, with big and small bands playing at venues all over the city; from The Wardrobe and Brudenell Social Club to Sela Bar, Oporto and student union venues.
This year, bands topping the bill include art-rockers Everything Everything, Alfie Templeman, The K's and Leeds post-punks and 2024 Mercury Prize winners English Teacher.
Joe Hubbard, promoter and one of the main figures behind Live at Leeds' line-up since 2021, said: "It's amazing to have a Leeds band with a Mercury [Prize] and great to have them on our line-up.”
With a focus on newer musicians, Joe spends the whole year between festivals finding new bands that will fit the bill: "It's a year-round thing, and it's a bit of a multi-level thing as well. We work with grassroots organisations in Leeds, such as Launchpad for local artists. On a bigger scale, we work year-round finding and working on shows in Leeds.
"We're always listening for new music on playlists or the radio or going out to gigs. It never stops."
This year, the festival will be held on Saturday, November 16, instead of its usual October date. On the day, over 100 artists will play across Leeds, with festivalgoers free to enter any of the participating venues throughout the day.
New music fans can check out bands and artists such as Marika Hackman, Willie J Healy and Moonlight Sanelly along with local talent L’Objectif, Van Houten, The Kites and Gravy.
Joe said: "There's a great artist called Jasmine.4.T from Manchester, who is signed to Phoebe Bridgers' label. I'm excited to see her.
"Also the Cardinals, a really cool band from Ireland. I've seen them a couple of times but it feels great having them on the bill."
For the last couple of years, Oporto on Call Lane has hosted the BBC Introducing stage.
Emily Pilbeam presents BBC Introducing Leeds and Sheffield and has had a hand in the Live at Leeds line-up for the last few years, with a focus on Oporto.
Emily said: "[BBC Introducing] has always covered Live at Leeds even before we had a stage, and we would come down and see loads of bands and do interviews.
"Live at Leeds the festival is kind of everything BBC Introducing is, supporting new talent, trying to showcase them to as many people as possible. So it just made sense to get involved."
While artists from all around the UK and internationally play at the festival each year, Joe said that a focus on local talent is "super important".
He said: "[Futuresounds] have just announced an outdoor show with Kaiser Chiefs next year. And the company have existed as long as they have.
"My bosses have started and worked with them from that point, and having that as a model for a band that can start here, where you find them and help them with their early gigs. And then one day they go on and play a huge gig like that, It's amazing to watch the trajectory.
"We all just want to see that for bands in our local area, and help them develop and move on."
Emily added: "We had Lucky Iris play the Introducing stage last year. I think they opened it, and it was packed out.
"To see an artist or an act like them play to that many people and just see how happy they were with the performance, is kind of the whole thing. It's what makes it all worth it for me."