FESTIVAL SEASON officially gets underway next week with the return of Live At Leeds on Saturday 29th April. Now in its 11th year, the award-winning event has established itself as one of the UK’s leading festivals for new music by providing a distinguished platform for some of the best emerging talent the country has to offer. Set to take over multiple venues in Leeds city centre, this year’s festival will stage one of its biggest line-ups to date with a fine array of new bands on show alongside a host of big names thrown in for good measure.
With such an extensive and eclectic line-up of names on offer, TTV has picked out a selection of exciting artists that are definitely worth checking out. Tickets are still available here.
Frightened Rabbit
From scrappy solo beginnings to the full-blown indie-rock powerhouse that they are today, Frightened Rabbit have established themselves as one of Scotland’s biggest success stories in recent years. With five albums to their name, Scott Hutchison and co continue to win over crowds around the UK and further afield with their sly wit, Scottish melancholy and thunderous choruses. Boasting a more expansive sound, the band now come armed with a bolstered live show to match.
Set time: Church – 9.30pm
Dream Wife
Set to become one of the breakout bands of 2017, Dream Wife are making waves everywhere with their razor sharp pop tunes and punky attitude. With massive tunes such as ‘Somebody’, ‘Hey Heartbreaker’ and ‘FUU’ to their name, the three-piece possess a captivating stage presence and are known to elicit pure chaos at their raucous live shows. With a busy year ahead, this will be a great opportunity to catch the band before they inevitably hit the big time.
Set time: DIY Stage, Brudenell Social Club – 9pm
Jagwar Ma
Australian outfit Jagwar Ma are best enjoyed live where their feel-good anthems and psychedelic breakdowns are brought to life in often hedonistic and technicolour fashion. Known to wear their nineties influences on their sleeves, last year’s Every Now And Then built on the band’s popular debut Howlin with more expansive arrangements and kaleidoscopic soundscapes; all while staying close to the big pop hooks and catchy melodies that made them so accessible to larger audiences. Their vibrant back catalogue will go down a storm at this summer’s festivals.
Set time: Dr Martens Stage, Leeds Beckett Stage 1 – 8.45pm
Saint PHNX
Armed with the kind of anthemic songwriting and colossal sound that Kasabian and other stadium-sized bands would be proud of, Glasgow duo Saint PHNX are ready to make a long-lasting impression at this year’s Live At Leeds. With the ability to conjure massive soundscapes between them, Steve and Al Jukes have attracted a serious amount of attention in their short time together and have been marked out as ones to watch by a number of industry musos. The release of recent single ‘Rise’ further highlighted their growing ambition and drive to succeed.
Stage time: Headrow House – 10pm
Slaves
Irrepressible punk duo Slaves headline this year’s Live At Leeds and are set to unleash pure chaos during their late night slot. Following the release of last year’s Take Control album, the band have established themselves as one of the most ferocious live acts in the UK thanks to their gritty anthems, blistering riffs and incendiary punk energy. Now accustomed to playing festival main stages and packing out venues all over the country, this will be an unmissable opportunity to catch the duo in action.
Stage time: O2 Academy, 9pm
Dead Pretties
With a growing word of mouth following that has stemmed from their volatile and often unpredictable live performances around London, Dead Pretties are part of the same burgeoning punk rock scene that has produced Shame, Goat Girl and HMLTD. Known to exude raw energy with every fibre of their being, the band oscillate between classic punk and accessible indie-rock with a completely infectious and relentless power while instilling their music with a sharp social commentary. As one of the newer bands on the bill, this will be a good chance to see them in all their raw, unfiltered glory.
Stage time: Dork Stage, The Key Club – 4.15pm
Temples
2017 has marked the welcome return of Kettering outfit Temples who released their highly anticipated second album Volcano earlier this year. After finding themselves at the forefront of an exciting new wave of British psych music, the band have won fans up and down the country with their use of shimmering synths, pulsing rhythms and infectious melodies; all while reaffirming their reputation as a brilliantly creative force in UK music.
Stage time: Church – 7.45pm
The Big Moon
Fresh from the release of their highly anticipated debut album Love In The 4th Dimension, The Big Moon are another band ready to take the forthcoming festival season by storm. Effortlessly seizing hearts with their wonderfully ramshackle and carefree brand of indie pop, the four-piece have rightfully gained plaudits for their hook-filled choruses, infectious melodies, snarling guitar parts and beautiful harmonies; all tied together by an electric chemistry that is all the more captivating when seen in person.
Stage time: DIY Stage, Brudenell Social Club, 10pm
The Orielles
A recent signing to Heavenly Recordings, The Orielles are starting to gain the recognition they deserve for their jaunty surf hooks and reverb-soaked earworms. Their debut single ‘Sugar Tastes Like Salt’, released last month, indicated their creative potential and experimental ambition with their thrilling combination of pulsing post-punk rhythms and addictive dance beats. Their inventive melodies and giddy chemistry is known to transfer into an equally captivating live show.
Stage time: Dr Martens Presents, Leeds Beckett Stage 2 – 7pm
The Moonlandingz
Unpredictable, chaotic and brilliantly untamed, The Moonlandingz were born of a fictional fantasy created by the Eccentronic Research Council and Fat White Family. Led by enigmatic frontman Johnny Rocket, otherwise known as Lias Saoudi, the band have since released their debut album Interplanetary Class Classics on Transgressive Records; pushing far beyond the limits of a mere narrative device, their avant-garde psyche rock has been known to elicit a huge response at their raucous and well-publicised shows. Weaving their way through a whole range of genres, seeing this band is to submerge yourself in a world that is entirely unique; it is at times dark, haunting, bizarre and deranged, but it is always compelling.
Stage time: DIY Stage, Brudenell Social Club, 11.45pm
