Live Report: Live At Leeds: In The City 2022

Live At Leeds: In the City kicked off this past Saturday with more than 150 acts taking control of Leeds city centre. Sets moved from smaller club venues such as Key Club, the ambient four walls of Mill Hill Chapel, hot spots such as Belgrave and Brudenell, through to headline sets in Leeds’ O2 Academy.

Clash begins the day at The Wardrobe, a much-loved live music venue in Leeds that today boasts the likes of The Clause, The Skinner Brothers and Spector. We catch opening act The Hara. Frontman Josh Taylor covers every inch of the venue, jumping over the barrier, crowd surfing his way to the bar and making it his stage during a heavy performance of ‘We All Wear Black’.

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Leaving the Wardrobe, we feel spoilt for choice as we decide which of the 16 venues to visit next. We head to the Student Union at Leeds Beckett University. A queue snakes it way around the city campus as YouTube stars Lovejoy are about to take to the stage. We head to the second room in the SU where rising star JAXN and his band are playing recently released tracks including popular singles ‘One Kiss’ and ‘Angel’. 

Just a short walk from Beckett’s student union is local dive bar Key Club. We make our way down to the basement where Alan McGee signed punks The Gulps are playing to a packed-out venue. Despite only arriving on the scene a few years ago, the boy’s music seems to be known, with many punters joining in the lyrics to recently released track ‘King Of The Disco’.

Although on what feels like a streak of rock and roll and indie acts, we decide to head to the Mill Hill Chapel where Eleanor Moss plays an ambient, resonating set made that more poignant as her voice emits through the four walls of the church. Moss chats to the audience who sit in the pews afore her, telling relatable stories as to what inspired her music. 

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Considering the festival is a hub for discovering new music, we head to The Oporto, presented by BBC Introducing to catch Prima Queen. The band light up the small venue with tracks such as ‘Invisible Hand’ and ‘Chew My Cheeks’, proving themselves as ones to watch.

There a buzz surrounding the O2 Academy. Palace, Dinosaur Pile Up and Working Men’s Club have warmed up the famed venue for the day’s headliners. We head inside to catch Sundara Karma. Playing a set that hears tracks from recent EP ‘All These Dreams’ amongst fan favourites ‘She Said’, ‘Flame’ and ‘Indigo Puff’. 

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Fuelled with nostalgia following Sundara Karma’s set, we catch the bus to Hyde Park Book Club where another band who became a known name in the 2014/15 indie pop scene are headlining – Birmingham boys Swim Deep. Kicking off with ‘To My Brother’, frontman Austin smiles out to the full capacity venue who call out for songs like ‘She Changes the Weather’ and ‘King City’. 

Swim Deep’s magic set feels like a perfect way to end the day, a day where many will have been introduced to their new favourite artists and perhaps rekindled a love for those who have come before.

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Words: Isabella Miller
Photography: Rebekah McFadden