Live at Leeds 2015: The Preview

As the May bank holiday comes upon us once again, it can mean only one thing – Live at Leeds is back and better than ever. Despite being relatively young and small in the festival market, LAL seems to have grown quickly in popularity. A champion of the independent artist, LAL has helped break through acts such as Brits nominees Ed Sheeran, Jessie Ware and Alt-J, gaining a reputation as an unofficial indicator for the year’s best new talent. Thanks to a wide diversity of genres playing across the city in some of its cult favourite venues, LAL can expect huge crowds to descend upon the city, filling popular haunts like Belgrave Music Hall, The Wardrobe and Brudenell Social Club. 

 

This year’s line up promises to get the punters riled up, with performances from some of Yorkshire’s 

finest exports, The Cribs and Reverend and The Makers. 

 

 

Alongside these heavyweights will come headline sets from rising pop producer MNEK, indie favourites Swim Deep, Spector and Palma Violets, grime’s current prodigy Stormzy and the much hyped spoken word artist George the Poet.

 

 

HC’s big tip for the day are dream-pop band Ekkah, who traded in the rockier sounds of their former band Arcadian Kicks (a local favourite of mine when I was a teen!) for some fresher, funkier vibes. You can check out their track Last Chance to Dance here.

 

 

Other promising sets include part time Game of Thrones actor Raleigh Ritchie, whose minor hit Stronger Than Ever was covered by Lily Allen; Laura Doggett, whose poignant ballad Old Faces soundtracked the trailer for ITV’s Broadchurch; Nashville four-piece and NME favourite Bully; and the new face on the folk scene, Tobias Jesso Jr. There’s even a wild card appearance from Amy Studt, best known for her 2003 teen anthem Misfit. Sweet, sweet nostalgia…

 

 

For a full line up and schedule for the day, you can check the official Live at Leeds website here. With wristbands costing only £27.50, this is a festival that understands the limits of the student budget but can still deliver quality music and atmosphere. If you’re in the mood for indulging your edgier side, there are plenty of local and underground artists for you to discover who will be making an appearance. If you’re struggling to make plans for the bank holiday and fancy some time off from revision and essays, Live at Leeds can give you a fun weekend (save the Netflix marathon of Grey’s Anatomy for another day, folks). As in previous years, Her Campus will be on hand to report on this year’s big sets on May 2nd. We hope to see you there for a drink and a dance!

 

Molly Forsyth