The evenings are getting darker and we’ll soon be into the start of autumn. But should we let that bother us? Of course not! Dark evenings are all the better excuse for a good night out, and there will be plenty to look forward to in Leeds gig-wise, so here’s what’s on its way

24th September sees trip hop duo Massive Attack come to the O2 Academy Leeds, but if punk is more your thing then catch Goldblade on 26th September at Rio’s on Merrion St. Then if you fancy a bit of thoughtful electronica that is in some ways reminiscent of the early days of Fleetwood Mac, Massachusetts band Caspian are playing The Library on 29th September.

But one of the most exciting gigs of the month will be up at Leeds Uni’s Stylus on September 30th: taking their name from the arcade game Street Fighter move that sends a pulse of ki energy at your opponent, Leeds grindie band Hadouken! are going to be sending out some energy that is entirely their own. It will be a bit of a homecoming for the band as its founding members, James Smith and Daniel Rice met at the uni back in 2006. The band’s debut album Music for an Accelerated Culture is exciting, fast-paced and verbose, and there’s a second album on the way. This is music to get you going.

Then looking at October: on 4th October indie rockers from Wakefield, The Cribs will be playing the O2, and on 8th October there’s more indie sounds to keep you wide awake from The Twang at The Cockpit. On 10th October you can catch The Maccabees at the O2 with a distinctly new wave, post-punkish slant. Originally from South London, these guys relocated en masse to Brighton when singer Orlando Weeks went there to study art. Their second studio album Wall of Arms came out earlier this year. These lyrical lads play a nice tune.

On 11th October Bloc Party are at the O2 with their art punk alt, and a few days later on the 13th at the same venue is the ethereal, enchanting and mystical Bat for Lashes. Then at the O2 on 17th October, will be indie rock, post-punk revival band from Brum The Editors. They take their influences from the likes of REM, Echo and the Bunnymen, and New Order, and you can hear it. With influences like that you have to take The Editors seriously.

Indie rockers Noisettes from London will be playing at Stylus on October 19th. Earlier this year their somewhat poppy single Don’t Upset the Rhythm reached Number Two in the UK singles chart, and they’ve been touring extensively in Europe and the US recently. Now’s the chance to catch their variety of styles which range from garage to blues.

On 20th October you can catch some classic Britpop with Franz Ferdinand at the O2. However, one band that has been going down a storm at the summer festivals this year is Sheffield based indie rock band Reverend & the Makers. If you didn’t get chance to see them over the summer then you will do on October 26th, when they will be playing at Stylus. Outspoken and charismatic frontman Jon “The Reverend” McClure, has taken inspiration from many sources including John Cooper Clark, and has even been known to read poetry in between songs. This gig promises to be nothing other than exciting and interesting.

With all this, it promises to be a great autumn in Leeds.

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Best gigs in Leeds this Autumn

The excitement is building as over 80,000 people will be heading to the city during August Bank holiday for a weekend of live music and entertainment. Leeds knows how to put on a live music festival. We’ve just updated our Leeds Festival 2010 info and tips guide so have a read of this guide too.

Finding your way to Bramham Park

So, having got your tickets how are you going to get there? Throughout the duration of the festival there will be a regular shuttle bus operating between Leeds Railway Station, Leeds Coach Station and Bramham Park, (£4.50 single, £8.50 return). So if you are using public transport, getting the bus or train to Leeds and then using the shuttle bus will probably be the most practical way to do things. If you are arriving by car, head for the A1 as there is (amazingly) no access to the Festival by any other route.

Bramham and the Park

Bramham is located midway between Leeds and York, the park is two miles of the village. Its grounds cover over 400 acres and are used for various events, including the Leeds Festival and the Bramham Horse Trials. Part of the grounds are kept as gardens and run as a tourist attraction, visitors can also tour Bramham house but only in pre-arranged parties.

Leeds Festival camping tips

If you are camping at the fest then of course all the usual tips about camping apply, like keeping a spare set of clothes in a waterproof bag, taking a waterproof, etc. But let’s add to this a few festival refinements. Camping at a fest you’ll find the tents far more densely packed together than you would at your average campsite, and finding your own tent after the music is over can be an achievement in itself.

One good way to relocate your tent is to make it really distinguishable from all the others in the dark, so you might think about using a flag or inflatable, the more luminous the better. One recommendation is to use coloured light sticks in light stick holders attached to your tent. Another advantage to this is that people are less likely to tread on your tent after dark if it’s lit up.

Keep your valuables on you, not in the tent. Like at most big events, stuff gets nicked. You’ll be spending a lot of time out in the sun, so take sun block and slather it on liberally. Wear a wide-brimmed hat. Drink lots of water, especially if you are drinking alcohol too, as this tends to dehydrate the body. Take bottled water, but don’t throw the empties away – they can be refilled at the taps on site.

Where to stay in Leeds

If you’re not camping and you don’t live in the Leeds area then you’ll be thinking about where to stay. Unfortunately Leeds has a lack of backpacker hostels, and cheap hotels, so the next best bet is to look for special deals, like on Late Rooms and offer some of the best priced hotels online. Both the Days Inn and Ramanda Hotel are located in Wetherby, a short journey to Bramham Park.

It may not be as cool as struggling your way back to your light stick illuminated tent, but those hotel beds are certainly comfortable.

Please feel free to add your own tips or questions.

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Leeds Festival tips and advice

When outdoor music festivals first started they were free, and happily this fine tradition continues with Party in the Park on Sunday 26th July, which is free, gratis and for nothing! It’s the UK’s largest and longest running annual free music festival, with a great line up of confirmed artists and set in the fantasic grounds of Temple Newsam.

Party in the Park lineup

The Party is lucky to have Alesha Dixon who rose to fame as a member of the garage and R&B influenced girl band Mis-Teeq. She followed this up with a versatile solo career, which included winning Strictly Come Dancing, as well as musical work. Also confirmed for the Party is soul and R&B singer songwriter Beverley Knight, who has worked with Take That and Destiny’s Child. Beverley started singing in her church choir, and gained further inspiration from artists such as Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke.

On the list too are MOBO award winning hip hop trio N Dubz, who are currently working on their second album following the success of their platinum selling debut work Uncle B. There will be some cool electropop with Little Boots, aka Victoria Hesketh, who started out with dance-pop group Dead Disco. As well as doing vocals, Victoria plays keyboards, piano, stylophone, and the Japanese tenori-on.

X Factor finalists head to Leeds

Also performing will be boy band JLS, who first came onto the scene through The X Factor last year, and play music that takes its influences from R&B, dance, and soul. Livening up the Party will be dance group Booty Luv who combine elements of dance, house and R&B, fronted by Cherise Roberts and Nadia Shepherd who were in Big Brovaz.

Indie rock fans will be looking forward to Noisettes, who dish up edgy garage influenced indie rock that combines some bluesy tones with a raw energy drawn from punk. Their second album Wild Young Hearts was released earlier this year.

Fantastic lineup of artists

Also on the stage will be pop/soul singer songwriter Pixie Lott, who played at the Isle of Wight Festival earlier this year. Pixie has a new album out in September, which follows in the footsteps of her first single Mama Do, which was a runaway success.

Grime and garage fans will be looking forward to Tinchy Stryder, whose aptly named hit Number 1 made it to number one of the UK Singles Chart. Tinchy started out as a vocalist at the age of 13, and is also a member of the grime group Ruff Sqwad. Rising star of the UK urban music scene DJ Ironik will also be at the Party, with a mixture of R&B, grime and hip hop. He has been support for So Solid Crew, and his single Stay With Me did well in the UK charts. On the bill too is Swedish dance and R&B singer Agnes Carlsson, also known simply as Agnes. There will be further updates, so stay tuned to Radio Aire for the latest.

Scenic venue in Leeds

Party in the Park is being held at Temple Newsam, four miles east of the centre of Leeds. On the day there will be a handy shuttle bus laid on, which will run between Leeds City Centre and the event. Party in the Park has proven to be so popular this year that all the free tickets that were being given away have gone. However, 96.3 Radio Aire still have some free tickets left, and will be announcing how you can get them on air. So listen up and you may still land a ticket.

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Leeds ready for Party in the Park

What could be a better way to spend a summer evening than listening to fine opera outdoors in the gardens of a beautiful country estate? Well on Saturday 25th July you can do exactly that at the annual Opera in the Park at Temple Newsam near Leeds. This year the Hallé from Manchester along with Leeds Festival Chorus, soprano Natasha Marsh, and tenor Alfie Boe, will be performing works by Verdi and Denza, conducted by David Parry.

Free live music event

The incredible part about it is that it won’t even cost you a penny, as the whole event is all laid on for free. This makes the whole evening a wonderful treat for opera lovers in these cost-conscious times, and it may well encourage first time opera goers to come along too. Temple Newsam, just 4 miles east from the centre of Leeds, is a stately home with grounds that were originally landscaped by Capability Brown, which will no doubt make the perfect romantic backdrop for the performance by this fantastic line-up.

Opera in the Park lineup

Welsh-born opera diva Natasha Marsh was inspired to sing by seeing Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music”, an ambition which led her to the Royal College of Music. Natasha was on tour with singing quartet Blake earlier this year, accompanied by new baby Harley. Award winning and chart topping Lancashire lad Alfie Boe has performed at the Royal Albert Hall with Lesley Garratt and Sir Willard White, and also recently performed in the English National Opera’s production of Kismet.

The Hallé is Britain’s longest established professional symphony orchestra, and was founded in Manchester by pianist and conductor Sir Charles Hallé in 1858. The hard-working Hallé now gives over 70 concerts a year at its home, Bridgewater Hall, as well as putting in over 40 appearances a year at other venues. In 2003 the Hallé launched its own CD label, on which it releases recordings of its performances of works by Elgar, Debussy, Shostakovich and other composers.

Leeds Festival Chorus is an amateur chorus of some 170 members singing in soprano, alto, tenor and bass, appearing regularly on BBC Radio 3, and working frequently with the Hallé. The Chorus goes back a long way, being founded to sing at the first Leeds Musical Festival back in 1858, which was also the year that Queen Victoria opened Leeds Town Hall. David Parry regularly conducts the London Philharmonic, The Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, The Madrid Symphony Orchestra, and other leading orchestras.

Get your free Opera in the Park tickets

So if you fancy an unforgettable night of opera al fresco in stately grounds, now is the time to pick up your free tickets, which are now available from local libraries, Leeds Visitor Centre, and the Carriageworks Box Office. I’m sure Capability himself would have enjoyed it. The gates open at 18.00, and there will be a shuttle bus running to and from Temple Newsam.

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Leeds guide to Opera in the Park

The weather is slowly warming up, the clocks have sprung forward, and it’s only a mere few months before the Leeds Festival gets underway. Come August you can forget the purgatory of work, study, the recession, or whatever gets your goat, and grab yourself three days of heaven over 28-30 August chilling out in the sun to some of the best that indie and alt-rock has to offer, as well as metal, punk and dance.

Bank Holiday weekend at Leeds Festival

Yes, it’s time to think about wristbands, headbands and punching the air under blue skies to some serious music. The Leeds Festival, held ten miles east of the city at Bramham Park, is twin to the long standing Reading Festival, and both take place with the same line-up over the three days of the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Leeds Festival lineup

On Friday the fest opens with some pretty high energy stuff that culminates in highly acclaimed Sheffield indie/post punk band Arctic Monkeys, preceded by The Prodigy (you don’t get much more high energy than Keith), Maximo Park, Ian Brown, The Courteeners, Enter Shikari, and American garage rock band Eagles of Death Metal, (who actually don’t play death metal at all, but that’s another story). The NME Radio One Stage is just as good too, with the upfront political band The Gossip and Scottish alternative rockers Glasvegas.

On Saturday is somewhat more soulful and electronic with Radiohead headlining, and before that you’ve got some spiky guitar work with Bloc Party, from New York there’s a trio of bands: the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, and Brand New. Over on the NME Radio One Stage you have hardcore punk band Gallows, and Welsh alternative metal band Lostprophets will be making a return to the Leeds Festival and doing an exclusive preview of their much anticipated fourth album.

Kaiser Chiefs return home

The final day of the Leeds Festival is headlined by Nashville alternative rocksters Kings of Leon, preceded by none other than Leeds’ very own Kaiser Chiefs, alt-rock outfit Placebo, Illinois punksters Fall Out Boy, Californian alternative metal Deftones, and prepare for some screamo with post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend. On the other stage you’ve got more alternative and post-punk with White Lies.

Music for all tastes

The festie is not just about big names either, every year some six spots on the Unsigned Stage go to local bands who have battled to win their place at a BOTB at Leeds venue The Cockpit. If you don’t feel like sleeping after all the excitement of the evening, don’t worry – there’ll be a tent with music for you to dance the night away till six in the morning. If you think you have the makings of a cool DJ, then newbies are being given the chance to have a go.

Added to all this there will be several bars and beer tents serving a variety of real ale, cider and other drinks, so there’ll be plenty of liquid refreshment to wet your whistle while you take in all the great sounds. Plus there’ll be loads of food stalls selling everything from doughnuts to kebabs, curries to salads.

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Leeds Festival – fest of indie & alt rock