The Ticket Stub – Music in Leeds August

The Ticket Stub is back and once again brought to you by Chapter 81 as they give us a taste of the festivals and gigs coming up in August.

Whilst the summer showers may have dampened your festival appetite, the impending lineup of August gigs is nothing short of a ray of sunshine. With a fine selection tuned to every genre, you can expect to get your groove on in various spots across Leeds, with the city’s bustling music scene promising to be the perfect way to sign off summer.

We can expect to see the finest faces in music emerge on the doorstep as Leeds Festival makes its highly anticipated return to Branham Park for four days of multi-genre performances. In the lead-up to the festival, you can tantalise your ears with the breadth of music our glorious city will be putting on for you; from rappers to indies, Americans to Australians, pop stars to rock stars – you’re invited to enjoy a month of experimentation and collaboration.

With such a vast range of artists performing this month, there’s no doubt that they’ll be performing in the finest venues Leeds has to offer. Explore anew or revisit the old, as you can expect to see performances in key venues such as Headrow House, The Wardrobe, Belgrave Music Hall and Brudenell Social Club.

So, let’s ask the big question – who can we expect to see this August?

Eagerness fills the air as we quickly approach the August bank holiday, as the tents of Leeds Festival are re-erected to invite music lovers, partygoers and brand new dancers alike. Whether it’s your very first Leeds fest, or your tenth, we have no doubt that the fields of Branham Park will invite you to enjoy the finest weekend 2023 has to offer. With previous years seeing an audience of 200,000 across the three day festival, it would be absurd to assume the lineup will be short of impressive. 

Friday 25th August opens the festival with a bang, as international sensation and Grammy Winner Billie Eilish returns to the main stage to headline the festival. Also headlining the Main Stage West is the radioactive Imagine Dragons, who last played the festival back in 2016. Other key artists include singer-songwriter Declan Mckenna, British pop singer Becky Hill, rock band Don Broco, and American alternative singer Steve Lacy. The opening day will then be followed by a broad range of artists on Saturday 26th August, with Indie heartthrob Sam Fender headlining the East Stage, alongside British rock band Foals. Hip hop musician Loyle Carner will also be playing following a hugely successful year, with the controversially popular British band Wet Leg, and rock classic You Me At Six. The Saturday lineup at the festival also welcomes a vast selection of electronic artists, including Bicep, Sub Focus B2B Dimension, Hedex and Vibe Chemistry. 

Leeds Festival is concluded this year by a monumental range of artists, being headlined by world-famous indie-rock band The Killers, and returning headliners The 1975. Joining the headliners are British rappers Central Cee and SlowThai, Essex-born rock band Nothing But Thieves, the up-and-coming Inhaler, and Australian R&B group Chase Atlantic. With main performances aside, guests can keenly await to take part in the world’s largest silent disco, lead by drum and bass heroes SIGMA, and immerse themselves in the night with dance stages running until the early hours with leading artists in the industry including Girls Don’t Sync, Sammy Virji, Dom Dolla, BP, Bakey and a whole lot more. 

For those of you who won’t be taking to the fields this year, we can guarantee you will not be short of spectacular artists to savour this August. Find yourself joining in on the largest celebration of LGBT+ life as Leeds Pride hits the streets on the 6th August, bringing with it the joy, wonder and colour that makes the community so brilliant. With performances by Gok Wan, Danny Beard, Aston Merrygold and various others taking place in Lower Briggate, and a millennium square takeover from Rachel Fuller, Imani Versace, Davey Stuart and Sheba Glamour, the day is set to be fuelled with vibrant music from across the LGBT+ industry. 

However, we know that in the midst of summer holidays, it can be difficult to devote the time to so many amazing festivals, so we’re keen to share some of the local nighttime gigs occurring throughout Leeds. Opening the month is Australian indie band Even As We Speak, who take to the stage at Brudenell Social Club on 1st August. The band, who first debuted in 1993, have five upbeat and alternative albums, and have run a number of sell-out tours throughout the UK. With lead female vocals and the implementation of a banjo, Even As We Speak promises to deliver a fun, fresh and funky evening in the depths of Hyde Park. 

If you’re after something with a bit of sparkle, a pop of colour, and a whole lot of boogie, you can shimmy your way down to Millennium Square on 5th August to enjoy an open air evening hosted by PopWorld. The British club staple is bringing to the stage a host of pop favourites for an evening of music, describing itself as ‘all the things you love about Popworld along with a MASSIVE line up’. Guaranteeing a day of pop tunes and sing-a-long classics, you can expect a lineup comprised of British pop icons, including Ronan Keating, Claire Richards, B*Witched, Chesney Hawkes and DJ Casper.

Delving into the genre of rap, audiences can buy tickets to see American rapper R.A.P Ferreira as he embarks on his tour around Europe. Whilst visiting the UK, he’ll be dropping by Headrow House. The artist, whose full name is Rory Allan Phillip Ferreira, has a range of alternative style beats, blurring the line between rap and hip hop. Boasting creatively named albums like ‘Purple Moonlight Pages’ and ‘5 To The Eye With Stars’, Ferreira will complement the vibey atmosphere of the Headrow on 10th August. 

For food and music lovers alike, you’re invited down to Temple Arches to enjoy a show by Norman Jay MBE. Held at ‘Chow Down’, the disco funk DJ will be delivering a live DJ set at the Leeds street food staple, bringing his eclectic mix of funk, disco and soul to Leeds for one spectacular evening. The artist, who first emerged in the 1980’s, will play to a newly installed dance floor at Chow Down, immersing guests in an evening of fine music, great food and endless dancing

Next on the lineup, this August is Too Many Zooz, a jazz instrumental band emphasising the soul of Leeds. With recent collaborations with national artists, such as Jess Glynne and KDE, the band will be taking on Belgrave Music Hall to deliver some fun and fresh ambience. If you fancy swinging your way to the venue to hear the group perform top hits like ‘Warriors’ and ‘Car Alarm’, you can find them on 15th August. 

Amidst the noise and chaos of the music hype this month, you can also find a selection of smaller artists coming onto the scene to share their tunes with new fans. For the rock lovers out there, why not check out up and coming band ‘Sisterly’, who will be performing at The Wardrobe on 18th August? The band have released a number of songs, including ‘100 Years of Bad Luck’, ‘Try’ and ‘End of the World’. 

We told you August would be great, didn’t we? With a bustling and vibrant month ahead, it’s time for you to delve into the Leeds music scene yourself and support the artists that keep our city so great.