July Guide To What’s Happening In Leeds

Sounds of the City at Millennium Square

Millennium Square, Calverley Street, LS1 1UR |  8 July – 16 July

Renowned concert series Sounds Of The City is taking over Leeds Millennium Square in July 2022. 

Since 2013, Sounds Of The City has become an integral part of the Manchester music scene with some of the most acclaimed live artists taking to the stage. 2022 sees the event expand over the Pennines to Leeds Millennium Square – the bespoke outdoor live entertainment venue in the heart of the city which is already a firm favourite amongst Yorkshire gig goers.

Acts across the week include Haim, Tears for Fears, Alison Moyet, Richard Ashcroft and Cast, with Foals kicking things off on FriClub Classical Anthems 8 July.

A number of street food catering concessions together with a fully licensed multi-pour festival style bar in partnership with Heineken will be available within the specially created outdoor arena. The venue is fully accessible with a raised viewing platform, disabled toilets and a Changing Places high dependency unit.

Club Classical Anthems

Millennium Square, Calverley Street, LS1 1UR. 8 July – 16 July | Sat 23 July, 6:30pm

Experience some of the greatest dance floor and club anthems of all time as the club vs classical phenomenon is afforded a contemporary reboot this summer in Leeds.

Headlined by global superstar John Newman with performances from dance legends Ultra Nate and Black Box along with two-time UK number one vocalist Kelli-Leigh, get ready to party to some of the biggest anthems of the past 30 years, re-imagined and performed live by the 60-piece symphony orchestra of Opera North.

Arranged and conducted by Cliff Masterson. Featuring live performances of hits including: Give Me Your Love, Blame, Feel The Love, Free, Ride on Time, I Got You, More Than Friends and showcasing the music of; Calvin Harris, Clean Bandit, David Guetta, Livin’ Joy, Robin S, Rudimental, Sigala, Swedish House Mafia and more!

Opera in The City

Millennium Square, Calverley Street, LS1 1UR. 8 July – 16 July | Sat 23 July, 6:30pm.

If your style is more Puccini DJ Paulette, the annual Opera in The City  may be more to your taste. 

Featuring Welsh soprano Elin Pritchard singing arias from Puccini’s La bohème and Dvořák’s Rusalka ‘Song to the Moon’; the concert will also debut Korean tenor David Junghoon Kim in selections including the haunting ‘Oh Lola, ch’ai di latte’ from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, and perhaps the best-loved tenor aria of them all, ‘Nessun dorma’ from Puccini’s Turandot.There’s a special appearance from the Ukrainian soprano Inna Husieva, currently a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio.

Choose from an allocated seat in the seated area or experience the ‘picnic style’ area where you can bring your own chair, cushion or picnic blanket and relax in comfort.

Michael Bublé at Harewood House

Harewood House, Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LG | Friday 8 July 2022, 8.30pm

Set to be some of the most vocally and visually stunning concerts of 2022, the forthcoming ‘An Evening with Michael Bublé’ summer tour will blend his world-class showmanship with the impressive grandeur of magnificent venues, for an unforgettable musical experience.

Michael Bublé connects with an audience like no other. The “irresistibly big-hearted” (Telegraph) performer oozes genuine charisma, velvety vocals and smooth moves. Michael has already completed six sold-out world tours, won four Grammy Awards and sold over 60 million records over the course of his extraordinary career.

Prodigy at O2 Academy

O2 Academy Leeds, 55 Cookridge St, Leeds LS2 3AW | 15 July 2022 – 7.00pm

The Prodigy return to the stage for a run of live shows that coincide with the 25th anniversary of The Fat Of The Land. Their first headline tour since the passing of frontman Keith Flint in 2019. 

“We can’t wait to get back onstage and play our tunes for the people again,” said Liam and Maxim to Kerrang. “The 25th anniversary of The Fat Of The Land felt like the right time for us to step up. We’ll be dropping tunes from all our albums and maybe some shit you haven’t heard before.

“This one’s for Flinty… now let’s f***** go!”

Help I Sexted My Boss

O2 Academy Leeds, 55 Cookridge St, Leeds LS2 3AW | 2 July 2022, 7.00pm

William Hanson and Jordan North are the creative duo behind the hilarious and much-loved podcast ‘Help I Sexted My Boss’, and they hit the road with their brand-new show.

William Hanson and Jordan North are unlikely best friends. William’s a posh etiquette expert, and Jordan’s an expert in all things common. In their hit comedy podcast, ‘Help I Sexted My Boss’, their worlds collide as they help you navigate the everyday problems of modern life.

Joseph at The Grand

Leeds Grand Theatre, 46 New Briggate, LS1 6NU | 12 Jul–23 Jul 2022

Direct from two triumphant seasons at the London Palladium, the sensational brand-new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat comes to Leeds Grand Theatre for two weeks only!

The multi-award winning show has been performed in over 80 countries worldwide and has become one of the world’s most beloved family musicals.

With stars from the London Palladium, Linzi Hateley, Jason Donovan and Jac Yarrow, the show features songs that have gone on to become pop and musical theatre classics, including Any Dream Will Do, Close Every Door To Me, There’s One More Angel In Heaven and Go, Go, Go Joseph.

Book your dream ticket today!

Imaginary the musical at City Varieties

City Varieties Music Hall, Swan St, Leeds LS1 6LW  | 29 Jul–30 Jul 2022

Leeds Grand Youth Theatre presents its ninth professionally produced, full-scale musical at the beautiful Music Hall in the heart of Leeds.

A show for all the family, Imaginary is an exciting, funny and inspiring musical about the wonder of childhood, the power of the imagination and what it means to grow up.

Milo is Sam’s only friend and they spend all their time together, using only their imaginations to transform their world into a place of adventure and excitement. But as Sam’s first day at secondary school approaches, her mother worries that Milo is holding her back, stopping her from growing up. School turns out to be full of surprises – and secrets.

Imaginary centres on an enduring friendship with other-worldly twists and turns that change lives forever.

Directed by Lizi Patch. Book & Lyrics by: Timothy Knapman. Music & Lyrics by: Stuart Matthew Price. 

Lungiswa Gqunta at Henry Moore Institute

74 The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 3AH | 8 July 2022 – 30 October 2022

The Henry Moore Institute welcomes everyone to visit their Galleries, Research Library and Archive to experience, study and enjoy sculpture from around the world.

Lungiswa Gqunta lives and works in Cape Town. This exhibition of new and recent work will be the sculptor’s largest to date internationally.

Gqunta’s practice reveals the hidden violence and systemic legacies of Colonialism in South Africa and encompasses assemblage, installation, video and works on paper. Using found materials and drawing upon a relationship to landscape, her work conjures multiple versions of the present. Scent, including from petrol and the perceived threat that it brings, and sound, such as the rhythmic chanting in her videos that connects to a concern for the spiritual, are also important. Whether displacing the symbols of suburban luxury or revealing the masked realities of the everyday, Gqunta creates immediate encounters with political apathy, privilege and the underlying forces that continue to structure life.

Regarding Forests at Thackray Museum

Thackray Museum of Medicine, Beckett Street, LS9 7LN| Until  17 July 2022

Tranquillity Season is coming to an end at Thackray Museum with its headline installation Regarding Forests open until 17 July. Featuring the photography of Chrystel Lebas accompanied by a soundscape and the scent of petrichor, it evokes an atmosphere of tranquillity and provides visitors with a space to rest and relax. Visitors will learn about photographer Lebas’ travels to the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington State, USA, and the Japanese island of Yakushima, known for its cedars. Translating the sublime power of these ancient forests, Lebas’ installation seeks to provide a restorative encounter that reminds us of our reliance on the natural world.

Next month, get ready for a roarsome adventure around the city centre as Leeds Jurassic Trail 3 returns plus the latest round up on summer goings on.