A huge night out is coming to Leeds with a full orchestra and iconic 80s singers next month.
80's icons Jimmy Somerville, Nik Kershaw, Go West, Carol Decker, and Yorkshire’s own John Parr will be landing in Leeds next month for a special orchestra rendition of some of the era's greatest hits.
The rescheduled 80s Classical event comes to Leeds Millennium Square in September, taking place on Friday 10.
Those attending will be treated to chart-topping sounds from one of the most momentous decades performed by a 60 piece orchestra, accompanied by some of the decade's original performing artists.
Jimmy Somerville first performed at the event in 2019, and is now preparing to return next month with renditions of hits including Never Can Say Goodbye, Don't Leave Me This Way and Smalltown Boy.
2019's event was a huge hit in Leeds / Image: 80s Classic Leeds
Speaking on his upcoming performance, he said: “The first 80s Classical was such a memorable evening, and after everything that we have all been through over the past two years I can’t wait to perform to a packed live audience in Millennium Square once again – it is going to be truly special."
Yorkshire's own John Parr will be in attendance, playing hit St Elmo’s Fire from the cult 80s movie.
Also returning in September is synth-pop superstar Nik Kershaw, who'll be performing his like Wouldn't It Be Good and I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, as well as songwriter Carol Decker with favourites Heart and Soul and China In Your Hand.
Brit Award-winning duo Go West is also set to make an appearance. Lead singer Peter Cox and rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Richard Drummie will perform Pretty Woman hit King of Wishful Thinking as part of a ten-track smash hit setlist.
This year's event takes place at Millenium Square on 10 September / Image: 80's Classical Leeds
Backing vocalists Bianca Claxton, Gavin Condor and Adetoun Anibi will also perform a selection of crowd-pleasing 80s favourites like Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, Toto’s Africa and The Jacksons’ Can You Feel It,
“We have all so dearly missed live music and to be able to work once again with such iconic singers and the amazing Orchestra of Opera North in front a live audience is going to be such a magical feeling and provide a night full of pure joy, drama and excitement,” said Musical Director Steve Anderson, whose credits include Kylie Minogue, Emeli Sandé and Leona Lewis.
The event takes place at Millenium Square on 10 September, with doors from 6.30pm. Liverpool-based club and 80s event specialist DJs Sonic Yootha will be on the ones and twos from 6.45 pm to warm the crowd up, before main performances start at 8.15 pm.
Standing tickets start from £33 and can be purchased here.
Leeds
No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Georgina Pellant -
12th August 2021 
