This Sunday marks 40 years since the curtain came down on Leeds' ‘Rock Against Racism’ gig series.
Held in 1981, the series followed a year of rioting on Britain's streets and subsequently toured the country to mirror the general public desire for improved racial equality.
The penultimate concert was held in the Chapeltown area of Leeds and continues to be remembered fondly today by residents who were there (and those who've merely heard their tales).
The event saw The Specials headline, debuting their single Ghost Town - now an iconic song and piece of British cultural history.
Reggae bands Misty In Roots and Aswad, Rhoda Dakar, Leeds locals The Mekons, Delta5, Gang of Four and ska bands The Beat and the Selecter joined them on stage as part of the historic Leeds Carnival Against Racism.
Prior to the event, Chapeltown had been the epicentre for the Leeds riots- seeing a series of riots take place in the spring.
Prior to the concert, racially motivated attacks had frequently seen white youths clashing with black and Asian communities - so organisers were keen to flip the script by hosting something positive in the area.
This final Leeds show followed a slew of concerts across the country, all designed to quash a rising tide of nationalism that was being seen in the country during the late 80s.
Through it, the shows supported a wider 'Rock Against Racism' and 'Anti-Nazi League movement' - intended stamp out inequality and divisions by educating Britain's music-loving youth.
Remembering the show, renowned photographer Syd Shelton said: “Before Rock Against Racism, black bands mainly played to black audiences and white mostly white; RAR helped get rid of that."
“It was an amazing day, the weather was good and the audience was a mixture of dreads, mods, rude boys and punks.”
The shows paved the way for greater racial and women's equality, and RAR’s ‘Love Music, Hate Racism,’ mantra still lives on today.
Feature image - Syd Shelton.
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Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
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.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd July 2021 
