Leeds breadwinners English Teacher are embarking on a UK tour with a date set for their hometown.
It has been quite a whirlwind experience for this four-piece Leeds based band recently and now they’re taking their hits on the road to play across the UK.
In September last year, they bagged the Mercury Prize for their landmark debut album ‘This Could Be Texas’, beating the likes of ‘Brat’ by Charli XCX and ‘early twenties’ by Cat Burns.
They kicked off 2025 with a bang too getting a spot on BBC Radio 1’s Sounds of 2025 list ranking at number 5 and performing a rendition of their track ‘Nearly Daffodils’.
The indie rockers have also managed to use their northern charm enough to bag a support act slot for Franz Ferdinand joining them for a one off gig in Glasgow this August.
And finally, the band are nominated for ‘Best Newcomers’ at the BRIT Awards 2025, they’re quite literally making history.
Now English Teacher have made their impact on music critics, they’re set to impress an even tougher crowd, the UK public, who have already grown fond of them.
This won’t be their first time educating a Leeds audience either as the band were billed on the Live at Leeds 2021 lineup with a slot at Brudenell Social Club.
English Teacher’s 2025 UK tour sees them travelling all around the country with stops at Nottingham, London, Newcastle and obviously Leeds.
Set to play songs from their ubiquitous LP, expect to hear favourites such as ‘R&B’, ‘This Could Be Texas’ and of course ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’.
If the Leeds date isn’t you still have another chance to catch them as they’re playing just over the hill in Manchester two days earlier.
English Teacher are coming to O2 Academy in Leeds on 22 November with pre-sale tickets live on 26 February and general on sale 28 February both at 10am HERE.
Sam Fender is set to play a massive outdoor gig at Wythenshawe Park this summer following the release of his next album.
The North Shields singer-songwriter has undeniably made a name for himself since bursting into the mainstream back in 2019 with the success of his debut album , followed the even more-successful release of his second, and so-called ‘coming of age’ record, Seventeen Going Under, in 2021, as well as several memorable festival headline slots and appearances, and arena and stadium shows.
Only recently, Fender blew the roof off Leeds' First Direct Arena, playing to thousands of adoring fans and cementing his place as one of the greatest live acts of the moment.
But now, with his forthcoming third studio album, People Watching, merely days away from release on 21 February, it’s been announced that he’ll headline Wythenshawe Park this summer.
Sam Fender 02 Academy Leeds;UK 28th November 2019Sam Fender will be playing a massive outdoor gig at Wythenshawe Park this summer / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Live From Wythenshawe Park (via Facebook)
The 30-year-old indie rocker and his band will take to the stage at what is one of Manchester's most increasingly-popular outdoor venues in August.
Fender fans will get to sing along to the band’s most well-known hits, from title tracks ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ and ‘Seventeen Going Under’, to everything in between, as well as here the tracks from the upcoming People Watching album – which is being billed as “a collection of colourful stories and observations of everyday characters living their everyday, but often extraordinary, lives”.
Sam is currently gearing up for a sold-out tour of Europe in March, ahead of a US tour in the spring, and then a trio of sold-out shows at his boyhood football club’s stadium, Newcastle’s St James’ Park, as well as his biggest headline show to date at the London Stadium.
Support at Wythenshawe Park will come from acclaimed neo soul singer, Olivia Dean – with further supports to be announced soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
Sam Fender will play Wythenshawe Park on Saturday 16 August 2025.
Keen to get yourself some tickets then? Fans are advised to register or pre-order the album for the opportunity to get their hands on pre-sale tickets, with the registration period for this open now until Monday 17 February at 10am.
The pre-sale itself starts on Tuesday 18 February at 11am and concludes the following day on (Wednesday 19 February) at 10am.
All remaining tickets will then go on general sale on Friday 21 February at 10am, the same as the album release date.
Everything you need to know about Live at Leeds in the City 2024
Thomas Melia
Local music venues all around the West Yorkshire city are coming together to celebrate and showcase everything live music.
Avid gig-goers will recognise some classic Leeds live music staples like the lively Brudenell Social Club, The Key Club and The Wardrobe which have all housed some of music’s most famous faces.
Live at Leeds started back in 2007 and features two unmissable events each year including ‘Live at Leeds in the Park’ and ‘Live at Leeds in the City’ with the latter taking place this weekend!
Throughout the history the festival has established a reputation for showcasing the best names in new music including past acts likeRag ‘n’ Bone Man, Stormzy, Tom Grennan and even US singer, rapper and body-positivity advocate Lizzo, even discovering some talents before they were famous.
‘Live at Leeds in the City 2024’ is taking place at 15 phenomenal venues which it has been doing since founding in 2007. Originally running on every bank holiday before the arrival of the summer festival, the city music takeover has found a recurring November slot showcasing the same adored independent music venues across the city.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Good for the heart and the soul, Belgrave Music Hallhas been serving up foodie favourites and musical selects from up and down the country – Young Blood, Jorja Smith, The Slow Readers Club. These are some of the standout acts on this establishment’s large performing roster.
This next spot hosted a secret show 20 years ago for a not-so-secret Scottish rock band, Franz Ferdinand. Brudenell Social Club have been home to many talented musicians with Wakefield’s own The Cribs loving the crowds so much, they’ve returned 17 times throughout their career.
From secret gigs to a venue which holds every homes best kept secrets, The Wardrobe. This indie joint may be small but the acts they secure really are mighty from worldwide music icon Amy Winehouse to Scottish songwriter Lewis Capaldi and in more recent years they’ve called upon Mabel to pack out this neat little spot for an intimate album launch show.
Now with chillier weather on the horizon,‘Live at Leeds in the City 2024’ hopes to warm up concertgoers with some incredible entertainment by Mercury Prize Winners and famous Leeds talent, English Teacher, rising star Alfie Templeman with bands such as Everything Everything The K’s, and many more ready to raise the roof.
Award-winning bands Everything Everything and English Teacher are playing out to crowds of just over 1,000 in the always buzzing Leeds Beckett Student Union, which since 1970 has been blessed by Rock Gods Nirvana, Radiohead, Foo Fighters andColdplay.
Stylus at Leeds University Student Union, with Merseyside prodigies The K’s kicking things off with the opening slot and Alfie Templeman playing an over-hour-long set, guests are in for a real treat all day long.
All these locations have a special place in music lover’s hearts through bringing incredible acts to the north but also by preserving and continuing northern music history. As much as it’s great to stick to your home comforts, it’s also good to venture out and expand your musical palate. This year there are 17 different sites and stages, so why limit yourself?
Four piece alt-rock band Terra Twin have found themselves featured in various music magazines and playing headline shows in London, Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham at the start of this year.
Guest Singer, Hang Linton, Eades, Eve Buckley, Free Party and Eszter Vida are the six lucky singers who were selected from Live at Leeds’ Artist Submission competition. Eager fans can catch Vida twice as she’s supporting House of Women at Hyde Park, Leeds the night before.
This competition allowed artists to handpick and send in their tracks with hopes of securing a slot on the coveted lineup. These six chosen creatives join the immense jam-packed bill and now get to perform to all the events excited attendees.
There’s transatlantic-talk too with New York based Rock and R&B four-sibling band, Infinity Song stopping off in this stunning Yorkshire city. Signed by A-List label Roc Nation who manage acts like Rihanna and Big Sean, this formidable foursome have even featured on Kanye West’s Jesus Is King record through writing credits in 2019.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is set to be one to remember and if you’re already thinking about what to do at the end of the night, two venues have got just the plan for you.
Both The Key Club and The Wardrobe are running official after parties for the event with the first site boasting ‘Rock Anthems and Guilty Pleasures’, how can you possibly go wrong?
After all that partying, what better way than doing it all over again as Live at Leeds in the Park 2025 has recently announced their first batch of acts for the summer festival including Natasha Bedingfield whose smash-hit ‘Unwritten’ had an unexpected revival while also celebrating a landmark 20 years since its release.
If that’s not enough to prick your ears up, there’s a headline slot by Bloc Party who are celebrating 20 years of their debut studio alarm ‘Silent Alarm’, with Jamie Webster, Yard Act and Sigrid also sitting pretty on the bill.
The city-wide festival, Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is spread out across 17 lovely locations that all share a small piece of northern music culture and there’s a huge assortment of acts performing for everyone to enjoy.
Full list of venues getting involved:
Belgrave Music Hall
Brudenell Social Club
Brudenell Social Club, Community Room
Doghouse
Headrow House
Hyde Park Book Club
Leeds Beckett Student Union
Leeds Beckett Student Union, Stage 2
Leeds Beckett Student Union Theatre
Lending Room
Leeds University Student Union, Stylus
Northern Guitars
Oporto
Santiagos
Sela Bar
The Key Club
The Wardrobe
Live at Leeds in the City 2024 is coming to various music venues across our tight-knit music hub on 16 November with more information and tickets foundhere.
And if you’re already eager to fill up your summer festival calendar for 2025, tickets for Live at Leeds in the Park 2025 are on sale here.
Thomas Melia -
25th February 2025 
