One day. Countless bands. One incredible city. Live At Leeds has a reputation for a reason.
A glorious cocktail of the exciting and the new, the festival has become synonymous with being there right at the start for the artists who have gone on to become globe-conquerers and beloved favourites. It’s what they do best, putting music lovers first and basking in the fun of a day dashing from venue to venue, desperate to soak in as much as possible. More than that, it’s a snapshot of everything exciting, making their claims for 2026 and beyond. With two Dork stages along for the ride, it’s a no-brainer. Live At Leeds: In The City in 2025 adds not just another year of classics to a rich history, but stands as their very best. Just ask us.
It’s barely 12.30pm, and yet we’ve already booed the likes of Trump and situationships, screamed “fuck that guy” multiple times, and learnt some very insightful kangaroo facts. Nxdia is bringing firestarting energy to their set, and it sets the tone for the day perfectly. ‘Boo, Nevermind’ immediately places the crowd in The Wardrobe in the palm of Nxdia’s hands, and there’s no denying that they’re well looked after there. Nxdia is a commanding, electric presence as they race through a set filled with high-octane bangers. Rich, unfiltered lyricism, storming guitar riffs and enough riotous vigour to see us through the rest of the day with ease, Nxdia paints an enigmatic figure hard to tear your eyes away from. ‘Tin Man’ is a soaring, tender moment, whilst ‘Feel Anything’ is a deliciously disruptive closer to a set that feels like it is only the beginning for Nxdia. (NM)
Big updos and elaborate dress make it clear that Sofia and the Antoinettes are here to bring the drama before they’ve even started their performance at The Wardrobe. The room quickly becomes a place for artist and audience alike to express their every emotion as the group works through a setlist of moody, daring pop ballads, in which anger is often at the forefront, and no ex-lovers are truly safe. It’s a great emotional cleanse to begin a busy day. (MSM)
Live At Leeds’ reputation as a go-to for the freshest and the new rings loud with Tooth, who take on The Key Club stage early in the afternoon with a hunger that’s ready to dine out big. Plucked firmly from that world of crunching alternative rock, there are crashing breakdowns and roaring choruses made to soundtrack your new favourite band. With no songs out and a packed room, it’s clear that word is getting around. The sky-high ‘Wallflower’ is but one highlight from a set searing with ambition – towering and born for arms-in-the-air release. Tooth nail it and then some. (JM)
Honeyglaze have a truly enrapturing effect on their audience. There’s a still calm to their set that is remedial – each track has space to stretch out and expand in new directions, veering off into new arenas, and there’s a tranquillity to watching that unfold. ‘Movies’ is a particular highlight, its train-of-thought style of storytelling spilling into the room like a spell. There’s something deeply powerful in the delicacy of Honeyglaze’s set, and it makes for an entrancing performance. (NM)
Over at the Dork Hype Stage, Brodie Milner sets about commanding what comes next with a set that signposts a songwriter about to become a lot of people’s favourite. With an ability to tell tales in the most detailed fashion, it’s both thrilling and menacing. He continues to fill the stage with each track, like his voice is enticing bait that once you’ve chomped on, has you hooked. The unravelling chimes of ‘Drinking Martinis in the Olive Gardens of Gethsemane’ is but one taste of where he’s about to take off to, with Live At Leeds getting the chance today for a swift appetiser.
Radio Free Alice have racked up an impressive number of shows over the course of this year, but there are no signs of them slowing down as they bring their unique brand of emotive post-punk back to Leeds. Kitted out in their uniform-like dark shirts, they’re a fittingly sharp outfit on stage – darkly dramatic and tense at times, but offering release at others, there’s a reason Radio Free Alice have drawn such an eager crowd. ‘Chinese Restaurant’ is vibrantly reminiscent, but it is ‘Empty Words’ and its tightly wound, troubled riff that is the standout track. There’s something revitalising about Radio Free Alice’s live act – they’re intense and full-throttle, but with a tendency towards introspection under the surface. It’s a set that is a testament to the steadily building year Radio Free Alice have had, and a sure-fire sign that things are about to come to a boil for the Aussie lads. (NM)
At festivals like Live At Leeds, there are ‘moments’. Where a band in the process of smashing down every door in front of them make their statement of intent for just how big things are going to get. At Live At Leeds: In The City, the Dork Main Stage plays host to Keo, who seize the day as their own coronation as The Most Exciting New Band On The Planet (Yes, that’s an official title – Ed). There are queues down the street and people stacked inside to catch a glimpse of a band turning heads and inspiring devotion, and their set today proves just why. Managing to feel like a runaway train and an assured two-hand lift in the air at the same time, their alt-rock rawness touches every corner. ‘Thorn’ is sung back like a generational anthem, whilst ‘I Lied, Amber’ clatters the stage with the sort of knockout blow most bands could only dream of having. It’s direct with no bullshit, and the result is a set that feels like catching a band in the middle of a storm that’s about to take off. New track ‘Spaceman’ is a swaggering epic and, with an added cover of The Doors’ ‘The End’ thrown in for good measure, they leave the Dork Main Stage covered in sweat and emotion. That’s your ‘moment’ right there. (JM)
Katy J Pearson has had quite the year, finally letting her inner pop star be free, so it feels quite an honour that Live at Leeds is her last show of the year. Her set is really just 45 minutes of the singer showing off just how much she has stretched her sonic muscles over the five years since her debut, as she jumps from the Americana-tinged ‘Beautiful Soul’ to the folk-rock infused ‘Talk Over Town’ and ‘Alligator’, and really shines brightly on the poppier takes from her latest record. In fact, there’s not a single moment where the audience is still. It’s hard not to want to move along with the music; even the stern-faced 6 Music Dads that line the barrier bob their heads along in time. (MSM)
As we enter into the final few sets of the day, there’s no better pick-me-up than Divorce. The chemistry between members, particularly vocalists Tiger Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow, is so infectious it’s easy to get lost in the music. Their voices work seamlessly together to blow their audience away as they switch between playful tracks like ‘All My Freaks’ to the more serious likes of ‘Checking Out’ and ‘Hangman’. From their set, it’s easy to see why the group have very quickly become a festival favourite. Destined for great things, it won’t be long till Divorce are festival headliners in their own right. (MSM)
It’s been said before, and god knows it’ll be said again, but there’s nobody quite like Fat Dog. The chaos merchants returned to throw Stylus into absolute turmoil – and the crowd gathered was more than receptive to a bit of silliness. You’d be hard pressed to find frontman Joe Love actually on stage; from the off, he’s nestled in amongst the teeming crowd, shouting in faces like a kind of genre-bending, unconventional cult leader in a fur hat. The cornerstones of a classic Fat Dog set are all there – the crab dance, the leisurely jogging pits, the assurances that the crowd have been incredibly bad dogs. It’s the kind of giddy revelry that never gets old. ‘Peace Song’ is a moment of pure catharsis, the lighter side of Fat Dog on full display. It’s ‘Running’, however, that seems to give permission to lean into full pandemonium – from there on out, it’s total disarray, in the most euphoric way possible. Fat Dog made their name as a live band, and with each formidable set, they prove exactly why that is. (NM)
Headlining the Dork Hype Stage like a sugary shot of electro-partying pleasure is KuleeAngee. On-stage with just the two of them and their box of tricks, it’s an infectious celebration from start to finish from a band who take every stage like a test to see how quickly they can get everyone moving. The answer today is: Quickly. ‘Television’ is strutting groove brilliance, whilst the whistling cheekiness of ‘You’re Fine, You’re High’ is an indietronic club breakthrough. As their set closes on ‘Animated Love’ and the band dash the stage swinging microphone stands and inspiring singalongs, KuleeAngee prove that they’re the party invite to look out for. (JM)
Adult DVD are one of those bands that already feel a million times bigger than they actually are, and the turnout for their set at The Wardrobe would suggest so too. It’s obvious most people here have been counting down to this set for most of the day, and it actually feels a bit ridiculous seeing how the six-piece have managed to cram themselves and a vast array of instruments on to the tiny stage, but if anything it’s an indicator of their dedication to the cause. Their set is high point after high point, but the crowd really lose it during ‘Real Tree Lee’ when the room becomes a sea of clapping hands and swaying bodies. They love the audience and the audience love these hometown heroes right back; classic chants of ‘YORKSHIRE, YORKSHIRE, YORKSHIRE’ ring out, and it’s hard not to feel even the tiniest bit proud to be from a place producing such a massive amount of talent. There’s no better closer to such a high-energy set than ‘Bill Murray’ – it’s totally unserious lyricism set to the backdrop of pounding synths shows that the sextet have mastered the idea that music should always be about having fun. (MSM)
Westside Cowboy have had a landmark year, and their closing set at Belgrave Music Hall feels almost like a farewell to this stage of their career, as things look destined to grow rapidly bigger for them. It’s not hard to see why they’re such an appealing band – there’s an earnestness at the core of their live performance that leaves no room for pretence or guises. The giddiness is unfiltered, their chemistry as a group clear for all to see, and the songs speak for themself. ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ is one for the ages, and is even more cathartic when yelled live. ‘Shells’ feels like the moment that most epitomises Westside Cowboy: tender and restrained before giving way to freewheeling release, it is the band at their most enigmatic and endearing. There’s a palpable glee to their set, and it’s impossible not to be pulled into that too. Fresh, frenetic and brimming with the excitable spirit that Westside Cowboy bring, it’s the perfect note to close the day’s events on. Westside Cowboy are a band embodying exactly what Live at Leeds is about – there’s no denying that this is a set to be looked back upon with fondness as Westside Cowboy take on bigger and bigger feats, and that’s the magic that this festival specialises in. (NM)
As the magic seeps into the night across the streets of Leeds (and downstairs to The Wardrobe, where yes, we know – we did play Kaiser Chiefs during the Dork DJs set), Live At Leeds: In The City beams with a new music aura; there’s no better new music day out on the planet.
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