Live at Leeds 2018: Ones to Watch Join Peace, Circa Waves, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Magic Gang & More

Peace, Circa Waves, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Magic Gang and Ash lead the announcements for Live at Leeds 2018, joining up-and-coming local bands, such as The Howl & The Hum as well as those from abroad.

It may still be winter, but attention is already turning to one of the curtain-raisers of the summer festival season, with artists from all across the musical spectrum set to descend upon Leeds city centre on the early May Bank Holiday Saturday.

York-based, The Howl & The Hum combine their rumbling, melodic dark pop with haunting, evocative lyrics, and a hypnotic yet energetic live show, creating songs that recall the likes of The National and Massive Attack. Following acclaimed sets at Neighbourhood Festival and Loopallu, and a debut tour of the Scottish Highlands, The Howl & The Hum are down as a band to watch on their keenly awaited second tour.

Live at Leeds, now in its eleventh year, has become a go-to destination to see the artists that will be making their mark in the months and years ahead. Guaranteed to provide festival-goers their next favourite band, the multi-venue event has previously played host to the likes of The 1975, Bastille, James Blake, Years & Years, Rudimental, Stormzy, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and more on their way to global acclaim.

2018 will see Boston duo, Vundabar, play LAL as part of their extensive spring tour, which sees them playing across North America, including a stop at SXSW, before heading over to the UK and EU. The sludge-indie band have built a massive following through non-stop touring and their signature brand of jittery, rambunctious post-punk, yet much of their music hints at something darker beneath the surface.

Last year’s sold out festival, held in around twenty official and fringe venues across the city, included a diverse mix of headline performances from Ragβ€˜n’Bone Man, Slaves and Teleman. This year also promises an eclectic variety of local acts, such as the excellent guitar three-piece Caro and exciting singer-songwriter Martha Phillips, along with artists from further afield, such as Icelandic folk-pop singer Axel Flovent.

Live at Leeds is a core event in the 2018 programme of Leeds International Festival, an annual celebration of new ideas, local creativity and international culture taking place from 28th April to 12th May 2018.

Tickets are on sale now, starting from Β£36. For further details and information, head to liveatleeds.com.

Words: Mike Powell

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