Leeds College of Music joins Live at Leeds 2010

Live at Leeds is back for its fourth year - with Leeds College of Music as a new venue for 2010 - and organisers Futuresound promise that this will be the best year for the festival yet! 2009 was a great year for music, especially of the live variety, and Live at Leeds 2010 will feature many of the biggest names from last year and those set to be the new names of the future. After three sell-out festivals Live at Leeds 2010 returns with some added extras as well as the usual winning formula that has had music fans from over the region descending on Leeds for the May day bank holiday year after year. This year the festival will be even bigger, showcasing the best in local talent alongside specially selected national names across 17 venues over Leeds City Centre - a whole eight more stages than last year! The increased scale of the event means that there will be more tickets available and over 150 bands to see on the day! Key venues for Live at Leeds include Leeds’ legendary live music venue The Cockpit, Leeds Metropolitan University, The Faversham, The Well and Brudenell Social Club. Added venues for 2010 include Leeds College of Music/The Venue, Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds University (Stylus, Refectory and Mine) and The Wardrobe. Live at Leeds 2010 has not only grown in size but also in variety as there will be a more diverse range of musical genres available, ensuring that over the weekend there will literally be something for everyone. This year the festival runs from Friday 30th April-Sunday 2nd May and will feature a large programme of live gigs and musically inspired events. As usual there will be a series of high profile ticketed gigs throughout the weekend - commencing on the Friday night. Friday evening will also see the first Live at Leeds ‘un-conference’; an informal conference-style event hosted by Leeds Metropolitan University. On the Saturday over 150 bands will play 17 venues throughout the day - all of which will be accessible through the purchase of a Live at Leeds 2010 wristband. To round up the festival, on Sunday, Live at Leeds hosts The Hangover - an industry panel, seminar and networking event which gives anyone that has questions about breaking into or working in the music industry a chance to have their questions answered. Last year the event was panelled by professionals from Universal, PRS, Coda, X-Ray and record label Dance to the Radio who provided useful advice for both musicians and enthusiasts alike. Organisers Futuresound are pleased that the first headline act they can reveal is one that hails from the city; Wild Beasts. Bassist Tom Fleming said: “We’re hugely excited about headlining this year’s festival! It’s a big deal for us. It’s going to be the first time we’ve played Leeds in ages and we really feel like we’re amongst friends at Live at Leeds. We can’t wait!” Alumni/student band Ellen & The Escapades (pictured above) played at the Live at Leeds launch event and will also perform during the festival in May. Also announced for the festival is alumni bands Sketches (see video below), Yonderboy and Bear Mask, featuring current students Adam Gaworski and Sam Hicks, alongside 65daysofstatic, Gold Panda, Loops Haunt, The Neat, Esben & The Witch, Telegraphs, Is Tropical and Wonderswan. Previous years have seen the likes of White Lies, Dinosaur Pile Up, Kate Nash and The Pigeon Detectives amongst many more and the complete line-up for this year’s festival will be revealed first via the website at www.liveatleeds.com, with bands being confirmed up until May. Fans can ensure that they hear the line-up first by signing up online at www.liveatleeds.com or via facebook for email confirmations as they happen.   This year the festival is set to attract 7,500 people to Leeds City Centre in what is set to be the region’s musical highlight of the year. Tickets are available from www.lunatickets.co.uk