Leeds Conservatoire has an ongoing partnership with Sound City. As part of this, the festival team has selected artists from the conservatoire to perform at Sound City 2023: the seventh year in a row.
Sound City, which takes place in Liverpool, captures the vibrancy of the city with a fantastic three-day festival that sees established names perform alongside a host of local, national and international emerging talent. This year’s headliners are The Reytons and Maisie Peters.
The four Leeds Conservatoire artists selected for Sound City 2023 as part of the partnership, and highlighted below, are Tomi Robynne, Lois, Goddess Collective and Kneeo. All four will perform on 28 April, dubbed New Music Friday by the festival.
Third year Music Production student Mollie Coddled, who performed at Sound City 2021 linked to the partnership, has also secured a spot on this year’s line-up and was announced in the festival’s first wave of artists. More information about Mollie is available here.
Tomi Robynne
Course Studied: BA (Hons) Music (Popular with Production)
Discover Tomi Robynne on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube
An artist and producer with clear and intricate vision, Tomi Robynne is an experimental and multifaceted force emerging in the pop music scene. Merging his talents as a musician and lyricist, he has established his unique sound and confessional vocabulary as a writer.
Robynne’s leading single ‘On My Mind’ explores infatuation within a queer relationship, and sets a precedent for the poetic and intimate nature of his debut EP ‘Pessimist’ which is out now.
Watch Tomi Robynne’s performance of ‘Pessimist’ as part of our Crosswire sessions:
Lois
Course Studied: BA (Hons) Music (Popular)
Discover Lois on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify and TikTok
Lois creates music which is honest and outspoken, taking inspiration from Madison Cunningham, Olivia Dean and Little Simz. Her influences lie in R&B, Soul and Alternative Pop. Lois explores difficult themes such as grief and trauma but also self-love and mental wellbeing, with the intent to bring comfort and strength to the ones that need it most.
Her debut single 'The Way You Are’ is an instant insight into a unique take on life experiences and introspective lyrical work, with over 140,000 streams on Spotify alone. In 2022, Lois was selected from over 800 applicants to play at Live At Leeds In The City, and ended the year with an incredible performance at Manchester Albert Hall supporting The Lottery Winners. Lois’ debut EP 'Strange Men' is set to be released in May 2023.
Goddess Collective
Courses Studied: BA (Hons) Music (Jazz) and BA (Hons) Music (Songwriting)
Discover Goddess Collective on Instagram, Facebook and Spotify
Goddess Collective are a well-established Jazz Fusion/Global Beats band based in Leeds and are made up of a women/non-binary majority, wanting to feel empowered in a male dominated music industry. Featuring heavily in the Leeds music scene ever since their sell out debut at Hyde Park Book Club, Goddess Collective have since played Belgrave Music Hall, headlined at the HiFi Club and supported the London based Latin jazz powerhouse COLECTIVA at Brudenell Social Club.
After success at Manchester’s Old Abbey Taphouse, they debuted at two major festivals: Tramlines and We Out Here. Inspired by the likes of Fazer, Ezra Collective and TC & The Groove Family, the energetic rhythm section and punchy horn lines are guaranteed to get you grooving, as heard in the band’s debut single ‘Smash The Crash’ released in January 2023.
Kneeo
Course Studied: BA (Hons) Music (Business)
Discover Kneeo on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, TikTok, Instagram
22 year old East London rapper Kneeo is known for his creative lyricism, technical flows and versatility. The main genres he specialises in are Drum’n’Bass, UKG, 140s and UK Hip Hop. Kneeo has already caught the eye and been booked by multiple UK labels and collectives, such as Blowout UK, Singularity, The Lock In, Bootleg events, Beyond The Melodies, Lamesfest, Fusion Events, Tone Central and Fuzzbrain.
