Live at Leeds in the City 2025: The unforgettable new talents in music
Held this year on Saturday November 15th, Live at Leeds in the City delivered one of its strongest line-ups yet, and the atmosphere across the city felt electric from the moment doors opened.
We kicked things off at The Wardrobe with Nxdia, setting the tone for the day with a set that felt both intimate and explosive. The upstairs bar was overflowing and the downstairs room was already heaving by the time they stepped onstage. Their soft rock leaning alt-pop sound pulled everyone in immediately. Feel Anything and She Likes a Boy landed with real force and showed exactly why Nxdia has become such an exciting name to watch.
Their blend of English and Arabic lyrics added a personal edge to songs that already explore identity, queer love and gender dysphoria with raw honesty. It was a set full of emotional release and it lit a spark that stayed with the crowd for the rest of the day.
After a quick interview with Nxdia (which will go live on our website tomorrow!), we hurried over to Santiagos hoping to catch Saint Clair. The queue was already spilling outside and demand was so high that getting in became impossible. Still, we managed to grab some time with the band afterwards and that chat will be up on the blog soon!
Next was Belgrave Music Hall to see Girl Group, one of the most refreshing groups of the day. The five piece had a real sense of togetherness that shaped the whole set. They rotated lead vocals with ease and moved around the stage with the kind of carefree confidence that pulled the entire room in. Their sound sat somewhere between soft pop and a late night club playlist, but they found space for more mellow moments, too. Every shift in tempo felt natural and the chemistry between all five members was impossible to miss.
We then dashed to Leeds Beckett Student Union for Radio Free Alice and Keo. The room filled at a pace and the excitement for both bands was obvious. Radio Free Alice opened with a jangly and melodic set that carried echoes of classic indie but with a sharper and more restless edge. Their hooks were bright and immediate and the vocals had a bittersweet tone that gave each track this memorable emotional pull. There was a sense that the band is tapping into the same spirit that made earlier generations fall in love with guitar music but doing it with a modern energy that kept the crowd completely locked in.
Keo followed with one of the most anticipated sets of the entire festival. Fresh from their headline tour, they walked on to cheers that did not let up. Opening with Hands set the whole place off, and you could feel the floor shake from the volume of everyone singing along. The band leaned into every moment with power and intent and the yearning in the vocals gave the whole set a dramatic weight. Each chorus felt like it belonged in a venue ten times the size. They carried themselves like a band in full stride and the crowd gave that energy right back.
From there, we headed to The Lending Room for Steelers. Playing a hometown show gave the set this warm and familiar feel, and Noah Clegg held the crowd with ease and threw himself into the performance with real charm. The harmonies between Noah and Abbie Littlewood were tight and added colour to every song. The room was dancing almost instantly and by the middle of the set everyone was side stepping and clapping in unison.
At Brudenell Social Club, we caught Arkayla, whose crowd arrived early and packed the room long before the band went on. The Manchester-born group played with confidence and the audience knew every word, particularly after the release of their debut EP, Don't Look For Answers. Their sound filled the room with a mix of punchy riffs and emotional weight, and the connection between the band and the fans gave the performance a real sense of celebration.
To close the day, we returned to Belgrave Music Hall for Westside Cowboy, where the room was completely full and still holding onto all the energy from a day of electric performances. Their musicβs blend of rugged beats with a loose and atmospheric edge that creates a great late night feel was the perfect way to end a day that balanced discovery with standout performances. By the time the final track ended, it felt like the entire venue was buzzing.