The first festival of the official #DMMFestivalSeason was welcomed by sunshine, the Bank Holiday vibe and a vibrant buzz in Leeds when we arrived at midday on Saturday 4th May. Now in its 6th year, Live At Leeds would be taking over various venues across the city from 1pm onwards for the day/night, celebrating “the best in upcoming local bands alongside more established national acts”. It was clear to see just how popular the event had become from the hundreds of people queuing up outside the grand Leeds City Museum to collect their wristbands; from indie kids to rockers, students to a more mature audience, this was a festival with a difference and we couldn’t wait to get the party started.
Our first stop was the O2 Academy where Leeds boys, The Pigeon Detectives, kickstarted the day for what was a very special, homecoming show. The packed crowd showed their admiration and love for the 5 piece as they smashed through their pop-infused indie tracks, mixing in records from their highly anticipated new album, ‘We Met At Sea’, with popular classics like ‘I’m Not Sorry’ and ‘Take Her Back’. We must highlight lead singer Matt’s brilliant performance as a front man, his energy was contagious and the cheekiness of his banter with the crowd was amusing – “What time did you lot get up to be as pissed as this time of the day?” had us laughing. The Pigeons simply blew the roof off during their hour-long set and set the day off to a cracking start.