Women | Music | Leeds takes you on a journey to explore women’s relationship with music in the city. We’ll learn about Leeds’s influential women musicians, like Big Band leader Ivy Benson, punk rockers Delta Five and Girls At Our Best, and Star Wars composer Angela Morley. We’ll revisit the places where women have danced the night away and the clubs that have put women’s needs first. And we’ll find out about some of the community-based projects that have supported and championed women to fulfil their musical dreams. Putting all of this into the context of women’s history in the city, local musician Sarah Statham will guide you on a walk which puts women centre stage.

Leeds was living the indie highlife at the turn of the 20th/21st century: Kaiser Chiefs, Sky Larkin and ¡Forward Russia! were among the city’s bands reaching national and international acclaim. Now with the 20th anniversary of Kaiser Chief’s Employment coming up, join the musicians who were there to explore key venues of the New Yorkshire scene, to hear the inside story of ‘I Predict a Riot’ and understand what made – and continues to make – Leeds especially supportive for birthing new music.

Leeds had a very special part to play in the evolution of punk and post-punk in the late 1970s/early 1980s. On the Punk and Post-Punk walk you’ll visit key sites from the University to the legendary F Club. The walk brings to life the very particular circumstances of Leeds at the time – the shadow of the so-called Yorkshire Ripper, The National Front and football violence, the arts courses at the city’s universities – that contributed to the sound and politics of Leeds’ own interpretation of punk and post-punk, and explores the music’s ongoing legacy in the city.

Led by legendary Leeds club founder Suzy Mason, Club Culture in Leeds will take you back to the heady days of 90s clubs. From the dark days of the so-called Yorkshire Ripper to a student boom town, Leeds became a vital destination on the house music circuit. With a key focus on LGBTQ+ and women in Leeds nightlife, Suzy brings her personal experiences to tell the story of Club Culture in Leeds. 

Leeds was living the indie highlife at the turn of the 20th/21st century: Kaiser Chiefs, Sky Larkin and ¡Forward Russia! were among the city’s bands reaching national and international acclaim. Now with the 20th anniversary of Kaiser Chief’s Employment coming up, join the musicians who were there to explore key venues of the New Yorkshire scene, to hear the inside story of ‘I Predict a Riot’ and understand what made – and continues to make – Leeds especially supportive for birthing new music.

On this walk you’ll discover the history of Black musicians and music culture in the city of Leeds. From visits by American choirs in the Victorian age, through the origins of Carnival and its claiming of space in the heart of the city, to the places where breakdancing took over, and where David Oluwale listened to music, Joe Williams takes you on a journey exploring the importance of Black music and music culture for Leeds.

Women | Music | Leeds takes you on a journey to explore women’s relationship with music in the city. We’ll learn about Leeds’s influential women musicians, like Big Band leader Ivy Benson, punk rockers Delta Five and Girls At Our Best, and Star Wars composer Angela Morley. We’ll revisit the places where women have danced the night away and the clubs that have put women’s needs first. And we’ll find out about some of the community-based projects that have supported and championed women to fulfil their musical dreams. Putting all of this into the context of women’s history in the city, local musician Sarah Statham will guide you on a walk which puts women centre stage.

Led by legendary Leeds club founder Suzy Mason, Club Culture in Leeds will take you back to the heady days of 90s clubs. From the dark days of the so-called Yorkshire Ripper to a student boom town, Leeds became a vital destination on the house music circuit. With a key focus on LGBTQ+ and women in Leeds nightlife, Suzy brings her personal experiences to tell the story of Club Culture in Leeds. 

Leeds had a very special part to play in the evolution of punk and post-punk in the late 1970s/early 1980s. On the Punk and Post-Punk walk you’ll visit key sites from the University to the legendary F Club. The walk brings to life the very particular circumstances of Leeds at the time – the shadow of the so-called Yorkshire Ripper, The National Front and football violence, the arts courses at the city’s universities – that contributed to the sound and politics of Leeds’ own interpretation of punk and post-punk, and explores the music’s ongoing legacy in the city.

On this walk you’ll discover the history of Black musicians and music culture in the city of Leeds. From visits by American choirs in the Victorian age, through the origins of Carnival and its claiming of space in the heart of the city, to the places where breakdancing took over, and where David Oluwale listened to music, Joe Williams takes you on a journey exploring the importance of Black music and music culture for Leeds.