¡New Yorkshire! – Leeds indie in the noughties
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.
Meet your hosts
Simon Rix has been in Kaiser Chiefs since they began in 2003. Throughout their career Kaiser Chiefs have achieved two number one albums, a number one single, and countless top ten credits. The band have achieved many accolades including three Brit awards and a prestigious Ivor Novello for debut album Employment. Before that he was involved in the Leeds Music Scene working in various bars and venues in the city, as well as playing in other local bands. Since 2003, Simon has also released records by other musicians via his label Chewing Gum records, and more recently with Launchpad Plus. He now manages and mentors a number of emerging acts including Youth Sector and Treeboy Arc under his management company, Holy Moly. Simon works with Amnesty International on various projects as part of his role as an ambassador. He supports Leeds United, is president of the Leeds United Trust and produces a podcast about the team.
Whiskas was the guitarist in ¡Forward, Russia! and co-founder of the Dance To The Radio record label, having previously promoted gigs at The Vine, Josephs Well and stage managed The Faversham’s Nasty Fest. With ¡Forward Russia!, he had two Top 40 singles and a Top 40 album with Dance To The Radio, before signing to Mute Records / EMI and Cooking Vinyl and touring across Europe and North America. Dance To The Radio released early recordings by Leeds stalwarts I Like Trains, The Sunshine Underground, This Et Al and Sky Larkin, before signing The Pigeon Detectives.
Accessibility info
Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather conditions and city environment.
Please note that the walks take place around the city centre on pavements and will involve crossing roads. There are no flights of steps on the routes.
Please use the sign-up form to make us aware of any additional accessibility requirements and feel free to get in touch with us to discuss further.