Indie Excellence: Live at Leeds In The Park Announce 2024 Line-up

Written by Will Cooper
Edited by Eve Moat

As temperatures drop and the nights draw in, festival season feels a million miles away; dreams of warm, sun-soaked days of drinking and good music may seem far-fetched. But fear not – the countdown to summer can officially begin, as festival line-ups begin to be teased and revealed. Live at Leeds In The Park made their first announcement ahead of the event’s return to Temple Newsam in May next year. 

2024 will see the festival held for the 14^th time, with the ‘In the Park’ iteration returning for a third year, in addition to its longstanding inner-city counterpart. Wunderhorse, The Last Dinner Party, and Shame took over the city centre in October’s Live at Leeds In The City, drawing in big crowds across Leeds’ best small venues – a high bar has been set for the summer event. 

Having forged a reputation as one of the best value-for-money day festivals, a strong lineup was inevitable. Sticking with a distinctly-indie theme, The Kooks were announced as headliners. Despite releasing a new album last year, the Brighton-based band will be sure to deliver a set full of noughties indie goodness, with iconic tunes ‘Naïve’ and ‘She Moves in Her Own Way’ guaranteed to get the crowd grooving. 

Following in the same vein, local cult heroes The Cribs will be returning to Temple Newsam, having supported The Music’s reunion gig there in June last year. Declan McKenna helps to balance the old and new, with the emerging indie-pop star expected to play the festival off the back of his upcoming third studio album What Happened to the Beach? 

Future Islands, the American synthpop four-piece, will also have a new album to celebrate – People Who Aren’t There Anymore is set for release in the new year. Festival-favourite Melanie C will be on hand to deliver a typically energetic performance, with plenty of Spice Girls songs thrown in to keep the crowd singing along. 

Any appetite for summery indie-rock will easily be satisfied. Mystery Jets, Vistas, and The Academic are well-renowned for their live performances, filled with plenty of catchy choruses and fast-paced guitar riffs.

The event will also showcase an array of up-and-coming talent from all corners of the UK. After supporting Inhaler on their EU tour, Nieve Ella and her soft indie-pop sound will be a must-see – she could be deserving of a more prominent spot on the lineup by May.

If guitars aren’t your thing, the spoken word hip-hop of Antony Szmierek could draw you in – go and see if the comparisons to The Streets are deserved.  With many more acts to be announced, the scene is set at Temple Newsam for an unmissable one-day musical celebration.

Live at Leeds in the Park will take place on Saturday 25^th May 2024. If this line-up has tempted you, tickets are on sale now on liveatleeds.com for just under £70.