Dark Arts Preview – Alternative Music Festival’s Exciting Return to Belgrave on 1st November
Craving your next hit of indie festival fun as we brace for Leeds’ winter? Look no further than Dark Arts Festival at Leeds hotspot Belgrave Music Hall on the 1st November, 2025.
A jam packed schedule of live alternative, indie, electronic, and punk music is less than a month away. Dark Arts Festival is returning to Leeds’ Belgrave Music Hall to give you a chance to discover a new band, support the local scene, and see The Orielles headline set, this won’t be an event to miss.
At just under £20 a ticket (unheard of for a festival ticket these days!) Dark Arts ranges from experimental band favourites, to newer musicians gathering traction in the punk and alternative scenes. Artists from the last Dark Arts (in March this year) have already grown beyond belief (any Westside Cowboy fans reading this?), giving many of Leeds’ residents another excruciating excuse to say ‘I was there when…’. The venue is easily navigated meaning that the discovery of a new favourite is almost certain – spend the day wandering around Belgrave’s many levels, combined with a pint or two (non-alcoholic drink options available) and immerse yourself in the current music scene in Leeds.
Headliners The Orielles hail from Yorkshire’s own Halifax and are known for their genre-pushing alternative music. From their first album’s (Silver Dollar Moment, 2018) endearing and, at times, surreal lyricism to Tableau’s (2022) more experimental yet timeless sound, The Orielles have pushed themselves artistically, and it has truly paid off. They follow Dark Arts 2024 headliner Opus Kink and, having seen The Orielles live a few times myself, it’s sure to be an outstanding live performance. Look out for Tableau-style improvisations of tracks from the first album, such as ‘Sunflower Seeds’ or ‘Henry’s Pocket’ that seamlessly blend into more recent singles such as ‘Beam/s’ or ‘The Room’.
Next on the bill are Do Nothing, an alt-rock powerhouse from Nottingham, known for tracks like ‘Handshakes’ (2018) or ‘Nerve’ from their most recent album Snake Sideways (2023). They’ll be supported by the likes of Pan Amsterdam, Tommy Barlow, Truthpaste, FOSSICK and many, many more. The festival concludes with an ‘after dark late set’ from ‘aggressive bass duo’ SILVERWINGKILLER so its an excuse to make a day of it. There’s plenty of good food at Belgrave (I will be breaking the bank for a smash burger) but if that’s not up your street, there’s Dough Boys pizza, which is frankly the pinnacle of everyone’s Belgrave visit.
Expect a community-focussed atmosphere, a mix of young students and locals (a chance to be with many indie music nerds), and a real emphasis on bolstering new sounds within Belgrave’s iconic rooms. Doors at 12pm, a 350 capacity, and live music until close: expect an intimate, loud, and unique live experience.
More information, full line-up, and tickets to this SuperFriendz event can be found on DICE or Crash Records.
Words by Francesca Lynes