Tag: First Direct Arena Leeds

417. Blondie: First Direct Arena, Leeds [4.5.22]

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Artist: Blondie

Support: Johnny Marr

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 4.5.22

Originally planned for 21.11.21 with Garbage as the support band but rescheduled to 4.5.22 with Johnny Marr supporting (an equally welcome substitution).

Johnny Marr Setlist: Armatopia / Panic / Night and Day / Spirit Power and Soul / This Charming Man / Getting Away With It / Walk Into the Sea / Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want / How Soon Is Now? / Easy Money / There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

An evening of pop art and rock royalty. Blondie toured without Chris Stein (due to a heart condition) but with the addition of Glen Matlock replacing Leigh Foxx on bass. Debbie Harry lacked the moves and vocals that she once had but was still a formidable and focal front woman at 76 years old.

Blondie Setlist: X Offender / Hanging on the Telephone / Sunday Girl / Picture This / Mother / Fade Away and Radiate / The Tide is High / What I Heard / Atomic / (I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear / Shayla / Union City Blue / Long Time / My Monster / Rapture / Maria / Dreaming / Heart of Glass // Fragments / Call Me / One Way or Another

415. Royal Blood: First Direct Arena, Leeds [12.4.22]

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Artist: Royal Blood

Support: The Amazons

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 12.4.22

Back with the rescheduled ‘Typhoons’ tour. Just two men but enough rock to fill an arena. Grrrr!

Setlist: Typhoons / Boilermaker / Lights Out / Come on Over / Trouble’s Coming / Hook, Line & Sinker / Honeybrains / Little Monster / How Did We Get So Dark? / Blood Hands / Million and One / Limbo / Loose Change / Figure It Out // All We Have Is Now / Ten Tonne Skeleton / Out of the Black

403. The Human League: First Direct Arena, Leeds [3.12.21]

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Artist: The Human League

Support: Tom Bailey / Altered Images

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 3.12.24

Support sets from Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins) and Altered Images set the scene for a night of 80s nostalia. A decade of music that was cutting edge at the time but has aged remarkably well.

It’s Christmas party season and most of the glittered-up gathering want to wave their arms and shake their sequins to ‘Don’t You Want Me’. It was Christmas no.1 when released in 1981 but the single’s b-side, ‘Seconds’ has always been a better live track. You’ve got to give the masses what they want, so ‘Dare’ dominates the evening.

However, for me the darker / moodier ‘Being Boiled’ is The Human League at their best. An echo of the band’s industrial Sheffield roots and the early days of synth before it became blended with pop.

Setlist: Mirror Man / Tell Me When / (Keep Feeling) Fascination / Heart Like a Wheel / The Lebanon / One Man in My Heart / Human / The Things That Dreams Are Made Of / Open Your Heart / The Sound of the Crowd / Darkness / Do or Die / Get Carter Theme / I Am the Law / Seconds / Love Action (I Believe in Love) / Don’t You Want Me // Being Boiled / Together in Electric Dreams

402. James: First Direct Arena, Leeds [25.11.21]

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Artist: James

Support: Happy Mondays

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 25.11.21

Strange yet familar bedfellows. James and Happy Mondays both started their recording careers on Factory Records and became stalwart members of the ‘Madchester’ movement. Almost 40 years later, both bands are still going strong and filling arenas.

Happy Mondays are on form with their three-strong front team, Shaun, Bez & Rowetta batting banter back and forth. It’s a ‘best of’ support slot and the perfect way to warm-up the arena. Although they do seem to be in it for the money as Shaun continually asks the band how long they’ve been on stage and how many songs they’ve got left to play.

Happy Mondays Setlist: Kinky Afro / God’s Cop / Loose Fit / Bob’s Yer Uncle / Dennis and Lois / 24 Hour Party People / Hallelujah / He’s Gonna Step on You Again / Wrote for Luck

James Setlist: Zero / Isabella / She’s a Star / Born of Frustration / Five-O / All the Colours of You / Gold Mother / Curse Curse / Come Home / Miss America / Attention / Hymn from a Village / Beautiful Beaches / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Sound // Wherever It Takes Us / Sit Down / Laid

377. Morrissey: First Direct Arena, Leeds [6.3.20]

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Artist: Morrissey

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 6.3.20

With typically misjudged mirth, the bequiffed buffoon strides on stage with a mock cough and splutter; thanking the crowd for being brave enough to venture out. Morrissey is making reference to COVID-19, which is swiftly spreading but at the time is dangerously underestimated. To paraphrase the man himself, ‘Oh, we could smile about it then but in time it would be terrible’. He then proceeds to power through the best live set I’ve ever seen him perform, rarely relying on The Smiths’ back catalogue. Often one to offend but never one to disappoint.

Setlist: You’ll Be Gone / I Wish You Lonely / The Boy with the Thorn in His Side / Jim Jim Falls / At Amber / Morning Starship / Lady Willpower / That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore / Once I Saw the River Clean / If You Don’t Like Me, Don’t Look at Me / Munich Air Disaster 1958 / World Peace is None of Your Business / Seasick, Yet Still Docked / I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Home is a Question Mark / Love is On Its Way Out / Back on the Chain Gang / Never Again Will I Be a Twin / I’ve Changed My Plea to Guilty / Some Say (I Got Devil) / Jack the Ripper / Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up on the Stage // Half a Person / Irish Blood, English Heart

369. The National: First Direct Arena, Leeds [8.12.19]

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Artist: The National

Support: Jenny Lewis

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 8.12.19

Even from the second tier of Leeds’ largest live music venue, there’s an intimate warm winter feel to The National’s emotive music. They’re a band who still connect with their audience despite the scale of success. Chances to be part of that audience are few and far between, and the band seem to make every evening a special occasion. Each date of the tour had a beatifully bespoke poster design.

Setlist: Rylan / You Had Your Soul with You / Don’t Swallow the Cap / Bloodbuzz Ohio / Guilty Party / Hey Rosey / Oblivions / Where is Her Head / I Need My Girl / This is the Last Time / Apartment Story / Day I Die / The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness / Light Years / Pink Rabbits / I Am Easy to Find / Graceless / England / Fake Empire / Humiliation / Mr. November / Terrible Love / About Today / Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

364. The Chemical Brothers: First Direct Arena, Leeds [21.11.19]

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Artist: The Chemical Brothers

Support: 2manydjs [DJ Set]

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 21.11.19

Some gigs need an arena. Lights, lasers and crystal clear block rockin’ beats. Incredible visuals, big bouncing balloons and two gigantic robots. The brothers always work it out.

Setlist: Go / Free Yourself / Chemical Beats / MAH / Bango|EML Ritual / Swoon / Temptation|Star Guitar / Gravity Drops / Got to Keep On / Hey Boy Hey Girl / Eve of Destruction / Saturate / Elektrobank / No Geography / Escape Velocity|The Golden Path / Don’t Think|Under the Influence|Get Up On It Like This / Dig Your Own Hole / Wide Open / Galvanize / C-H-E-M-I-C-A-L|Leave Home|Song to the Siren / Block Rockin’ Beats // Got Glint? / Catch Me I’m Falling / The Private Psychadelic Reel

325. Tears for Fears: First Direct Arena, Leeds [9.2.19]

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325a_Tears for Fears [090218]Artist: Tears for Fears

Support: Alison Moyet

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 9.2.19*

An awesome support slot from Alison Moyet; setting the 80s vibe with a set of Yazoo and solo tracks.

Tears for Fears followed suit and upped the ante with a powerful set of past hits.

This was by no means a retro gig, with the music of both acts standing the test of time and sounding as cutting-edge as it ever did.

*Originally scheduled: 27.4.18

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Setlist: Everybody Wants to Rule the World / Secret World / Sowing the Seeds of Love / Pale Shelter / Break It Down Again / Everybody Loves a Happy Ending / Change / Mad World / Memories Fade / Suffer the Children / Woman in Chains / Advice for the Young at Heart / Badman’s Song / Head Over Heals / Broken

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263. The Stone Roses: First Direct Arena, Leeds [20.6.17]

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263a_The Stone Roses [200617]Artist: The Stone Roses

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 20.6.17

Let’s gloss over the extortionate ticket prices which didn’t appear to fund an illusive third album, or the abundance of middle-aged men in bucket hats (it never was a good look).

Having compromised on cheap seats in ‘the gods’ (where angels play), we soaked up the incredible atmosphere as The Stone Roses played the best of both their albums to an ever loving and loyal crowd.

Adored indeed.

263b_The Stone Roses [200617]

263c_The Stone Roses [200617]

Setlist: I Wanna Be Adored / Elephant Stone / Sally Cinnamon / Mersey Paradise / (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister / Where Angels Play / Shoot You Down / Waterfall / Don’t Stop / Begging You / Elizabeth My Dear / Fools Gold / All for One / Love Spreads / Made of Stone / She Bangs the Drums / Breaking into Heaven / This Is the One / I Am the Resurrection.

A few days later the band announced that they would no longer play live: “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy that it happened.” Ian Brown

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256. The Cribs: First Direct Arena, Leeds [20.5.17]

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256a_The Cribs [200517]Artist: The Cribs

Support: Slaves / Pulled Apart by Horses

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 20.5.17

Appropriately raucous support slots from Pulled Apart by Horses and Slaves.

Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Forever – 10 Year Anniversary Tour: Awful sound for the first half of The Cribs’ set, which is a rare occurrence at Leeds Arena. Less is more in the case of volume vs clarity. However, they seemed to sort it out and make amends for the latter part of the show.

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Big is not always best – as The Cribs would prove by returning to their roots for their next Leeds shows . . .

253. Richard Ashcroft: First Direct Arena, Leeds [22.4.17]

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253a_Richard Ashcroft [220417]Artist: Richard Ashcroft

Support: Black Grape

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 22.4.17

A reminder of how Richard Ashcroft and (The) Verve transcended their ‘90s Britpop peers – with a setlist ranging from ‘Urban Hymns’ to his latest album. Whilst Blur and Oasis bickered, and the Gallaghers’ sibling rivalry tore them apart, Ashcroft has always let his songs do the talking.

Setlist: Out of My Body / Sonnet / This is How it Feels / Space and Time / A Song for the Lovers / They Don’t Own Me / Ain’t the Future So Bright / Music is Power / Velvet Morning / Break the Night with Colour / Lucky Man // C’mon People (We’re Making it Now) / History / The Drugs Don’t Work / Hold On / Bitter Sweet Symphony

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253c_Richard Ashcroft [220417]

252. Haçienda Classical: First Direct Arena, Leeds [14.4.17]

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252a_Haçienda Classiçal [140417]Artists: Graeme Park / Mike Pickering / Peter Hook / Rowetta / Manchester Camerata Orchestra / Bez / MC Tunes

Support: Peter Hook [DJ Set]

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 14.4.17

Manchester’s legendary Haçienda crossed the Pennines for an evening of old school club classics in classical style. Timeless tunes from a misspent youth, adapted for an adult audience. ‘Strings of life’ indeed.

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252d_Haçienda Classiçal [140417]

248. Pet Shop Boys: First Direct Arena, Leeds [18.2.17]

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248a_Pet Shop Boys [180217]Artist: Pet Shop Boys

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 18.2.17

Incredibly, during a career spanning 31 years of pop perfection, Pet Shop Boys had never played live in Leeds – until now.

It was worth the wait, to see and hear decades of electronic anthems performed in spectacular style. Remixed and revamped for the modern day, with sensational lights and lasers.

Setlist: Inner Sanctum / Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) / The Pop Kids / In the Night / Burn / Love is a Bourgeois Construct / New York City Boy / Se A Vida É (That’s the Way Life is) / Love Comes Quickly / Love etc. / The Dictator Decides / Inside a Dream / West End Girls / Winner / Home and Dry / The Enigma / Vocal / The Sodom and Gomorrah Show / It’s a Sin / Left to My Own Devices / Go West // Domino Dancing / Always On My Mind / The Pop Kids (Reprise).

248b_Pet Shop Boys [180217]248c_Pet Shop Boys [180217]

248d_Pet Shop Boys [180217]

226. Simple Minds / The Stranglers: First Direct Arena, Leeds [27.11.15]

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225a_simple-minds-271115Artist: Simple Minds

Support: The Stranglers

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 27.11.15

Starting the evening on a high note, The Stranglers performed a support set of classic, timeless tunes, still sounding edgy but brilliant.

Simple Minds upped the ante and delivered a full-on stage show, flaunting an outstanding discography spanning decades. A spectacular showcase, bordering on glitzy but with a sense of celebratory style.

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219. Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular: First Direct Arena, Leeds [27.5.15]

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218a_dw-symphonic-spectacular-270515Event: Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular

Artist: BBC National Orchestra

Compère: Peter Davidson

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 27.5.15

An excellent orchestral performance of classical scores and melodies from the Doctor Who timeline, with an emphasis on the music of Murray Gold.

The show was hosted by the 5th Doctor (Peter Davidson), and invaded by an array of aliens from different dimensions of time and space.

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218c_dw-symphonic-spectacular-270515

201. The Scandal: First Direct Arena, Leeds [22.6.13]

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200a_The Scandal [220613]Artist: The Scandal

Support: The Puppeteers

Venue: First Direct Arena, Leeds

Date: 22.6.13

A public open day, to test the facilities at the brand new Leeds Arena; a long overdue addition to the city’s music venues.

First Direct Arena [Icon]

Upcoming bands; The Puppeteers and The Scandal had the privilege of being the first ever acts to play live at the prestigious new venue.

As the audience, it was our job to test the venue’s acoustics, toilets and fire exits.

Although I prefer smaller intimate venues for gigs, I would visit First Direct Arena more frequently, were prices for tickets, refreshments and merchandise not so ludicrously expensive! However, on the plus side, the venue does attract larger bands, who would otherwise not play the city.

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