New dates announced at Leeds live music venue
The coming months in the Howard Assembly Room in the heart of Leeds celebrate the power of music to move, inspire and entertain with concerts spanning a host of musical genres and traditions.
If you fancy dancing the night away, Leeds Howard Assembly Room has a selection of standing gigs coming up, with seats also available to book in the gallery for anyone who would prefer not to spend the evening on their feet.
Making a welcome return on 18 July is Los Angeles artist Jessica Pratt who has become one of the most singular and distinctive songwriters of her generation. Her graceful, dreamlike melodies combine with the bewitching sound of her acoustic guitar and vocals to offer a mystical, elusive blend that has won her many die-hard fans. This concert celebrates her new album Here in the Pitch, her first release in half a decade.
On 22 August, HAR Late is back with the hugely successful A Night in Havana from DJ Lubi Presents. The all-star 15-piece Latin orchestra Tristan Butler y Timba Británica is dedicated to performing the intricate, groove-based arrangements of modern Cuban Salsa, winning over audiences worldwide with their seductive rhythms. There will be a chance to learn the moves beforehand with a salsa dance class, while a DJ will follow the headline act with the best Cuban vinyl taking people all the way through to midnight.
Rooted in Texas Funk, Alabama Gospel, New Orleans Jazz, and Nashville Soul, trumpeter Philip Lassiteris a multiple Grammy award-winning horn/string arranger, and former section leader and arranger of Prince and the New Power Generation. Currently based in Amsterdam, Philip makes his venue debut on 30 August.
Welsh Mercury-nominated multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and collaborator Cate Le Bon defies any easy labels. Her seventh album, Michelangelo Dying, emerges from a place of raw emotion and reluctant vulnerability, offering a shimmering song cycle that meditates on love, loss, and the unknowable self. She brings her electrifying vocals, spellbinding musical arrangements and bilingual approach to music-making to the Howard Assembly Room on 11 October.
Seated options include folk artist Gerry Diver who, together with singer-songwriter Lisa Knapp, will play Hinterland, a remarkably varied and powerfully original collection of songs, on 17 October. Expect a soundscape that weaves together folk horror, remembrance and the landscapes, both rural and urban, that inspire their art.
The spirit of Scottish folk infuses the work of jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie who crafts music inspired by his homeland’s breath-taking landscapes. Having previously performed at the venue with Manchester Collective, McCreadie returns on 16 November with Stream, his sonic exploration of nature and the fluid beauty of water.
Another welcome returnee is the inimitable Penguin Café who will be bringing the music of the legendary Penguin Café Orchestra to life in Leeds on 21 November. Founded in the 1970s by English guitarist Simon Jeffes, Penguin Café Orchestra was born from Jeffes’ desire to create an ‘imaginary folklore’ from his own eclectic tastes. His son Arthur founded Penguin Café in 2009 to further his father’s project – something he continues to do to this day.
Tickets for all events at the Howard Assembly Room are available to book online now, with Under 30s able to get tickets for just £10 each: howardassemblyroom.co.uk