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Diary Dates
Suzanne Vega – Tuesday 28 February
De Montfort Hall
New York singer/songwriter, Suzanne hit the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in the mid-80s. Along with artists like Tracy Chapman, she set the groundwork for female singer/songwriters working a stylish literary folk genre. Her cool minimal sound and bitter-sweet lyrics continues to haunt the British music scene today.
Emily Breeze – Friday 3 March
The Donkey
“Immaculately twisted post punk glamor, hot blooded, razor tongued and hilariously sharp” For fans of Patti Smith, Pulp, Baxter Dury, LCD Soundsystem.
Oasis Maybe – Saturday 4 March
The Soundhouse
Enjoy a night of Oasis hits and classics as Oasis Maybe return to The Soundhouse.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Sunday 5 March
O2 Academy Leicester
A five piece psychedelic noise / heavy rock band from Newcastle-upon-Tyne combining stoner, sludge, psych and doom metal. Think Sabbath meets Motorhead meets Mastodon.
LaVire – Saturday 11 March
The Shed
LaVire is a 4-piece heavy rock band from Lincoln. Drawing influence from major arena artists of the last few decades, and with an emphasis on composition and song-craft, they bear comparison to the likes of Halestorm, Biffy Clyro and Muse, to name a few. Always putting the song first and striving to engage the listener, they bring colour, melody, harmony and depth to traditional rock songwriting; never afraid to experiment or bring new flavours to the mix, while still drawing from their influences with pride.
Grandma’s House – Thursday 16 March
Duffy’s Bar
Bristol-based, queer punk-trio, Grandma’s House, are known for their fast and raucous guitar riffs, thumping bass lines and aggressive drums. Combining their love of post-punk with surfy melodies, Grandmas House have created a captivating sound that grabs you right by the throat. With vocals compared to artists ranging from The Raincoats to Motörhead and described musically as a mix between Courtney Barnett and The Slits, the original, fresh sound coming from this band is undeniable.
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FOCUS ON: Handmade Festival
Our 2023 festival previews continue as we look ahead to Handmade Festival, which is returning to Leicester city centre at the end of April.
The independent festival returns to various venues across town for what will be their 10th anniversary, and they’ve pulled out a fantastic line-up to match. Celebrating the best of Leicestershire, they’ll welcome headline performances from folk singer, songwriter and activist, Grace Petrie, as well as a return to Leicester for post-rock band, Maybeshewill.
Handmade Festival was established in 2013 by local musician, promoter and tour manager, John Helps from Robot Needs Home, alongside partners from The Cookie and Firebug. This year will also see John taking to the stage himself, as he steps up to his other role as one of the members of Maybeshewill.
Elsewhere on the line-up, enjoy a slice of indie rock from Birmingham’s Johnny Foreigner as they continue “sticking up two fists at the bore-rock masses” (NME), with a further blistering live performance expected from the guitars and soaring vocals of Somerset’s October Drift.
Since it launched in 2013, Handmade Festival has championed the best of local through their line-up, and this continues with big performances from Chief Springs and Bronze Age, who returned to the live scene in 2022 for the first time in 12 years.
Handmade Festival will take place across various venues in Leicester city centre on Sunday 30 April and tickets are remarkably only £15. They won’t be around for long so book yours soon. Tickets are available online from Gigantic.
Keep up to date with the latest news and further line-up announcements from Handmade on Facebook and Instagram.
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST
Deciding whether to grab tickets for Handmade Festival? Check out our artist playlist below.
Have a listen and get in touch to tell us which tracks you’re loving.