Live at Leeds In The Park, Temple Newsham – Review
By Steve Crabtree, May 2025
Live at Leeds in the Park has quickly become one of those festivals that’s cool, comfortable, and something you have to return to year after year. It’s relaxed, well run, and there’s something about the space at Temple Newsam that feels just right for a day of music. Wide open, easy to get around, and bursting with the best energy.
For me and the wife, we’d been looking forward to this Saturday event for months. But, this year was different. It was the first time we’d brought my 12-year-old stepdaughter Meghan along for her first real taste of live music in a festival setting. And, we couldn’t have picked a better event to ease her into the world of stages, food stalls and music-loving strangers.
Here we were, with a nice mix of people of all ages. Groups, couples and families all just enjoying the day. No bad vibes, no over-the-top behaviour, just a crowd that wanted to soak in the atmosphere and make the most of the music.
It’s not branded as a family festival, but it absolutely works as one. There were loads of kids around, but the balance was perfect – never too noisy, never too tame.
Image: George Harrison
“Fun, chaotic, smart and sharp”
We didn’t arrive right at the start but wandered in just as Natasha Bedingfield began her set. That was great timing, as she was top of my wife’s must-see list. Belting out hits like ‘Unwritten’ and ‘Love Like This’, and even throwing in a bit of ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries, she had the crowd hooked straight away. It was a brilliant opener to kick off our day.
We caught Sigrid over on the North Stage, and she was excellent — letting the songs and her voice do the work without relying on any pop star gimmicks. In the DIY Big Top, Public Service Broadcasting were as tight and atmospheric as ever, while Getdown Services — who we stumbled upon by accident — turned out to be one of the unexpected standouts. Fun, chaotic, smart and sharp. They made a fan out of me.
What we got was a line-up that spanned generations — one of the main reasons this one-dayer is a must on the musical calendar.
Image: Jacob Flannery
“Sounds and colours”
We must have covered miles wandering around Temple Newsam, and we were amazed by the number of food options spread across the site — loads of them! Great options too, and not overpriced. The gourmet-style hash brown and beans box went down a storm with Meghan and Alex, while I was all over the Yorkshire pudding wrap. There was a brilliant selection of doughnuts as well — every corner of the site had something different. And it was all decent quality.
We loved the whole wandering-around vibe, seeing who was on which stage and being drawn in by the sounds and colours popping up from every direction.
We had VIP tickets too, which gave us a quieter space to retreat to and some very welcome luxury loos. It’s worth the upgrade — it really makes a difference, especially between bands when you want to chill out without stepping away from the atmosphere completely. (The VIP area is just as cool and ego-free as the rest of the site, by the way.)
“A proper full circle moment”
Sadly, we didn’t manage to get into the comedy tent at any point during the day. Not because it was hard to find, but because the audiences were so full that a crowd was constantly gathered outside, trying to peer in from the back. And that’s a compliment, by the way — testament to the quality of the acts booked for that stage.
If I had one suggestion for next year, it would be to rethink the South Stage layout. The space for standing and viewing wasn’t huge, and with acts like The Pigeon Detectives and Manic Street Preachers drawing large crowds, it felt a bit of a squeeze. In contrast, the North Stage had bags of space and plenty of good viewing points. Hopefully that’s something they’ll tweak in future, because otherwise the site was spot on.
Speaking of the Manics — this was my 24th time seeing them, and they were as great as ever. They opened with ‘Decline and Fall’ and rattled through a powerful set. We got ‘A Design for Life’, ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’, and a lovely inclusion of Enola/Alone.
One of the best moments of the day was buying Meghan a Manics T-shirt and singing along with her near the end — a proper full-circle moment for me.
“Satisfying”
As darkness fell, Bloc Party wrapped things up with a set that fully justified their headline billing. It packed a punch, kept the crowd hooked, and closed the day with exactly the kind of energy you want after nearly 10 hours of live music.
There’s something satisfying about a one-day festival that gets so much right. You get the intensity and variety without the baggage of camping, queues or chaos — and Live at Leeds in the Park feels like it understands that balance perfectly.
We had a great day. The music was brilliant, the vibe genuinely enjoyable, and the whole thing just really well thought out. The three of us took it all in, loved the music, and appreciated what a fantastic day it had been.
We’ll be back in 2026. Without a doubt.
Main Image: George Harrison
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
