30,000 fans attended a series of concerts in
Leeds & York at the end of July as independent Leeds-based promoters Futuresound successfully launched the ambitious ‘Live at York Museum Gardens’ and ‘Live at Kirkstall Abbey’ concert series’.
Beginning with York, the team at Futuresound transformed the idyllic York Museum Gardens into a live-concert venue for a sold-out series of shows including Jack Savoretti and a two-night homecoming residency from local icons Shed Seven, before moving to Kirkstall Abbey for a mix of music and comedy concerts bringing thousands to the iconic ruined Cistercian monastery.
With ska-pop legends Madness headlining the Friday and West Yorkshire’s own Embrace taking headliner duties on Saturday, the Sunday at Kirkstall Abbey saw the introduction of Kirkstall Abbey Comedy Festival. An ambitious event and the first large-scale, open-air comedy festival to happen in Leeds, the festival saw the likes of Katherine Ryan, Ross Noble, Maisie Adam and many more take to the stage to perform to a capacity crowd of 4,500 in the glorious sunshine.
Prioritising working with local suppliers across production, security, bars and food traders as well as supporting local charities at all events, Futuresound are committed to creating a positive economic impact in the region with every show and series of concerts. Charities supported included St Leonards Hospice, SNAPPY, York Football Foundation and NAPS.
Having worked on incredible concerts and festivals around Yorkshire for nearly thirty years, Futuresound are the team behind events including Live At Leeds, Slam Dunk Festival and Ed Sheeran’s unforgettable 2019 performances at Roundhay Park. Promoting hundreds of gigs in Leeds & Yorkshire year round, the team at Futuresound have worked with world-famous acts like Sam Fender and Lewis Capaldi from their very first shows in the region through to impressive arena performances and large-scale outdoor concerts. This weekend also saw the team host the second Live at Ludlow Castle series, bringing 20,000 fans across four sold-out shows to the Shropshire landmark.
Andy Smith - Head of Live, Futuresound Group said:
“Our whole team feels immensely proud of what we’ve achieved over the last few weeks with establishing these two new concert series at Kirkstall Abbey and York Museum Gardens. We are a Leeds business with Yorkshire at the heart of what we do, so to see these two beautiful sites come alive with music, comedy and thousands of fans over six nights was an incredible thing. We’re hugely grateful to the custodians of both sites for their trust, as well as our brilliant promoter, production, artist liaison, bar, security, catering and all the teams for all they do to make these events a reality. Futuresound is a proudly independent promoter with the communities we live and work in at the forefront of our mind, so we are very excited to see what we can bring to these sites next”
Richard Saward - Head of Visitor Experience and Commercial, York Museums Trust said:
"A historic weekend on a historic site, bringing live rock music back to the Gardens after 50 years. We are delighted to have hosted local legends Shed Seven, in what we hope will be the first of many such annual events. The City was buzzing all weekend, local businesses have told us how positive it has been for them and 12000 fans had a magical experience. Being able to host an event like this will help York Museums Trust keep the Gardens and the Yorkshire Museum as amazing places to visit."
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said:
“We’re so pleased to see that the live concerts and the Comedy Festival at Kirkstall Abbey were such a success. It’s truly a unique experience to see performances in this setting and it brings the Abbey back to life as well. Hopefully it’s something we’re able to continue to do in the future.”
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