BBC Radio 2 Live Is Ditching London For Leeds For Two-Day Music Festival

BBC Radio 2 Live Is Ditching London For Leeds For Two-Day Music Festival

According to The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show this morning, Radio 2 Live 2022 will be heading north to Temple Newsam Park in Leeds in September.

Instead of the ‘festival in a day’ format used in past years, Radio 2 Live is expanding to two days on Saturday, September 17th and Sunday, September 18th, with over 20 musicians performing on two stages.

Credit: Unsplash

For the first time, a Radio 2 DJ Tent will be set up alongside the main stage, with hosts spinning iconic Motown hits from the 1960s to now.

In June, the performer lineup, which will include some of the world’s most well-known acts, as well as the ticket on-sale date, will be revealed. Radio 2 Live will be broadcast on the network and will be available on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer both live and on-demand.

Jeff Smith, Head of Music for Radio 2, said: “Following our month of brilliant Piano Room performances in February, we’re thrilled that Radio 2 Live will be held in Leeds, one of the great cities of the North. Live music is at the heart of the station so we can’t wait for us all to gather at Temple Newsam for two days of brilliant music, bringing everyone together to feel great!”

Credit: Unsplash

Zoe Ball said: “It’s official! The news is OUT and I can tell you the whole Radio 2 family can’t wait to be in LEEDS this year for R2 Live. We are ready for two days of dancing and singing along with our fabulous listeners and some brilliant live acts. Personally, I’m giddy to get my groove on in the Radio 2 DJ Tent!” 

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Radio 2 Live to Temple Newsam and for people in Leeds to be able to look forward to performances from world class artists on their doorstep. Leeds has hosted some of the biggest names in music over the years, so it’s great to see the city carrying on that proud tradition and to be working with the organisers to bring another major and unique event to Leeds.”

Prior to the outbreak, Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park in London hosted some of the biggest names in music, including Kylie Minogue, Elton John, Pet Shop Boys, Take That, Blondie, Lenny Kravitz, Shania Twain, Rita Ora, and Jeff Lynne’s ELO, who performed their first complete live show in 27 years in 2014.

Sheryl Crow in California, Erasure in the UK and New York, The Killers on the roof of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, John Legend in LA, Gregory Porter on the roof of LA’s Capitol Records Tower, Nile Rodgers & CHIC feat. Rebecca Ferguson in the UK and New York, and Craig David, Sir Tom Jones, McFly, and The Pretenders in the UK all performed at Radio 2 Live at Home in 2020.

In 2021, Manic Street Preachers, Steps, Westlife, and Texas performed on Radio 2 Live in Cardiff, Manchester, Belfast, and Glasgow, respectively. Radio 2’s Piano Room Month, which ran from February 2022 to February 2023 and was the network’s biggest celebration of live music in a decade, featured twenty of pop’s most popular artists performing live from London’s BBC Maida Vale studios, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Ed Sheeran, Joy Crookes, James Blunt, Clean Bandit, Anne-Marie, Simple Minds, and Emeli Sandé were among the performers. The highlights show will be available until February of next year on BBC iPlayer.

Read More: Sheffield Bands Arctic Monkeys And Bring Me The Horizon Set To Headline Leeds Festival 2022

%d bloggers like this: