Have A Gander

Leeds based culture guide, providing you with the latest low downs on music, art/photography, food/drink and upcoming events.

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PREVIEW: Concerning The Body Guard

Recently launched on the 11th of September, Concerning the Body Guard is a large scale group show that was specifically created for The Tetley.

Taking inspiration from Donald Barthelme’s 1978 short story of the same name, the fifteen artists involved in the exhibition used a variety of different mediums to explore the complex relationship between the subject and the viewer. 

Don't miss out, head down to The Tetley for a gander before the 2nd of November!!

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REVIEW: Leeds International Beer Festival 2014

The sun came out today to make sure Leeds International Beer Festival finished on a high. With almost 300 different beers to try, it sure is a big challenge to choose your tipple, but luckily the introduction of a third of a pint ensured I got to sample a good selection. 

Set at the beautiful Leeds Town Hall, festival goers were greeted with an array of street food stalls pitched up outside. From indian street food 'Bundobust', to a twist on the british favourite of fish and chips at 'Fish&' there was certainly enough to suit everybody's tastebuds. 

With beer tokens in hand, I headed straight into the main hall where the UK Beers were hosted. Alongside popular breweries such as Kirkstall and Ilkley Brewery, serving classics such as Kirkstall Pale Ale and Mary Jane, there was also smaller breweries such as Pressure Drop serving a unique Strictly Roots Dandelion and Burdock Porter. 

To the left of the main hall was the Cider and Perry room, with The Real Cider Company taking centre stage. 

The US Beer room was found at the very front of the Town Hall, which personally I have to say, provided some of the best tasting ales!! Ever faithful Sierra Nervada didn't disappoint as usual, and I was also introduced to Smutty Nose's Bouncy House IPA, full of fruity favours, it was a real treat of the day.

Last but not least, the European beer hall was located downstairs in the crypt and the old cells. Navigating across Europe, down here you could sample Beers from Italy, Sweden, Germany and Spain. 

Whilst playing a game of ping pong in the sun, we listened to live folk music coming from the outdoor stage, before letting our inner nerds out taking advantage of the free retro arcade games available inside. 

The Leeds International Beer Festival was definitely a success this year, and we will definitely be returning next year!

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PREVIEW: FREE OUTDOOR CINEMA

We all know a trip to the cinema can be costly, so why not head down to Leeds Dock this weekend for a FREE outdoor film screening for all the family?!

Grab a picnic blanket and umbrella (after all, we do live in Yorkshire!) and get comfy for the first showing at 1pm, and if you like Disney, you won't be disappointed. 

Up first today is Animated Oscar Winning Disney favourite, 'Frozen'! So let it go, and enjoy the free screening down at Leeds Dock! To keep thirst at bay, for the adults theres an outdoor bar area and when hunger strikes, pop over to the to Vietnamese street food camper van for some delicious treats!

This evening you will be treated to the old classic, 'The Princess Bride' at 7pm. 

Sunday is home to the dinosaurs! At 1pm, 'The Land Before Time' takes to the big screen, before documentary 'Dinosaur 3' takes over at 6pm for its first West Yorkshire Premiere! 

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FEATURE: Katie McMillan Photography 'Silent Soldiers'

Today at Have A Gander we are featuring another talented local photographer, sharing with you the photographic work of Leeds based Music and Portrait photographer Katie McMillan. 

Katie McMillan's most personal photographic project, 'Silent Soldiers', channels into an issue close to her heart, delving into the complexities of mental health and the stigma which surrounds mental illness. Creating her powerful images in the studio, bright colours and big smiles represent just how invisible and Silent a mental illness can be. 

Each portrait used in the series, has an accompanying audio, which reveals the mental illness that the person is suffering with. I'm sure you will agree, 'Silent Soldiers' is a compelling series of images, and they have rightly so received an overwhelming supportive response. 

To find out more about 'Silent Soldiers', take a look at this short video: http://vimeo.com/100206179

Want to see more of Katie McMillan's work? Check out her Facebook and Tumblr using the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/KatieMcMillanPhoto?fref=ts

http://katiemcmillan.tumblr.com

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PREVIEW: Who to look out for at Leeds Festival 2014 on Sunday!?

             Today is the final day of Leeds Festival, but don't worry, theres still plenty to look out for! Up on main stage today we've selected Jake Bugg, Imagine Dragons and Foster The People. 

At just 20 years old, Jake Bugg is headlining Leeds Festival tonight after taking over the stage last night at Reading. Making his debut on the Festival Republic Stage in 2012, before he had even released his first album, Jake has a strong history of playing festivals, so expect big crowds singing the words back to him.

Imagine Dragons. American alternative rock band all the way from Las Vegas will be rocking out tonight on the main stage. Bringing some of their best hits from their platinum album 'Night Visions', Imagine Dragons are a band going places, so be sure to look out for them!

Pop trio Foster The People are sure to get the crowd going tonight with their hit summer anthem 'Pumped Up Kicks', keeping up the festival feeling we all know and love. Although not an obvious deserving headlining act, considering these guys are playing the same stage as the Arctic Monkeys, Jake Bugg etc - Here at Have A Gander we thought they deserved a mention as a band to look out for! 

NME/Radio One Stage sees the return of Cage The Elephant who seem to have disappeared the past year, Bombay Bicycle Club with their number one album 'So Long, See You Tomorrow' and the amazing Grammy Award winning electronic trio Nero!! What a line up! 

BBC Radio One Dance Stage will bring the festival goers a DJ set from Pendulum this evening. An old personal favourite and one not to be missed, their heavy electronic rock will ensure the final night of Leeds Festival is one to remember.  

Jake Bugg - https://myspace.com/jakebugguk

Imagine Dragons - https://myspace.com/imaginedragons

Foster The People - https://myspace.com/fosterthepeople

Cage The Elephant - https://myspace.com/cagetheelephant

Bombay Bicycle Club - https://myspace.com/bombaybicycleclub

Nero - https://myspace.com/nero

Pendulum - https://myspace.com/pendulum

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PREVIEW: Who to look out for at Leeds Festival 2014 on Saturday?!

              Day two of Leeds Festival is here, so who do we think you should be looking out for? 

Saturday's line up carries a punk-rock feel throughout the day, with the likes of Paramore, Vampire Weekend and Jimmy Eat World headlining the main stage. 

Pop-punk band Paramore have had a loyal army of followers since they formed back in 2004, and with a recent number one album under their belt, they promise to bring good things. 

Every indie-cindie has been long awaiting the return of indie-rock band, Vampire Weekend at Leeds Festival this weekend, since their last main stage performance here in 2009. With catchy, upbeat tracks, Vampire Weekend are sure to bring the sunshine out this weekend!

Jimmy Eat World. To say the band are a whopping 20 years old...they can still rock things up! With a huge list of classic hits under their belt, Jimmy Eat World have bagged two slots at Leeds Festival today, playing the main stage this afternoon, and the lock up stage this evening. A personal ALL TIME favourite of mine, I wish I could be seeing them twice today!

On the NME/Radio One stage we have four-piece all girl rock band Warpaint, bringing Leeds some of their much-loved trippy tracks. Indie sensation The Courteeners, doubled up with a Global Debut from Gerard Way, definitely makes the NME stage a real indie-rock treat for today! 

Paramore - https://myspace.com/paramore

Vampire Weekend - https://myspace.com/vampireweekend

Jimmy Eat World - https://myspace.com/jimmyeatworld

Warpaint - https://myspace.com/worldwartour

The Courteeners - https://myspace.com/courteeners

Gerard Way - https://myspace.com/way_gerard_mcr

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PREVIEW: Who to look out for at Leeds Festival 2014 on Friday?!

               Its what all music lovers have been waiting for...the return of the mighty Leeds Festival at Bramham Park!

Running on the usual August bank holiday weekend (22nd of August till the 24th) its definitely not a weekend to be missed! So, who's playing this year?

Here at Have A Gander, we've selected some great bands who we think you should be looking out for this weekend! Don't fear, if like us, you couldn't get the best weekend of the year off work...scroll down for links on where you can listen to our selected bands!

First up, the magnificent main stage! 

Friday's lineup is a real treat for the festival goers, as we've selected Blink 182, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Papa Roach - Come on, this was an easy choice. 

The return of Blink 182 to the UK has been long awaited after they blew us all away when they headlined back in 2010. Four whole years have passed now, Leeds are delighted to have them back, making them firm favourites this year.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, although not obvious favourites, these guys definitely deserve their slot up on the main stage! After hitting the charts with their hip-hop classic 'Hold Us' and daring to go where little artists have, with their song 'Same Love' declaring their stance on gay rights, the duo have racked up a whopping seven Grammy Award nominations this year! 

Papa Roach, do I need to go on? We've all screamed the words over and over, ''THIS IS MY LAST RESORT!!''. Bringing true hard rock to the stage, I think Papa Roach will be a band not to miss this year!

Friday gets even better on the NME/BBC Radio One Stage, with old indie favourites The Kooks joining us and newbies on the block The 1975 to bring things up to date.

The BBC Radio Dance stage doesn't let Friday down either, pulling out the likes of the Klaxons and deep-house DJ Ben Pearce. 

Lastly, Friday's lock up stage brings us a personal favourite, Gogol Bordello!! The gypsy punk band are sure to get your dancing feet moving!

What a cracking Friday line up! 

Blink 182 - https://myspace.com/blink182/music/songs

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - https://myspace.com/macklemore/music/songs

Papa Roach - https://myspace.com/paparoach/music/songs

Kooks - https://myspace.com/thekooks

The 1975 - https://myspace.com/the1975/music/songs

Klaxons - https://myspace.com/klaxons

Ben Pearce - https://myspace.com/benpearceofficial

Gogol Bordello - https://myspace.com/gogolbordello

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PREVIEW: Leeds artist TONE 'The Eden Diaries'

From the 14th of August till the 15th of September, Leeds' own street artist/sign painter TONE, is taking over the gallery at the Munro House for his first ever solo gallery show! Here he will be showing off his comic book styled series 'The Eden Diaries'. 

Full of bright prints and skateboard sign painting, TONE successfully sets the tone (see what I did there!) with his neon inspired artwork. The series is only available for a month at the Munro, so head down quick and see for yourself before the 15th of September! 

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FEATURE: Nisha Marie Photography 'In The Flesh'

As promised, this week we will be featuring the works of some talented local photographers in Leeds!

Today we are sharing the work of Nisha Marie, a Leeds based photographer, who specialises in fashion and film photography. 

Starting the project a year ago, 'In The Flesh' is an ongoing project for Nisha. Equipped with her own dark room and trusty Canon EOS 30, these images were inspired by the work of Ellen Rogers and look at bringing traditional analogue photographic techniques into modern fashion imagery.

Shot on black and white 35mm film, Nisha developed and hand printed her photographs in the darkroom, before using photographic inks to add colour to the prints by hand. This technique was most popular in the mid 19th century before the invention of colour photography. 

I'm sure you will agree that Nisha Marie's photography is simply beautiful, standing out against the usual fashion imagery seen today.

With her own unique style, Nisha is definitely one to look out for. Stay up to date and access her works on:

http://www.nishamarie.co.uk

http://nishamariephotography.tumblr.com

https://www.facebook.com/NishaMariePhotographer

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REVIEW: Feeling peckish?

Today's challenge was to find some of the best alternative street food in Leeds! 

First up, we headed over to the newly opened, Bundobust, found on Mill Hill street. Indian street food meets craft beer heaven. This place really is unique! With a small, but tasty menu, theres enough options to choose from while sipping a pint of pale ale at the bar. 

The food is all very reasonably priced too, ranging from £2.50 - £6, jam packed full of those tasty Indian flavours we all know and love. I'd recommend stopping by and checking out this gem in the city!

After spicing things up down at Bundobust, we ventured to the other side of town, ending up on Great George Street. Here's home to NOM Deli, serving up fresh simplistic Vietnamese street food.

The produce here is very fresh, with a slight twist on the more traditional Vietnamese dishes. Opting for a healthy dish, I ordered 'Cuon' also known as 'Summer rolls', wrapped with crunchy carrot, pickles, vermicelli and herbs. Freshness at its best!

Last but not least, we found ourselves at the ever faithful, Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen on Belgrave St. Available here, is the famous Patty Smith's burgers and Dough Boys pizza parlour. 

Mondays to Thursdays from 4pm - 7pm and Fridays to Sundays from 12pm - 7pm its half price a slice! Definitely not to be missed if you're counting the pennies!

However, Patty and her burgers were calling my name, served in a soft brioche bun, with chipotle mayo that had a kick and the usual duo of lettuce and tomato, it certainly hit the spot!

So if you fancy some tasty street food, why not give one of these a go?

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PREVIEW: Leeds International Beer Festival 2014

Returning for the third year running, Leeds International Beer Festival is back!! From the 4th-7th of September the four day festival promotes craft beer from all over the world, accompanied with a street food market and two stages full of live music. 

Some big names to look out for are the likes of 'Brew Dog' and 'Camden Town Brewery' to name a few. Tickets can be purchased from the City Centre Box Office, Jumbo Records and Tapped for just £7 or £5.

http://www.leedsbeer.com 

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PREVIEW: Leeds City Beach at Millennium Square

Returning for the second year running, the Leeds City Beach brings all the fun and frolics of the seaside to the city centre! With fun fair rides, seaside themed stalls, selling all the classics from sticks of rock, sugary donuts and candy floss, the Leeds City Beach is a great free attraction to check out this summer holidays (when it isn't raining!). 

Open from 10:30 till 7, deck chairs can be found dotted around if you fancy a lazy day of relaxation in the city. Although the event is mostly aimed at children, with lots of activities to keep them entertained, don't be put off, as there are a couple of food and drink stalls and quieter areas for the adults to relax. 

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FEATURE: TJ & THE SUITCASE

Check out TJ Norton and his one-man-band! Great talent found today on the streets of Leeds.

www.tjstcase.tumblr.com

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PREVIEW: Venetia Dearden 'Glastonbury'

If you missed out on Glastonbury this year, (or any other festival for that matter) don't fear! You can catch a glimpse of it here in Yorkshire, at the White Cloth Gallery. 

Venetia Dearden's exhibition 'Glastonbury' is running down at the gallery now, available from the 30th July untill 22nd September.

Dearden's work shows the documentation of the people of Glastonbury Festival, over a long period of six years. Equipped with a pop-up portable studio, Dearden explores the variety of characters and personalities attending the famous festival, with some celebrity faces thrown in there too! 

Head down on the 10th of September for an evening with Dearden herself and pick up a signed copy of her book. I know I will be!

http://www.circadian.tumblr.com 

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PREVIEW: Brown Sugar Sessions at Smokestack

Wednesday means FREE live music at the Smokestack, so if you fancy going out on a school night, head down for some funk, soul and electric blues vibes! 

Taking to the stage tonight is 'Nu Popes', so expect lots of soulful vocals and grooves. 

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PREVIEW: Nous Vous: A Watery Line

Last month The Tetley hosted a playground of free workshop events, all focusing on the production of drawings, paintings, prints and objects. Leading the workshops was artist collaboration 'Nous Vous' made up of Jay Cover, William Edmonds and Nicolas Burrows. 

This month from the 1st August till the 31st August, all works that were created in the workshops are being exhibited around The Tetley in an exhibition called 'A Watery Line'. So get yourself down to The Tetley for a browse and maybe enjoy a pint of the old stuff while you're there too!

http://thetetley.org/nous-vous-watery-line/

http://nousvous.eu/#/AWateryLine

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REVIEW: 30% off the standard of service?

Everyone awaited eagerly to see what new and exciting business venture would fill the empty space left behind on the Brewery Wharf, from the closure of popular Indian restaurant 'Urban Turka'. So, when it was announced yet another American styled, burger enthusiast would be arriving, I wasn't entirely sold.

I must admit, the main draw to the Twisted Kitchen was the 30% off Monday offer, which admittedly, appealed very much to my student bank balance.

At arrival, the restaurant was surprisingly quiet, despite the offer, but the playlist of classic American anthems, from the likes of Guns and Roses and Aerosmith, ensured the atmosphere was not lost in the empty eatery. 

If burgers, grilled specials and well, more burgers, are your thing, this place is perfect! Prices range from £12-15, with limited veggie-friendly options thrown in for short measure. Sticking with the theme, the drinks available are well-known American brands such as Brooklyn lager, Samuel Adams, Budweiser and Blue Moon. 

There is also an extensive cocktail menu, which we took advantage of, ordering a berry-infused concoxtion named the 'Black and Blue' and a fruity frozen passionfruit Daiquiri. It's wise to note that on Wednesdays, Twisted Kitchen offer 241 cocktails! (Shame it wasn't Wednesday).

Sadly, the quality of the food was overlooked by the incredibly slow service at Twisted Kitchen, especially considering the restaurant wasn't busy at all. As far as recommendations go, the food was standard tasty American grub, and if you have time to kill, its worth the wait. However, if you're stuck for time and don't appreciate watching paint dry...I would stay for the cocktails and give the food a miss.