The Leeds Festival has just finished this past Bank Holiday weekend, and while a lot of the media attention has been focused on the main stage, a very important set was happening over on the Climate Live Stage, on their solar-powered pink bus.
With their slogan, “Can You Hear Us Yet?” emblazoned on the side of the bus, Climate Live has been a feature at many festivals over the summer here in the UK. Climate Live’s pledge is to unite people through the power of music, and to reach the majority, who are not currently engaged in the crisis. Climate Live uses music to:
Enlarge the global movement by engaging with a new audience through music;
Raise awareness of the challenges faced today by people on the frontline of ecological breakdown, and predictions by scientists for the future. Educate more people in Africa about why they are facing so many climate related challenges;
Pressure world leaders (political, economic, and cultural) to take action to combat the climate crisis, with a focus on COP28.
At the Leeds Festival Climate Live hosted several panels, with Saturday’s panel, on the Alternative Stage, “Creative Industries Can Drive Change”, featuring Bella Ramsey, Amybeth McNulty, Rachel Keeks, Frances Fox, Dominque Palmer, Fi Quekett, and more, saw them speak on issues such as film and TV and the climate, and Bella came up with the catchy slogan, “you can’t save a burning world when you’re burnt out”.
The bus stage played host to music aplenty, commencing with Foxglove, Morning Crush, Nightbus, Mollie Coddled, and Uninvited on Friday. Saturday opened with Martha Jean, followed by Molly Burman, Coupdekat, Izzie De-Rosa, and Charlotte Plank ending the evening. Sunday was the final day of the festival, and the acts of the day were Cathy Kio, The Redroom, Lunarca, Tinyumbrellas, and, last but by no means least, Sunday headliners Jedward.
The Irish duo performed their Eurovision hit, ‘Lipstick’, some of their own compositions, including the high energy, ‘Extraordinary’, from their 2019 album, ‘Voice Of A Rebel’, as well as many other crowd favourites, such as ‘Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)’, ‘All The Small Things’, and a cover of The Killers’ ‘Mr Brightside’, as well as a spirited electric guitar performance of ‘I’m Just Ken’, from The Barbie Movie. Hundreds came to hear Jedward’s incredibly Jepic performance as they danced on the top of the pink bus, while the sun was setting.
Make sure you keep up with Climate Live and what they have coming up by checking out their website, and social media, including Instagram.