Leeds 2023: Stadium show launches year of culture after Brexit blow

Thousands of radical person watched a stadium amusement to motorboat a twelvemonth of civilization successful Leeds, which is staging its ain 12-month taste celebrations aft Brexit scuppered its chances of being European Capital of Culture.

Locally-born stars including writer laureate Simon Armitage, vocalist Corinne Bailey Rae and presenter George Webster performed astatine the Leeds 2023 opening ceremonial astatine Headingley rugby ground.

It ended with illuminated drones forming a "sleeping giant" implicit the stadium arsenic a metaphor for the city.

The lawsuit was titled The Awakening, and Armitage and his set LYR performed a specially-written ode to the city, successful which helium urged: "Wake up Leeds, you've got golden successful your veins."

Ten 1000 tickets were fixed distant for the show, which was hosted astatine the location of the Leeds Rhinos by BBC Radio Leeds presenter Sanchez Payne and BBC Sport's Gabby Logan.

The second is 1 of the Leeds' astir celebrated daughters, having been calved successful the metropolis a twelvemonth earlier her begetter Terry Yorath won a league rubric with Leeds United.

Current sporting stars who took portion successful the amusement included Paralympian Kadeena Cox and rugby league player-turned-coach Jamie Jones-Buchanan.

The chorus of Opera North joined Chumbawamba frontman Dunstan Bruce and Leeds set Hope and Social for a rousing show of Chumbawamba's 1997 anthem Tubthumping.

The adjacent procreation of section endowment was connected amusement successful the signifier of stone set The Solar Jets - whose members are aged conscionable nine.

Rap Game UK and Mobo Award victor Graft besides performed, arsenic did chap musicians Testament, Ntantu, Aziz Ibrahim and tabla maestro Inder Goldfinger.

A alloy drum screen mentation of I Predict A Riot by Kaiser Chiefs - different Leeds occurrence communicative - was accompanied by dozens of dancers successful colourful carnival costumes, representing 1 of the longest-running West Indian carnivals successful the UK.

Webster, the archetypal Cbeebies presenter with Down's syndrome, who precocious won a Bafta Award and starred connected the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, delivered an impassioned code with his father.

This twelvemonth was owed to beryllium the UK's crook to person a European Capital of Culture for the archetypal clip since Liverpool held the rubric successful 2008.

Leeds was 1 of 5 places bidding for the honour, on with Dundee, Nottingham, Milton Keynes and a associated bid from Belfast and Londonderry.

But successful 2017, the European Commission decided the UK was nary longer eligible aft Brexit.

More recently, Leeds got down to the last 7 of cities jostling to big this year's Eurovision Song Contest but mislaid retired to the eventual prime of Liverpool.

Despite those setbacks, Leeds has decided to forge up with its ain self-appointed twelvemonth of culture.

Sharon Watson, who chaired the archetypal bid and is present main of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, said the commission's ruling was "heartbreaking" and "still hurts now".

"We came backmost unneurotic arsenic a committee and it was like, well, we can't conscionable springiness up here," she precocious told BBC Radio 4's Front Row.

"So we decided, and I deliberation rightfully so, that we merit this, that we judge successful culture, and arsenic a effect of that, present we are successful 2023, astir to present a twelvemonth of civilization of enactment which is for everyone."

Armitage, who is prof of poesy astatine Leeds University, told Front Row: "I similar the benignant of brazen facet of not getting the metropolis of civilization bid and past conscionable saying, 'Oh, well, ne'er mind, we'll bash it anyway.'

"It's an unthinkable metropolis with tons of powerfulness and tons of energy, and I consciousness arsenic if what's going to hap implicit the adjacent 12 months is astir harnessing that done creativity."

Cities person go alert of the powerfulness of twelvemonth of civilization projects aft the occurrence of Glasgow and Liverpool arsenic erstwhile European Capitals of Culture, and the UK government's ain City of Culture title, which has truthful acold been held by Derry, Hull and Coventry.

Leeds' neighbour Bradford volition beryllium the adjacent UK City of Culture successful 2025.