Heritage 23/11/24 @ Belgrave Music Hall

HERITAGE, the much loved Leeds based future soul/nujazz band, are back! After a quiet summer for gigs, they've spent it working on a new video and a brace of remix singles for autumn release so it's time for another Leeds show. They will play their first headline show ever at Belgrave Music Hall for jazz/global soul don DJ Lubi on Saturday 23rd November. Their last Leeds show was in May 2024 supporting Nubiyan Twist at Project House for a Leeds Jazz Festival special.

Like many successful Leeds bands of all genres, they formed at Leeds Conservatoire when band members were studying music and production and played their debut gig in. the city August 2021. Building up a strong local following, they've become known for delivering killer live shows. They've performed in multiple venues across the city both as headliners but also supporting the likes of Secret Night Gang, K.O.G and TC & The Groove Family. Beyond Leeds, they've played  gigs in Sheffield, Bristol, Manchester and London plus appeared at Gilles Peterson's We Out Here Festival.

Their debut EP "Dystopian Land" had strong radio support from BBC Radio 3, Totally Wired Radio, JazzFunkSoul Radio, Jazz FM, Steam Radio, Global Soul Radio, Pure Rhythm Radio, Worldwide FM as well as international plays on radio stations in Italy, Germany, Spain, USA, Palestine and Serbia. BBC Introducing West Yorkshire gave the band "single of the week" for their debut "The Suits" and they also made the Bandcamp Weekly radio show with another track "Sweet July". They released their second EP "Life In Time" in February 2024, which has had strong support on streaming playlists and radio play (over 50,000 on Spotify alone via the Jazz UK playlist). With a brace of new remix singles coming in autumn 2024, it's time to do another headline show in Leeds.

Vocally, Heritage takes inspiration from the likes of Lianne La Havas, Erykah Badu and Nai Palm (Hiatus Kaiyote). Instrumental influences are drawn from contemporary funk/soul/hip-hop artists they love, from Anderson .Paak to Carrtoons, as well as bands at the forefront of the contemporary jazz scene, notably fellow Leeds Conservatoire alumni Nubiyan Twist. Their sound is a fusion of multiple subgenres that are relevant in the UK jazz scene today (afrobeat, UKG, hip-hop, neo-soul, drum & bass, broken beats). 

Main support are Leeds' rising stars of neo-soul/hip-hop jazz Blodeuynn, featuring the incredible beats and grooves of multi-instrumentalist whizzkid producer Alex Williams and the sweet and soulful voice of lead singer Alys Watson. They make insanely good original soul music with great beats and jazz overtones that show influences such as Erykah, Dilla, Anderson .Paak and Robert Glasper.

Opening act is a new artist coming out of Leeds Conservatoire, singer/songwriter Romy Taylor. She's just 20 years old and grew up in the south of Spain. Taking inspiration from artists Daniel Caesar, Eloise and Minnie Riperton, she combines atmospheric dreamlike flavours with eminently listenable and memorable melodies full of hooks. Romy is working towards her next release which will encapsulate a sound combining jazz, neo-soul and her Spanish cultural influences.