Corinne Bailey Rae and The Vaccines to play intimate Leeds shows at The Wardrobe

The award-winning singer-songwriter will be performing at The Wardrobe for two intimate trio shows as part of the venue’s 25th birthday celebrations this August.

She will be joined by indie band The Vaccines who will be taking to the 400 capacity room for a two night residency. The shows are planned to take place on Thursday, August 15, and Friday, August 16.

Before her global success, Corinne was a familiar face at The Wardrobe, both on stage and working in the venues cloakroom, and so it seems only right that someone so important to the very fabric of the venue should return to help her old second home celebrate 25 incredible years of music, comedy and culture.

Another act more used to playing arenas and festival main stages; indie-rock royalty The Vaccines are giving fans the incredibly rare opportunity to join them at The Wardrobe for two up-close-and-personal shows fresh off the back of touring the world in support of their 6th studio album, ‘Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations’.

With these special performances, The Vaccines & Corinne Bailey Rae joins the likes of Gossip, Jacob Collier and Jordan Rakei who will all be appearing at The Wardrobe throughout the year as part of the venue’s curated anniversary events. Also a much-cherished launchpad for grassroots comedy, The Wardrobe have invited old friends including Jamali Maddix, Lou Sanders and Paul Foot back on stage to showcase brand new and work-in-progress material.

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Amongst all the excitement over the venue’s anniversary lineup, the Wardrobe bar is going all in on its 25th birthday too. The bar will be closing mid-August for a mini-refurb and refit, with the venue’s incredible beer selection to be stocked by Leeds’ own Kirkstall Brewery and Camden Town Brewery, who will be bringing some exclusive pours up north with them

Re-opening late August, complete with a brand new kitchen and new food offer to be announced soon, the bar will be hosting a massive birthday bash on Friday, September. 20 marking 25 years to the day since the Wardrobe first opened its doors in 1999, expect an inimitable lineup of DJs and familiar faces from throughout the venue’s incredible history.

The Wardrobe is also celebrating its 25th birthday all year long by giving away a free pint to the first 25 people through the door on the last Friday of every month throughout 2024.

Beginning life as a jazz venue, The Wardrobe opened in 1999 in the heart of Leeds’ cultural quarter and has played host to artists & comedians including Amy Winehouse, Lewis Capaldi, Arlo Parks, IDLES, Sara Pascoe, Tony Allen and hundreds more in its storied history.

With a large bar & restaurant above its iconic 400 capacity live room, The Wardrobe is a staple of the city’s hospitality industry, hosting hundreds of performances each year as well as forming a key part of festivals including Live at Leeds, Leeds Comedy Festival and Last Time Out, while their partnership with Crash Records regularly brings some of the world’s biggest artists to the venue for intimate out-store album release shows.

The Wardrobe will be sharing even more details of parties, special performances and giveaways throughout the rest of the year.