An Evening at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm

Angels and Friends in celebration of 

LGBTQ+ History Month 2026.

True community is a rare thing these days. Be it politics or religion, in person or online, young or old, it’s fair to say there’s a sense that we are further apart than we ever have been. Which is why it was so stunning that on a Sunday night, on the outskirts of Leeds, a community could sit around a fire and just exist for a few hours. John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats has remarked that there is a beauty in silence, in the ability for a group to just sit and enjoy a collective moment in comfort. This is what was found on that Sunday. Full disclosure, I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community. I only knew about four people at the event. By all accounts, I should have been the most out-of-place person in Leeds that evening. Yet I wasn’t; it felt like home. It was a space of understanding and sharing, community and care, but most importantly, of music and poetry. Perhaps it was in this universal language of performance that the evening found its special atmosphere. 

Leeds’ poetry scene is just as vibrant as its brilliant music scene. Fantastic events like Poets Talking Bollocks at the Chemic Tavern and The Poetic Off-licence in Holding Patterns, churn up great performers, and on nights like this work symbiotically with Leeds’ musicians to put on something truly special. Simply The Zest stands as a great open mic for any creative art and only furthers this. On the evening, amazing artists such as Eeade and Kaeya put on masterclasses in acoustic music. Poets such as Molly Hope and Finn the Unedited Poet worked in tandem with them to showcase just how brimming with talent Leeds is from every angle. It is here we return to that idea of silence. Aside from the light crackle of a campfire and the gentle rustle of the tarpaulin roof, you could have heard a pin drop during performances. Everyone watched in reverence and enjoyed all twelve acts together, eyes fixed, mouths closed and ears open in a single, comfortable, communal unit, there just to exist. 

Given the theme of the evening, most performances revolved around sex, gender, and romance. From this, came a real palpable sense of raw openness from everyone performing. No one held back, relationships were dissected, trauma analysed, and identity affirmed. It was more than just an evening of talent, it was an evening of catharsis for the community, and you could really feel that just observing. Just being in that crowd, you could feel the sense of belonging, not just words but in action. People checked on each other. If you looked tired, you were offered a chair or five. It was utterly refreshing to be in a space so free of malice, where people could just be people and share in a love of music, poetry, and everything they bring out of us.

 

This event should act as an exemplar of the value of the intermingling of the Leeds and poetry scenes. Rarely has it been seen that they coexist, often relegated to spoken word accompaniment or early support acts. Small Distractions Club is one event trying to change that and is a great example of how the two can work well together. This evening showed the value in bringing together a whole community around this and how magical of an event it can be. It also shows the value of space. A recent Stub Quarterly review of Far Caspian at the Leeds City Museum talked about a love for live music in unconventional venues. I would argue that a campfire in the woods is about as unconventional as it can get, but it was this space that gave the evening such weight. It provided the escapism that the night was themed around. A night of freedom of individuality and of freedom from hate and that is why it was such an outstanding success. 

Words by William Hatfield (@wrh.2001). Pictures by Natasha Dobson (@n_j_dphotography).

First picture: Event banner from Angels of Freedom event page. Second Picture: Eeade (@eeade___). Third picture: Fred (@fredster.co.uk).