Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys: Summer of Hits concert at Live At York Museum Gardens tonight
LIVE At York Museum Gardens returns for its third festival of outdoor concerts from today to Saturday and second York Comedy Festival on Sunday, organised by Leeds event promoters Futuresound Group.
“We’re so proud of how Live at York Museum Gardens has grown, and we’re looking forward to seeing the changes we’ve made to the site this year, ensuring that everyone enjoys their time in such a beautiful space,” says Rachel Hill, Futuresound’s project manager, who lives in York, by the way.
The map of the Live At York Museum Gardens site for July 9 to 11
“None of this would have been possible without the continued collaboration, trust and support of the team at York Museums Trust; the opportunity to put together such an incredible bill for the summer makes us excited for the future of our partnership.”
Today’s bill: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Summer of Hits (9pm), with Heaven 17 (7.30pm), China Crisis (6.30pm) and Newcastle singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin (5.30pm) in support. Gates open at 5pm; last admission 8.30pm. SOLD OUT.
Friday’s bill: Self Esteem (Rotherham’s Rebecca Lucy Taylor), supported by The Big Moon, Moonchild Sanelly and Joshua Idehen. Gates, 5pm; last entry, 8.30pm.
Super Furry Animals: Flower power in the botanical gardens at Live At York Museum Gardens on Saturday. Picture: Ryan Eddleston
Saturday’s bill: Super Furry Animals, plus Baxter Dury, Los Campesinos!, Divorce and Pys Melyn. Gates, 4pm; last entry, 8.30pm.
Event curfew for each concert: 10.30pm.
Check Live At York Museum Gardens social media channels on the day, where set times will be published ahead of time. NO readmittance to Live At York Museum Gardens; once you leave the site, you will not be allowed to re-enter.
Sunday’s comedy bill: Nabil Abdulrashid, 4:20pm to 4:45pm; Jeff Innocent, 4.50pm to 5.15pm; Barry from Watford, 5.45pm to 6.10pm; Suzi Ruffell, 6.15pm to 6.40pm; Russell Kane, 7.10pm to 7.35pm; Joanne McNally, 7.40pm to 8.05pm; Ross Noble, 8.35pm to 9.05pm and Russell Howard, 9.30pm to 10pm, hosted by Jarred Christmas. Gates, 3pm; last entry, 8.15pm. .
The map for the Live At York Museum Gardens site for Sunday’s York Comedy Festival
Map: Futuresound, the team behind Live at York Museum Gardens, have come to know the site well and, in tandem with York Museums Trust, have “refined how the event fits and feels within the garden walls”. Downloadable site maps can be found at the Live at York Museum Gardens FAQ page with other relevant information.
Box office: Located adjacent to General Admission entrance via Museum Street while the newly situated Premium Ticket entrance is via Exhibition Square.
New features: The Live at York Museum Gardens Premium Area has been moved to a new location closer to the action with a Hang Out Area featuring seating, premium facilities and exclusive food vendors, along with access to a new first-come, first-served, free-flowing Premium Standing Platform with an unparalleled view of the stage.
Significantly, this year’s event will feature large-format, high-definition screens either side of the main stage for the first time, “significantly improving audiences ability to see and appreciate the performances”.
Cutting a dash: Russell Kane will play a 25-minute set at Sunday’s York Comedy Festival at 7.10pm
Gardens facts: Founded in the 1830s, York Museum Gardens span more than ten acres of botanical gardens, set against the backdrop of the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey and also house the Yorkshire Museum and Hospitium. The gardens welcome 1.3 million visitors a year as a space to relax and enjoy.
Weather forecast: Phew, what a scorcher, all weekend.
Rachel Hill’s advice: Make sure to apply Factor 50 sun cream.
For more information, visit: https://www.futuresoundgroup.com/york-museum-gardens-events
Interview with Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Andy McCluskey:
Interview with Super Furry Animals’ Huw Bunford:
Alas, Self Esteem’s Rebecca Lucy Taylor was not available for an interview.
Self Esteem’s Rebecca Lucy Taylor
Who is Self Esteem? Fact file
Born: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, October 15 1986.
Name: Rebecca Lucy Taylor.
Age: 39.
Parents’ occupations: Father, health & safety advisor and amateur musician; mother, secretary.
Education: Wales High School in Rotherham, where she was a “choir nerd”.
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, musician and actress.
Style: Experimental pop, R&B and electronica, delivered with theatrical stage presence.
Content: Known for bold, emotionally honest, witty, genre-defying pop music with feminist themes, addressing gender politics, women’s rights, female autonomy, mental health, liberation, modern identity and self-empowerment, challenging societal norms.
First band: The Lonely Hearts, featuring Taylor on drums.
Second band: On vocals, drums, guitar and percussion, she was one half of folk-indie/country soul duo Slow Club, formed in Sheffield in 2006 with fellow former Lonely Heart Charles Watson (vocals, guitar, piano)
Albums: Yeah So, 2009; Paradise, 2011; Complete Surrender, 2014; All Of This Won’t Matter Anymore, 2016.
Played here: The Basement (City Screen Picturehouse), The Duchess and The Crescent in York; Pocklington Arts Centre.
The first poster for Self Esteem at Live At York Museum Gardens
Documentary: Our Most Brilliant Friends, directed by Piers Dennis, released in 2018, charting Slow Club’s final tour in Winter 2016 and the “unfulfilled” Taylor’s rising dissatisfaction with the band.
Did you know? Guillemots’ Fyfe Dangerfield occasionally joined the duo on stage on tour.
Rebranded as Self Esteem: 2017, preceded by using that name for artistic projects such as a painting and print exhibition.
Albums: Compliments Please, 2019; Prioritise Pleasure, 2021; A Complicated Woman, April 25 2025.
Best-known song: Spoken-word anthem I Do This All the Time, 2021.
Acting roles: On TV, I Hate Suzie Too (Sky) and Smothered (Sky). Film: Layla, playing Emily in writer-director Amrou Al-Kadhi’s 2024 debut British romance.
Theatre: Sally Bowles in Cabaret, at Kit Kat Club, Playhouse Theatre, West End, London, September 2023 to March 2024; Maggie Frisby in 50th anniversary West End revival of David Hare’s Teeth’n’Smiles, Duke of York’s Theatre, March 13 to June 6 2026 (playing lead role originated by Helen Mirren)
On stage too: Created and starred in A Complicated Woman Live, a specially conceived theatrical live performance at Duke of York’s Theatre, London, in 2025.
Awards: Visionary Award at 2025 Ivor Novello Awards; Album of the Year for Proritise Pleasure in the Guardian and Sunday Times Culture; Attitude magazine’s Music Award, 2021; BBC Introducing Artist of the Year, 2022. Nominated for Mercury Prize, BRIT Awards, Sky Arts Awards and NME Awards.
Did you know too? Self Esteem composed the soundtrack for Suzie Miller’s one-woman play Prima Facie, starring Jodie Comer in the West End, on Broadway and on tour at Grand Opera House, York, in February 2026.
Debut book: A Complicated Woman, published on October 30 2025. Co-curated London Literature Festival at Southbank to mark its release.
When is Self Esteem playing York? Live At York Museum Gardens, July 10. Box office: https://www.futuresoundgroup.com/york-museum-gardens-events
The second poster for Self Esteem at Live At York Museum Gardens