Last week at Leeds hub and local restaurant and bar, Galleria, Sofar Sounds Leeds hosted a beautifully intimate and special evening in collabortion with Bloom, a Leeds based creative project that focuses on shining the spotlight on underrepresented artists and nothern creatives communities. Sofar Sounds transformed the venue into an unexpected stage to celebrate the three talented artists selected for the secret line-up, a unique touch that has become an appealing trademark for Sofar Sounds shows. With the low ambient lighting and the cosy seating beginning to fill up, the room blossomed into a community of warmth, intimacy, and relaxation, successfully exceeding in Bloom’s mission to create such a space for both the audience and the artists.

As everyone settled into their seats and their chatter with newly-met strangers simmered down, Sofar Sounds host and front-woman of Yorkshire band Bonneville, Bonnie, graced the stage to welcome everybody and introduce the first anticipated artist of the night. Leeds based singer-songwriter and newly recruited member of the Sofar Sounds team, Araya, was first on the bill, her soft sweetness immediately palpable and endearing from just her initial greeting. Paired with pretty accoustic guitar melodies, her voice was just as soft and sweet as she opened her set with unreleased track ‘Forgiven’ – a track that as it went on its darker undertones became more apparent and unraveled, perfectly balancing the level of lightness and melancholia.

With her next song ‘Someone to Blame’, it’s clear that Araya understood the Sofar Sounds x Bloom assignment – her set was unbelievably peaceful and almost lullaby-esque in the best, non-insulting way possible, leaving the audience far from sleepy but instead in awe of her emotive vocal talent. Another thing that repeatedly stood out throughout her five-song set was her intricate and delicate guitar melodies, notably in her performance of third track ‘Six Feet Out of Sight’. With each song seeming so different to each other yet still so sonically cohesive, Araya’s own distinctive and unique sound was quickly established.

Nearing towards the end of her set, not only did we get to see Araya’s quirky personality shine through awkward and witty remarks, we also got to witness the range of her vocal abilities – her fourth song ‘Cycles’ showcased the more powerful sides to Araya’s voice, intertwining seamlessly with the softness we had grown to know. Closing the set with her only currently released single ‘Love’s Souvenir’, Araya let us into her personal inner monologue and confessional thoughts on holding onto memories from past relationships, both positive or negative, through a beautifully sung ballad. When speaking to Araya herself after her performance, she expressed her excitement about really leaning into her 90s sound by experimenting with trip-hop in her upcoming releases, alongside a new EP that can be anticipated fairly soon.

After a short break filled with lots of praise, mingling, and wine, well-known Leeds name, Eve Buckley, took the stage. As somebody I had heard of on many occasions during my time here in Leeds yet never had the chance to see live, you can imagine my enthusiam when I discovered her name on the bill. Already intrigued based on her reputation for being absolutely phenomenal, it didn’t take much for Buckley to captivate everybody else in the audience. Starting with a track title ‘Piece of Mind’ from her EP ‘Some Kind of Solace’ released in early 2025, Buckley’s soul spilled into the room; her charming rasp and effortless jazz vocal rhythms commanded attention and seemed to come so naturally to her. Each song blurred into each other as the buttery vocals of her yet to be released song ‘Running Blind’ carried the room into a dream-like state, the smooth lyrics contrasting the tough message of being consumed by self-destruction.

Aside from releasing a ‘Solos Version’ of her EP ‘Some Kind of Solace’ in March earlier this year, Buckley is yet to release new material since February 2025, opening up during her set about suffering with writer’s block and how these new unreleased songs are the result of her overcoming her battle with songwriting. Playing her newest song to date title ‘Soft Spot’, Buckley admits to finally learning her lesson regarding topics of self-destruction from her previous track ‘Running Blind’, letting listeners create connections within her music and piece her lyrics together to tell the story of Eve Buckley.

Coming towards the end of her set, Buckley highlights a crucial part of her story before performing well-loved track ‘Ingrained’ from her EP, taking a moment to share the importance of the women in her life and the influence women, such as her mother, have had not only on this song, but on her as a person. As Buckley raises attention to the fact that we’re living in a very difficult time for women at the moment, it becomes wildly apparent that Bloom’s mission to create spaces that champion women and other marginalised genders and communities is more important than ever. During times where it’s essential that we come together instead of divide further, it’s events and organisations like Sofar Sounds x Bloom that have the courage to make a difference. You can catch Eve Buckley live in Leeds or Manchester supporting fellow raspy singer-songwriter, Gabriella Cilmi, this November, as well as keep an eye out for her long-awaited new EP.

After Araya and Eve Buckley both dominated the stage, it was time for Greek-Lebanese Elia Tomé to live up to his predecessors. The electronic four-piece band delivered exactly the kind of ambience that is expected from a Sofar Sounds or Bloom gig, their opening track consisting of a several minute long guitar riff that channelled a spa-like level of relaxtion and entrancement. Soft humming vocals and stacked harmonies that felt nearly hypnotic were gradually introduced, and eventually layered over a deep and punchy beat that made the song immediately wake up. Each song felt attended to with devoted time and attention, allowing the tracks to breathe and develop in a majestic manner with a sense of unpredictability.

Debuting a new song titled ‘Part-time’, Tomé and the band layered a magical echoing duet between Tomé himself and female co-vocalist, MJ, over a heavy bass and an electric guitar being played with a violin bow, maintaining that unpredictable yet fascinating creative essence throughout. From electronic dance, to R&B, and even to UK garage, it became evident that Elia Tomé’s music is comparable to a melting pot of genres; his unreleased track ‘Cup of Tea’ coming out next year seemed to interestingly blend garage-style beats with twinkling piano keys, stacked with the smoothest 2000s R&B vocals, all while remaining at a chilled and intimate level.

To summarise plainly, I wasn’t sure whether Elia Tomé’s music made me want to get a massage or eat an edible, but what I did know was that I was enjoying it. Their final song of their set mirrored their first, an extended and elaborate transient outro that lasted approximately ten minutes, perfectly encapsulating the distraction-free and music-oriented nature of the entire night. Sofar Sounds x Bloom did not fail to stay true to their word, delivering nothing short of incredible rising local talent and an original and anticipatory artist-audience experience. The night was truly dedicated to and successful in placing the focus on the three incredible artists, all telling equally important stories and each deserving of a highlighted platform. Organisations like Sofar Sounds and Bloom are building amazing spaces for those that need them, whether it be artists, audiences, or just anyone in need of community; make sure to get down to a Sofar Sounds show near you and show your support to the local artists you’ll love.

Words by Olivia Newby