Spotlight Unsigned: New Grassroots Music Showcase Debuts at Leeds’ Howard Assembly Rooms

A new grassroots music showcase dubbed Spotlight Unsigned launches at the historic Howard Assembly Rooms in Leeds, UK, Nov. 19.

The inaugural edition will bring together a selection of independent artists and bands for an intimate 200-capacity live show, featuring Burgz, Midnite Pharmacy and more, before the night continues with a DJ set.

Spotlight Unsigned is created in partnership with Play One We Know (POWK), a platform that wants to help artists, bands and venues make money, save money and strengthen connections with fans.

Pollstar previously interviewed POWK founders Gerard Toplass and Gerard Gibbons, two men rooted in and supportive of the UK grassroots scene.

‘We See Emerging Artists As Entrepreneurs & Creatives’: How Play One We Know Wants To Help Grassroots Artists & Venues

Spotlight Unsigned aims to give developing artists a platform in front of a live audience, and “create a regular space where new music can be discovered, celebrated and supported,” according to the official press release.

Opening up the first edition on Nov. 19 is Burgz, a musician and producer deeply rooted in the West Yorkshire hip-hop scene. Bringing together classic hip-hop fundamentals with a distinctly Northern perspective, Burgz places storytelling at the heart of his music, delivering a sound shaped by his experiences and surroundings.

Joining him are Midnite Pharmacy, the live electronic project formed by Leeds-based musicians Liam Jones and Si Martin. The pair combine influences from electronic music, indie, house and techno, performing as a two-piece live act while sequencing and playing multiple instruments between them.

As the first event gets underway, Spotlight Unsigned aims to establish itself as a regular showcase for the next generation of artists, bringing together live music, discovery and community under one roof.

The event neither receives state funding nor income from a lucrative brand partnership. It’s simply backed by individuals with a passion for music and new talent, most of whom forgo their own salaries for the night.

The only people paid will be the bar staff at Howard Assembly Rooms, and the unsigned acts performing. It’s no secret that it’s incredibly hard to make a profit on any show smaller than 500 cap these days, given a venue’s overheads, many promoters have been confirming this in conversations with Pollstar since the economy changed post-COVID.

Howard Assembly Rooms have a maximum standing capacity of 450. Organizers of Spotlight Unsigned have told Pollstar that they “hope to grow the concept to becoming a sell-out, but that will take time due to the influx of events in the city of Leeds.”

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_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/10/06/uk-grassroots-music-showcase-launched-at-historic-howard-assembly-rooms-leeds/)._