Event Review - Leeds Festival

Typical of every
festival I’ve been to this year, it’s throwing the contents of
the North Sea all up over Leeds as I arrive. Usually there’s a let
up while I get camp set up, but not today. Pop up tents, despite only
being a single skin, are a godsend in this inclement climate. Undo
the elastic, throw it in the air, where it pops open with a crack
like quick thunder, set up in seconds. A welcome relief from the
downpour outside. After a little while, it calms down and stops, so I
venture out to the BBC Introducing stage to watch bands like Wytches
and Blood Red Shoes. It’s a great way to start the weekend, sort of
like a teaser of things to come, where you have lots of promising
live music ahead, but if you head to the Alternative stage, Rave
Karaoke is taking place. Did you know “Karaoke” means beautiful
orchestra? Maybe. Probably. Not. I don’t know. Anyway… Rave
Karaoke is something to behold. All the fun of Karaoke, with all the
hype of EDM music, not just Rave. IF you can get someone to actually
sing the songs, not just incite chants of “LEEDS! YOU WHAT YOU
WHAT!” and other assorted “Lad” chants. But the rain is
starting up again, and the drive from Birmingham is loooooooong and
tiring, especially when you have to contend with the roadworks
outside of Sheffield and a broken down lorry in the third of 4 lanes
of the M1.

Refreshed, raring
to go, it’s Friday. It’s the first day of Leeds Festival 2016.
And what better way to kick it off than with one of the best Pop-Punk
bands in the world at the moment, New York’s State Champs. They
have half an hour to set the tone for the weekend, which is a big ask
of many bands, but State Champs smash it. They set the tone and raise
the bar for all who follow them today, with their anthem filled set
and enthusiasm. They’re on tour next spring, so check them out.

I’m fully in
the mood, and I think I need a drink, so I am going to go find a
decent drink and food of some sort. There’s a lot of places to
choose from, and there’s pretty much something for everyone, so
you’ll be alright. It’s not Gourmet food, but it’s enough to
get you through the day til you get back to your tent and have some
fruit or something.

Going to see
Coheed and Cambria is something I’ve wanted since I last saw them,
back on the Kerrang! Tour with Fightstar way back when. Now, I get to
see them play again. I’m on a hype wagon, and I promise you, they
do not disappoint, even when Claudio Sanchez’s pedal board decides
not to work, he doesn’t miss a beat or even a note. Just brilliant,
and I can’t wait to see them again; I just hope I don’t have to
wait that long.

Next is a band
who have a massive fanbase, and have drawn the biggest crowd so far.
Sleeping With Sirens are a band that have achieved an almost cult
status in their field. They have something different to them,
something that sets them apart from their competition. It’s not
just the vocals of the supermodel-esque Kellin Quinn, or the lyrical
content, but the stage presence that the band have. They look like
they’re a team, they know where they are and what they’re doing
at all times. They play to the crowd and the cameras in a way that
isn’t pandering or fake, but plays to the line and stops on that
line. They are a brilliant live band, and I hope to see them again,
with Kellin’s voice being back and not ill. Not that it stopped the
crowd singing back.

Five Finger Death
Punch is possibly the heaviest band on the entire bill, but
especially on the main stage. And they know that they’re good. They
have a cockiness that is entirely justified. They have a set full of
shirt changes, audience interaction and chants of “DEATH PUNCH!”
ringing out each time they cleared the stage. The set is wonderful,
and full of an aggression that isn’t threatening, but makes you
feel loved and appreciated by the band. Wonderful set, wonderful
guys. My only qualm is that they didn’t play “Burn MF”, as I
can only imagine the response that the growing crowd would have given
to that chorus.

It seems that
every festival this year has a tribute to Viola Beach in some way,
shape or form. Glastonbury had Coldplay covering one of their songs,
and a few smaller festivals had video packages and whatnot of them
playing. I don’t mean to seem disrespectful, but I’ve seen
enough. I’ve seen enough to know that it was probably a video
ackage set to “Swings and Waterslides” or “Boys Who Sing.”
Sorry, but it’s something that was felt by more than just me on the
day. I was speaking to a few people around me at the bar, and they
agreed that it’s a little too much. But It happens, and I’m sure
it was tasteful and a fitting memorial to a lost talent.

A little later,
after a walk around the other stages and catching some stuff on the
various stages, I head back to the Main Stage to catch “emo kings”
Fall Out Boy tear up the stage with their renowned antics. They step
up their game a lot, in order to compete for the best headline slot
against Biffy Clyro. They bring a touch of the Motley Crue with them,
with “dancing girls” and lots of pyro too. They plough through
their hits, but alas, a clash has come up.

I’ve not seen
King Blues before, despite having listened to them almost every day
since the release of “Save The World, Get The Girl”, and each
release contains more ferocity and relatability to keep them
relevant. After their hiatus/break up in 2012, I thought I’d never
be able to see them live, so when they reformed with the release of
“Off With Their Heads,” I made it my mission to see them, in case
it happened again. Itch’s machine of pissed off, pent up aggression
is phenomenal. It does not warrant the words I’m giving it. It
deserves more. Songs from across the discography remain relevant,
even now. If you don’t leave a King Blues show and have a lack of
voice or energy, you’re not at a King Blues show. Cannot wait for
the tour and the new album.

Biffy Clyro
headlined Reading and Leeds a few years back, and that was rated as
one of the best festival headline sets in a long time. They smashed
it out of the park. Like, million home runs, and so many more. Any
expectations were blown out of the water. This is why they were so
hyped. They made grown men cry, had every single word sung back at
them, and just generally HEADLINED. The discussion about future
headliners was silenced. Every festival should be headlined by The
Biff. That is all.

Saturday. Another
headliner. But to open. Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls are a
band that have so much fun, and are so much more fun to watch. As
they always are. They are another band that have the potential to
headline a massive festival, and do so with ease. The songs are
anthems for those with any hard times, and are a rallying cry that no
one person is alone in this world, that we should all “insist on
the impossible”, and “get better, because we’re not dead yet”.
Frank Turner has set a record with this performance though, it’s
his 10th consecutive year playing this festival, and
unfortunately, it’s slightly tainted with what appears to be a
sprained ankle, after landing awkwardly on the barrier during set
closer “Four Simple Words”. But it was a great set, and
hopefully, he’ll be much higher up the bill if he plays here next
year and keeps building on his record.

Another Frank
now. The super aggressive on stage, quite a sweet guy off stage,
Frank Carter. And The Rattlesnakes to boot. They have a presence to
be admired. Through Frank Carter’s experience, he knows how to work
a crowd, and how to interact with them. He walks across them in his
Gucci suit, and throws his GoPro into the crowd, telling them to
record the mayhem. And mayhem, it is. Cannot really describe it much
better than that. There’s something about this band that needs to
be seen to be believed.

Lower Than
Atlantis are another band that are growing in popularity, as is their
fanbase. They fight through the rain and deliver a wondrous set, full
of massive choruses and hooks galore. Absolute brilliance from the
band, and it’s lapped up by the audience, braving the rain and
whatnot to watch a true rock band play a true rock set.

They’re closely
followed by Die Antwoord. To describe Die Antwoord is a hard thing to
do. They’re sort of like a rap act, with huge hooks, and the
attitude of a punk band of the late 70s/80s. Yo-Landi has the clean
vocals role, with her ethereal voice resonating brilliantly against
the bars spat by Ninja and the beats dropped by their DJ, God.
They’re not really a safe for work kind of band, nor would you take
your children to see them, especially with their back drop and
dancers being very NSFW. It’s definitely an experience though. One
that I may be tempted to go and experience in their own environment.

Speaking of rap
acts; here are the giants of the scene. Britain’s answer to the
NWA, almost. Sort of. Like a much safer group than the NWA, but they
have “pure fire” to shower over the ever growing crowd. Not just
metaphorically either. There’s pyro and CO2 cannons galore as the
group smash through huge songs from their collective career,
including the massive anthem of the summer; “Feed ‘Em To The
Lions”. Massive.

Then to The
Pit/Lock Up, whatever you want to call it, to see a band I’ve seen
a few times before. Opening with a cover is not usually a move you’d
see from a band that have 2 records to choose from, but Hacktivist
smash the cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff”. It really sets
the tone for what’s about to happen. Chaos ensues, with middle
fingers shown “to liars who won’t learn”, as well as the better
(seriously, go listen to it; produced better, it’s heavier and in
all honesty, less pretentiousness) cover of Jay-Z and Kanye’s
“N***** in Paris”. You literally cannot go wrong with this band.
They believe in their music, in their lyrics and their audience as a
way of promoting change in this ever turning, failing world.

Crossfaith have a
few technical issues, and you have to forgive them, it doesn’t
appear that this stage can carry all their gear and electronics.
10-15 minutes later, they’re back out, and with a determined
ferocity to make up for that lost time. But Another clash has arisen
in the form of a highly hyped duo who have gone from strength to
strength since they burst onto the pages of music magazines
everywhere.

twenty one pilots
draw a capacity crowd. The NME/Radio 1 tent cannot hold the number of
people who have come to watch them, and the torrential downpour over
the festival is not putting many people off. Unfortunately, the crowd
in the tent seems to be a collection of every young girl in the North
of England, as I cannot hear the band over the screaming. Someone
notices this a little while into the set and turns everything up to
11 (nice reference, if I say so myself) just in time for “Heathens”,
from DC’s Suicide Squad. But it seems that the tent has another
level of high pitched screaming; so I bail to somewhere dry where I
can get something wet. They’ve got 2 massive dates at Alexandra
Palace coming up (I think) so I might see if I can get down there for
another attempt.

I have never
really been a huge fan of EDM, or “live” sets by DJs. But I’m
not a Disclosure or Foals fan (just not for me), so I engage my
curiosity back at the NME/Radio 1 stage by watching Jack U. In case
you don’t know who Jack U is, it’s Skrillex and Diplo, two of the
biggest names in EDM at the moment. My curiosity is based solely on
the fact that Skrillex was once Sonny Moore of From First To Last, a
wonderful emo/hardcore band (the blueprint for Sleeping With Sirens,
in my opinion), and I hadn’t heard too much other than “Bangarang”
and the “Purple Lamborghini” song from Suicide Squad (really good
soundtrack, fits the film wonderfully) with Rick Ross. But I was
blown away. Within a minute of them entering the stage, I was dancing
away with my friend, and a bunch of strangers, who were passing round
a blow up doll and some other stuff that – it turned out – was a
“future stag & hens” (engagement) party, which explained it
all.

This is the first
time that Jack U have come to the UK, and I really hope it won’t be
the last. They even incorporated System Of A Down into their set.
Phenomenal. There were streamers, confetti cannons, CO2 cannons, a
LED video screen that incorporated the sound desk, so it was like a
3d effect, and a drop off their stage onto the actual stage by Diplo,
who fell about 6-7 feet, and got up and carried on like a trooper.
Production was phenomenal, set was “banging”, and left me wanting
a lot more.

Sunday started a
little slower than I’d usually like, but it was a pleasant change
of pace with Fatherson, who have improved massively since I saw them
supporting Enter Shikari a while ago. The sound has not evolved, but
it sounds bigger. Like it’s been tweaked slightly to incorporate
the chorus a little more than they used to. Lovely chilled start to
the last day of Leeds.

Then came the
obligatory festival sign photographs and search for something we all
wanted to eat, before the next act we wanted to see. It was dry, so
we decided to take a seat in the sun and just chat a bit, take the
campsite down and pack the car, ready to leave tonight, after the
headliners.

As we were
walking around, we’d found that You Me At Six were playing, filling
a gap in the schedule after the next band we wanted to see. Bloody
good luck, that was. So when we got to the Lock Up/Pit stage, we were
confronted by a gathering crowd on the front barrier, made up of
mostly young girls, and their boyfriends too. But they did not know
what they were in for. The one place you don’t want to be for this
next band is on the barrier, as you’re only going to be climbed on,
crushed and possibly screamed at by them and their fans. The nicest
guys ever to come out of Nottingham; formerly Baby Godzilla (until
bloody copyright laws or something forced them to change their name),
now Heck. I’ve seen these boys play many times before, on many
different stages, and I am never not impressed. First time I saw them
was at The Kasbah in Coventry, a venue that is probably only the size
of the stage that they’re booked on today. Since then, they’ve
obliterated venues up and down the country and are creating a buzz
around them, on their showmanship alone. But that’s not to say that
their music isn’t good. In fact, the fact that they can put the
show that they have on, whilst playing that music is a testament to
the cajones that these gentlemen have in their trousers. They have a
bloody good set, and they make fans at every festival or gig that
they play, as tested by my starting a chant of “HECK! HECK! HECK!”
(I’m so proud of me). The young YMAS fans are checked up on
throughout, because Heck aren’t dicks. They are everything that a
band should be, no matter how “big” they are or aren’t.

So yeah. I
physically cannot move backwards after Heck, as the news has spread
through the festival and it seems that everyone is here now. The
crowd is outside the tent again, and I’ve lost everyone I was with.
Side note; always make a plan to meet up if you get lost. The
security has quadrupled, the photographers seem to have been given
one spot to shoot from, and You Me At Six take the stage to a roar
that doesn’t seem to be the expected army of young ladies. That’s
the sound of fans from the “Take Off Your Colours” days. The ones
who grew up on You Me At Six and their ilk. The ones who listened to
bands like The Blackout, Kids In Glass Houses, Bring Me The Horizon
(in the pre- “There Is A Hell…” days), etc. But there’s a new
form to You Me At Six. They have evolved with the musical horizon,
and their fans. They have a new maturity to them, and it can be seen
in the way that Josh Franchesci stalks the stage, and in his voice
too. It’s a deeper, more honed tone to his voice. One that the
music helps to move away from their previous sound, and into the new
“Night People” era of You Me At Six. It shows with their set list
consisting mostly of songs from “Sinners Never Sleep” and
“Cavalier Youth”, with a couple of additions from “Hold Me
Down”. But even the old songs have a different feel to them. A more
mature, adult feel to them. There’s almost a lack of youthful
exuberance, and an increase in self confidence that shows throughout
the set, whether it be all the people singing the main riff to
“Loverboy” for about 90 seconds with no input from the band, who
seem genuinely gobsmacked at how loud it is in this tent, and
everyone in there singing it back at them, or the fact that “Night
People” sounds so much better (and somehow deeper) live than the
recorded version that was released a week or so prior. The set closes
on “Bite My Tongue”, and the band leave to a thunderous call for
an encore. I feel like maybe just a little tease of “Save It For
The Bedroom” or “Always Attract” would have made it even more
special for me, but it was still one of the best of the weekend.

Eagles Of Death
Metal are on the main stage, and have started well before I manage to
get over to the main stage, due to how rammed that tent was. After
the events in Paris, at the Bataclan, one would not blame EODM if
they were to tone it down a little. But no, they go the whole hog.
Balls out, classic, good ol’ american rock and roll. It is just a
wonderful sight to behold, and to echo a sentiment from Frank Turner,
“after all, something so simple, something so small… Something as
simple as Rock and Roll will save us all.” This seems to be the
mantra that Jesse and Co. are sticking to like glue. They’re having
fun, and the fans are having fun too. And that is all that matters.
Rock and Roll.

Jack Garratt is
not rock and roll, by the general definition. He is a one man band,
by any definition. But he is super talented, and manages to shut my
critiquing mouth within the opening song. The kid is good. BBC
Introducing put him on the map, as shown by all their video packages
between acts, but I’ll give them their dues, they can pick some
damn good talent. This guy showcases their good ear for musical
talent. Absolutely brilliant. And he is humble with it, every smile
on his face seems to be genuine, and he looks amazed that so many
people are here to see him. The dude is rock and roll, with the way
he plays all those instruments on his own.

I’m not a fan
of Imagine Dragons. But I thought, I’ll give them a chance. Why
not, eh? I’ve been pleasantly surprised over the course of this
weekend. They put a good show on, I’ll give them that. But
musically, I’m still not a huge fan. It’s generic pop-rock at
best. At worst, it’s generic pop-rock. I don’t know, but it’s
not too fun for me when pretty much every song sounds like the one
the precedes it. Sorry guys, but you’re good showmen, so I guess
that’s a positive, right?


To be honest, it just goes downhill from there. Technically sound,
doesn’t miss a note at all, and the production is brilliant. If
only the band had the energy and passion to match. There’s a
nostalgia that’s fun, but there’s just something lacking to make
the closing of this festival as good as it started. I don’t know
what it is, but it’s just lacking. Not so much Red Hot as Yellow
lukewarm. But maybe they’re a little nervous or something to be
headlining such a talented festival. They’re on tour with Babymetal
soon, so they’d better kick it up a notch or ten, or they’ll be
outshined by their perfectly choreographed support act, in a way that
would leave them very much in a place they don’t deserve to be.

All in all, Leeds
was amazing. There are some great bands out there, and some that
deserve to be on next year’s line up. But we shall see. I hope to
be back up North with everyone again next year, listening to some
brilliant bands in the middle of a field. Hopefully the weather will
be better though, eh?

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