After Mariella and I brought you our comprehensive preview to Leeds Festival on Friday, now we’re taking a look back at the weekend of action. Read on to see which acts lived up to or surpassed their billing.
Thursday
Anteros — Alex
After charming and groovy sets from newcomers Tallsaint and Boy Azooga, we stayed at the Festival Republic Tent for Anteros, a pop quartet who recently made it into our Top Ten New Tracks with their single Call Your Mother. The set started with a bang, as lead singer Laura Hayden bounded onto the stage last, dressed in silver-sparkled jeans that made it clear exactly who would be the star of the show. Throughout the set, she toyed with the audience, and confessed: “I’d love to bring some of you up here, but sadly I’m not allowed to, so I’ll have to come down there with you instead” before diving into the crowd with the innocent energy of a dog welcoming an owner home. This summed up the performance, in fact; the 30 minutes, whilst short, were increasingly endearing, and left us in no doubt as to the potential of this band. After their set, we headed off early for some much needed sleep before a busy first full day.
Friday
Shame — Alex
Our Friday morning consisted of interviews with Tommy O’ Dell, the frontman of Aussie band DMAs, and Sam Fender, both of whom performed later in the day. But the first act we saw were Londoners Shame, who took to the Main Stage at 2:30pm. Such an early slot would have caused most bands to recede into a less present version of themselves, but going anything less than 100 miles per hour isn’t Shame’s modus operandi, and thus, a watered down performance was never on the cards. Despite a crowd that seemed largely unfamiliar with the rowdy austerity-loathing rebels, lead singer Charlie Steen ripped his shirt off and bellowed out the band’s provocative lyrics, much to the amusement of some of the older revellers. Bassist Josh Finnerty was also his usual, animated self, bouncing around the full width of the stage from guitarist to guitarist, even completing a full backward roll whilst continuing to thud out the lines which presumably roused a fair few festival-goers from a lazy sleep.
There was one moment where Steen shed his unapologetic exterior, instructing the audience “Not to take this seriously” and “just enjoy yourselves”, perhaps aiming to warm those who stood still, shell-shocked by the antics of the five young men on stage. This lot are refusing to go anywhere, and will likely continue to carve out their own cult audience for the foreseeable future.
Sam Fender — Alex
Here’s an act that, unlike Shame, will find transitioning into the mainstream undoubtedly easy. Sam is blessed with a beautifully clear voice, and an ear for brilliant melodies, but most importantly, he picks clear messages to convey in his songs, dealing with topics from young male suicide to government surveillance.
Live, these narratives and metaphors take on greater shape, aided by a superb array of backing musicians who add a fresh dynamic, building on what is already showcased in studio recordings. Start Again was lent even greater impetus, and Greasy Spoon’s darker tone was made all the more clear, although Friday Fighting did appear at times unnecessarily jolting, due to the jumping bass part.
For the final number, Leave Fast, Sam was left alone on stage with only his guitarist, and delivered a chilling warning to those dwelling in forgotten towns, repeating the words of a wise man: “Leave fast, or stay forever”. At 22, Sam is certainly heeding that message, as he ascends rapidly from the oversaturated land of indie rock to gradually occupy the same busy city of his songwriting idols.
Scarlxrd — Mariella
Scarlxrd has an interesting history, having began his career in the public eye as fresh-faced teenage YouTuber ‘Mazzi Maz’ only to emerge after an absence from the spotlight as a music artist, performing heavy metal infused trap music. His set could only be described as screaming over a trap beat, but this does not nearly do justice to the energy of his performance and the reaction of the crowd. Whether watching from the edges or from the centre of the pit, there was something invigorating about the rapper’s live show, which we will definitely not forget.
Valeras — Alex
Every time I see this band, they improve in some way. This time around, they’ve added additional percussion and harmony to an already intricate range of songs. Unfortunately, the set-up for the BBC Music Introducing Stage failed to showcase adequately the incredible voice of Rose Yagmur, the band’s front-woman. However, this was still a set that, for a Reading band at Leeds Festival, will have won them many more new fans.
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes — Mariella
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes still drew a huge crowd of people to The Pit despite being announced just 30 minutes before their arrival. The punk rock band held everyone’s attention, with frontman Carter as always completely comfortable and confident on stage. When the band are enjoying themselves, it can’t help but spread to the crowd too, who sang and moshed to every song. During the penultimate number, Carter got the whole crowd to form a huge circle pit — leaving the tent en masse before entering again on the other side — which was slightly chaotic. They ended on the lyrically malevolent song I Hate You which got the best reaction, making for a satisfying end to a brilliant set.
Lil’ Pump — Alex
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more entitled set. Lil’ Pump arrived 20 minutes late and still somehow managed to make a large part of the crowd wish he hadn’t turned up at all.
I’m all for acts encouraging crowds to mosh, or dance, but shouting at them for 5 minutes to “open the f*ck up”, cutting songs off short because the crowd wasn’t pumped enough, and then criticising the “gay-ass venue” for cutting his set off on time (after he’d wasted most of it) will do little to win over anyone.
Unfortunately for Pump, the fact that it was his lip-synced performance that was causing the lack of enthusiasm seemed to be lost on him. He toppled from an enthusiastic full tent down to the dregs of what could have been by signature song Gucci Gang, at the end of which half the mob had left, perhaps indicating that the rapper, despite his impressive billing, will need to do a tad more to convince audiences he is worth their while. Sorely disappointing.
Don Broco — Alex
The last time I saw Don Broco, they were on in the mid-afternoon at a fairly busy NME tent, way back at Reading Festival 2015. Since, they’ve released another epic album, Technology, and risen to fill out the BBC Radio 1 Stage here at Leeds.
Their set was another of the highlights of the weekend, as their brand of digestible heavy music created a raucous frenzy. Finishing with single Come Out To LA, the Bedford boys showed why they are beginning to match their merit as one of the UK’s best live bands.
Lewis Capaldi — Alex
A few songs in, Lewis asked the audience to indulge him in being miserable: “You’ve got the whole of the rest of the weekend to be happy.” On the contrary, despite the morose nature of his ballads, it was impossible not to be warmed by the Scot’s beautiful voice as he swung through one melody to another. Possibly the best voice I heard all weekend, and definitely an artist with huge potential. Perhaps he needs to transcend from the corner of the weathered, heartbroken songwriters that he currently resides in in order to fully realise his potential, though.
After his set, we dropped in to Bhad Babie at the BBC 1xtra Stage, and were impressed to see a decent sized crowd enjoying the 15 year-old’s songs. I’m still not sure how to feel about Danielle Bregoli’s music career, but it was by no means the worst act we saw.
Hinds — Mariella
This all-girl band from Spain are always charming, bouncing onto the stage with smiles all round. But as they began to play, something didn’t seem quite right with the performance. The vocals could barely be heard over the pounding drum beat, which reverberated throughout my whole body — something that only detracts from the relaxed indie rock songs they were playing. When correctly set up to perform, Hinds can be magical but unfortunately today wasn’t their day.
Slaves — Alex
Now here’s an interesting band. Slaves aren’t put off from playing the big arenas by having only two members, but perhaps they should take them on with more caution. Facing the same problems fellow duo Royal Blood had until the last year or so, during the choruses of songs they have nothing to build to, due to the presence of only guitar and drums, which struggle to fill out the cavernous spaces of some venues.
Yet this minimalism is why the pair are so popular, and they show no signs of abandoning this model, despite a change in tone on their recent third LP, Acts of Fear and Love. If you can get to the front of one of their gigs, your money will have been more than well spent.
Tom Grennan — Mariella
With a voice like Tom’s, it is hard to imagine that it wasn’t until his friends heard him sing that he was persuaded to start making music, but we’re certainly glad he did. Considering it has only been two years since he came to our attention as guest vocalist on the Chase and Status song ‘All Goes Wrong’, it was slightly surprising how packed the tent was for his set, even if it was well deserved. His upbeat, soulful music made for a merry crowd and it was excellent to see people of all ages enjoying the set. After seeing him this year, it wouldn’t a shock if he makes the main stage in years to come.
Saturday
Gengahr — Alex
Playing an oddly placed and relatively early 12:30pm BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage slot, it was perhaps no surprise when Gengahr faced a sparse crowd. In the context, their short set was as superb as ever, although it left a few bucket hat-clad audience members very confused.
Bring Me The Horizon — Alex
Another ‘secret’ set, but this one was hinted at fairly transparently, with the not so innocuously named ‘Invitation to Salvation’ (the slogan for the promotion of their new single Mantra) appearing last minute on the schedule for Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds. Thus when the Sheffield sextet took to the BBC Radio 1 Stage, the tent was already brimming. Opening up with the aforementioned release, out this week, they followed that with huge performances of six of their biggest tracks. Arctic Monkeys’ former classmates are fast becoming stalwarts of Reading and Leeds, and it is now hard to imagine a weekend at Bramham Park or Little John’s Farm without them.
Maggie Rogers — Mariella
In contrast to Tom Grennan, it was surprising and disappointing to see Rogers with such a small crowd. This was exaggerated by being placed on the BBC Radio 1 Stage, which had a huge tent, but this did not deter the singer of hit Alaska from putting on her usual energetic performance. It became clear that although the crowd was small, it was an audience of attentive fans, who sang along and danced with as much gusto as Rogers herself. With each live performance, it’s hard not to fall a little more in love with her and her music.
Bad Sounds — Alex
This band seem to have come from nowhere over the last year to become one of the hottest forces in UK music. Releasing banger after Banger, they have recently assembled the best on their debut LP, Get Better, so I was anxious to see how their live performance would hold up.
I needn’t have worried. Brothers Callum and Ewan Merrett leapt on to the stage and with the energy of a million suns burst through their most ethereal tracks. For a band that have only been together for a short while, these guys are incredibly tight and also have a phenomenally assured stage presence.
Nothing But Thieves — Alex
When I stood for Head of Music at URY 9 months ago, the candidates were asked what our favourite song from 2017 was. I answered “Particles, by Nothing But Thieves”, so it seems fitting that I would close out the academic year by watching this act, who were also the first band I reviewed. It proved too tough to match the emotional highs of that more intimate November night, as the set was marred by Conor Mason’s vocal mic varying hugely in dynamic range, leading to his beautifully soft verses occasionally being drowned by the band’s emphatic guitars. Yet this was still one of the best performances of the weekend, with spectacular renditions of some of the band’s best songs. It even including the premier of a new one, as the band played Forever & Ever More for the first time at Reading and Leeds, with Mason introducing the vibe to the audience: “new tracks are awkward for us and awkward for you… for this one, you can dance at the start, and mosh a bit at the end.” Pits certainly did ensue, as the band look toward a third album that, if it matches the first two, will push them even further up the bill of festivals like these.
Wolf Alice — Alex
This year’s Reading Festival saw a surprise proposal on stage at Wolf Alice’s set, and whilst their Leeds performance didn’t have a charmingly romantic moment to match, it did see a set that’d have most revellers in love with the band forever.
The band adopted a new look, dressed in suits that added a new layer of showbiz to their image. Consistency was found in their music, as they blasted through bestselling albums My Love Is Cool and Visions of a Life, finishing with the bruising Giant Peach. The four-piece are capable of headlining the Main Stage right now, but will have to wait until their place in the upper echelons of British rock is secured before that becomes a possibility.
Annie Mac — Mariella
When someone is so good at what they do, they can make anything complex seem effortless, and that is the level of expertise that Annie Mac has shown for a long while. Having been doing live mixes for 12 years, Mac is no stranger to the stage, but if you were wondering whether her mixes may have become less inspired and original over the years, then worry no more. It is hard to imagine any other DJ being able to mix such varied songs together and create such a seamless set. The fact that it ended on a slower song, making for a slight anti-climax, was the only downside to an otherwise excellent hour.
Sunday
Skindred — Alex
When lead singer Benji Webbe emerged to Darth Vader’s theme, it was already obvious that this would be another instant classic of a live set from the ‘Newport destroyers’. The rainstorm overhead was a non-excuse to the reggae metal group’s hardy fans, but it did nicely foreshadow the thunder that was to come. There was also a pleasant surprise, as Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach made a guest appearance, and he and Benji soon got everyone swinging their raincoats above their heads to create one of the most enduring images of the weekend.
Dua Lipa — Mariella
One of the biggest new stars to come out in the last two years is Dua Lipa, catching our attention in 2017 with hit single New Rules. As the first female artist with a number one single in the UK since 2015, plus empowering lyrics to boot, she couldn’t have been more popular. With a string of other hits such as IDGAF and One Kiss, Dua has already climbed to dizzying heights in the charts — but the same can’t be said for her live performance. With questionable vocals and uninspired dance moves, the success of the set was carried by the popularity of her songs. It seems this young star may have found her feet with her music but is yet to find the same confidence on stage.
Mike Shinoda — Alex
Without a doubt the most emotional set of the weekend was Mike Shinoda’s on the Main Stage. Harking back to his days as part of Linkin Park, the rapper performed a mixture of old and new material. He paid the perfect tribute to Chester Bennington with performances of Castle of Glass, In The End and Papercut, before returning later in the day to join Sum 41 on stage for a rendition of Faint. His solo work was also impressive, and indicates a bright future for his career.
Brockhampton — Mariella
Nothing can prepare you for the moment when you get to see your favourite band live for the first time. Having been waiting in anticipation for the group’s performance for three days, when the moment came, they lived up to all expectations. One of the best things about the band is their variety, with songs on the setlist including Summer, a heartfelt solo from band-member Bearface, whilst the finale was the insane Boogie — which is exactly what the crowd did. Losing member Ameer Vann earlier this year did not stop Brockhampton from putting on an unforgettable performance. Hearing others say, “that was amazing” and “that was the best one yet” on the way out of the tent, it seems many other people felt the same way.
Post Malone — Mariella
He may have been dubbed a “culture vulture” by some, but there is no denying that Post Malone has been growing rapidly in popularity. The fact that the rapper managed to draw a headline sized crowd for a 4pm timeslot really says it all and is an impressive feat for such a new artist. This was the only impressive thing about his set, however, with seemingly very little of his live performance actually being “live”. However, before ‘Posty’ entered the arena, shots of the crowd displayed a sea of phones waiting to record — so maybe those there didn’t notice?
Panic! At The Disco — Alex
Brendon Urie hasn’t had it easy. Overcoming bullying was the first hurdle, and now making his debut performance at Reading and Leeds without his band’s old line-up is the latest. The Utah singer couldn’t have been more natural though, breezing through track to track. It was admittedly slightly bizarre seeing him as the sole focus on stage, but he made a Bohemian Rhapsody cover seem effortless, as he displayed his jaw-dropping four octave range. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for the 31 year-old.
Kendrick Lamar — Alex
K-Dot, The New King of The West Coast, Rapper of the Year. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth has had many monikers over his decade long career, most of them deserved, but it was a bonkers montage depicting him as Kung Fu master King Kenny that he walked out to on Sunday night. Still, as he did 3 years before, he proved the haters wrong with a display that featured hits from the days of good kid, m.A.A.d city to his latest epic, DAMN.
There was one sad moment when the Compton star asked the crowd if there were any day one fans in attendance, and received a surprisingly honest, muted response. That only speaks wonders for his continued evolution, though, as he has managed to bring in a new generation of fans in the same way he fascinated hip-hop heads in the first half of the decade. Accordingly, most of the material was more recent, including respective Travis Scott and ScHoolboy Q collaborations Goosebumps and Collard Greens played from tape for Kendrick to cast out his iconic verses. Personally, I’d love to see him back for a third appearance at Reading and Leeds in future.
On the whole, Reading and Leeds was as complete a Festival weekend as ever, despite the controversy over headliners. We still have 8 interviews to come over the next week or so, with acts ranging from Kate Nash to Sunflower Bean, so keep an eye on our Twitter at the link below for those!
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