I headed into Wetherby on the minibus with adrenaline dribbling out of my ears. I had to be giddy; you can't head into these things with a level head. If I did that, things would hit me too hard. The plentiful mud, constant fires, smell of marijuana round every corner... nothing would be conventional or necessarily safe. But this didn't trouble me. This excited me.
I'm tedious. I can be boring. I can very easily be incredibly annoying. But believe it or not, I like nothing more than a release; a few days of lounging, mucking about so to speak... not a care in the world. Leeds Festival is my opportunity to do so, as well as appreciate some banging tunes along the way. The tent was sorted, food, drink (lots of drink) and clothes were in abundance. The weekend was ready to flourish and go runaway.
I arrived in Bramham Park at around 10am. The air was clean, the grass green, and the people were energetic and cheery. The official wristband was tightly attached to my forearm, and I relished the lovely new design. After a quick scanning of the landscape, I took in what would probably be my last, long, clean breath for 4 days, and picked up my bags. It was roughly a mile and a half to the campsite where I was staying; not usually a massive trek but considering my bags had a combined weight of about 15 kilograms, it seemed longer. Eventually, I reached my destination and settled down with a can of Boddingtons. The tent was already set up (thanks to Bryony for that) and all was well. But you're not interested in this... it's the music you want to hear about. Well, that's coming now.
The next morning, I only needed a glance at the programme to select who I wanted to see first. The Cribs, Dizzee Rascal and Arcade Fire had no competition. I would be in the audience for all of them. Of course, these wouldn't be my only viewings... I was taken to The Futureheads first. A quarter to one kick off was the perfect time. Just enough sleep, just enough time to get fed, and just the right time to catch a few rays, man. The Sunderland band were impressive, I hadn't listened to them at all (intentionally) before the festival, but I recognised a few tunes. They were energetic and interactive, all you could really ask for from a band way off headlining.
Then we got hungry. We missed Mystery Jets and The Gaslight Anthem, apparently not missing much. We were determined to return in time for The Maccabees; my second favourite discovery at last year's festival (The Living End being the best). We watched Modest Mouse first in order to get a good place, and were entertained by their inventive utilisation of classical instruments, such as a Cello, a real rarity (that made The Living End so special last year with their Double Bass). The Maccabees came on straight afterwards and played their set, meeting all expectations, not exceeding by any means. The crowd were giving it all; they were loving it, jumping around, screaming... it was a fun riot already.
We exploited gaps made by raving fans to move closer to the front, and by the time The Cribs took to the stage, I was less than three feet from the front barrier. Johnny Marr walked on, with his head down, raising a small smile to the crowd as he threw his guitar strap around his neck. The lead singer of the band announced who they were and how much they were loving their time at the festival, but the crowd's eyes stayed fixed firmly on Marr. I, a die-hard Morrissey fan, felt out of place. I was worried I would be sniffed out and bludgeoned to death by twenty-somethings in sombreros and hot pants. Luckily, I survived the performance and was impressed. They encouraged the crowd to dance and sing along, even though they were already doing so, which made it seem a little scripted, however at least they were doing something.
By the time they finished, I was more or less at the front of the crowd. I squeezed myself in between a cockney and hipster to reach the barrier. I now had a full view; no blockages (for vision or sound), no pushing from all directions (just from the back and sides now!) and most importantly, no chance of being dragged into some lacklustre mosh pit started by ex-public school children who see the filthy festival toilets as the worst sight since their poor pony Tiddums died of tuberculosis when Daddy forgot to close the stable doors and the badgers got in... anyway.
Dizzee Rascal walked on to huge applause. They were all cheering for him; the new godfather of British hip-hop. I was interested in another man who walked on with him. The godfather of the Electric Guitar. My jaw dropped in shock and I started jumping around like a schoolgirl: "IT'S GUTHRIE GOVAN!" I repeated at the top of my voice. Once the cheers for the rapper died down, a chap behind me bellowed "who?", as you do. I explained excitedly he was the greatest guitarist of all time. The aforementioned chap didn't believe me, nodding his head and saying "right" with a smirk on his face. He can be forgiven; Guns N' Roses were performing two days later, he may well have been a massive fan of Slash, but judging by his fluorescent blue Henri Lloyd shirt, I had my doubts about him too. Dizzee started with his trademark track, 'Jus' A Rascal', followed by 'Fix Up, Look Sharp'. The crowd were really getting into it now. More importantly, Guthrie showed his stuff. A solo in the middle of 'Fix Up', lasting about thirty seconds, triggered the fellow mentioned earlier to tap me on the shoulder and say in disbelief, "you're right." The set finished with an encore (rare for a band not headlining) of 'Bonkers'. That bass is horrendous when you're that close to the speakers... the security at the front looked like they were being electrocuted.
Being at the front for so long took its toll: I was hit by a full can of Relentless on the shoulder blade, and decided it was in my best interests to evacuate, so I was pulled out by security, which was fun. As I knew The Libertines were on next, and I was slightly drunk, I shouted "Pete Doherty's a cunt" to the crowd while walking across the front row before scarpering to the first aid tent for a soothing (and free) ice pack. One £4.50 burger later, I headed to the tent for more beer. It was a short stay, as me and my portly companion Alex voyaged back to the arena for Arcade Fire. I had been teasing him earlier that the only song of theirs I had listened to was 'Haiti', and if that they didn't play it I'd sulk for the rest of the festival. Luckily they did (and I've actually listened to all of their songs bar their new album), and it was amazing. A lights show accompanied their energetic performance and their use of around 20 different instruments wowed everyone. The crowd was much calmer, but the love of the music was still there. Because there were not too many similar bands to Arcade Fire in the line up, fans of theirs did not choose to buy a ticket just to see them, so the crowd was smaller than that of even Dizzee Rascal (I have been told), but everyone there sang along to ensure a full, warm atmosphere. They performed an encore of 'Wake Up' before bowing out, sweaty and exhausted from a long day's work. I did the same.
The next day was a little harder to decide the agenda for. The Dance Stage was very alluring. Sub Focus, Rusko and Roots Manuva brought up fond feelings, but so did Kele, We Are Scientists and The Klaxons in the NME Tent. Each trio were performing within a few bands of each other on their respective stages, so in order to get a good place, I had to choose one or the other. After some thinking juice (beer) I decided the NME would provide a more memorable day. I started late, chilling in the tent until half 4, when we headed to Kele (lead singer of Bloc Party). I had my doubts about him. The image he put out when releasing his album was pretentious; it seemed more distant than how he appeared when with Bloc Party, so I felt he would not be engaging with the crowd, possibly ignorant and evasive. However, instead he was the opposite. He welcomed the crowd, expressed his love for them and was casually dressed: shorts, a Public Enemy tee shirt and baseball cap. However, his musical performance was awful in the first half. His voice was flat and dull. It was only after he performed 'The Prayer' his voice started to pick up, just in time for him to wonderfully sing his biggest hit 'Tenderoni', however he struggled on the high notes, which made me fairly confident he used autotune on the single.
I needed more beer so went back to the tent, missing Foals and Band of Horses, neither of whom I was remotely interested in. When I returned for We Are Scientists (after catching a quick glimpse of Angelos Epithemiou), the tent was clearing as the morons headed to Paramore and Blink 182 on the main stage. I managed to get a decent spot, leaning back against the second barrier in maximum comfort... nice. They opened with 'Ghouls', to a massive cheer. The two engaged in humorous banter throughout the set and thoroughly entertained the crowd: there were no disappointed faces as they left and they rightfully looked pleased when leaving the stage.
The Klaxons were next. They came on, wearing what can only be described as glorified curtains; not greeting the crowd, they went straight into a song. Their lead singer seemed to stare over the audience throughout their entire set, which they caught on to. There was nowhere near as much energy as was in the We Are Scientists gig, with 'Golden Skans' unsurprisingly receiving the largest cheer. I was so disappointed with them I left two songs before they finished, beating the crowd.
The final day beckoned. For me, it was the peak. Guns N' Roses on the main stage at Leeds Festival. I can safely say I had no interest whatsoever in watching them; my excitement was reserved completely for LCD Soundsystem, once again in the NME tent.
Once again however, my day only began around one o'clock. A contributing factor to all the late starts was no doubt the DJ stage a hundred yards away from my tent, which played non stop rave, dance and pop music (from as early back as 1980 with Funkytown by Lipps Inc.) until six in the morning, every morning, without fail. However, when it was bearable, it was enjoyable. A thirty second walk to an energetic party you can enter and leave at will was perfect, even if it did take two Red Bulls a night to stay awake.
At about five o'clock I headed to the NME tent. Delphic were performing. The stage was set up emphatically: there were 3 huge mirrored domes with powerful lights in the middle, alternating in sync with the music. It was impressive visually, but sounded a little flat. This was probably the fault of the speakers or the acoustics of the tent, but their set only sounded as it should very near to the front. They engaged with the audience well and seemed to be enjoying themselves, however most of the crowd were waiting for the next act, Mumford & Sons.
It was a large change, going from the fairly fast, synthetic sounds of Delphic to the acoustic wailings of Mumford & Sons, so the crowd who came to watch both bands took a while to settle into the folk band's set, however those who had turned up as soon as Delphic left got straight into it. After half an hour, everyone was on their feet, singing along, bar a few. The frontman seemed awestruck at how many people were watching, even expressing his gratefulness, which was nice. Much like Arcade Fire, all the band members are skilled instrumentalists and provide a good chorus, although there were sound problems during the first song with regards to the EQ of the microphones, but that was quickly sorted out. Overall, my opinion of them was improved.
As soon as they finished, there was a mass exodus. This saddened me; although I said I liked Mumford & Sons' performance, anyone with two ears can tell Phoenix are a far better, more accomplished band, and the size of the audience for them was only about 75% of the former. A bloke next to me told me the amount of people leaving was "a disgrace"... I agreed. Luckily I saw the bright side and seized an empty space on the barrier to lean on, once again in maximum comfort.
Phoenix took a while to set up. Spotlights were calibrated, equipment was placed perfectly, and the stage lights were tested. I could tell we were in for something special. As the band entered, the crowd (however small it was) made a huge amount of noise. These people were the true believers, connoisseurs of music, and I joined in with them. Phoenix are the cream of the crop, and by no means did they disappoint. Their frontman was energetic and interactive, throwing himself into the crowd three times, as well as other band members giving their all. Not only was the music spot on and euphoric, but the light show that accompanied it was amazing. Perfectly in sync with the music and at times psychedelic, it emphasised the showmanship of this band who have already proven themselves to be some of the best songwriters (and performers) in the world with their album 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix', the cover of which hung as their backdrop. That performance was by far my favourite of the festival.
LCD Soundsystem were set up much more simply. This band have never really been about aesthetics; the music they make is good enough. I heard someone describe them as 'disco-punk' a few years ago, had a listen at home, and I've been in love ever since. 'Sound of Silver' is one of my top 25 albums, which is a very hard group to get into, so well done LCD. Because of all this my expectations were high: I had a setlist in my head I wanted them to perform, how the live versions should differ from the album ones and I was even beginning to think what James Murphy should be wearing. The band entered first, kicking off a tune, before James himself walked on to immediately get into the lyrics of 'All My Friends'. He was using an old, 50's style microphone. It gave his voice an interesting, fuller sound: the sort you'd hear on old vinyl records, which went really well with the tracks where he was the sole singer, however on 'Get Innocuous' it started to sound off. The live rendition of 'Daft Punk is Playing at My House' was unusual, sounding nothing like the album version. Instead it was much more jazzy, reminding me of 'Train In Vain (Stand By Me)' by The Clash. As it was the last gig of the festival for everyone there, the crowd gave it their all and James appreciated that, acknowledging their energy and thanking them for showing so much support despite being "so cold and tired after three days". When they exited, the crowd was still pumped with adrenaline, and demanded more. Little did any of us know, LCD Soundsystem did not have an encore planned. This was a real disappointment. Never has a headliner at any stage failed to give an encore during my tenure at Leeds Festival, so for one of my most heavily anticipated acts to leave the entire crowd hanging was a let down and a half.
However, I headed back to the camp satisfied. It was Leeds 2010 over, and I was more than ready to go home. We defaced the tent and started numerous fires, consumed as much alcohol as possible and had yet another lark about.
The weekend had closed, and everyone was happy. In between the mud, £5 plates of chips, constant shouts of "butt scratcher", "Alan", and at times just screaming crowds, there was a real, full festival. Few (if any) bands truly disappointed. You can't ask for too much consistency no matter what you pay or who is on (especially if it's Guns N' Roses), but everyone got their £180's worth.
More than Glasto, Leeds has a charm; it's all about the music. It's not about the record labels or the egos of the musicians: you can weave between stages at will and you're never tied down. You're not forced to watch the most well know band because nine times out of ten there'll be a welcome alternative somewhere else in the festival. With Leeds, you can sit down, open your beer, chill, and take in the tunes you want, but you are reminded that it is the music you're here for. And for that reason, Leeds 2010 was excellent, and you'll see me there next year.
Peter Richards
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Individual performance reviews:
The Futureheads: 6/10
Modest Mouse: 7/10
The Maccabees: 7/10
The Cribs: 8/10
Dizzee Rascal: 9/10
Arcade Fire: 8/10
Kele: 5/10
We Are Scientists:9/10
The Klaxons: 4/10
Delphic: 6/10
Mumford & Sons: 7/10
Phoenix: 10/10
LCD Soundsystem:8/10
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