Leeds Festival 2008

Anyone else at Leeds this year? Here is what I thought of what I saw.

Friday
First band we saw today was The Shoes (***) in the dance tent. The main stage was 45 minutes late in starting due to Slipknot pulling out so we sauntered over to listen to some 'bangin' beats'. The two guys mixing the tunes weren't too bad and managed to get us in the right frame of mind for the rest of the day. This frame of mind was dampened however by Mindless Self Indulgence(*) who might be the worst band I have EVER seen. This band are the sound of turning up at Kage on the wrong night and hearing industrial dance blaring down the stairs. The fact that their hip-hop/dance/goth hybrid was hilariously bad was heightened by their singer who looks and dresses like Ben Stiller in Zoolander. Alex, if you are reading this, could you do a special celebrity edition of WGC on these horrid cunts? They really deserve it. I would have left during their set was it not for the fact they were on the main stage and I wanted to get a good spot for Alexisonfire(****) who were really quite impressive. On record the band can be quite hit and miss for me but in a live setting their frantic emo/metal-core/'what ever some fucking know it all in an ATDI t-shirt wants to call it this week' tunes were a superb way to really begin the weekend. After that we headed to the comedy tent to see Andrew Lawrence (****) a superb comedian I would urge everyone here to Google and hear more by. The next artist I saw a full set by that day was Pendulum (***) a band whose latest album I have slated for being as cheesy as a French mans prick to anyone who will listen. Well I had to eat my words a little because in a live setting the new songs actually work quite well. It was rather telling though that the highlight of their set was a remix of the Prodigy's ‘Voodoo People’. Connor Oberst (*****) was next and he delivered a spine tingling set that was witnessed by far fewer than it deserved. He mixed up the set with Bright Eyes tracks and new stuff and was sublime from start to finish. Metallica (*****) finished the day on the main stage and were mind blowing. Perhaps it's because I'm what you’d call a casual Metallica fan and my expectations weren't very high but Metallica owned Friday for me. No songs from St. Anger and only 'Fuel' from the Load/Reload days helped keep the set full of classic metal tunes. Highlights included 'Master of Puppets', 'And Justice For All', 'Kill Em All' and a pyro filled version of 'One'. Hetfield was in a cracking mood and was every bit the perfect frontman. The encore of 'Last Caress', 'So What' and 'Seek and Destroy' sent the crowd home with huge grins on their faces having just bellowed their lungs out.

Saturday
After Metallica's superb performance last night there were very few bands who could have had me excited as I was on Saturday but opening up the NME stage that morning was Future of the Left (*****) a band who have delivered my 'album of the year' (so far anyway). Live they were excellent. The set was full of brilliant banter and better songs. One of the true highlights of the festival. It was over to comedy tent next to see Beans on Toast(***) followed by Henry Rollins(*****). Both performers put in excellent turns but unfortunately for Beans on Toast he simply got the crowd warm before Rollins blew them away with an hour long set the late Bill Hicks would have been proud of. Next up was perhaps the biggest disappointment of my weekend Be Your Own Pet(**). I was really looking forward to this but the band were dull and simply going through the motions, disappointing. Next it was a trip to the punk stage to see Frank Turner(***) followed by Tiger Army(**). Frank put in a solid performance while Tiger Army's rockabilly didn't sound quite right due to them useing an electric bass guitar instead of their usual double bass. It was over the main stage next to see Biffy Clyro(***). Well, I say 'see' but the stage was obscured to everyone other then the first few rows by a slew of saltire's blowing around in the afternoon breeze. Biffy were simply ok. All three members seemed to completely fucked out their skull on something stronger than lager and it effected their performance somewhat, not that you would know it from the rabid crowd reaction they received. After wandering around the site trying to find something to eat I caught a good part of Vampire Weekend(**) on the NME stage. All their songs are a bit samey and quite irritating, but then you already knew that, so just imagine the added bonus of them being played a bit sloppier then you can get an accurate picture of their set. It was over to the main stage after that to get our closing double whammy of Queens of the Stone Age(****) and Rage Against The Machine(****). QOTSA were every bit the festival pros, sticking to the hits and playing them with enthusiasm. Overall they were very impressive the sunset behind them adding extra atmosphere to their pounding rock anthems. RATM closed the festival with a performance so hyperactive it called to mind a child who has just been told Christmas will happen twice this year. RATM aren’t a band that thrives on variety, in fact I have a sneaking suspicion they only have one song. Luckily that one song is a belter and to hear played 13 times in a row wasn't a chore but a joy to behold. The only thing robbing them of a fifth star was that they weren't quite as exciting as Metallica the night before.

Sunday

The closing day of the festival was the one containing the least amount of bands I was excited to see but for the most part it was still worthwhile. Not that the day started well, we ventured over to the punk tent to watch Random Hand(**) who were basically Capdown but not as good and the singer played a trombone as opposed to a sax. Up next were Hi-fi Handgrenades(*) a band who I've heard many good things about but I'm puzzled as to why. They are the dullest, most derivative troupe of punkers I've heard in a good long while. Hi-fi Handgrenades do nothing that has not been done a million times better by other bands but I get the feeling I'll see their patch sewn onto many an idiots studded leather jacket in the next few months, the thought of which makes me die inside a little. Thankfully The Gaslight Anthem(***) came along to kick start the afternoon showing what punk rock can really still be capable of. Uplifting lyrics, anthemic choruses and a desire to leave the crowd on a real high. If you enjoy bands like The Lawrence Arms add an extra star because, while they were very good at what they do, their particular brand of punk rock is something I can only listen to once in a while. We Are Scientists(***) were up next on the main stage and delivered a solid set of indie-pop that while entertaining enough was hardly what you'd call essential. More fun was Seasick Steve(****) over on the NME stage who won the crowd over with a sparkling onstage persona and a brilliant set of blues rock. The Raconteurs(**) were tight but dull, it was during their set I decided it might be a good time to the toilet which tells you all you really need to know. Alkaline Trio(****) surprised everyone but their most die hard fans tonight by being really fucking good. I'd seen the Trio twice prior to this, once in the QMU the best part of a decade ago where they were excellent and in the Barrowlands more recently when they were boring beyond belief. The band I saw tonight seemed like a re-energised youthful group which is quite surprising because the only low points in their set were the three songs from their latest album which has to be the most disappointing exercise in turd polishing I've heard all year. Their classic anthemic punk tunes blew the roof off however, so perhaps there is hope for the future. The last band of the day were the Manic Street Preachers(****) who also surprised me by being fucking excellent. I was a hug Manics fan when I was a teenager, and when they were good, but after ignoring their latest output I was somewhat cagey about letting them finish off my weekend. My trepidation was unfounded though because they delivered a super tight set spanning their whole career but sensibly spending most of their time on the 'Holy Bible' and 'Generation Terrorists' eras. It seemed a shame that time has relegated them to headlining a subsidiary stage. On that note, I saw a little bit of The Killers(N/A) headlining the main stage as I headed to see the Manics. The Las Vegas Smiths impersonators sounded a bit flat and lifeless to be frank and I get the feeling I didn't miss much.