musicismoonlight

L E E D S  F E S T I V A L


Now I've more or less got over the main bulk of my post-festival blues I feel like it's time to share my Leeds Fest experience!
After the first announcement was made for Leeds 2014, I bagged myself tickets. There have been many mixed emotions about the lineup this year; however, personally, most of my boxes were ticked! Overall, Leeds Fest was a brilliant, new experience with some amazing people, I loved it!

(This post will include my reviews on live acts and my general thoughts on the festival itself)

WEDNESDAY: My friends and I got the early-bird ticket, which meant that we showed up on the Wednesday to set up as apposed to the Thursday!
During this day there wasn't much to really do, except make friends, drink £1 soup from the Oxfam Tent, buy a fur coat, explore and then venture to the Relentless Stage & Piccadilly Party. Both of which were so fun and crazy- I definitely recommend camping in Orange or Red if you want to spend your nights partying here! (But, be warned, if you want to sleep then don't! Unless you find 'Leeds, u wot u wot' ,being chanted, soothing)

THURSDAY: This was the day when most people were showing up, thus there was a bit more to do! To start with THE MIDNIGHT BEAST opened Leeds Fest 2014 with a great live show! I'd seen them before in a much smaller venue, so to see them pack the Alt Tent was crazy! The live performance was good, they had everyone dancing and the performance was pretty lively. They really set the tone for the rest of the weekend!
We then spend our night flitting between the Relentless Stage and the Silent Disco, which was possibly my favourite night time activity.
A Silent Disco is a really weird concept to get your head around, but it was so much fun. A tent packed with people all listening to different songs through headphones, but still managing to somehow be in-synch was brilliant. 

FRIDAY: This was the day I was highly anticipating and it was possibly my favourite day at Leeds!
I kicked the day off by seeing my darlings THE NEIGHBOURHOOD an immaculate live performance at the NME Stage! My only concern was that I believe they could've done with a later time slot, as they are somewhat dark and at 1pm, some people weren't ready/too hungover to appreciate slower songs. However, Jesse worked hard to mould the crowd and work with the hungover lot. Top crowd pleasers were Sweater Weather and Let It Go.
Next up I ended up queuing for an hour and a half to meet my favourites, The 1975! They were lovely lads, as always. Highlights of that experience was getting to have a proper chat with Ross, Hann complimenting my girl Emily's portraits, Matty remembering me (Alright Eleanor babe? How's it going, darling?) and getting a signed hipsflask in the end!
As I was meeting them THE KOOKS began their set! We ran to catch the end of The Kooks, who were just breaking into She Moves in Her Own Way. Seeing The Kooks live, finally, was not a disappointment. They were simply amazing and I was so happy to be a part of the crowd!

After The Kooks, it was time for Rum and Coke! As we were off (spending £22 on 3 R&Cs!) we caught the beginning of MACKLEMORE AND RYAN LEWIS' set on the main stage. They opened with Thrift Shop, which got the crowd going. However, the vocals seemed to be lost under the heavy bass and some of the notes weren't quite reached...
After Macklemore, it was time to see THE 1975 for real. Crammed into the middle of the bustling NME tent, Matty Healy danced onto stage, armed with his wine bottle and obligatory stage presence. From the first note of The City, to the last note in Sex the crowd buzzed. It was a brilliant live performance and it surprised me how many members of the audience knew every word to every song. It really shows that this band have had a huge influence, which is only continuing to spread. I can see them at the main stage in years to come!
Next up were the ridiculously cool twosome, DISCLOSURE! On atmosphere alone, Disclosure were the best act of Leeds Fest 2014. I've never been more exhausted upon leaving a tent than I was during this act, due to the amount of dancing. 'You're the best audience we've had all year Leeds!' 'When A Fire Starts To Burn' was the most impressive song I heard the two guys perform, I was in awe at their ability.

SATURDAY:  We had a disaster, involving 2nd degree burns, at our camp on Saturday morning, so sadly, I didn't get around to seeing any bands till tea time!
My first band of the day was CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN. Ladies and Gentlemen, my favourite act of the entire festival! It's not often that you stand in a crows and think, 'I'm at a gig that is going to one day go down in history' or 'One day I can say, I saw *said band* live in a tent as big as your garden, and now they're playing stadiums'. That day was an exception.
The setlist was perfect for the festival and to say that they were on the BBC Introducing Stage last year and they packed the Festival Republic Stage this year goes to show how successful they've become over only a year. The band of seven years worked the crowd so well. I even got to hear my all time favourite song, Tyrants, from my best friends shoulder and nab an exclusive CaTB beachball (Cheers, Larry!) Van McCann looked like a vision, all in black, on stage and Benji Blakeway's bass skills were extraordinary! A highlight, for me, was Van bursting into 'Iiiif you want my boody and youu think I'm seeexxy' before going into their hit single, Kathleen. I've said it once before, and I'll say it again. Catfish and The Bottlemen are going to one day be as big as The Stone Roses.

After that, now with a dreadful henna tattoo on my arm and a half defalted Catfish and The Bottlemen beachball (LITERALLY) under my belt, I was in the Festival Republic stage for the quirky KING CHARLES! Their up-beat songs really lifted the crowd and it was great to see them in their element! I especially enjoyed Lovelust.
Running through the rain, we made it to SBTRKT! Hmmm, I was really looking forward to seeing these guys, as they're my best friend's favourite band, but dare I say they were...disappointing? There we go. A lot of the crowd left in sporadic bursts as the set failed to ever pick up. There was nothing particularly awful about the set, I just think it was at the wrong time of day. They were definitely a band who'd have thrived at around 10pm.
From SBTRKT we ran through the heavy rain to make it to QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. It was there, at the main stage, that I saw not only one of the biggest rock bands in the world, but also the most astonishing drum solos of my life. Hats off to Jon Theodore!
With time to get a drink and some over-priced noodles we mooched over to see THE COURTEENERS at the NME Tent. These guys could've easily done the main stage this year, I was in absolute awe. I showed up pretty late (blame portaloo ques) but after being back in the crowd for one minute, you could feel the spark. The crowd was electric and Liam's vocals never faulted. He had everyone in the crowd in the palm of his hand, including me. It was especially spectacular when they began Not Nineteen Forever with Tomorrow // James. I was close to tears, it went off in that tent! 


SUNDAY: On this day we had more friends coming up to see Arctic Monkeys, so I got a chance to show them around and look more at the attractions of Leeds Fest than just see bands...although this result in me missing Bombay Bicycle Club (who apparently absolutely smashed it!)
The band's name that was on everyone's lips for the entire weekend. ROYAL BLOOD. I cannot even explain how big the gathering was for this band. Fans spread out of the tent all the way around the rides, and then to the BBC Introducing Stage. They were crazy. It was weird seeing a band with two members, but the stage didn't really seem empty. The atmosphere they created together filled it. As expected, Out of The Black and Little Monster were exceptional.
I was so so so excited to PEACE and these boys didn't let me down. From the slow Float Forever and the funky World Pleasure I was so happy to be a part of this performance. Clad in vintage fur coats, the band were just as flawless live as they are on any studio recording. So any rumours of Harrison's live vocals being poor, I can completely obliterate now! I'll 100% be buying tickets for their upcoming tour with Bombay!

THE HIVES...The Hives? The Hives...Okay. So maybe it was a bad day, but I personally found that The Hives were lacking. It was evident that they were putting effort into their music, but something wasn't quite right and they were booed quite a lot. It was crushing to see the band lose their audience at the main stage, but you could see that they were enthusiastic. I believe that they would've been much more comfortable with a smaller tent as they really had the wrong audience.
FOSTER THE PEOPLE were up next on the main stage. Their set seemed really short, but I enjoyed every minute of it. They've always been a favourite of mine and every song was performed just as perfectly as the last.
Now it's time for me to confess...before Leeds I only knew one song by this band. You know, when the world went crazy for Radioactive? They aren't the type of band I'd usually listen to, I'll tell you though, IMAGINE DRAGONS are really good live! The atmosphere in the crowd was exceptional, especially during their cover of Blur's Song 2! I even went home and looked up more of their stuff.
Back at the NME Tent,CHVRCHES began their exceptional set. When listening to their studio recordings I was skeptical of whether or not, vocally, they'd be able to perform the same, live. However, Lauren Mayberry's voice actually gave me shivers. Being on my friend's shoulders for Mother We Share was like a dream, Chvrches made it really easy to feel involved in the music.
At about 9pm most other tents/stages were bare, due to the fact ARCTIC MONKEYS were at the main stage. I was so excited for their set and I was not dissapointed. They opened, as usual, to Do I

Wanna Know? However, I was absolutely delighted to hear two of my favourite AM tunes; My Propeller and 505 live! It is rare they bring out their older songs, due to the constant change in sound. Turner also had the crowd dancing manically and jumping around as he closed R U Mine 3 times before leaving the stage. It must also be said that the constant mentions of Sheffield had the Yorkshire audience ecstatic! Arctic Monkeys were a brilliant way for me to cap off the live performances at Leeds 2014!