On Sunday 28th August we took a visit to this year’s Leeds Festival and boy, was it a scorcher! Here’s a rundown of all the acts we got to see on this historic day in the storied history of this brilliant event.
The Sherlocks – The South Yorkshire natives kicked off proceedings on the Main Stage and delivered a cracking setlist that included some of their catchiest indie jams. Although their set was fairly short and sweet, they did not fail to deliver an impressive performance that featured some of their most-loved tunes: ‘Falling’, ‘Will You Be There?’, ‘Magic Man’, ‘Live For The Moment’, ‘NYC (Sing It Loud)’ and ‘Chasing Shadows.’ It’s always a pleasure to watch the guys on stage, and you can trust that they’ll draw in a huge crowd every time. Seeing four ‘regular’ lads achieve so much in the music world, it gives motivation and hope to younger, aspiring artists by giving them something obtainable to look up to and aim towards. The mood was set for the day; sunshine, dancing and a whole lot of happiness. The Sherlocks smashed it and we were chuffin’ proud of ‘em!
Our favourite track: Will You Be There?
Static Dress - Next, we headed over to the Festival Republic Stage to catch these alternative rockers. This was our first time seeing them and it will not be forgotten in a hurry. Their sound and energy were incredible and, considering that their set was pretty early in the day and in one of the smaller tents, the crowd packed in and mosh pits began on the very first song! Lead vocalist Olli Appleyard basked in the tents’ atmosphere, and we couldn’t take our eyes off of him (and his glorious red hair). The guys stormed through a powerful setlist that included: ‘disposable care’, ‘Safeword’, ‘sober exit(s)’, ‘Di-sin-Ter’, ‘Push Rope’, ‘Sweet.’ and ‘Clean.’. Although the band only formed back in 2018, it’s evident that they already have a hefty following as the crowd sang (or more like screamed) along to every tune, offering a completely unique and intense atmosphere.
Our favourite track: Push Rope
The Lathums - After leaving the Festival Republic tent, we walked back over to Main Stage East to see these rising Mancunian stars. As the growing crowd waited before the stage, The Housemartins’ hit ‘Caravan of Love’ started playing, and of course, everyone sang along to this – kudos to them for choosing a hell of a tune to walk on to! Frontman Alex Moore looked quite the gentleman in his blinding, white two-piece suit (now that folks, is how you dress to play the Main Stage at Leeds Festival). The boys kicked off their slot with ‘I See Your Ghost’ followed by ‘Fight On’ – a personal favourite of ours. Having only formed back in 2018, The Lathums have already achieved a lot, and we’re confident that the lads are well on their way to the very top. Songs such as: ‘The Great Escape’, ‘Foolish Parley’ and ‘Artificial Screens’ also made it into the setlist, and from start to finish, the boys proved that they were born to be on that stage. We can’t wait to hear and see more from them in the future.
Our favourite track: Fight On
Poppy - We had an inkling that we’d be in for somewhat of a wacky time with this American Singer and Youtuber’s variety of genres ranging from Pop, Nu Metal, Electronic and more, and we couldn’t have been more right. She certainly had our attention locked with a very entertaining and unique set and, although it might not have been everyone’s cup of tea, she did bring in a very loyal and engaged crowd to the set. With tracks such as: ‘Concrete’, ‘BLOODMONEY’, ‘Bite Your Teeth’ and ‘I Disagree’, she certainly gave us a plethora of musical madness. Festivals are all about discovering artists and getting to experience music that you wouldn’t necessarily go and see anywhere else, and R&L always delivers a diverse line-up.
Our favourite track: BLOODMONEY
Allisic – Next, we headed over to the BBC Introducing Stage to catch the Brazilian stunner, Allisic. This year, the Intro stage was placed in the centre of everything, which we loved! It’s pretty common for the smaller stages to be tucked away, making them easy to miss but the position of the stage this year gave each of the upcoming, lesser-known artists, a chance to perform on a stage that was situated right within the chaos of the arena. As a result, the artists were drawing in bigger crowds and getting the recognition that they deserve. Allisic (also known as Alissa Salls), has recently made her musical debut and is widely known for her marriage with Bring Me The Horizon’s frontman, Oli Sykes. Despite this, she is smashing it with her solo music career and has already released some very cool material. ‘Superstitious’, ‘Everybody’s Dead Inside’ and ‘Piano’ were played amongst others within her vibey and intriguing set and we’re super excited to hear more material from her.
Our favourite track: Everybody’s Dead Inside
Enter Shikari - Back to Main Stage West for the kings of heavy electronic rock. Frontman Rou Reynolds always captivates the audience with his unmatched energy and presence. The band promotes kindness to one another, to love, and to dance like nobody’s watching - some of the most important rules to go by in our opinion! Shikari kicked things off with a stunning fanfare introduction of their song ‘Live Outside’ which slowly led into ‘THE GREAT UNKNOWN’, complete with confetti cannons. They included some of their most iconic songs: ‘Anaesthetist’, ‘Arguing With Thermometers’ and ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’, it wasn’t one for the faint hearted!
The Shikari lads dedicated their song ‘Satellites**’ to the LGBTQ+ community and as Rou sang the meaningful lyrics out into the crowd, the message was loud and clear. It showed compassion and empathy to the people that feel afraid to love who they want to love due to the fear of the darker side of society and their cruel judgements. I urge you to listen to this awe-inspiring piece of music and take in the lyrics, it speaks to many that struggle with these issues daily, making this song one of the most beautiful things that they have released to date. British duo, Wargasm made a surprise guest appearance as they took to the stage for ‘The Void Stares Back’, a new release in which Shikari and Wargasm collaborated together. The mosh pits were endless throughout the set, if you want to dance your arse off to the most chaotic beats in the music game, get yourself down to one of Enter Shikari’s shows – take it from us, you won’t regret it.
Our favourite track: Satellites**
Wolf Alice - Following this we were blessed with a mesmerizing set from one of the best bands around. Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell (arguably the coolest woman in music) serenaded the Main Stage crowd with many of the bands’ other-worldly tracks like ‘Smile’, ‘Formidable Cool’, ‘Delicious Things’, ‘Giant Peach’ and ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’. With a concoction of older classics and newer releases, the foursome had the audiences’ hearts from beginning to end. Wolf Alice have always been a favourite of mine and their music will continue to mean the world to me for a very long time.
A highlight of this set was singing along to ‘Bros’ with my best friend; this is one of our favourite songs and this was the first time that we’d heard it live together – definitely a memory to be cherished. I would confidently call Wolf Alice the pinnacle of what a festival band should be, with their assortment of calming songs like ‘The Last Man on Earth’ to their punchier sounds, like ‘Play The Greatest Hits’. They are the definition of effortless beauty and we’ll never say no to seeing them live.
Our favourite track: Delicious Things
Bring Me The Horizon - It was time for the best alternative rock band in not only Sheffield, but arguably, the world. ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ was first up on the setlist and immediately, the crowd went insane. The on-screen visuals were by far one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. As always, the band introduce themselves as “Bring Me The Horizon from Sheffield”. The lads had an astounding list of tracks, including: ‘Happy Song’, ‘Mantra’, ‘Dear Diary’, ‘Shadow Moses’, ‘Drown’, ‘Throne’, ‘Parasite Eve’ and more! With songs that were released way back in 2013 along with their more recent material, the crowd sang along to every single tune, as if each lyric was imprinted into their minds.
Bring Me have dabbled with a cocktail of different sounds over the years, which can often pose a bit of a risk, but this has never stopped them. They continue to push boundaries and expand their creative flare by constantly releasing new material. Doncaster-born special guest, Yungblud, joined Oli Sykes on stage for their song ‘Obey’ and provided us with a high-spirited and passionate performance. As Bring Me played their well-loved track, ‘Follow You’, Sykes encouraged everyone to get up on your mates’ shoulders and sing along – of course, it would have been rude of me not to join in, the sight was stunning and incredibly emotional. Their set was brought to an end with their iconic anthem, ‘Throne’, which was dedicated to Ukraine and those who have suffered greatly during the recent incidents. This song is about building strengths from your scars and turning weaknesses into power, which really hits hard in relation to Ukraine’s current suffering. This set as a whole will go down as one of the best sets in Leeds Festival history, with its powerful sounds and visuals and strength and passion from the whole band. Bring Me The Horizon never fail to blow me away, and their headline set left me completely speechless.
Our favourite tracks: Dear Diary & Happy Song
Arctic Monkeys - Last, but by no means least, it was time for the return of one of the greatest bands in the world: Arctic Monkeys, from High Green, Sheffield. The crowd was one of the biggest I’ve seen at Leeds Festival in years and the anticipation could be felt among the tens of thousands of people that gathered. MILLIONS of people from all over the world have waited for this moment, and now, a few of those million were stood in a field, in Wetherby, about to be reunited with them. It was certainly a ‘pinch me’ moment. Suddenly, a distinctive drumbeat, and an iconic guitar riff began, and ‘Do I Wanna Know’ kicked things off. A rumble of screams and voices shook the field as the climax of the festival was well and truly underway.
A strong setlist involving a whopping 21 songs was our reward for our patience. We heard: ‘Brianstorm’, ‘Crying Lightning’, ‘Cornerstone’, ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’, ‘Do Me a Favour’, ‘505’, 'Teddy Picker’, and many other bangers. The crowd gazed at frontman Alex Turner in awe, with his swagger and rhythmic, swaying hips. The screens beside the stage showed close-up, live footage of the band on stage mimicking of a retro television set which certainly matched the boys’ current style. Although Turner has a certain twang to his voice at the moment, there are still certain songs where the Yorkshire accent simply can’t be concealed. ‘From the Ritz to the Rubble’ and ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ are fine examples of this, and even folks that aren’t from Yorkshire attempt to sing these songs with a hint of Sheffield ‘spice’ – they just don’t do it like we do though, am I reyt?!
Time flies when you’re having the best time of your bloody life and soon enough the set was reaching the end. An encore of ‘One Point Perspective’, ‘Arabella’ and ‘R U Mine?’ were played. As done previously, ‘Arabella’ was dissolved by one of the sexiest guitar riffs of all time: Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’, which was their way of paying homage to the world’s most legendary, heavy metal band. As my lost voice and aching feet slowly started to kick in, the Sheff lads ended with ‘R U Mine?’ and the entirety of Bramham Park put every ounce of the energy they had left into this last song. It was the kind of show you want to last forever and we’re VERY excited for the release of their new album: The Car. If their new single ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’, is anything to go by, it’s going to be pretty special. Arctic Monkeys have just announced a mammoth UK tour for good measure, just in case you missed this historic day. We’ll certainly be there, we expect to see you all down front!
Our favourite tracks: Pretty Visitors & Arabella
That rounded up a biblical day at 2022’s edition of Leeds Festival. It will certainly go down as one of the best days I’ve ever had in this field, at this event. This year’s edition sported a richly diverse choice of bands and genres, for which we have to commend Reading & Leeds. Throughout the day, you are surrounded by so many different sounds, it’s impossible not to discover your next new obsession. Every artist that we watched really shone through and it was a pleasure to see. This day will always come down to being dominated by Sheffield’s finest and that makes us immensely proud of our city. We hope to see even more Yorkshire & Sheffield bands on next year’s bill and there are many artists that know would fit into the line-up perfectly, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see for that one. In the meantime, I’ll be in my room rewatching the videos I took until next year.
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