Leeds Festival 2017 – Saturday 26th
Kasabian / You Me At Six / Bastille / Two Door Cinema Club / Lethal Bizzle / Anne-Marie /
Jimmy Eat World / Counterfeit / The Big Moon / Mallory Knox / Palisades / Deap Vally
Following what was a likely a heavy night partying for most after a masterclass performance from Muse on Friday night, Saturday morning seems a little sluggish, however the sun’s out, and there’s no time to be lounging around the campsite, as today is packed full of impressive acts across all stages. On to the arena we go!
Deep Vally
Main Stage
7
There’s nothing like a bit of hard core gritty, down and dirty blues to get you all revved up on an early Saturday afternoon. That job was given to the L.A. two-piece Deap Vally. It is safe to say they didn’t disappoint. Boasting a raw power of feminism in their songs, there was a bit of anarchy to the duo with a shut up and listen touch of ‘we can do what we want and so can you!’. Some brilliant riffs were delivered by guitarist and lead vocal Lindsey Troy, of which Jack White would be proud. These girls will be worth watching out for. Get a taste of what they’re like already with 2016’s Feminism. Some great work to come. (H.O)
Palisades
The Pit/Lock Up
7.5
A swift trip over to the Pit stage finds an excitable Palisades who are throwing themselves around the stage to help the crowd shake off those lingering hangovers with their alternative rock. ‘Through Hell’ is the perfect set opener to get things underway as the New Jersey lads tear through an eight song set built up of some fantastic tracks from their self titled album. ‘Let Down’ as you would expect closes the set with plenty of moshing madness to create the set highlight. (D.P)
Mallory Knox
Main Stage
6
We can’t say Mallory Knox entirely belong on the main stage of Reading and Leeds, but they didn’t half go for it. Their energy was infectious but couldn’t helping thinking it would have been better deployed in a more inclosed tent like the Pit or Republic stage for a later larger set. Can’t fault the performance of the Cambridge boys, as they treated the small but entranced crowd to a number of old and new. A great festival band but not sure thay are ready for the mammoth task of hitting the main stages. (H.O)
The Big Moon
Festival Republic Stage
7
Our first trip over to the Festival Republic stage is one that intrigues us. Having heard great things about The Big Moon, we could resist heading down to see what they were all about. With their debut album ‘Love in the 4th Dimension’ only released in April this year, it’s quite the turn out for the London four-piece, and they look overwhelmed grinning like Cheshire cats as they play through a raw set of indie rock leaving us pleasantly and relaxed for the first time today. Front woman Juliette Jackson’s vocals over some riffs and drums sounds brilliant, particularly on ‘Pull The Other One’, however the set does seem to be missing that special something to keep us locked in from start to finish. A tidy performance from The Big Moon, but we do feel they may have more to give. (D.P)
Jimmy Eat World
Main Stage
8
Fancy a bit of nostalgia? Jimmy Eat World were there to deliver with ‘The Middle’ and “Sweetness’. It was a faultless performance as when you’ve been around as long as they have, you know what the crowd wants. There was a few new tracks featuring though, the lights of ‘Pass the Baby’ and ‘Get Right’ prove the band are far from relying on their old stuff. They are always welcome at Leeds and Reading, and there is no doubt we’ll be seeing them there again. (H.O)
Counterfeit.
The Pit/Lock Up
8
Known for being a bit rowdy, Counterfeit look right at home on the Pit stage at this years Leeds Festival. Bursting with energy, they shoot on stage to find themselves faced with a packed tent of fans ready to take the day to the next level. Frontman Jamie Campbell Bower needs no encouragement however, as he’s always the life of the party. A teasing set flies by as we’re just having way too much fun, and tracks such as ‘Enough’ guide the chaos with its driven verse and explosive chorus. A hidden gem in today’s line up, and a memorable one for those drawn in to the Pit as they were passing by. (D.P)
Anne-Marie
NME Stage
7.5
Alternatively if mosh pits aren’t quite your thing, the NME stage is the place to be. Anne-Marie wanders out to the stage with a Yorkshire rose flag milking the Leeds crowd for the all too familiar chant. ‘Breathing Fire’ heats up the tent before ‘Do It Right’ follows and has the whole crowd bobbing their hands up in the air and singing along at the top of their voices, as Anne-Marie punches herself around the stage looking ready for the boxing match later that night. ‘Rockabye’, her track with Clean Bandit, and ‘Ciao Adios’ has the whole NME tent erupt with noise. Both tracks clear favourites with the crowd, and the perfect way to close out a set with great intent. (D.P)
Lethal Bizzle
NME Tent
8
Following Anne-Marie on the NME stage is no other than grime star Lethal Bizzle. It’s one thing for certain; he knows exactly how to work a crowd. ‘Rari WorkOut’ does just that causing quite the stir across the floors as mosh pits bounce along to the pumping performance from the man himself. However ‘Fester Skank’ really gets the party going as you can’t help but bust out your best moves for this one. The set closes appropriately with ‘I Win’ to seal a Dench performance from the London lad who strolls off stage with his head held high. (D.P)
Two Door Cinema Club
Main Stage
7
A bit of time off has rejuvenated the Irish indie three-piece. They’re back and better than ever. There was a lot of previous material for the audience to sink their teeth into, but what supplied the cherry on the top was a few new songs from album number three that could be the their best yet. Big tunes such as ‘Gameshow’ and ‘Bad Decisions’ are most definitely going to become crowd favourites. A decent set to earn the prestige of the main stage… well played lads. (H.O)
Bastille
Main Stage
8
Usually you would think this band’s home would be headlining the NME tent to get the best performance out of them but they offered a surprise to the main stage. A solid set of great tunes from the indie pop London boys will only add to their increasing status of a top British band. Vocalist Dan Smith, first appeared to have a bit of difficulty with his throat but soon put that to bed by cracking out an outstanding vocal performance. Must have been a blip to start as these indie pop heroes continue to impress. Their next album, if right, could elevate them to headline heaven! (H.O)
You Me At Six
NME Stage
9.5
9 years ago, we wandered into the Festival Republic tent at this very festival to complete madness unfolding from from a young bunch of chaps creating one of our highlights of our weekend. It was in fact You Me At Six’s first ever Leeds Festival performance, and one that put them on our radar from there onwards. Having moved on from circle pits to the likes of ‘If I Where In Your Shoes’ (which we still bloody well love), the Surrey lads have worked their way up the festival bill pretty much playing every stage up to the main stage. Tonight, You Me At Six are finally headlining the NME stage, and it’s something we’ve been most looking forward to seeing all weekend. Unfortunately for them, we’ve seen them many times before, and we’re going to be expecting a lot from them for this to be one of their best performances tonight.
Luckily You Me At Six look to be right up to that challenge. Strolling out to the stage with a curtain drop and blasts of fire from behind them, they mean business. Kicking off just over an hour’s set of rock with ‘Spell It Out’ from the recent album ‘Night People’, it’s a rather timid opener for what follows. The Furious ‘Bite My Tongue’, ‘Fresh Start Fever’ and ‘Lived A Lie’ cause an eruption from the crowd in the NME tent as mosh pits break out. A 15 song set filled with some of YMAS’ best live tracks constructs on of the strongest sets of the day.
With a mix of moshing madness, shirt swinging, swaying, and sing-alongs, this set has everything we expected from one of the best British rock acts around. ‘Room To Breath’ closes the night off in perfect fashion leaving us all begging for more. The perfect celebration of You Me At Six conquering Reading & Leeds Festival to close off the day two with a well deserved and hard earned headline slot. Well done lads! (D.P)
Kasabian
Main Stage
9
It’s always difficult to assess whether Kasabian are headline material or not. Especially when you’re talking about walking on the same slot as the likes of Muse and Eminem. This year, they showed they belonged. One that you never really think of to have hit after hit, but somehow you’ve heard them all. A beer in hand and that urging feeling to have a little dance goes hand-in-hand with a Kasabian show. With a brand new album to throw in the mix with tracks such as ‘You’re In Love With A Psychos’, ‘Bless This Acid House’ and their brand new single ‘III Ray (The King), there’s a hint of something new to that solid set of hits Kasabian are known for bringing to their live shows. The highlight had to be finishing with ‘Fire’ as the crazy festival goers lit up their flares to thank the Leicester boys for a entertaining Saturday night. (H.O)
Check out our review of Fridays action at Leeds Festival here!
Sunday’s review coming soon
Review: Harry Owen & Danny Peart
