Sunday was an extremely busy day for me, with loads of rushing between stages to catch acts that clashed with each other. All in all I saw 12 acts, and I think Sunday was the most consistent day in terms of the quality of the artists we saw. Here are the photos I took on the day:
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M A R M O Z E T S ★★★☆☆
After Pulled Apart By Horses had to pull out of the festival due to bassist Rob falling ill, I headed back to the NME/Radio 1 Stage to catch the first of Marmozet’s two sets. The entire band was bursting with enthusiasm, and singer Becca’s vocals were spot-on throughout. I’m still a little confused as to why the band were scheduled to play two sets when another band could have taken part in the festival, however they were really good performers which bodes well for the future of this relatively new band.
R O Y A L B L O O D ★★★★☆
I think Royal Blood were surprised at the massive crowd they managed to attract, and frankly so was I, considering the two-piece only formed last year. Their performance was well polished, and even though it was only the two of them on stage their energy was palpable even from the back of the tent. I will definitely be picking up their first album now I’ve seen how promising this band is.
L O W E R T H A N A T L A N T I S ★★★★☆
I only caught the last couple of songs of their set but Lower Than Atlantis seemed right at home on the stage, and it was obvious they were having a good time. Vocalist Mike sounded strong, and the entire band’s performance was well rehearsed.
B A S E M E N T ★★★☆☆
Whilst Basement’s performance wasn’t offensive to my ears, it wasn’t particularly memorable either, and I left the tent feeling a little disappointed.
T H E G L I T C H M O B ★★★★☆
I didn’t catch as much of The Glitch Mob’s set as I would have liked as they clashed with Don Broco, but I enjoyed what I heard and the whole group seemed extremely enthusiastic and excited to be performing.
D O N B R O C O ★★★★☆
I’ve been looking forward to seeing Don Broco live for a long time, and they definitely did not disappoint. Singer Rob is a charismatic fella who knows how to get the crowd interested, and the rest of the band could hardly stand still, they seemed so enthusiastic about their performance. If the number of people sat on shoulders and crowd-surfers was anything to go by, the rest of the crowd enjoyed their performance as much as I did.
I M A G I N E D R A G O N S ★★★★★
Lead singer Dan had some technical difficulties which admittedly left the crowd (and the rest of the band) twiddling their thumbs, however overall their performance was atmospheric and left me wanting more. Their closing song, Radioactive, was accompanied by every member of the band joining in a huge drum solo, which added something special to the already awesome song. These guys were easily one of the best performances of the weekend.
C H V R C H E S ★★★☆☆
Once again, I only caught a couple of songs from Chvrches’ set as they clashed with Jake Bugg, however what I saw I thoroughly enjoyed. Chvrches get a lot of radio airplay, so their set was a light-hearted sing-along experience.
J A K E B U G G ★★★☆☆
Whilst I couldn’t fault Jake Bugg’s performance in terms of his guitar playing or vocals, his on-stage presence was really lacking. He didn’t interact with the crowd at all, and spent most of the set stood at his microphone, which got old quickly. Even his band seemed disinterested – whilst Bugg’s music is fairly upbeat, his attitude on stage was anything but, and I hope he improves with time. I was glad to leave early in order to catch all of Band Of Skulls’ set.
B A N D O F S K U L L S ★★★★★
I had high expectations for Band Of Skulls, and I was not disappointed – my only critique is that I believe they should have been on a bigger stage, as their performance was truly brilliant and their massive choruses could easily fill arenas. The vocals from both Russell and Emma were perfect, and the drumming from Matt was full of energy. They played a great mix of songs from all three of their studio albums. Band of Skulls were a hidden gem in the Leeds line-up, and easily one of my favourite performances of the weekend.
O F M I C E & M E N ★★★★★
Whilst I was a little disappointed that I had to leave Arctic Monkeys’ set early to catch Of Mice & Men, I was definitely glad I decided to stop by The Pit and watch the Californian five-piece. Vocalist Austin was great at getting the crowd excited, even though it was obvious the majority of us were lagging after an intense weekend of moshing and singing along. Aaron Pauley’s vocals were a little wobbly, possibly due to nerves, but overall the entire band’s performance was electric and I managed to summon what little energy I had left to take part in the circle pit around the tent pillars.
A R C T I C M O N K E Y S ★★★★★
As mentioned above, I only caught 45-50 minutes of Arctic Monkey’s set as I wanted to watch Of Mice & Men perform. I was extremely reluctant to leave the main stage, as their performance was absolutely brilliant. They played a good mixture of both older songs and tracks from their latest studio album, and you could tell by their confidence and swagger that they deserved the headlining spot. Singer Alex’s vocals were flawless, and although I think the band’s performance could have had a little more energy, their type of music doesn’t really call for jumping around on stage, so I think I’ll let them off. Overall, Arctic Monkeys really ended the weekend on a high note.
That’s it for my Leeds round-up – what did you think of the bands I reviewed? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter! This week was a little hectic, but I’ll be back to my regular Monday and Thursday posting schedule next week.
Currently listening to: Love Has A Diameter – Biffy Clyro
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