Ali's Leeds Festival 2010
Also saw the last 3 songs of Guns N Roses, whho were astonishingly bad. The lineup wasn't as good as previous years, but it was still a great weekend :) |
| 1 | Futureheads
Never been that much of a fan of these guys, but they were a decent start to the weekend. Nothing special, just a solid band playing above average indie. Their set was reasonable, ending with their excellent cover of Kate Bush?s ?Hounds Of Love.? |
| 2 | The Mystery Jets
Never had any interest in this band at all, but once I got past their frankly ridiculous image I realised that they have a decent bunch of songs. 'Two Doors Down' was the only one I recognised, but it was one of their new ones that I enjoyed the most, so I might end up checking out their new album. |
| 3 | The Gaslight Anthem
Played a really strong set, with a nice balance between the three albums. Brian Fallon?s voice also sounded excellent, so it was a shame that the bands performance was marred by terrible sound. Everything was simply far too quiet, but although this somewhat spoiled their performance I?m still really looking forward to seeing them at their own show in November. |
| 4 | Gallows
Played as a ?secret? act under the alies ?The Rats.? I was aware of their live reputation beforehand, and was not disappointed one bit. As expected they played with terrific energy from start to finish, which was only matched by the excellent crowd. Everything sounded far far better live, and if I get the chance I?ll certainly be going to one of their future gigs, as they were truly fantastic. |
| 5 | The Cribs
I?ve always been no more than a casual fan of this band, but this performance made me realise how many great songs they actually have. Having Jonny Marr as a second guitarist has certainly beefed up their sound, and, when playing live at least, this is a huge bonus. An excellent performance that has finally totally sold them to me. |
| 6 | Dizzee Rascal
My mates insisted we see Dizzee so as to get a good place for The Libertines and Arcade Fire. I didn?t really protest as I expected him to be entertaining at least, but unfortunately I was wrong. I honestly don?t mind what I?ve heard of both his older and newer works, but I didn?t enjoy a minute of this truly dreadful set. The only mildly enjoyable moment was the beginning to his cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit ? before he opens his mouth. |
| 7 | The Libertines
I?ve always thought that this band is grossly overrated, and although their two albums are both good I think that the hype from the NME and related sources is totally ridiculous. My mind wasn?t changed much by their big comeback performance, they were enjoyable, but not amazing. They seemed to have rehearsed well though, and the likes of Can?t Stand Me Now and Don?t Look Back Into The Sun will be remembered as classics in the UK at least. |
| 8 | Arcade Fire
Sadly, a large proportion of the crowd that watched the Libertines left for the headliners, which while infuriating, meant that we could stroll right to the front. It?s sad really, as the Arcade Fire totally eclipsed The Libertines in terms of both performance and the quality of material played. There was a great mix of old and new, with Sprawl II and Wake Up being my personal highlights. Easily the strongest of the main stage headliners, so it?s a shame so many flocked off to go apeshit to Pendulum. |
| 9 | Motion City Soundtrack
A Predictably good performance from one of my favourite pop punk bands. I was slightly disappointed that they didn?t play more new songs, but this move was justified by the strength of their back catalogue. Also has just about the perfect voice for the genre. |
| 10 | Kvelertak
Played in front a crowd of about fifty on the smallest stage, and were one of the highlights of the weekend. The three guitarists give the band a terrific live sound, and their performance was predictably full of energy and enthusiasm. They only played five songs from their excellent debut, but given the chance I?d definitely see them again. Thoroughly recommended. |
| 11 | Local Natives
I?d only listened to the first few songs from the bands debut, so I wasn?t really familiar with them at all, but their set was fairly enjoyable. If nothing else it prompted me to give their record a proper listen. |
| 12 | Los Campesinos!
I was mildly impressed by their latest record, so thought that they?d probably be a decent watch live. On the whole I?m not really into the chirpy indie they play but I enjoyed their set quite a bit. One of the pleasant surprises of my weekend, and I?ll definitely look into them further. |
| 13 | Limp Bizkit
Yes, they?re a guilty pleasure of mine. Unfortunately they weren?t as fun as I was expecting, but their performance was decent if, like me you think that their best songs are bearable. Still genuinely excited for Gold Cobra! |
| 14 | Cypress Hill
I?m not familiar with them at all, but I found their set to be fairly enjoyable on the whole. They played the title track from their new album Rise Up, which features Tom Morello riffs, so I was sold basically. A decent watch for a mid afternoon festival slot. |
| 15 | Weezer
It was a tough choice between Weezer and Foals, but having listened to the blue album constantly for the past week I opted for the former, and it proved to be a great choice. They played nothing from Pinkerton, but half of the blue album was aired, and ? Beverly Hills aside ? they didn?t play any shit. Rivers was in a particularly eccentric mood, making for easily the most fun performance I saw. Oh, and Memories is great. |
| 16 | Paramore
I don?t mind Paramore, but they?re not a band I?d ever pay specifically to see, and I certainly wasn?t too enthusiastic about enduring them so to get a good place for Blink-182. Their performance was ok, but you couldn?t really hear Hayley?s voice much, especially at the start. The inevitable shouts for her to strip were unfortunately the highlights of their set, for me at least. |
| 17 | Blink-182
It was only upon reflection on this headline slot that I realised what a strong back catalogue Blink really have. With the exception of Adam?s Song, all the classics were there, and although they played no new songs their performance was a successful one. That said, the guys are getting too old for the fart jokes, and Tom?s voice was questionable to say the least. |
| 18 | Gogol Bordello
A great piece of early afternoon fun to kick off the final day. Gypsy punk isn?t a type of music I can ever see myself truly falling in love with, but this band are a fun listen, and certainly didn?t disappoint live. |
| 19 | Pulled Apart By Horses
I wasn?t impressed when I saw this band supporting Biffy Clyro in November, but I enjoyed their album, so thought they?d be worth another shot. They didn?t exactly set the tent alight, but their set was solid and had far more energy than the first time I?d seen them. They?re definitely worth checking out, if only because they have a song called ?I Punched A Lion In The Throat.? |
| 20 | The Big Pink
I missed out on seeing them earlier this year, so I was eager to watch this set. Other than a really dull cover, they were excellent, with most of the songs from their debut album sounding better with the bands louder, fuzzier sound. They played one new song as well, which suggested that they?re going in a slightly poppier direction with their new release, Whether or not this is a good move remains to be seen. |
| 21 | Lostprophets
Watched them mainly to get a good spot for Biffy and QOTSA, but I was pleasantly surprised by their set. It?s quite easy to forget how many great songs they?ve written, and the stuff from new album The Betrayed certainly fitted in well with the established fan favourites. I probably wouldn?t pay to see them at their own show but I enjoyed them nonetheless. |
| 22 | Biffy Clyro
Probably the best live band I saw last year, so naturally my expectations were high. Unsurprisingly they weren?t as good this time around, but their set ? mostly comprising of material from their two most recent albums ? was still thoroughly enjoyable. They experienced sound problems but responded well, and given the chance I?d definitely see them a third time. |
| 23 | Queens Of The Stone Age
I?d been waiting for years to finally see one of my favourite bands, and they were without a doubt the band on the bill that I was anticipating the most. Thankfully, they lived up to my expectations, playing a great set of both old and new. My only complaint was that they didn?t play ?Regular John,? but an incredible performance of ?A Song For The Dead? more than made up for this. I?m a fanboy, so I would say this, but they were the best band of the weekend. |
| 24 | The Sunshine Underground
Instead of waiting hours and hours for Axl and his posse of substitute musicians, we decided to see LCD Soundsystem and Sunshine Underground instead of Guns N Roses headline slot. This turned out to be a great decision, and although I wasn?t familiar with them at all I really enjoyed the Sunshine Underground. They seemed to have some great songs, and probably had the best crowd that I witnessed. I?ll definitely be checking them out soon. |
| 25 | LCD Soundsystem
Absolutely excellent. The short length of his set was slightly disappointing, but James Murphy and co, put on an excellent performance which turned out to be a late highlight off the weekend. The set could maybe have done with a few more new songs, but overall I think everyone that watched was glad they had done rather than witness Axl?s shambles on the main stage. |
|
