Live at Leeds in the park returns for another sensational year for indie boppers and rockers with another year of multiple spectrums in the name of music! Featuring legends such as the Kooks , the cribs, Mel C , white lies , the mystery jets and the new waves or musicians like declan macena , sea girls , caity baster, hotwax and that’s not all. The great thing about festivals is finding the underdogs / artists who are also breaking barriers too such as the clause, beth mccarthy, tom a smith , lucia & the best boys. A load of these I was so happy to tick of my bucket list to photograph and watch along with finding new bands to enjoy! Here’s hoping the weather stays sunny again this year!
Pretty much at the early stages of the festival Birmingham boys The Clause take on the temple stage and hit us with a wave of decent indie rock vibes with a lot of potential new fans witnessing one of many bands today which will help pave the way to ensure indie rock lives on. Hard hitting guitar play and vocals making the stage the dance floor! Listen to ” fake it & pop culture” and you won’t be disappointed!
Like many bands on this festival I have no clue what to expect and Baby Queen is one of them. It’s a skill to have some sad lyrics which make you think but to somehow manage to make them into an upbeat happy bop song, that takes some skill! ” I can’t get my shit together” is a banger! Whatever the case is, the youth of today must feel a connection as they scream to each song. To top it off, Baby queen seems very down to earth too as she took her time to talk her fans after the show on the barrier which is wholesome!
One of many bands I was excited to see was corinne bailey rae however due to delays and major technical issues she was unfortunately late on and with song delays cutting out on the second song she did very well to try to contain the situation with improv with what she’s got to keep the show going!
Time to spice up your life with Mel C aka sporty spice from the spice girls and a raise of hands to realize that not only the spice girls is approaching 28 years but mel c’s solo career also began 25 years ago and the majority of the crowd being teenage girls it did make mel C laugh a bit to know this but still she’s happy enough to sing and entertain the crowd with her iconic voice and sporty looks! Not only that Mel also covered “When You’re Gone” by Bryan Adams which is pretty ace!
Pretty much all the bands here have worked so hard to achieve where they are at today and Sea Girls is another example of this, with multiple tours non stop over the past few years and working their way up to the higher slots at festivals and play bigger venues too! Not only that but to have three albums and then teasing with a new song “polly” it’s tremendous but not as tremendous as lead singer Henry’s clothing, swanky!
Now there’s a load of bands I have no clue who they are but like with anything , to have a listen to see if I will be a fan or not and Future Islands is one of them. Synth pop , I’m a sucker for this genre or anything synth related as it’s just magical and future islands are just a magical trip! Opening up with “king of sweden ” which is off their latest album ” people who aren’t there anymore” has got to be one of my new favorite songs for 2024 and that’s a pretty big deal. To top this off Heny puts on an eccentric way, it’s hard to describe but his stage presence and how he presents each sentence has meaning and the passion he has it’s unique!
As i’ve mentioned before on my list of bands i’m excited to see White Lies is one of them and to play “farewell to the playground” as i’m photographing them was a tremendous feeling! Gaming is a big part of me so to hear songs from some games i love playing like Dirt 2 & need for speed , ” too lose my life & bigger than us” was quite emotional, there’s just something about Harry McVeigh ( lead singer) vocals that just makes it unique!
Headlining the tiny DIY Dork State is alt rockers Hotwax bringing on some heavy hitters which again i’ve said there are many underdogs this year at Live at leeds and hotwax is one of them! with the addictive riffs and roars from both vocalists it’s a band not to miss on their intimate tours!
Though the rain is here it’s no match for pop sensation Caity baser who slayed it and the fans are loving every moment while caity bops around the stage with her happy upbeat thrills, full of laughter and fun, despite the heavy rain she is the sunshine for 50 mins!
The Kooks , Honestly do I need to say more apart from these are one of many bands from the 00’s which dominated the indie charts with absolute bangers with all the mash and to finally see the band in its glory. I’ve been a fan since a teenager while their inside in / inside out album which has indie anthems like “ooh laa, naive, she moves in her way ” and many more, not to mention singer Luke Pritchard still dresses like it’s 2006 which is pretty wholesome as I miss having an indie dress sense. Not only that, the looks and the bangers on this giant stage that’s lit up amazingly end the festival on a high note rather than a cold wet one. The Kooks prove they have still got it!
With car park news, leaving was a bit hectic as I was close to getting stuck in the mud along with many other people which was pretty bad on the anxiety scale! On a plus I ate a yorkshire pudding wrap which was pornagraphic, an absolute pleasure even though I look like a fiend eating it! 10/10
Ending on another positive note, sunshine or rain , live at Leeds festival in the park is still a wonderful festival to be in to experience music legends and rising stars! Roll on 2025!
