The fields of Bramham Park saw themselves transformed into a weekend-long party as people gathered for this years Leeds Festival. Boasting a varied line-up of chart-toppers and underground bands, this was another weekend set to go down in the festivals long history of being, for many, the perfect end-of-summer blowout.
At LOUD WOMEN, we love to support women and non-binary voices in music no matter how much mainstream popularity they may or may not have, and this years Leeds Festival delivered on both ends of that spectrum.
Let’s start things off with the BBC Introducing Stage…
Having played the LOUD WOMEN stage at Rebellion Festival just a couple of weeks ago, things are happening fast for Hull riot grrrl punks WENCH! Vocalist/drummer Kit had full command of the respectably-sized crowd that had gathered, as they belted out songs like ‘Shreds’ and ‘Yeti Legs’. The band ended their set with pin-point precision; after seeing they had 44 seconds left of their set, they went into a perfectly-timed frenzy, as the clock counted down to zero.
There was something pleasantly surreal about seeing a DIY punk band like WENCH! playing a festival like this, complete with a cardboard sign at the front of the stage. As they left the stage, after declaring “You just got WENCHED!” I couldn’t help but feel hopeful that some mainstream festivals still seem to be making the effort to include smaller bands on their line-ups.
I stuck around the Introducing Stage to check out Indoor Foxes. Starting off as a Bedroom Pop project of Edinburgh musician Martha Barr, Indoor Foxes has evolved into a captivating sound, backed by a live drummer and guitarist. Subtly straddling the line between pop and indie rock (think a cunty Wolf Alice), and, with her pink Hello Kitty guitar, she had enough charisma to make sure those who only stopped by to avoid the rain, stayed behind when the sun came back out. Martha encouraged the crowd to dance as she played ‘Church Music’, while ‘Plant Pot Song’ showed us just how talented she is.
A change of pace next, as I headed over to the Chevron Stage to see former Little Mix member, Leigh-Anne. Today’s set marked the live debut of her new single, ‘Burning Up’, and it felt like Leigh-Anne had finally “arrived” as a solo artist. Free the her former record label, her show felt like a celebration of her Caribbean heritage, and felt more free than, perhaps, a Little Mix set might have.
Leigh Anne delivered a euphoric, high-energy set, featuring the dance-worthy ‘Been a Minute’, and fan-favourite ‘Don’t Say Love’. A few songs in, she took a moment to talk to the crowd, encouraging everyone to “stand for love and to spread the love, in a world that needs it so bad right now,” before going into a euphoric cover of Bob Marley’s ‘You Could Be Loved’. Little Mix fans weren’t forgotten either as, near the end of her set, Leigh-Anne sang a medley of ‘Touch’, ‘Sweet Melody’, and ‘Power’.
As it came time for her to leave the stage, smiles are plastered over everyone’s faces, and I kept walking past people humming ‘Forbidden Fruit’ for the next few hours.
Suki Waterhouse took to the Main Stage next, with her unique brand of cool indie-glamour, starting her set off with ‘Gateway Drug’. The opening track of her recent album Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, it set the tone perfectly.
What struck me during this performance was how there are very much two side to Suki’s music; there’s the dreamy, nostalgic, almost Lana Del Rey-esque vibe of her earlier releases, and then there’s the subtle grit and glitter of her most recent album, The Memoir of a Sparklemuffin. These tracks definitely hit harder, and seemed to resonate instantly with the crowd.
For many teenagers in the UK, going to Leeds or Reading Festival after getting your GCSE results is a rite of passage – Suki knew this, and dedicated her set to them. Towards the end of her set, Suki shared that she’d recently seen Oasis, and went into a cover of Don’t Look Back in Anger. This prompted a massive sing-a-long from the crowd.
Following Suki on the main stage, were Australian punks Amyl and the Sniffers. The sun was beaming in the sky by now, as people gathered to see what was, essentially, the complete opposite of Suki’s set – there was no time for introspective swaying here, just pure punk intensity. From the moment frontwoman Amy Taylor ran onto the stage, she rarely stopped moving.
Dust clouds were flying up into the air as mosh pits broke out, as the band blasted through the likes of ‘Chewing Gum’, ‘Security’, and ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’. Before going into ‘Big Dreams’, Amy took a moment to talk to the crowd about Palestine, stressing that “it shouldn’t be shameful to talk about it”, and encouraging people to keep making their voices heard.
Friday was a fantastic first day of Leeds Festival, with a line-up that mixed raw punk with dreamy pop, and some other gems thrown in between. Stay tuned for Saturday’s round-up, where we go from up-and-coming shoegazers Glixen, to the queen of all that is pop, Chappell Roan!