Bands seen: My Chemical Romance, Turbonegro, Alkaline Trio, Funeral for a Friend, NOFX, Iggy & The Stooges, Incubus, Marilyn Manson, Iron Maiden
First of a three-part review and it's the easiest day to review, as I was only at the Main Stage for this day.
Straight away we're off and running with My Chemical Romance, I recently got their album so I was familiar with their stuff, they were excellent (a much better choice to begin the festival than the previous choice - Bullet For My Valentine). It's fast furious and fun beginning to a day which was destined to end the same way.
Next up, is one of the PEELer recommended acts, Turbonegro, and I must admit that I wasn't initially into them, however, I admit that I must've been stupid to avaoid them. They awesome! It's all nuts and mayhem, with songs about male prositutes and blow jobs, it's like cock-rock never went away! The singer looks permanently bewildered as to where he is the entire time, and has the most insane stage-banter ever. Frankly, if I disliked them before, then I was wrong, they're fantastic!
Moving along, we've got Alkaline Trio and we're three-for-three. The sound mellows out after the first song (it's a main-stay at festivals that the first song is never good sound-wise). It's another band to add to the list of CD's-to-buy list (which is growing exponentially.)
The first song sound problems are a bit of a let down, owing to the fact that Funeral For A Friend decided to start their set with Juneau, dammit! However, from then on it's consistantly good, which is what we've come to expect from BritRocks standard barers. Excellent.
NOFX have the best stage banner of the weekend, it's about two feet wide (therefore tiny on the massive stage). Highlight of their set was closer Idiot Son Of An Asshole, which would been a hell of a lot better had they not arsed around for most of it. However, good value from Fat Mike, especially because he was ill.
Legend status is reserved for few acts, Iggy & The Stooges is one of them. 30 years hasn't ruined their ability as musicians, they were a shambolic mess in 1969 and they are now. They pull out all of the Stooges classics, 1969, Funhouse, etc... A shambles it may be, but that's the point, if they were "together" then it wouldn't be them.
Incubus are one of my favourite bands, and one which I always refuse to miss. It's a dependable set, tight as a gnats arse. Good points: they played my favourite Incubus song, Under My Umbrella, bad points: they didn't play anything from S.C.I.E.N.C.E.. Interesting, they also didn't play anything from the Stealth Soundtrack, and ended their set with a cover of Prince's Let's Go Crazy. Awesome!
Rumour has it that Marilyn Manson is retiring from making music, on the strength of tonights performance, that move can't come fast enough. Our Brian totally phoned-in his performance. With no fresh product to promote you have to wonder why he was booked if the guy can't be bothered to actually perform while he's here. A set which lacked so much effort, it's fitting that the keyboard players stand was a gallows (a metaphor maybe?) It's my third MM gig and it's third time unlucky, two times before he's been excellent. Not tonight.
However, all that is forgotten by the time that Iron Maiden's intro tape The Ides Of March is over.
Setlist:
The Ides Of March
Murders In The Rue Morge
Another Life
Prowler
The Trooper
Remember Tomorrow
Run To The Hills
Wrathchild
Revelations
Where Eagles Dare
Die With Your Boots On
Phantom Of The Opera
The Number Of The Beast
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden
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Running Free
Drifter
Sanctuary
The last time I saw Maiden was 15 years ago, in 1990 on the No Prayer For The Dying Tour, and I was a fledgeling rocker back then. So I'm regressing back to the years when Maiden was my favourite band.
This tour is the Early Days... Tour, and therefore the stuff they're playing is only from the first four albums (Iron Maiden, Killers, Number Of The Beast, Piece Of Mind) and the set is a corker! It's an absolute joy to hear songs like Phantom Of The Opera played again, and with so much gusto that it shows the younger bands a thing or two about rocking out.
By the end of their set, my throat was sore from screaming along to Maiden, and I've got two more days of this to go. Amazing first day.
Carling Weekend Leeds Festival - Saturday
Bands seen: Do Me Bad Things, Goldie Lookin’ Chain, The Wedding Present, Dropkick Murphys, Death From Above 1979, I Like Trains, We Are Scientists, Fightstar, The Coral, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Killers, Charlotte Hatherley, The Pixies, Ladytron.
Saturday was going to be a mixed bag, really. It was today where I was going to running around the site, trying to catch different bands on different stages.
Firstly it's to the Main Stage for one of my favourite acts of the weekend, Do Me Bad Things. They're a nine-piece (but not like Slipknot), seven of them sing. There are five singers outright, two males and three females (including a fair-lunged black soul singer). They make down and dirty Rock N Roll, and combine all five vocalists to produce an amazing sound. Excellent.
If that wasn't enough, we've got the mighty Goldie Lookin' Chain. Newports Gangsta Rip Hoppers are here to get the party started, 1983-style! They pull out a glut of new stuff, Another Shit Song, Can I Fuck Your Sister? and Your Missus Is A Nutter are highlights, as well as old favourites, Half Man, Half Machine, Your Mother's Got A Penis and Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do. Brilliant.
After that, The Wedding Present provide a much-needed respite. It's amazing how influential their music has been on the indie-scene since the 1980's.
OK, so we're due a dud and it comes in the form of Dropkick Murphys, who just don't work on a big stage outdoors in the afternoon. They should keep 'em in a tent, which was where I saw them before, and they were much better then.
After that, it's time to make my way to the Radio 1/NME stage for the first time, to catch Death From Above 1979. There are so many two-pieces doing the rounds at the moment (White Stripes, what have you DONE!?) each with their own gimmick. However, a bass/drums two-piece with a singing drummer, is the pick of the bunch. It's loud, fast and surprisingly melodic. Surprisingly, in DFA1979's set we get three members of Do Me Bad Things come and stand next to us to check out this band too. Excellent.
Me and my mate Moo decide to check out one of the bands on the Lee Sounds Unsigned Stage. I Like Trains are a local Leeds band, and are pretty popular with the local scensters so we wanna see what all the fuss is about. And it's not about much, they're proficient, professional and slick, but their songs are just dull and uninspiring. As a drummer, it's somewhat disappointing to hear all the songs played at exactly the same tempo. Shame that.
Next, we go across to see We Are Scientists on the Carling Stage. We had an opportunity to support these recently in Leeds but passed, so it was good to see what we missed. And we didn't miss much. That's two dull bands for two.
It's almost three. Fightstar become the first recipients of a bottling this weekend. God bless Charlie (from Busted) he takes it in in his stride. Another album may see his band mature somewhat, but for now, it's Funeral For A Friend-lite and a little disappointing.
OK, so we're at a bit of loose-end and getting a bit of festival-fatigue (there is a rule of festivals, look after your feet and they will look after you), so we head back to the Main Stage.
There we find The Coral. Now, I'm not a fan, and never will be. They're good at what they do, but I don't like it. It's the kind of scouse-lite music (kinda like Cast) which could drive someone insane.
Thankfully, Queens Of The Stone Age are next up and all is right with the world again. They're on fine form too. Josh Homme is the MAN! Some fine banter ("either I'm fucked up or there's a guy dressed as cow over there...." "Nah, I'm fucked up") and kick-ass tunes. Opening up with Go With The Flow they stick to the Josh-led songs, save for Songs For The Dead which doesn't bring out Mark Lanegan, he's not here, this is the Homme-show and he knows it. Ending with a 12-minute No One Knows, it's another barn storming performance, and one of the best of the weekend.
Some tight scheduling leads me to only catch the first part of The Killers set, but it's pretty standard, and they need to work on their big-stage chops to go over any more to this size of crowd.
So, off I go to the Carling Stage to catch the love of my life, Charlotte Hatherley. Looking beautiful, she pulls out most of her album, a cover of Kim Wilde's Kids In America and Graham Coxon to play guitar on one of her songs. Highlight, is Bastardo which she dedicates to Edgar Wright, the bitch.
After that, it's rammed in the Radio 1 tent for Kasabian so we head back to the Main Stage to check out The Pixies. I have it on good authority that this is a good performance, and seems pretty slick. Kim Deal is on fine form, but I've never been that much of a Pixies-devotee and this set seems tame next to that of last night's headliners.
Finally on our way home, we stop by the Carling Stage to catch a few songs by Ladytron. It's good, but I'm tired and we head home.
Carling Weekend Leeds Festival - Sunday
Bands seen: From Autumn To Ashes, Senses Fail, Clor, Biffy Clyro, Emanuel, Juliette & The Licks, Dinosaur Jr, The Charlatans, Hot Hot Heat, The Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon, Foo Fighters
Ah, Sunday, day of rest. Pfft...
We start the final day of Leeds Fest with From Autumn To Ashes, kinda like FFAF but a bit heavier and slightly less intricate. It'll do.
OK, so we're off away from the Main Stage, and to the Lock-Up Stage (replacing the Dance Tent for the final day, it's all punk and hardcore) and we go and check out Senses Fail, however, it's pretty formulaic and I'm lying on the ground almost nodding off.
Moo's been told to check out Clor, so we head off to the Carling Stage to see them, and they're kinda dull. Sometimes I think bands are needlessly complicated for the sake of being needlessly complicated. Only Dillinger get away with it, no else does. Or should.
We take Sunday Lunch in the Main Stage field, and watch Biffy Clyro. They're as good as when we saw them last, and when we supported them.
After that, we're back in the Lock Up Stage for Emanuel who were recommnded by From Autumn To Ashes. Were they any good? Yeah, not bad.
Next up, we head over to the Radio 1/NME stage for Juliette & The Licks. Juliette Lewis is on fine form and in good voice (different to that of her stuff with The Prodigy) and the band are tight and rockin'. Highly recommended.
Festival fatigue is setting in big-time so we head back to the Main Stage, where I catch another lie-down while listening to Dinosaur Jr. Pretty damn good, and they throw in a Cure cover for good measure.
After that, we stick around for The Charlatans, they're good (I'm a long-time fan but I've never managed to catch them before now). Tim Burgess isn't in fine voice (he apparently never is). They do play favourites, Weirdo and One To Another and bring on two toddler kids to march along to their stuff. Fab!
We head back over to the Radio 1 stage for Hot Hot Heat which is pretty damn good, but I'm in conserving-energy-mode so I stay seated for most of it.
Next is one of the best acts of the weekend, The Arcade Fire are just fantastic! Amazing performers, each swapping instruments and having some demented percussionist who seems hell bent on injuring himself (occasionally by having fellow members of the band hit him over the head while wearing a football-helmet). It holds the attention and then some. They're brilliant!
OK, we're winding down now, and it's back to the Main Stage to see Kings Of Leon and it's more of the same, excellent, I've never been that much into them, but they're good.
Now, all that's left is Foo Fighters:
Setlist:
In Your Honour
All My Life
Times Like These
My Hero
Best Of You
Up In Arms
Learn To Fly
The One
Stacked Actors
Everlong
This Is A Call
Breakout
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Cold Day In The Sun
For All The Cows
Enough Space
Monkey Wrench
Pic courtesy of Virtual Festivals
It's the fifth time I've seen the Foos and it's another storming set! This time they've brought lasers! It's an amazing show, there are omissions from the set (DOA and Tired Of You they played at Reading but not at Leeds), however, the highlight of the set (apart from an amazing Everlong performed by Dave on his own (check the pic!)) was finally seeing Dave Grohl play drums for Cold Day In The Sun, which was sung fantastically by Taylor Hawkins.
Excellent set, amazing weekend. Same again next year.