Anybody boycotting Leeds or Reading this year, and why?

[Jacko450]

Morning all,

This year after 4 years I have decided to give Leeds a miss, here are my reasons...

1. Since I first went in 2008 I have always camped in Orange/Red, steadily over the last few years it seems that there has been a influx of people attending the Festival, not to watch Live music but to just get pissed and cause trouble. I am no killjoy by any stretch but last year was the last straw for me, I like a drink and the group I go with can be loud but we always try to be friendly and respectful to campers next to us. But last year we had around 15-20 lads/lasses from Middlesborough who did nothing but try and intimidate us and cause trouble, they seemed to only go to the Arena once and the rest of the time they decided it was amusing to steal from our tents and collapse our Gazebo (Not great when its your only shelter from the horrendous weather). You may say this is one isolated incident but Im sure me and my group are not the only ones that have had to put up with this.

2. The Sunday Night has become a joke, for the last two years we now leave after the last act on the Sunday. I know this isnt possible for many but I only live an hour away so Its literally just a big taxi home for us. It seems that the last night has now gained some reputation and people feel they're free to destroy other peoples things and act like complete tools. We returned to our camp on the Sunday evening with basically all of them un-pegged and one had a huge slit down the side.

Basically I realise people are going to see this as just somebody moaning, but I am interested in how many others feel the same as me. This year I am going to Kendal Calling for a change of scene and realise even there you will encounter idiots like any big event, but I just feel Leeds Festival is now becoming a big piss up in a field where rules do not apply.

Anyone else boycotting?

[kev1664]

Morning all,

This year after 4 years I have decided to give Leeds a miss, here are my reasons...

1. Since I first went in 2008 I have always camped in Orange/Red, steadily over the last few years it seems that there has been a influx of people attending the Festival, not to watch Live music but to just get pissed and cause trouble. I am no killjoy by any stretch but last year was the last straw for me, I like a drink and the group I go with can be loud but we always try to be friendly and respectful to campers next to us. But last year we had around 15-20 lads/lasses from Middlesborough who did nothing but try and intimidate us and cause trouble, they seemed to only go to the Arena once and the rest of the time they decided it was amusing to steal from our tents and collapse our Gazebo (Not great when its your only shelter from the horrendous weather). You may say this is one isolated incident but Im sure me and my group are not the only ones that have had to put up with this.

2. The Sunday Night has become a joke, for the last two years we now leave after the last act on the Sunday. I know this isnt possible for many but I only live an hour away so Its literally just a big taxi home for us. It seems that the last night has now gained some reputation and people feel they're free to destroy other peoples things and act like complete tools. We returned to our camp on the Sunday evening with basically all of them un-pegged and one had a huge slit down the side.

Basically I realise people are going to see this as just somebody moaning, but I am interested in how many others feel the same as me. This year I am going to Kendal Calling for a change of scene and realise even there you will encounter idiots like any big event, but I just feel Leeds Festival is now becoming a big piss up in a field where rules do not apply.

Anyone else boycotting?

[BTK1609]

No this is my first year at Leeds although I have been to Reading back in the day when everything was in black and white!

What you say about the Sunday night has always gone on as far as I am aware and from what most people on here say it sounds like it has actually improved over the last 5 years.

As far as being camped next to t**ts that could happen anywhere and there will always be people that go for the piss up rather than the music. It sounds like you had a pretty bad experience but I wouldn't personally let it put me off. There are idiots in all walks of life and if I went out of my way to avoid them I would never leave the house.

I go for the music and the line up really appeals to me. If it is just the idiots putting you off I would urge you to reconsider and not let a bunch of mindless fools ruin it for you and your group.

Edited March 29, 2012 by BTK1609

[leaper]

While I agree that a festival campsite is like a breeding ground for pricks trying to impress their mates, I would like to point out that not everyone from Middlesbrough is one of these bellends. Me and my mates (all from Middlesbrough) are going for the second time and we go moreso for the music than anything else and would never do mindless damage to other people's stuff. I suppose there's pricks all over the country, but Middlesbrough's reputation seems to precede itself, when really we're lovely people... I promise.

[eFestivals]

I'm boycotting over 600 festivals this year.

Or perhaps I'm just not going to those ones.

[The Mean Bean]

Never really experienced trouble at Leeds, but we've had bellends camped near us, in 2010 I got a black eye from a scouce prick camped near us trying to kick off a fight on the Sunday. Sounds like a horrible incident but actually it felt like literally the whole campsite came down to stick up for us who were just trying to enjoy the fest and to help see off the idiots who wanted trouble, got myself patched up and had one of the best nights I've ever had at Leeds. In my experience the clowns are always the very small minority and the majority are always willing to muck in and make sure they know they aren't welcome, sounds like a rare bad experience you had and I'm sorry about that. I miss the riots to be honest, if you kept an eye on your stuff nobody was going to go out of their way to destroy it, "oy, that's my tent mate" always got me an apology from anybody sniffing around for things to burn, then they bumbled off to find something that nobody would mind if they burned.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

I'm not going out of my way not to go to R&L, it's just not the festival i'd choose to go to this year, line-up wise or anything else. I think there's a difference.

[jump]

I'm planning on boycotting Starbucks at the mo as they work on the sabbath day which is against God!!!

[mrtourette]

I'm not going out of my way not to go to R&L, it's just not the festival i'd choose to go to this year, line-up wise or anything else. I think there's a difference.

[The Mean Bean]

yeah, boycotting isn't the same as deciding that you don't want to go.

[VCK]

Never really experienced trouble at Leeds, but we've had bellends camped near us, in 2010 I got a black eye from a scouce prick camped near us trying to kick off a fight on the Sunday. Sounds like a horrible incident but actually it felt like literally the whole campsite came down to stick up for us who were just trying to enjoy the fest and to help see off the idiots who wanted trouble, got myself patched up and had one of the best nights I've ever had at Leeds. In my experience the clowns are always the very small minority and the majority are always willing to muck in and make sure they know they aren't welcome, sounds like a rare bad experience you had and I'm sorry about that. I miss the riots to be honest, if you kept an eye on your stuff nobody was going to go out of their way to destroy it, "oy, that's my tent mate" always got me an apology from anybody sniffing around for things to burn, then they bumbled off to find something that nobody would mind if they burned.

[lharris92]

i'm boycotting leeds so i can go to reading. does that count?

[mrtourette]

When I went to Glastonbury in 2009 I was amazed at how relaxed it was compared to Leeds. There was one or two drunken idiots naturally, after all, it is a festival, but I remember relaxing outside my tent on the Sunday night with a beer, winding down after a euphoric performance by Blur, and just enjoying not having to put up with yobbos acting like c**ts.

[eFestivals]

I went to Glastonbury three times in the late nineties and at least one of our party had their tent burgled every year, and one of the years two of us had a knife pulled on us in our tent (same incident, not two different times). I've never had any trouble like that at Reading.

However I'm not daft enough to claim that Glastonbury is a nastier or more unfriendly place than Reading because that isn't true, some people just get unlucky in certain places at certain times.

Glasto in the late nineties was somewhat out of control, and had many of those sorts of problems - tho even so, as you say, whether you experienced stuff like that came down to luck. I've personally never experienced anything like that, having been to every Glasto since 1986.

Thefts at festivals is a problem at a lot of them, particularly on the first night when people tend to have lots of cash - tho the problems seem to be lessening due to concerted efforts by organisers and old bill. Glastonbury is certainly nothing like what you experienced now (tho there can still be isolated incidents).

[AcademicPistol]

Those damn Middleboroghians! one question during the time they were being dicks when did you ask them where they were from?

Oh shit! just realised i missed Neil on the radio did anyone catch it? any good?

Edit and you probably know this but your clocks need to go forward Neil.

Edited March 29, 2012 by AcademicPistol

[eFestivals]

Oh shit! just realised i missed Neil on the radio did anyone catch it? any good?

me being a tit, what did you expect? .... it might be on the 6music website later, not sure.

Edit and you probably know this but your clocks need to go forward Neil.

nope, you need to set the daylight saving time settings in your profile.

[swede]

Could only go to Leeds for a day this year due to lack of babysitters, but cant justify paying £100 a ticket for either FF's/Black Keys or The Cure (cant do the Sunday) when the rest of the main stage lineup is that poor.

[Paul ™]

Am boycotting Reading, decided to work for another company/somewhere else that weekend!

Edited March 29, 2012 by Paul ™

[RichieParf]

Deleting my previous post cos I didn't read your post properly. My apologies

Edited March 29, 2012 by RichieParf

[Englishdragon]

Im not going this year after 9 years of Leeds, Id made the decision after I thought last year was pretty shit but even If I was thinking about going as soon as I saw the line up I wouldnt have bothered.

the line up is terrible (I actually thought sonisphere was a better line up) and doesnt justify £200. I was going to go to some smaller festivals but Ive decided to give this year a miss and go to Glastonbury next year.

[Vacant0]

I was going to go to some smaller festivals but Ive decided to give this year a miss and go to Glastonbury next year.

[Vieuphoria]

To be fair Glastonbury is amazing

[Jacko450]

Those damn Middleboroghians! one question during the time they were being dicks when did you ask them where they were from?

Oh shit! just realised i missed Neil on the radio did anyone catch it? any good?

Edit and you probably know this but your clocks need to go forward Neil.

[AcademicPistol]

I admit this was a presumption based on them Chanting ''BORO BORO'' and ''Tee tee tee-siders'' until the early hours.

Edited March 30, 2012 by AcademicPistol

[Englishdragon]

Can you change your mind again please. I'm sick of reading that people are going to give Glastonbury a go next year. I want a ticket!