Well overall that was....

[Gre]

First time I've ever watching footage over the actual weekend, I've always been away/doing something else in the years I've not been there... looked great, really wanted to be there. Foos & Green Day especially.

Definitely going to have to sort my life out & get a ticket next year

[Andy_47]

Third Leeds in a row and the best I've been to. Camped in Green for the first time and it was good for the most part. We overheard some people near us refer to us as "Scottish scum" when we arrived but it didn't phase me, there was too much in the arena to be thinking about than worrying about some tossers in the campsite. That being said the campsite all round seemed really chilled and relaxed. It had to be the oldest Leeds crowd I've seen. Last year we walked through orange etc. to take stuff back to the car on Sunday night during the National and it was like Beirut. This year it seemed really laid back.

Took the girlfriend for the first time this year and we just went the two of us so there was no nightlife as we were both just too bloody tired every night. I had a great time last year at the Relentless stage and Piccadily so I knew they'd probably be fantastic again. Also I've had to give up the demon drink due to health reasons so I suppose it was a tame effort from myself but lead to it being the best festival I've been to.

I wasn't disappointed with any acts I saw. It's the most bands I've seen at a festival, and I got my first samplings of the comedy on offer. Mostly funny, but Al Murray was terrible.

In total I saw 21 bands overall. Highlights for me were the Kaiser Chiefs, The Hives, and surprisingly Kasabian. Easily my favourite headliner, didn't realise I even liked them that much till Underdog started!

Fantastic Leeds, thoroughly enjoyed. On the way down in the train at 5am I was thinking this would be the last but looks like I'll be picking up a ticket for next year again...

[robith]

So... you had hospitality, missed the first day completely, watched a bit of the second (which you enjoyed) then struggled through a few things on the third with a hangover?

All well and good - I had a similar experience for Guilfest once. But I wouldn't have seen fit to make a review of the event from it.

[astroman123]

I enjoyed Leeds this year. Saw 19 bands. Although I found the price of the food and drink very expensive. The Cure were fantastic.

Will probably give it a miss next year though as the camping was pretty brutal for me this year. But I still enjoyed it.

[liam]

was brilliant and to see the amounts of families there this year was truely amazing!

To be able to take Kids who all looked to be having the time of there lives just shows how safe and freindly Leeds was this year!

Edited August 28, 2012 by liam

[efcfanwirral]

So good to see all of the positive comments about Leeds (and Reading) considering what I've heard over the years. I decided to go again after 5 years as I wanted a weekend with mates rather than the gf who beforehand I said to "I'll never take you to Leeds - its too rough", after ironically going to V with her last week. we're both long time V veterans so we've seen the decline over the years.

I basically went to Leeds on the basis that I would just deal with all the idiot kids, rough edgy atmosphereand potential tent burning on sunday night, all of which I saw in 06/07, though I'm aware its not as bad as it was in the years beforehand.

Quite surprised when I found the friendliest, most well organised festival I've been to away from glastonbury in years. I camped in Orange near the trees and everyone was really nice with a chilled and fun atmosphere, including the youngsters which surprised me considering they were right idiots in 2007. the 16 year olds next to us even said they'd watch our stuff sunday evening as they weren't watching the headliners. It was a mixed crowd age wise, some great music and football chats in various queues/crowds etc which again isnt something that happens as often at V anymore. Basically its like the roles have reversed (though i wont take all this "V's horrible dont ever go there - ive been 8 times and its not that bad as long as you stay away from the idiots, but its got a lot worse over the years.)

some major positives:

Organisation - cant fault it - no queue for shuttle bus there, no queue to get in, 10 shuttle buses waiting leading to a 15 min queue on monday morning, no queues for arena, very few for toilets, toilet roll in there most of the time, bar queues minimal. Even glastonbury doesn't tick all these boxes.

Security - majorly impressed with the "ghostbusters" on sunday night, saw them spraying reasonably small fires and LOADS of them all keeping in touch through radio. also saw them threaten to evict many people for burning things like chairs. Big well done to them to be fair

R1/NME tent - atmosphere was great in there each time, Courteeners, Cribs, Passion Pit and more benefitted from the more intimate surroundings and extra lights than if they'd been in the sunshine.

FR tent headliners - saw the subways, and the atmosphere was electric in that small tent. Good call having reasonable size bands in that small tent.

I basically got to see a LOT of bands that I only knew a song or two by over the weekend and discovered a lot of music, alongside some favourites such as Courteeners, Foos and Cribs

Only slight complaints are the fact you could only get pear Gaymers near the main stage, a lack of quality food vans (buffalo place, smoothie place and stone baked pizza places were great, but way too many rubbish burger vans and nowhere to get pies or nachos with proper cheese on rather than cheese sauce!!). Could do with a bar on the picadilly end of the site too but all minor issues.

I'll definitley be returning, and did not expect to say this before I went. FR have a HUGE opportunity now, with so many being driven away from V Festival and with the general negative comments about that afterwards being completely contrasted this week by the Leeds comments it could be their chance to grab some of that crowd. The Facebook comments are what shows it for me, V put on a "thanks for coming" sort of message and got hundreds of messages of abuse, whereas the Leeds one was all positive.

Big well done to FR on this one...considering the rep the festival has they have done a really good job in starting to turn it around.

Edited August 28, 2012 by efcfanwirral

[Benj]

I enjoyed Leeds this year. Saw 19 bands. Although I found the price of the food and drink very expensive. The Cure were fantastic.

Will probably give it a miss next year though as the camping was pretty brutal for me this year. But I still enjoyed it.

[micawber]

Just get a hotel, camping becomes too much for the best of all of us at some stage. I really couldn't hack it any more, if I had to camp I would not go.

As it is, hotel booked for next year this AM, with a Quidco discount, its worked out less than £25 a night each and even with the daft new entry system, the walk is still no worse than coming in from white!

[Hart Attack]

stone baked pizza places

[Avens]

The one in the village opposite the arena entrance/exit was great, I must have gone there about five times across the weekend.

[DL50]

Can't believe i'm going to fucking Jersey Live this weekend

Gonna be so shit in comparison

[mattl]

There were Fivebands over the weekend that made it the best Reading I've ever been to (been going since 03-05 and 09-present for context):

1. The Hives. Absolutely brilliant crowd, perfect setlist and that moment everyone started singing the tune of "hate to say I told you so". Amazing.

2. Billy Talent. Brilliant setlist, crowd was phenomenal again. They'll never get rid of 'that' chant.

3. Cancer Bats cover of Sabotage. I mean their set was great, but that made it for me.

4. Feeder. God only knows how many people were rammed into that tent, but it was a bloody brilliant sing-a-long.

5. Foo Fighters. Their set was breathtaking, ramming about 15 hits in about an hour and a bit. Key moment for me was the bit during 'Best of You' with the "Whoa" chants, fantastic.

Other bands who get serious plus points include Anti-Flag, Social D, Bullet, Young Guns, Twin Atlantic and ATDI. Very, very good sets from all of the above. Hell, I even heard 'Cosmonaut'.

The Organisation was much better this year, getting free beer and breakfast baps was a painless experience, getting in the arena didn't seem like I was attempting a break in at fort Knox and major props to the car park guys, because getting out was fantastic. In fact I got out fast enough to see the ending of the BBC3 show at home! last year I was stuck there till 3am and the year before till 4.30.

Although, I will dwell on the fact that I'm only 21, but I seemed way, way too old for the festival. It was a strange experience. Probably due to the women wearing either spandex and/or shorts which, by god, were short or the amount of GCSE result people which seemed way up on last year. At one point i even heard someone say "You just finished you're GCSE's? Coming from someone who just finished her A-levels. You know nothing about life!" Which made me chuckle.

Long story short: Awesome festival.

[VCK]

Does anyone know what the ominous looking structure was at Reading, to your right as if you were facing the Main Stage?

Where all the flags are? That's definitely new.

[DTichborne]

Although, I will dwell on the fact that I'm only 21, but I seemed way, way too old for the festival.

[TYLER_4]

Ha ha! You are so, so wrong about that.

Edited August 28, 2012 by TYLER_4

[rivalschools.price]

does anyone know why people in their 20s seem to feel old but people in their 30s or 40s dont?

i personally think there are loads of older people in the festival,i dont agree at all that the festival is 'full of 16 and 17 year olds'

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

does anyone know why people in their 20s seem to feel old but people in their 30s or 40s dont?

i personally think there are loads of older people in the festival,i dont agree at all that the festival is 'full of 16 and 17 year olds'

[TYLER_4]

does anyone know why people in their 20s seem to feel old but people in their 30s or 40s dont?

i personally think there are loads of older people in the festival,i dont agree at all that the festival is 'full of 16 and 17 year olds'

[rivalschools.price]

there is still a lot of people who are over 17, i would say the biggest age group was in the 20s.

not that it matters, i was going to donnington festival when i was 17 so I cant complain when other 17 year olds do the same.

[micawber]

there is still a lot of people who are over 17, i would say the biggest age group was in the 20s.

not that it matters, i was going to donnington festival when i was 17 so I cant complain when other 17 year olds do the same.

[johnmcga]

Does anyone know what the ominous looking structure was at Reading, to your right as if you were facing the Main Stage?

[gooner1990]

Does anyone know what the ominous looking structure was at Reading, to your right as if you were facing the Main Stage?

Where all the flags are? That's definitely new.

[gooner1990]

14th Reading on the bounce for me. Certainly not the best I've been to, but would defiantly put it up there in the top 6.

Group of 12 of us all in a 28-33 year old age bracket.

Weekend not exactly the best for me as I couldn't get Thursday or Friday off work, and only managed to negotiate Friday afternoon off a few days before hand. Luckily as I only live nr Oxford I was onsite by 2.30pm. Friends had made the journey down the day before and we were camped in Orange on Road 3.

They woke up on Friday morning to find 6 pop up tents crammed into the middle of our 'circle' leaving 12 of us not much room at all.....said people were four 16 year olds and their dads..who then moaned when we stayed up most of the night making noise!

Won't go into band ratings etc, highlights though were Green Day, Kasabian and Foo Fighters. There wasn't much lower down the card that interested me, so wound up watching most stuff on the Main stage from a distance with a pint in hand,

Postitives and Negatives

+ Queue times at the bar

+ The Weather

+ Sound on the stages

+ Queuing times getting into the arena

+ Friendly people coming to our camp over the weekend (Orange Road 3)

+ Young girls with their bottoms hanging out of their shorts

- State of some of the toilets

- Food on offer in the arena, what happened to the nice 'pie and mash' stand that used to sit next to the R1 tent?

- Attitude of people barging past esp during Foo Fighters

- No campfires on Sunday night (although I can see why!)

- Lack of things to do after hours (again I know why - just a shame nothing can be done)

- Fat girls with their bottoms hanging out of their shorts

- Getting out of white car park on Monday (got lift home with my mate) - got to car park 11am, left car park 2.15pm, home by 2.45pm! - is emptying one field at a time really the best way to do things?

I do honestly believe that the weather makes a lot of difference....last year was pretty miserable and that was coz of the weather....will I come back? No doubt as long as there are 3 or 4 bands I want to see then I'll be going again.

[DTichborne]

does anyone know why people in their 20s seem to feel old but people in their 30s or 40s dont?

i personally think there are loads of older people in the festival,i dont agree at all that the festival is 'full of 16 and 17 year olds'

[DTichborne]

- Attitude of people barging past esp during Foo Fighters