2021 Lineup

[rivalschools.price]

6 hours ago, sacred shape said:

Leeds:

Best act of the weekend: Chapter and Verse or Holding Absence

Act that most exceeded expectations: IDK How - love them already but they blew it out of the park - very tight and seemed to have a big crowd for their slot/size

Best new act you discovered: Dead Poet Society, Badflower, STONE, Yard Act (too many to choose from)

Best musical moment (song, crowd, etc): Loathe playing Aggressive Evolution with Kadeem's arm pit in my face

Yeah, Stone and Yard Act were great discoveries.

[rivalschools.price]

11 hours ago, JimMacVeigh said:

I actually thought the crowd at Reading was fine yesterday, really alright…but obviously that’s one day. I reckon a whole weekend would’ve done me in. 

Yeah I found the crowd at Reading great in general and most I spoke to were great.

I wasn’t camping and came in and out every day for the three days, so as a result I suppose I was lucky that I avoided many of the the things that others on here have mentioned.

[rivalschools.price]

9 hours ago, Jonathan Jonathan said:

To avoid straying into pessimism, some questions for you all:

Best act of the weekend:

Act that most exceeded expectations:

Best new act you discovered:

Best musical moment (song, crowd, etc):

Best act of the weekend- Biffy Clyro, by some distance. Awesome

Act that exceeded expectations- Badflower. Been listening to them a lot lately but they are much better live than on record. Great energy on stage.

Best new act discovered- Yard Act. Great set.Had heard their EP but it was only the fact that they were playing Reading that made me check it out so that counts as a new act discovered, haha.

Best musical moment- Frank Carter starting with ‘My town’. The crowd went crazy right from the start and didn’t stop throughout his whole set.

[Paulmcm1998]

My review of leeds. I went first in 2017 and this was me returning really looking forward to it with a best mate. I had a great weekend and did catch that cough which has been previously discussed but I've thankfully tested negative. First of all it's fantastic to be back at music festivals without restrictions it was such a good weekend. In regards to trouble etc I definitely seen alot more people drugged up this year than when I went previously perhaps cause it's a big blowout or because the lineup attracted a worse crowd. It genuinely felt at points that I was the only person who was only drinking that weekend. I think the amount of drugs at the festival this year kinda fucked the togetherness thing of it all last time I went people send friendlier and I made more friends at the campsite but people were alot more standoffish until the friday I found. I think the two main stage thing didnt work well at leeds as it was just too spread out and there was a lot of overlap which kinda killed the magic of the run on Sunday of Slowthai>The Kid Laroi> The Wombats > Two Door> Disclosure> Post Malone. Most people were just sitting around both main stages and it made walking around the arena a really bottleneck especially at MSW. I've been to european festivals which have ran a two main stage setup and they are run much better for example Lollapalooza Paris have both main stages on the same field but spread out apart and kind of face other Diagonally which offers room to go to the other stage to get another spot whilst also being able to hear the current act very well. I can't comment on moshing as I was at the back for most sets this weekend but it did feel like less people were there for the music this weekend and more for a blowout but that's just my IMO from what I remember at Leeds 2017 there was alot of togetherness with the crowd, alot of singalongs together , looking out for each other (picking up fallen people in pits) and in general good manners when walking past people but my friend who's on the shorter side of 5ft was being barged into constantly throughout the weekend without even an apology. I will say most people I spoke to throughout the weekend were lovely but on wednesday night when we were just having a wander round the campsite village my friend was wearing a scotland top were being followed by a knobhead singing scotland get battered everywhere they go for close to 20 minutes. It just felt like the guy was wanting us to bite and get into a fight and kinda made us feel unwelcome on the first night. Although every english person I spoke to the rest of the weekend was generally nice. Acts wise best acts I seen were: Disclosure, Don Broco, The Wombats, Post Malone, Jack Harlow, Aitch and Slowthai.

Biggest surprises: Jake Buggs secret set was surprisingly really good and really packed out the FR tent even got a bigger crowd than Don Broco which says something. Becky Hill was brilliant early in the day and played alot of hits and really got the crowd going. Only knew a couple of her songs but really enjoyed it. Could definitely see her headlining Radio 1 stage next year if it's back cause she got a massive crowd. Could be a potential female headliner in a few years time. Yonaka were incredible at the introducing stage they really are a terrific live band and the singer is great for bringing energy will definitely need to catch them on tour. Gerry Cinnamon was also really good and that's an act I would actively say I don't enjoy but he honestly put on a great show and really got the crowd going so fairplay to him would definitely see him again in the future.

Biggest Dissapointments: AJ Tracey an act I was really looking forward to this weekend felt his set was really flat and didnt help that he basically was saving all his biggest hits for his last four songs and led to his set being really dull until the end. Stormzy I seen about 5 songs of and just felt bored I've listened to alot of his stuff and he's a terrific performer but just the felt atmosphere was poor for him at leeds and most people were only there to see vossi bop and Shut up. The atmosphere at the main stages were pretty poor over the weekend except for LG and Post IMO. I felt because of the overlap of the stages it meant many people were leaving acts early to get a good spot for the next act so a lot of good songs didn't get the crowd reaction they probably deserved.

Wishlist for next year: Move back to the previous set up so theres generally more space at the arena. Also allows for toilet breaks etc during the breaks which were sorely missed as I couldn't enjoy a few acts properly due to needing a pee. This would also mean the radio 1 stage is back which is my favourite stage. I'd like to see more female acts on the lineup especially the main stage doesn't matter where they are placed but just to get them more exposure because every female based act I seen this week was phenomenal (Wolf Alice, Becky Hill, Dana Dentata, Nova Twins, Yonaka). Acts I'd like next year would be Foals, BMTH, Chemical Brothers, Willow Smith, Cardi B/Megan Thee Stallion, More US hip hop acts/ rock acts.

[Paulmcm1998]

Also apologies didn't realise I'd written almost a full essay lol

[thewayiam]

It's quite bad to read comments on instagram that on here it's too far but they are actually celebrating stuff like that. Pissing on people in crowds and throwing a shit you've just taken in the air!

[thetime]

7 minutes ago, thewayiam said:

It's quite bad to read comments on instagram that on here it's too far but they are actually celebrating stuff like that. Pissing on people in crowds and throwing a shit you've just taken in the air!

Glad I came home early. 🤨

[TheWaters]

There were a fair few positive tests lying about, me and my group spotted one on the way in on the wednesday as well as a few in a group camping next to some lads i know testing positive on the friday. Everyone had a horrendous cough by the saturday but it wasn’t all covid. Was a very dusty year as people have said, especially being in brown. Someone in my group has seemingly caught bronchitis so while still not great, could be a lot of that

[BeddingatReading]

Here’s my opinions on the acts I saw over the weekend (Reading)

FRIDAY

Nothing but thieves - 6/10; they were okay, I was disappointed with the setlist, big fan of the first album but they only played the one song. Nonetheless, they were good and the singer has amazing vocals, it’s a shame the sound was a bit crap to start with on that stage on the Friday. 
The Snuts - 8/10 they were really good, one of my favourite bands at the minute and I’m due to see them in October, can’t wait to be in a crowd of fellow fans as most people didn’t know them so the crowd was flat. 
Inhaler - 7/10 Caught the end of them on my way back from the snuts and I was impressed, can see them getting much bigger, very good live band. 
Don Broco - 9/10 Brilliant, I always love a secret set in the pit because the crowd are always up for it and this didn’t disappoint, Broco were brilliant and did exactly everything they could to get the crowd going. They’ve always been on my list to listen to but never got round to it but I think I’m going to have to as I’d like to see them on tour. 
Sea Girls - 6/10 Not as good as I’d hoped, they seemed a bit lifeless and didn’t seem to make the most out of their opportunity on the main stage, crowd didn’t seem too into them and they didn’t do too much to try and change their mind. Also due to see them in October so hoping they will improve by then. 
Declan McKenna - 7.5/10 Exceeded my expectations, I like his music but didn’t think he would be that exciting as a live act, he proved me very wrong. Managed to get the crowd on his side and put on a good show. 
Aitch - 4/10 only caught first few songs but wasn’t impressed, just a cocky kid who thinks he’s all that and the crowd were poor too. 
Mabel - 8/10 really impressed, I managed to get a decent spot because we left Aitch early as I knew there was going to be a big crossover, just feel good pop which everyone could have a good singalong to, a lot of people saying that she was miming, not sure if that’s true but I enjoyed it nonetheless. 
Sam Fender - 9.5/10 Absolutely brilliant, the young lad has such good charisma and an amazing voice, so glad I’ve got to see him as I’ve missed out on tickets to see him on tour. 
Catfish & The Bottlemen - 8/10 This may be controversial but is based on my experience of being at the festival, through my rose tinted glasses (and I’d had a fair bit to drink by then). I thought they were great, the crowd were into it and they’re one of my favourite bands and I knew pretty much every word, wanted to make the most of potentially my last ever opportunity to see them. On a side note though I did see some of the highlights and they did sound very poor and you could tell there was no chemistry so it was just done for one big payday. 
SATURDAY:

You Me At Six - 7.5/10 Our first act of the day (we were going to see The Academic but had a bit too much to drink on Friday so needed a longer recovery time!). I thought they were brilliant, they could have played a much bigger slot but filling in last minute you’d be forgiven for thinking they would have been a bit rusty, but no they were great. Crowd weren’t great again but they did everything they could to get them on side. 
IDKHOW - 5/10 They were okay, I tried getting into them before the festival as a friend wanted to see them but couldn’t really. Feel like if I was more into them I would have enjoyed it but was a bit flat. 
Becky Hill - Near perfect set, she has an amazing voice and got the whole of the crowd going for the whole hit packed set, you could also tell that she genuinely wanted to be there and the whole crowd just bounced off her.

The Wombats - 6/10 They were okay, seen them a few times, not the best but certainly not the worst set they’ve done. Glad they did a lot of the hits first so we could have left early for Two Door. 
TDCC - 4/10 Wasn’t impressed with them to be honest, I quite like them but they didn’t seem very interested. I watched the first couple of songs queuing to enter the pen as it was closed off before they even started. I think a lot of the crowd were just there for Post and they just accepted that and didn’t do too much to pump them up, of course the crowd went crazy for What You Know. 
Post Malone - 10/10 Everything I’d hoped from him and more. There are a lot of people in his position who would let the fame go to their head but he genuinely seems very humble and he did everything to keep the crowd going and he seemed very grateful to be where he was. You could tell his voice was starting to crack, but that just shows the wholehearted passion he has. 
SUNDAY

The Hunna - 3.5/10 Another band I quite like (or used to see quite a bit). Disappointed me on this occasion, I do feel they were shafted with the position they were put in, the crowd was just full of kids wanting to get a good position for KSI, but the Hunna didn’t help themselves playing a lot of new stuff that nobody knew (then finishing with the usual Bonfire and She’s Casual)

Neck Deep - 8/10 Wow, another act that massively surprised me. I was a big punk pop fan, but I think they started getting big after I grew out of my PP phase so never really listened to them, they were brilliant, another band that a friend wants me to come along and see and I think I’ll have to go (pop punk is not dead!)

KSI - 5/10 we were quite far back for him, I mean I don’t really know what to say, he’s not a brilliant rapper and he’s there because of who he is rather than his musical talents (this was proven when his biggest cheer was getting the rest of the Sidemen on stage) but he knew how to get the crowd pumped

Tom Grennan - 6.5/10 he was okay, didn’t really see too much of him but the songs he did he seemed to the and get the crowd going. 
Blossoms - Definitely exceeded my expectations! I’m a fan and have tickets to see them next week but wasn’t too excited for them at Reading just due to them being a bit flat in 2019 but the crowd seemed up for it this year and they were really good too. 
Yungblud - 7.5/10 Potential future headliner for sure, I’m not that into him but he did put on a good show. Wasn’t a fun crowd though just full of screaming girls trying to push their way to the front. 
Gerry Cinnamon - 9.5/10 My biggest surprise of the weekend, I’ve listened to him a few times and thought he was okay but didn’t think he would be that exciting as a live act but boy was I wrong, he was the perfect act for what we were needing when tiring, it was uplifting but not too heavy! He knew exactly how to get the crowd pumped. 
Liam Gallagher - 4/10 We only rushed to Gerry to get a decent spot for LG as we were quite pumped to see him, but to be honest I think he was quite underwhelming. I don’t know if it was just the fact that we had to wait an hour and a half for the changeover with quite a lot of knobhead lads around us and we were quite knackered but he just seemed a bit flat too. Also think he could have played a few more Oasis songs for what is going to be one of his biggest (solo) gigs of his career. 
 

All in all a great weekend, the crowds weren’t really that bad and well controlled in my personal opinion. Very happy I got to see so many great acts over a nice sunny weekend. I really hope they scrap the 2 main stage idea, I really think certain acts suit being in a tent much more and I spent too much time at the main stages, hope they also make the lockup/pit separate to the FR again like they did before as I missed being in the tents. 

[rivalschools.price]

42 minutes ago, BeddingatReading said:

Here’s my opinions on the acts I saw over the weekend (Reading)

FRIDAY

Nothing but thieves - 6/10; they were okay, I was disappointed with the setlist, big fan of the first album but they only played the one song. Nonetheless, they were good and the singer has amazing vocals, it’s a shame the sound was a bit crap to start with on that stage on the Friday. 
The Snuts - 8/10 they were really good, one of my favourite bands at the minute and I’m due to see them in October, can’t wait to be in a crowd of fellow fans as most people didn’t know them so the crowd was flat. 
Inhaler - 7/10 Caught the end of them on my way back from the snuts and I was impressed, can see them getting much bigger, very good live band. 
Don Broco - 9/10 Brilliant, I always love a secret set in the pit because the crowd are always up for it and this didn’t disappoint, Broco were brilliant and did exactly everything they could to get the crowd going. They’ve always been on my list to listen to but never got round to it but I think I’m going to have to as I’d like to see them on tour. 
Sea Girls - 6/10 Not as good as I’d hoped, they seemed a bit lifeless and didn’t seem to make the most out of their opportunity on the main stage, crowd didn’t seem too into them and they didn’t do too much to try and change their mind. Also due to see them in October so hoping they will improve by then. 
Declan McKenna - 7.5/10 Exceeded my expectations, I like his music but didn’t think he would be that exciting as a live act, he proved me very wrong. Managed to get the crowd on his side and put on a good show. 
Aitch - 4/10 only caught first few songs but wasn’t impressed, just a cocky kid who thinks he’s all that and the crowd were poor too. 
Mabel - 8/10 really impressed, I managed to get a decent spot because we left Aitch early as I knew there was going to be a big crossover, just feel good pop which everyone could have a good singalong to, a lot of people saying that she was miming, not sure if that’s true but I enjoyed it nonetheless. 
Sam Fender - 9.5/10 Absolutely brilliant, the young lad has such good charisma and an amazing voice, so glad I’ve got to see him as I’ve missed out on tickets to see him on tour. 
Catfish & The Bottlemen - 8/10 This may be controversial but is based on my experience of being at the festival, through my rose tinted glasses (and I’d had a fair bit to drink by then). I thought they were great, the crowd were into it and they’re one of my favourite bands and I knew pretty much every word, wanted to make the most of potentially my last ever opportunity to see them. On a side note though I did see some of the highlights and they did sound very poor and you could tell there was no chemistry so it was just done for one big payday. 
SATURDAY:

You Me At Six - 7.5/10 Our first act of the day (we were going to see The Academic but had a bit too much to drink on Friday so needed a longer recovery time!). I thought they were brilliant, they could have played a much bigger slot but filling in last minute you’d be forgiven for thinking they would have been a bit rusty, but no they were great. Crowd weren’t great again but they did everything they could to get them on side. 
IDKHOW - 5/10 They were okay, I tried getting into them before the festival as a friend wanted to see them but couldn’t really. Feel like if I was more into them I would have enjoyed it but was a bit flat. 
Becky Hill - Near perfect set, she has an amazing voice and got the whole of the crowd going for the whole hit packed set, you could also tell that she genuinely wanted to be there and the whole crowd just bounced off her.

The Wombats - 6/10 They were okay, seen them a few times, not the best but certainly not the worst set they’ve done. Glad they did a lot of the hits first so we could have left early for Two Door. 
TDCC - 4/10 Wasn’t impressed with them to be honest, I quite like them but they didn’t seem very interested. I watched the first couple of songs queuing to enter the pen as it was closed off before they even started. I think a lot of the crowd were just there for Post and they just accepted that and didn’t do too much to pump them up, of course the crowd went crazy for What You Know. 
Post Malone - 10/10 Everything I’d hoped from him and more. There are a lot of people in his position who would let the fame go to their head but he genuinely seems very humble and he did everything to keep the crowd going and he seemed very grateful to be where he was. You could tell his voice was starting to crack, but that just shows the wholehearted passion he has. 
SUNDAY

The Hunna - 3.5/10 Another band I quite like (or used to see quite a bit). Disappointed me on this occasion, I do feel they were shafted with the position they were put in, the crowd was just full of kids wanting to get a good position for KSI, but the Hunna didn’t help themselves playing a lot of new stuff that nobody knew (then finishing with the usual Bonfire and She’s Casual)

Neck Deep - 8/10 Wow, another act that massively surprised me. I was a big punk pop fan, but I think they started getting big after I grew out of my PP phase so never really listened to them, they were brilliant, another band that a friend wants me to come along and see and I think I’ll have to go (pop punk is not dead!)

KSI - 5/10 we were quite far back for him, I mean I don’t really know what to say, he’s not a brilliant rapper and he’s there because of who he is rather than his musical talents (this was proven when his biggest cheer was getting the rest of the Sidemen on stage) but he knew how to get the crowd pumped

Tom Grennan - 6.5/10 he was okay, didn’t really see too much of him but the songs he did he seemed to the and get the crowd going. 
Blossoms - Definitely exceeded my expectations! I’m a fan and have tickets to see them next week but wasn’t too excited for them at Reading just due to them being a bit flat in 2019 but the crowd seemed up for it this year and they were really good too. 
Yungblud - 7.5/10 Potential future headliner for sure, I’m not that into him but he did put on a good show. Wasn’t a fun crowd though just full of screaming girls trying to push their way to the front. 
Gerry Cinnamon - 9.5/10 My biggest surprise of the weekend, I’ve listened to him a few times and thought he was okay but didn’t think he would be that exciting as a live act but boy was I wrong, he was the perfect act for what we were needing when tiring, it was uplifting but not too heavy! He knew exactly how to get the crowd pumped. 
Liam Gallagher - 4/10 We only rushed to Gerry to get a decent spot for LG as we were quite pumped to see him, but to be honest I think he was quite underwhelming. I don’t know if it was just the fact that we had to wait an hour and a half for the changeover with quite a lot of knobhead lads around us and we were quite knackered but he just seemed a bit flat too. Also think he could have played a few more Oasis songs for what is going to be one of his biggest (solo) gigs of his career. 
 

All in all a great weekend, the crowds weren’t really that bad and well controlled in my personal opinion. Very happy I got to see so many great acts over a nice sunny weekend. I really hope they scrap the 2 main stage idea, I really think certain acts suit being in a tent much more and I spent too much time at the main stages, hope they also make the lockup/pit separate to the FR again like they did before as I missed being in the tents. 

To be fair. Liam Gallagher did play 13 Oasis songs in a 21 song set.

[BeddingatReading]

26 minutes ago, rivalschools.price said:

To be fair. Liam Gallagher did play 13 Oasis songs in a 21 song set.

Sorry, what I meant by that was spread out a bit more rather than a big block of his solo stuff. Also saved all of the most popular songs until the end so I think the crowd were getting a bit restless. 

[Followill]

Leeds - Felt great to be back, yes there was nobheads as there always is, but in my experience camping in green we had no trouble and it felt more like the sorts who would of gone orange if it hadn’t been full. It might calm down next year with it being sold out this year and us all being locked in there was a lot of pent up energy. 
 

Friday:

The hunna - 6/10 Easy enough listening but nothing special.

Neck Deep - 7/10 Very good but could of done with a few more songs to really get going

Blossoms - 8/10 Just a great festival singalong band really and stepped up for MGK pulling out which I’d still have preferred but they were enjoyable as always.

Yungblud - 9/10 Just a set full of energy and surprised me massively, would have been a ten if he’d of brought oli out and done obey like everyone thought he would.

Biffy Clyro - 10/10 Best atmosphere all weekend, really wish they would have had a bigger set and headlined by themselves cause as excellent as they were it really felt like LG was given the true headline set.

LG - 6/10 His solo stuff is truly boring for me, set obviously picked up when it was just pure oasis but not in a rush to see him again after that, bit deflating.

Saturday:

Nothing but thieves - 8/10 Really got the day going in the slot they were in, enjoyed what I saw.

Inhaler - 6/10 Decent set to watch sat down in the baking sun.

Don Broco - 9/10 Not as big as a crowd as I thought they’d get but everyone in their was loving it. A brilliant act for a secret set and got me pumped for their Slam dunk headline set this weekend.

Declan McKenna - 8/10 Fun set really chilled vibes for a hot festival day.

Catfish - 6.5/10 Didn’t do anything I hadn’t seen before and songs could of been a bit better but they are always enjoyable. Probably would of been better to peel myself from main stage at this point and see Ashnikko/Boston manor instead. 
 

Stormzy - 9/10 He commanded that headline slot like he’d been doing it many times before, set lulled a bit during the middle and when he went a bit religious on us but it was absolutely bouncing. 
 

Sunday:

Easy life - 5/10 Got the day started okay but was a bit of a snooze.

Beabadoobee - 7/10 Not a huge crowd but those that were their loved it.

Slowthai - 8/10 Another surprise, his set seemed to go off every song and although I don’t really know his songs much I came away enjoying it.

Wombats - 4/10 Finally saw them after they always clashed with someone in previous years and it felt really flat. Wasn’t helped by it being quiet on Main stage west but it was like they knew everyone would rush off to Two door as they played most of their hits early and it never picked up for me.

Two Door - 8/10 Could of helped cause our group was plastered by time they were on but always think they are so much fun and a great festival band, smashed it.

Disclosure - 6/10 I just really don’t think they work on a stage as big as that but they have become that big so not much of an option really. After the first few songs it all sounded like any other DJ for me and I along with many others seemed to be itching to get off for Posty.

Post Malone - 9/10 Perfect act to finish the weekend and such a humble guy too. Banger after banger and even though he was only hear in 2019 it felt different enough with the new album.

 

Im torn on the two main stages going forward, the no clashes they had advertised before was complete rubbish because people kept coming on late/overrunning and with a 5 minute gap it led to loads of rushes between stages. However it really fills your day when it’s back to back bands, however I missed a few acts because I just couldn’t be arsed rushing with already busy days (wold Alice, Sam fender etc). Maybe it would work better with the stages being side by side or diagonal from each other as said before. Main stage west’s positioning for me wasn’t great it was on a complete slope to the right and the sound felt really quiet for most of the acts I saw all weekend there. 

Again as said before it wasn’t truly cashless as half the stands/ice cream vans were only taking cash from early on so that was a load of rubbish. 
 

Overall to end this essay of a post it felt amazing to be back at a festival. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rivalschools.price]

On another note, they can try to kid us as much as they like that there were six headliners but the reality was that there were three.

The ones who headlined main stage east, namely Stormzy, Post Malone and Liam Gallagher, were considered the headliners by just about everyone. Not least because they were bigger bands than the main stage west headliners and the fact that they played last.

[Darberry]

4 hours ago, BeddingatReading said:

Nothing but thieves - 6/10; they were okay, I was disappointed with the setlist, big fan of the first album but they only played the one song. Nonetheless, they were good and the singer has amazing vocals, it’s a shame the sound was a bit crap to start with on that stage on the Friday.

I thought the set list was nearly perfect. However, the crowd was horrible. Full of drugged up, young, nob heads who were only there for the mosh pits and didn't know when to start them because they knew none of the songs. Sound was really quiet too

[devilman]

Felt like the oldest man at Leeds and can't have been too far off it but I still had a good time. I was also in the campervan field. Walked back twice on a couple of the days, holy sheeite I got my steps in this weekend! There's a lot of negative press going on and a lot of it is true but it may have been blown out of all proportion. The culture has definitely changed a lot even since 2017 when I last went. The merch stand was empty all weekend and no wonder, there were hardly any band t shirts on display all weekend. Obviously not cool on insta and tiktok just now. Was more like an ibiza club night than a festival. I'm surprised there weren't cases of hypothermia given the lack of clothes worn despite the weather being pretty cool. Yes there were drugged up people and I've never seen so many ambulances at an event but the crowds were mostly good humoured and happy. I didn't see any  fighting or aggro at all. Maybe because I was mostly at stages where the biggest crowds weren't. There were a few unresponsives lying about the place probably due to the bad batch of pills but there most definitely wasn't hordes of teens off their faces like I keep hearing. Everybody was polite to me and that was quite refreshing. I found the bars to be empty all weekend but that meant spending the extortionate £6 a pint more often. Food was same but I found the noodle van next to the Pit/LU to be really good. I spent most of my weekend at that stage but did venture to the mains a few times. Biffy was better than in 13 for me. Probably best I've seen them. LG was surprisingly good. If the current trend is the way it's going then I won't be back but if RATM or any big rock/metal bands are daft enough to go back there then I'd go again. If not then my last memory of the festival will be a happy and positive one, there were still quite a few moments where the atmosphere and music got to me and made my skin tingle and my eyes well up, the kind of sh!t that I go to see live music for.

[kaytee...]

This was my 10th year at Leeds, first festival of my 30s and my last Leeds fest I think. Its not for me anymore and kids will be kids but there were more dickheads about than ever before and I saw too many people fitting and being carried out on stretchers. There was nowhere near enough stewards or security about with radios, it shouldn't take 10 mins to find someone who can call a medic over. I know they were still looking for staff on Thursday so you have to question if it was a good idea to go ahead without them. 

Having said all that - because I hate being negative when I fully support the return of festivals and want to see the industry thriving again- I enjoyed my weekend and it was good to see people having fun after a shit time. Also can't recommend camping plus enough, clean flushing toilets and hot showers all weekend with proper sound security staffing the place. I probably would have left if I'd stayed up in purple camp again 😂

 

[Andre91]

19 minutes ago, devilman said:

Felt like the oldest man at Leeds and can't have been too far off it but I still had a good time. I was also in the campervan field. Walked back twice on a couple of the days, holy sheeite I got my steps in this weekend! There's a lot of negative press going on and a lot of it is true but it may have been blown out of all proportion. The culture has definitely changed a lot even since 2017 when I last went. The merch stand was empty all weekend and no wonder, there were hardly any band t shirts on display all weekend. Obviously not cool on insta and tiktok just now. Was more like an ibiza club night than a festival. I'm surprised there weren't cases of hypothermia given the lack of clothes worn despite the weather being pretty cool. Yes there were drugged up people and I've never seen so many ambulances at an event but the crowds were mostly good humoured and happy. I didn't see any  fighting or aggro at all. Maybe because I was mostly at stages where the biggest crowds weren't. There were a few unresponsives lying about the place probably due to the bad batch of pills but there most definitely wasn't hordes of teens off their faces like I keep hearing. Everybody was polite to me and that was quite refreshing. I found the bars to be empty all weekend but that meant spending the extortionate £6 a pint more often. Food was same but I found the noodle van next to the Pit/LU to be really good. I spent most of my weekend at that stage but did venture to the mains a few times. Biffy was better than in 13 for me. Probably best I've seen them. LG was surprisingly good. If the current trend is the way it's going then I won't be back but if RATM or any big rock/metal bands are daft enough to go back there then I'd go again. If not then my last memory of the festival will be a happy and positive one, there were still quite a few moments where the atmosphere and music got to me and made my skin tingle and my eyes well up, the kind of sh!t that I go to see live music for.

That Noodle City van was beaut. I had two lots of the Barbecued chicken noodles in one day! 

[dip]

Did anyone work as a litter picker this year at Reading who’d be up for a quick interview?

[andyrhodes24]

4 minutes ago, kaytee... said:

There was nowhere near enough stewards or security about with radios, it shouldn't take 10 mins to find someone who can call a medic over. I know they were still looking for staff on Thursday so you have to question if it was a good idea to go ahead without them.

To sum up a lot of the people who went this year, one of my mates has been in hospital today where it was confirmed he cracked two ribs after tripping up on one of the thousands of giant rocks in the Leeds arena. Instead of helping him out when he fell anyone in view just laughed at him and walked off which is unbelievably poor form, bearing in mind he's in his mid 50s.

It then took us 45 minutes and two trips to the First Aid tent to get someone to check him out. To be fair the paramedics properly checked him over and gave proper painkillers but the First Aid tent and welfare tent next door was full of kids off their box

[devilman]

2 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

he cracked two ribs after tripping up on one of the thousands of giant rocks in the Leeds arena.

Yeah they were quite bad. It was easier to walk on the grass away from those paths. Hope your pal is ok and doesn't get festival lurgy or covid. Coughing and sneezing with broken ribs is absolutely no fun, I can confirm.

[andyrhodes24]

1 minute ago, devilman said:

Yeah they were quite bad. It was easier to walk on the grass away from those paths. Hope your pal is ok and doesn't get festival lurgy or covid. Coughing and sneezing with broken ribs is absolutely no fun, I can confirm.

Thanks mate, he intentionally kicked one that was fixed into the ground so he'll be the first to say it was his own fault after a few ales! He'll be fine, he's done his ribs before so knew immediately that it was the same injury

44 minutes ago, devilman said:

Felt like the oldest man at Leeds and can't have been too far off it but I still had a good time. I was also in the campervan field. Walked back twice on a couple of the days, holy sheeite I got my steps in this weekend!

I didn't feel the affects of walking from the van field to the arena every day until I got out of the car after driving home on the Monday when my legs completely seized up! It was a good atmosphere in the van field, everyone we met just wanted to have a laugh over a beer and talk about music and the vans etc, I'd never go back to regular camping after two years in the van. It might have been a mile away but the pros of the campervan field massively outweighed the con of the walk!

[theesundayroast]

59 minutes ago, devilman said:

I found the bars to be empty all weekend but that meant spending the extortionate £6 a pint more often. Food was same but I found the noodle van next to the Pit/LU to be really good.

I was only at Leeds for the Friday this year and despite feeling similarly old, I found the bar situation to be very different there that day! Queues we're apparently 45 minutes long or so (from asking people who had just come out with their drinks) which would result in me missing two or three acts. Saved me a nice bit of money at least!

[Andre91]

Top acts of the weekend: 

Biffy Clyro - They just did a Biffy and turned up and smashed it. As always. They’re never anything less than outstanding. Pulled a decent crowd (not big by any means) and the people who were there were fully committed. Such a shame they had such a short set. They should be playing for 2 hours. The new stuff got just as good a reception as the older material, with Cop Syrup being a standout. 

KennyHoopla - He’s going to be something, isn’t he? He was brilliant. His energy throughout was huge and the crowd he pulled was super into it. I can see him getting an early Main Stage slot next year. 
 

Beabadoobee - 90s af. Her music sounded glorious on that Main Stage and people were really into it. At times, one of the heaviest acts to play on the Main Stages all weekend sonically. 
 

Wolf Alice - I wish they had a longer set. The sun was shining and there were a few big old singalongs. Don’t Delete The Kisses was one of the highlights of the weekend. I thought they would have pulled a bigger crowd, though, which was a shame. They deserved to be playing to more people. 
 

Ashnikko - Pulled the biggest crowd of the weekend in the Pit/Lock Up and was high energy throughout. She’s definitely unique and is another act I can see getting a Main Stage slot next year. 
 

Becky Hill - Biggest surprise of the weekend. I’m not a fan at all but my partner wanted to see her and I was thoroughly impressed. Full live band, genuine emotion on stage and great energy. That kind of music will never be for me but credit where credit is due, she turned in a great performance. 
 

Lowlights included: 

Russ Millions - The single worst thing I’ve seen on the Main Stage at this festival in 11 years. For the first 10/15 minutes of his set, he wasn’t even on stage. It was some bored af looking DJ playing his songs over the PA with some guy who looked like his uncle just shouting at the crowd. It was embarrassing. 

Ghetts - Not for his performance. He was excellent but the crowd he pulled was absolutely tiny. The guy is a legend and should be playing to a packed audience. I guess even straight up grime isn’t revered by the R&L audience now. 
 

Slowthai - I just thought he was really poor. Low energy, was clearly hungover (he said so) and seemed like he couldn’t be that arsed. Compared to his R1/NME tent set in 2019, it was like watching a different guy. Really disappointing. 
 

Arizona Zervas - The guy was just up there doing karaoke. Embarrassing stuff (the same for The Kid Laroi who I’ve watched on iPlayer). 

Edited August 31, 2021 by Andre91

[thewayiam]

6 hours ago, thetime said:

Glad I came home early. 🤨

Ah not a good experience? It all seems so far away from anywhere I would want to be now.

[andyrhodes24]

Leeds Highlights:

Bad Boy Chiller Crew: Saw their Dance Stage set and their BBC Introducing secret set and both were electric. Crowds were well up for both, rammed and full of energy, a proper party and set the tone for what was one of my all time favourite days at any Leeds Festival.

Blossoms: After their flat 2019 set I wasn't expecting much but my lower expectations might have helped them. Again, the crowd seemed up for it. Just a proper dark fruits party helped out by the fact I'd managed to get to the bar an awful lot by the time they came on. Things then got a bit hazy before LG came on, no recollection of Gerry Cinnamon but our videos suggest I enjoyed it.

Liam Gallagher: I've seen very mixed reviews but he was set of the weekend for me. His opening five songs were perfect, did all the Oasis songs I hoped for including a surprise Rock n Roll Star and even though I can't stand Wonderwall it had me singing. A very good set from start to finish.

Boston Manor: Only caught the last 20 mins after Catfish but I should've gone for the whole thing. Full of energy, decent sound had a fair sized crowd. Well up for their 2022 tour now.

The Wombats: An average set but that's all The Wombats need to be, you know what you're getting with them. Played all the hits and had the crowd going.

Waterparks: First time seeing them and they sounded much better live than on the record. No autotune, big crowd which was bouncing and was the perfect way to end my festival.

Lowlights:

Catfish and the Bottlemen: They looked like they didn't want to be there at all. Crowd loved it but they completely lacked energy on stage, rattled through their set and fucked off without giving any indication that they weren't splitting up. They looked like they had better things to do than headline Reading and Leeds.

Yungblud: This one is largely on me - went down the front hoping to see Obey like a lot of other people seemed to do. Setlist wasn't great and he just comes across as a bellend begging for attention.

Dinosaur Pile-Up: Was really looking forward to them but they were 15 minutes late, had terrible production and it just sounded like a wall of noise in the end.

Aitch: Unbelievably busy, dangerous atmosphere considering we had a nine-year-old with us and full of nobheads.

Disclosure: Only saw them in passing, saw them pretending to press a couple of buttons on their mixer during White Noise and I'd seen enough. They could have been playing their songs on Spotify for all I knew.