Leeds Festival: A Wind Of Change

This year at the Leeds Festival, it wasn’t just the music that blew the fans away; there was also Storm Lilian to contend with. On the opening day, 60mph winds destroyed the tents of festival attendees, causing two stages to be damaged and inoperable for the duration of the festival, leading to the cancellation of acts. Not the best of starts to one of the north’s most prestigious festivals.

There was, however, a silver lining due to the fact there were fewer acts now appearing. The opportunity arose to discover some lesser-known artists on the smaller stages, such as Venus Grrrls, who appeared on the BBC Introducing stage. The charismatic GK, with her commanding vocals and stage presence, completely captivated the fortunate few who decided to check out the band. A mixture of the folkiness of Florence and the Machine mixed with the rock of Siouxsie and the Banshees led to a compelling set.

British/Canadian singer-songwriter Matt Maltese had some radio-friendly songs in his repertoire and deserves to be a household name beyond the cult following he currently has. He probably would not thank me for saying that his closing number, Nightclub Love, had a touch of Barry Manilow about it; however, the track is still one of Maltese’s best.

Catfish and the Bottlemen looked like worthy future headliners in a set that was direct, celebratory, and joyful. Mind you, when your band has bangers such as Longshot and Kathleen, the job of making the Leeds audience forget the day’s earlier tribulations was an effortless task.

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• Venus Grrrls
• Matt Maltese
• Liam Gallagher
• Two Door Cinema Club
• Raye

Liam Gallagher arrived on stage to perform Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, the aptly named Oasis track. In an era where there are no new rock stars emerging to headline future festivals, Gallagher is probably the last one of his generation. Many audience members were not even born when Oasis released their groundbreaking Defiantly Maybe album in 1994, which contained the majority of the songs Gallagher performed. They knew every word to the songs, indicating the staying power and quality of BritPop's pinnacle album. With the rumour of an Oasis reunion soon, Gallagher's performance gave the fans an early indication of what they might expect.

On Saturday, Two Door Cinema Club delivered one of the best sets with a jubilant and refreshing performance. Every band has at least one song that most will know; in their case, What You Know gave the crowd an opportunity to sing the song in unison.

Gerry Cinnamon's ability to hold an audience's attention with just himself and his guitar demonstrated the power of his songs. As Canter concluded, the fans were still singing the memorable number as he left the stage.

The Prodigy took to the new Chevron Stage, basically an outdoor dance arena with an overhead light projection, via a journey to back in the day when dance classics Omen and No Good (Start the Dance) were high in the charts. Accompanied by a spectacular light and laser show, the band packed a punch.

On Sunday, BRIT award winner Raye brought along with her a choir and a string section dressed in bow ties and ballgowns as the singer led the audience through her repertoire of soul-tinged pop hits. Raye revealed that her dad was from Yorkshire, and she practiced her Yorkshire accent to her fans' amusement.

Returning to the Leeds Festival for the third time, Kid Kapachi were as direct and forceful as ever, making you wonder why the band is not yet appearing on the bigger stages.

Lana Del Rey arrived on stage slightly behind schedule as her stage set apparently took so long to erect. Looking like a mock castle, the elaborate set came with ballet dancers in a show that was a mix of Frozen and The Great Gatsby. The graceful and demure show might have worked better in a more intimate setting rather than in a big field where a strong wind was blowing—many of the audience were literally frozen too with the cold.

Traditionally, a big rock act has always closed the festival; this year, DJ Fred Again had the honour of concluding the three-day event as he played keyboards and sang along with the vocals as the guests appeared on the video screens. After the relaxed performance from Del Rey, his set contrastingly appeared more energetic as he pushed the boundaries of dance music further as he raced between stages.

Starting with a storm on Friday, the festival proved to be joyful, eclectic, and entertaining by the time it ended on Sunday.