This is the Silent Hotels review of this year's Leeds Festival. The dual festivals (Leeds & Reading) didn't sell out instantaneously this time, and a far bit of criticism greeted the original line-up which boasted headliners of Muse, My Chemical Romance and co-headlining Pulp and The Strokes. Some said that My Chemical Romance weren't big enough or that it wasn't 'right' for them to be topping the bill, and others claimed the line-up was stuck in the past and and that it couldn't compete with headliners of V and T In The Park this year. What I maintain about the festival is that, regardless of the headliners, it is the strength in depth which gives Leeds and Reading the edge over other alternative music festivals. This is a selection of who three of our writers saw at the festival-
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Flats Sound - ★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★ Crowd - ★ Overall Performance -★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ note: they would have been much better suited to a slot on the lock up stage but had all of the punk credentials and gave a good performance. rh | Cherri Bomb Sound - ★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★ Crowd - ★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★ note: their inexperience was evident but they still gave an exuberant, crowd-pleasing performance. rh | The Joy Formidable Sound - ★★★ Stage Presence -★★★★ Crowd -★★ Overall Performance -★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ rh |
| Best Coast Sound - ★ Stage Presence - ★★ Crowd - ★★★ Overall Performance - ★★ Live Accuracy - ★★ note: Beth sounded disinterested and her guitar was so quiet there was little point even playing it. bj | The Computers Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★★ Crowd - ★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★ Surprising start to the day, very energetic and an excellent crowd interaction (helps when you end up actually in the crowd) st | Funeral Party Sound - ★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd - ★★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ bj |
| Cage The Elephant Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★ Crowd -★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★ note: the poor live accuracy is largy due to their adapting their older material to their new, grungier sound which actually worked well. rh | Cerebral Ballzy Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★ Crowd - ★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ rh | She Keeps Bees Sound -★★★★ Stage Presence -★★★ Crowd -★★★ Overall Performance -★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ rh |
| OFF! Sound - ★★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd - ★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★★ Punk stage, punk band, no complaints. Crowd was a little inactive for what you would expect but band really nailed their timings (lots of time to kill with short songs) and the songs sounded ideal. Also a nice crowd interaction, with rundowns of American punk history. st | Foster The People Sound - ★★ Stage Presence - ★★ Crowd - ★★ Overall Performance - ★★ Live Accuracy - ★★ note: crowd was clearly only there for one song, and band looked much more exhausted than they did at Latitude bj | Yuck Sound -★★★ Stage Presence -★★★★ Crowd -★★ Overall Performance -★★★★ Live Accuracy -★★★★ note: The nme tent was too big for the band and the mix as well as the atmosphere suffered from this. Nevertheless, a very good live performance. rh |
| Warpaint Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd - ★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★★ note: much more polished than last year, and haven't lost that psychedelic charm which makes them unique bj | The Antlers Sound - ★★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd - ★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ Played well, got out. Not much else to say. st | Tribes Sound - ★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd - ★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★ bj |
| Interpol Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★ Crowd - ★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★★ Much like Strokes in terms of stage presence. Crowd very thin on the ground but a band that can never be faulted in making their live set as close to the record as possible. st | White Denim Sound - ★★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd -★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★★ rh | Grouplove Sound - ★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★ Crowd - ★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ Very energetic, maintained a nice buzz for the sometimes exhausting middle of the day slot. st |
| Death From Above 1979 Sound - ★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd - ★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★ Inevitably violent crowd. Sometimes got a little out of hand. Limited stage presence although crowd interaction was okay, but sound really let them down, especially with bass.st | Tom Vek Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★ Crowd - ★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★ note: Surprise of the weekend for me. Didn't expect anything and received a stylish performance from a man on his comeback into the industry. He'll probably just blend back into the background unfortunately. bj | The Kills Sound - ★★★ Stage Presence - ★★ Crowd - ★★ Overall Performance - ★★ Live Accuracy - ★★ note: Hince looked on the edge of being past it, Mosshart was even closer. Poor setlist lacking Midnight Boom, and both looked too drunk to play well. Shame. bj |
| Viva Brother Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd - ★★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★ note: Impressive britpop performance from a band who've received more criticism than most in the past few months. Undeserved in my opinion bj | My Chemical Romance Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★★ Crowd - ★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ note: MCR joined he major leagues with an exceptional and mature performance relying in part on their strong recent album and resisted the temptation to play a Greatest Hits set. bj | Cloud Control Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd - ★★★★ Overall Performance -★★★★ Live Accuracy -★★★★ rh |
| Descendents Sound - ★★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★ Crowd - ★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ note: clashing with Muse really hampered the crowd, but they gave an extremely impressive punk-rock performance. bj | The Horrors Sound - ★★★★ Stage Presence -★★★★ Crowd - ★★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ note: Good mix of setlist and effective in a headliner position. Not even a power cut could bring them down. Crowd incredible, as Horrors noted themselves, with continued sing-alongs throughout the duration of the almost neverending powercut. st | The National Sound - ★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★ Crowd - ★★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★★ note: Festival Republic gambled with the placement of The National, and it didn't pay off with a very small crowd which would have been more suited to being in the NME tent bj |
| The Strokes Sound - ★★ Stage Presence - ★★ Crowd - ★★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★ note: Virtually no stage presence for a sub-headliner. Although their 'thing' consists of walking on, playing and leaving, there was very little crowd interaction. Put that together with the laddish crowd with a seeming lack of balance (lots of falls) and a poor sound quality and it makes for a disappointing way to lead into Pulp. st | ||
| And So I Watch You From Afar Sound -★★★★ Stage Presence -★★★ Crowd -★★★ Overall Performance -★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★ note: their complex, heavy, sound which falls somewhere between polvo and explosions in the sky seemed to be lost on the audience who, despite being scarce in numbers due to the strokes and crystal castles both clashing, still gave it a good go and started pits. rh | ||
| Three Trapped Tigers Sound - ★★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★ Crowd -★ Overall Performance - ★★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★★ note: a perfect performance of extremely difficult and complex material was a pleasure to watch. It's a great shame more people weren't there to witness it due to their clashing with the strokes and not appearing on the line-up. rh | ||
| Pulp Sound - ★★★★★ Stage Presence - ★★★★★ Crowd -★★★★ Overall Performance - ★★★★★ Live Accuracy - ★★★★★ note: Flawless. st |
