LEEDS FESTIVAL 2002.
AT TEMPLE NEWSAM PARK, LEEDS. 23RD � 25TH AUGUST 2002.
The first band of the weekend came in the form of TETRA SPLENDOUR. I had seen them earlier in the year supporting Biffy Clyro. At that gig I thought they were really good, full of energy etc etc. at Leeds though it was a very different story. They put very little effort into their performance and were really boring to watch. Not a good start. Things didn�t get much better with HUNDRED REASONS. They were no were near good enough to be appearing on the main stage. There didn�t seem to be much of an atmosphere during their set. Their singles went down well but their album tracks/ b sides/ �newies� etc were really quite dull.
What with queuing for the signing tent and meeting up with friends, I didn�t get to see much of HELL IS FOR HEROES, BIFFY CLYRO or JETPLANE LANDING but what I did see sounded very promising. In the signing tent I got to meet HAVEN, HUNDRED REASONS and THE MUSIC amongst others. I�m not exactly a fan of SLIPKNOT put they put on a pretty good show at Leeds 2000 and there wasn�t anybody else in particular I wanted to see at the same time so I thought I might as well go watch them. They were very, very disappointing. Where was the violent stage show? The heavy amplification? The vowel problem? Where was �Wait And Bleed�? It seems that Slipknot are mellowing in their old age. Not nearly as entertaining as last time.
EASYWORLD came next along with a massive promotion effort. The first few rows of the crowd got handed free t-shirts, postcards, stickers, posters and balloons! Cool huh?! That all kind of made up for the shortness of their set. It was cut from 45 minutes down to just 30 minutes because the band before finished late. It was still one of the best sets of the weekend though. Their catchy pop rock went down a storm. THE MUSIC were amazing. This was their biggest hometown gig to date. They have improved an awful lot since I saw them about a year ago.
GUNZ N� ROSES finally appeared on the main stage over an hour late at around 11.15pm in front of the biggest crowd I have ever seen gathered for any one band. This was their first UK show in 9 years. I only saw the first few songs before deciding to head back to my tent. I was freezing cold and very tired. I listed to the rest of the near 2 hour set from the comfort of my sleeping back. The set drew to a close at 1am the following morning with an epic version of the classic single �Paradise City�. Night night.
The morning after the very late night before began with the fantastic PARVA who I saw for the first time over the summer when they supported The Libertines. Their lead singer was once again full of energy. You can not fail to like this band. They�re great. THE BELLRAYS from LA came next. Lead singer Lisa looks loud and is loud. She has an amazing voice. I didn�t have a great view so couldn�t really see what was happening but they sounded fab. I tried meeting them in the signing tent but they didn�t turn up. Organisers couldn�t find them. They wandered off without letting anyone know where they were going.
THE DATSUNS, well what I saw of them, were fantastic. They are a great example of a classic rock n� roll band. They were full of energy. They were even joined onstage by THE VON BONDIES who sang backing vocals on a special version of �In Love�. The crowd went mental for THE VINES and who can blame them. They rocked. Highlights of their set included �Get Free�, �Country Yard� and a cover of the outcast track �Ms Jackson�. THE WHITE STRIPES looked alittle out of place on the huge main stage but they carried it off well. They�re a great live band.
THE ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE vary everytime I see them. The first time they were amazing. The second time they weren�t very good. Here at Leeds they were somewhere in between the two. They were average. And so to the band I was most looking forward to seeing, PULP. I tried my very best to get near the front for them but sadly I failed. I still ended up with quite a good view though. They opened with �Feeling Called Love� and went on to perform tracks including �Babies�, �This Is Hardcore� and �Trees�.
Jarvis was soooooooooooo funny. He took the time to take the piss out of Slipknot and Toploader amongst others. He also made a reference to his appearance on Stars In Their Eyes on which he appeared as Rolf Harris. A remixed version of �Common People� came about 3 quarters of the way through the set. It�s not as good as the original version but it still went down well with the crowd. The start of their set began in the daylight. By the end of their set it was dark. Ironically, as the sun was setting, they ended their set with an epic version of �Sunrise�. There are rumours that Pulp are on the verge of splitting. I really hope those rumours aren�t true. Can�t wait to see them again in December.
Jarvis was later spotted watching THE POLYPHONIC SPREE, all 24 members of them. It was a very tiny stage so things on there were very cramped. For those of you not in the know, basically they are an all singing, all dancing, all playing troupe of white cassocked Texans. Every instrument you can imagine is included within their set. You name it, they can probably play it. Their songs are very catchy and spread love to all. At this point I feel I should mention the man at the front who was dressed up like a tree. What a guy. What a night.
The third and final day kicked off with THE PATTERN and THE LIBERTINES. Didn�t see either but heard both while stood at the back of the tent. Sounded good. THE D4 rocked. I didn�t see all their set though because I wanted to go meet THE HIVES in the signing tent. I waited nearly two hours to meet them but they left before I got the chance. I wasn�t amused. Live though the best dressed band in rock were fantastic and they know it. Pelle has a very big ego. As usual, his in between song banter was perfectly scripted and highly amusing. They performed a mixture of tracks from all of their albums and even threw in a couple of cover versions.
THE EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER were quite disappointing. They have been over hyped way to much. To watch they were good, lively and energetic. However their music and lyrics really let them down. BEN KWELLER was one of the true highlights of the weekend. He and his band were amazing. Their catchy pop rock was perfect for a festival setting. The crowd loved it. Single �Wasted And Ready� deserved to be a number one hit. Up and coming punk rockers VENDETTA RED played next. They are going to be huge. Lead singer Zach is a genuinely loverly guy. I spoke to him briefly after their set.
SPAN are a Norwegian rock band. They are young, pretty and everything a rock band should be. Good to watch and great to listen to. THE INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONSPIRACY entered the stage wearing matching grey suits. They are way better live than on CD. They�re really energetic, especially the lead singer. Following a stage invasion at reading the night before, IKARA COLT were removed from the Leeds line up amid safety concerns. So it was left to THE PARKINSONS to carry out headlining duties. A job which they did well. However I think that this is yet another band that have been over hyped way to much.
They finished alittle early so I had time to wander over for the last 20 minutes of the FOO FIGHTERS. I made it just in time for �Monkey Wrench�. I saw the encore too which drew the weekend to a close with a short firework display. Then came the traditional end of festival riots. They didn�t really affect me. I was camped in the yellow campsite. Most of the trouble took place in the red campsite. They weren�t nearly as bad as what the press may have led you to believe. A few toilets got burnt down. Big deal. It really wasn�t anything serious. However because of a few mindless thugs, next years festival may not now happen. If that were the case it would be a great shame. Leeds 2002 wasn�t as good as last year but it was still a bloody good weekend.
BY MR MARTYN. SEPTEMBER 2002. |