Leeds Festival Review: Lana Del Rey and Liam Gallagher Shine After Storm

2024 will be remembered in Leeds festival history as the year of Storm Lilian. The high winds caused significant disruptions on Friday, leading to the closure of three stages, cancelled buses, and long queues to enter the venue. Attendees witnessed a surreal spectacle of tents being blown away and landing in back gardens. Despite a reduced musical lineup, a massive crowd gathered for headliner Liam Gallagher, who, dressed as if for a deep-sea fishing expedition, humorously dedicated Oasis’s “Up in the Sky” to the tents. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Definitely Maybe, his set, filled with early Oasis classics, united the crowd in epic singalongs, serving as the perfect end to a challenging day.

The TikTok stars’ Aux stage and the Radio 1 tent, which had a gaping hole in the roof, remained closed throughout the weekend. However, the weather improved on Saturday, bringing sunshine and a semblance of normalcy. This year’s diverse lineup ranged from Rachel Chinouriri’s mesmerizing vocals in the Festival Republic tent to Spiritbox’s gothic metalcore and Raye’s jazzy soul on the main stage, complete with a string section and ballgowns.

Global events added a political edge to the usual post-GCSE party vibe. Phoebe Lunny, the fiery singer of Lambrini Girls, planted a Palestinian flag high on the tent scaffolding, while Welsh pop-punks Neck Deep reassured the crowd, “it won’t always be like this.” Belfast rappers Kneecap, rapping mostly in Irish, have been likened to the most controversial bands since the Sex Pistols, blending humor and provocation. They even managed to get a Yorkshire field to rap along with “Get Your Brits Out,” although their DJ’s tricolor balaclava was nowhere to be seen among the festival merchandise.

A returning breeze initially caused sound issues during Fontaines DC’s Sunday teatime set. However, the Dubliners rebounded powerfully with “Boys in the Better Land” and “In the Modern World,” a standout track from their new album Romance. With minimal visuals and just a mumbled “How ya doin?” from singer Grian Chatten, their performance was a testament to delivering on their own terms.

Lana Del Rey, who has faced issues in previous British festival appearances, delivered an exquisite performance without a hitch. The only extraneous noise came from teenage girls singing along to every word. Songs like “Summertime Sadness” and “Young and Beautiful” resonated profoundly, sounding hauntingly elegiac under the fading sun, cementing her status as one of the greatest contemporary singer-songwriters.

Despite a 24-hour delayed start, the high-tech new Chevron stage underscored the growing influence of dance and electronic music at a festival traditionally rooted in rock. This set the stage for an epic dance versus pop-punk face-off on Saturday night. Veteran headliners The Prodigy and Blink-182 provided intense performances at opposite ends of the festival grounds. The Prodigy’s set was particularly poignant with a vocal-less rendition of “Firestarter,” featuring the late Keith Flint in silhouette on the screen, creating one of the weekend’s most touching moments.

On Sunday night, breakout producer Fred Again made history as the first electronic act to headline the main stage at Leeds. His laser-enhanced set blended showmanship, crowd-pleasing grooves, and heartfelt emotion. “You’re the biggest set of troopers we’ve ever played to at a festival,” he exclaimed, as even a torrential downpour couldn’t stop the dancing. A festival that began disastrously ended in a drenched but defiant celebration.

Source: The Guardian, Independent