Although starting brighter than the day before, the wet weather had already done its damage on the Friday, with the site still resembling an absolute mudbath – something that would only get worse as the dry start would turn to yet another wet day – in the shadow of the arenas main stage.
Architects opened proceedings on the main stage, showing everyone just why they have been tipped for massive things off the back of their latest album The Here And Now. Riding high off the success of that record, the band are in astonishing form right now, blowing away any cobwebs the punters may be rocking from their hangovers early doors.
It is the tracks off that new record that go down the best, with Day In Day Out and Delete Rewind sounding massive.
Heartburn sees frontman Sam Carter get the crowd on their friends shoulders for a real “moment”, replicating their set at Sonisphere earlier in the summer, before they bow out on a breathtaking Early Grave.
Setlist - Intro Theme from Dexter / Day In Day Out / Delete, Rewind / Numbers Count For Nothing / In Elegance / Learn to Live / Heartburn / Follow The Water / Early Grave
The Blackout are clearly up for it from the outset, as the opening refrain of I’m A Riot? You’re A Fucking Riot! Sees the bands two singers, Gavin Butler and Sean Smith, make their way to the crowd to get in the middle of the action. Sean suffers an unceremonious mud pie to the face (naturally in these conditions) but takes it in good spirits, and the band crack through a set of pure hits, with new material and old sitting well alongside each other.
Never By Your Side from the fantastic recent release Hope is a huge highlight, and the likes of Save Our Selves (The Warning), It’s High Tide Baby, Children Of The Night and recent single Higher & Higher (sans guest spot from Hyro Da Hero) are massive festival anthems here today.
They must play for the best part of 40 minutes in a set which flies by, proving just how many awesome songs they now have in their arsenal. They have had their ups and downs over the past couple of years, but with great material, and their two singers proving to be a massively entertaining double act and clear focal point, they are in the ascent.
The interchanges of the duos vocal delivery sets the stage alight today on the main stage.
They have never been better than they are right now.
Setlist - I'm A Riot? You're A Fucking Riot! / Ambition Is Critical / Children Of The Night / It's High Tide Baby! / Never By Your Side / This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things / Spread Legs, Not Lies / ShutTheFuckUppercut / Higher & Higher / Save Our Selves (The Warning)
Pop punk legends New Found Glory arrive to glorious sunshine (which doesn’t last long albeit) and incite a frenzied reaction to some of the finest ever pop punk anthems, that, as usual, don’t fail to set off the party when played in the live arena.
For the duration of their set, it is just pure hit after hit, whether it be the likes of early material Hit Or Miss and Dressed To Kill, the seminal All Downhill From Here and Failure’s Not Flattering, new single Radiosurgery or pretty much everything in between. Understatement is, as always, the full blooded opener, and the band finish on perennial set closer My Friends Over You, but not before they give the rest of the lineup a lesson in how to do festival sets.
They play something off all their records, and in the space of 45 minutes, you get everything you could ever ask for from a NFG set.
It doesn’t get much sweeter on a Saturday afternoon.
Scintillating stuff.
Setlist – Intro - Chariots of Fire / Understatement / All Downhill From Here / Truck Stop Blues / Hit Or Miss / Listen To Your Friends / Hold My Hand / Radiosurgery (including impromtu Come As You Are – Nirvana cover) / Kiss Me / Sixpence None The Richer cover) / Failure's Not Flattering / Dressed To Kill / Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones cover) /
Intro / My Friends Over You
If New Found Flory bring the pop punk party, Sheffield bruisers Bring Me The Horizon bring the brutal anthems to lay complete waste to the field before them, making everything feel like a complete warzone.
Still riding the crest of a wave since the release of the “classic-in-waiting” There Is A Hell . . . Bring Me The Horizon totally slay today and shut up any remaining doubters once more in the process (take note the idiot chucking gobstoppers at the band for their set’s duration).
The main stage arena near the front is an all out mosh pit for their crushing anthems, and opening with a ferocious and pissed off It Never Ends, the frenzy is unrelenting from there on in. FUCK is brutal, as is Anthem, whereas Blessed With A Curse hits hard on a different level entirely. Older tracks such as Diamond’s Aren’t Forever, Football Season Is Over and Chelsea Smile all incite chaos, and a vicious cut from their debut, Pray For Plagues, sees one of the biggest pits of the weekend.
Oli Sykes’ dad even joins him down the front for one number (a la Sonisphere 2009) and all in all this is a huge celebration of how many hurdles this band have overcome to genuinely become one of the finest bands on the live circuit.
Their tour with Machine Head later in the year (and DevilDriver and Darkest Hour) will be simply unmissable.
One of the best bands around at the moment, who never disappoint live.
Outstanding stuff.
Setlist – Intro / It Never Ends / Fuck / Diamonds Aren't Forever / Pray for Plagues / Football Season Is Over / Blessed With A Curse / Anthem / Chelsea Smile / No Need for Introductions, I've Read About Girls Like You on the Backs of Toilet Doors
Rise Against follow that and struggle with the elements as the heavens open once more, and although their set it full of massive anthems, older fans in the audience are left a little disappointed at the lack of anything pre-The Sufferer And The Witness. To moan about that though it to miss the point entirely, and to discredit the genius of songs such as Audience Of One, Chamber The Cartridge, Prayer Of The Refugee, and the two standout tracks from this years hugely successful Endgame album, Architects and Help Is On The Way.
Their set is passionate, hard hitting, and full of fantastically written punk songs, with a political edge. Finding a home over the years on the Lock Up tent, and making their long awaited (and overdue) debut on the main stage, Rise Against prove that they can mix it with the best on this big stage.
They have the songs, and they have the fanbase, and today is another fantastic example of what a truly phenomenal band they are.
Setlist - Chamber the Cartridge / Satellite / The Good Left Undone / Re-Education (Through Labor) / Make It Stop (September's Children) / Help Is On The Way / Prayer Of The Refugee / Audience Of One / Architects / Ready To Fall / White Riot (The Clash cover) / Savior
Deftones take to the stage next and although things start to go dark overhead, it fits the mood perfectly as they throw down with their unique metal and post hardcore sounds. Chino is as mesmerising as ever, even pulling out his guitar on a number of tracks, and although Reading arguably got the better setlist, including the likes of Minerva, Rocket Skates and Back To School, Leeds gets a cracking showing from the Sacramento rock legends.
The fact that they have enough songs to play very different sets across the two sites says it all really.
My Own Summer (Shove It) is a classic and comes out early, and they finish on a sizzling one two of Change (In The House Of Flies) and Passenger, enlisting Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath (with dodgy mic) to fill in on the part made famous by Maynard James Keenan of Tool fame.
It is far from a classic set from Deftones (there seems to be a lot of slower, reflective numbers thrown in today), but it is still hugely enjoyable nonetheless. It is still not a patch on their breathtaking Download set from last year, but Chino and pals throw down enough today to snatch a solid victory in front of a fairly sparse crowd. Had this been Donington, the crowd would have been massive, but at Leeds, there is a seeming disconnect and an air of disinterest towards them, which is a shame.
Setlist - Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) / My Own Summer (Shove It) / Diamond Eyes /
Royal / Sextape / Prince / Beauty School / Digital Bath / Korea / Change (In the House of Flies) / Passenger (with Tim McIlrath
The Offspring’s long overdue return to our shores yields a full hour of non stop (pop) punk rock hits, with classics to burn from the moment they arrive on the stage. Kicking off with a startling All I Want, the hits just keep on coming, from their earlier material such as set closer Self Esteem and Come Out And Play (Keep ‘Em Separated), slotting in timelessly with personal favourites Want You Bad and the immense one-two sucker punch of Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) and The Kids Aren’t Alright.
Why Don’t You Get A Job? seems particularly prophetic on this weekend, and overall, The Offspring go down a treat in the inclement weather. It has been some time since they came to the UK, but it was totally worth the wait.
The one new song that was aired is nothing quite like the classics, and it is clear that the boys are getting on these days, but when the classics come (ahem . . .out and play), there is nobody in the field not having a cracking time.
An excellent set, from an excellent band, who, despite their ageing years still look exactly the same as they did years ago!
Setlist - All I Want / You're Gonna Go Far, Kid / November Song / Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated) / Million Miles Away / Staring At The Sun / Want You Bad / Hit That / Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? / Why Don't You Get a Job? / Americana / (Can't Get My) Head Around You / Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) / The Kids Aren't Alright / Self Esteem
Greeted like returning heroes, in something resembling a second coming, 30 Seconds To Mars follow, with the enigmatic Jared Leto receiving a reaction akin to a messiah. With just over an hour to crack out some of their biggest hits, their set is a huge spectacle, with clearly no expense spared. What is a problem for me, as with on their arena tour last year, is that despite having the songs, the charisma and the voice, Jared opts to let the crowd sing huge portions of each song, which is a shame at times, because you just want to hear him let rip with that voice.
He has the voice, and the parts that he does sing prove that he can hit all the right notes at any point, but as he attempts to get the crowd singing every song, some of the power to the big hits is lost amongst that. However, what he does do is get in amongst the crowd, unify them, and make them feel part of the whole experience.
Sure he has a massive ego, but he is a genuine showman, and the 30STM set is a massive success today, in spite of some the lack of singing. As much as they are a band, it is all about “the Leto” ™ and he comes down into the crowd for an acoustic solo version of Hurricane and a full throated The Kill. Attack is still an absolutely fantastic song, and the likes of Closer To The Edge (with full crowd participation), This Is War, and set closing Kings and Queens (with full scale stage invasion at Jared’s request) cannot fail to impress in the festival environment.
He is very immersive with his audience, and for many, this will be the set of the entire weekend.
The only thing it missed from where I was standing was Leto singing more of the songs himself (although I was surprised to see From Yesterday omitted from the setlist).
Everything else was spot on.
Setlist – Escape / A Beautiful Lie / Attack / Search And Destroy / This Is War / 100 Suns / Vox Populi / Hurricane (Acoustic) / The Kill (Bury Me) / Closer To The Edge / Kings and Queens
My Chemical Romance headlining the main stage on the second night of Leeds 2011 was a big thing for me, having been into them from the early days and seeing them work their way up from the intimate Manchester Academy 3, to headlining one of the biggest festivals in the country (I know they headlined Download 2007, but they had a rough time that day with the crowd). It has been an honour well deserved, and I couldn’t wait to see what they brought for their headline slot.
A plethora of big stage production, even before they hit the stage, they start their 90 minute headline set with a killer combination of Na Na Na (Na Na Na . . . ) and breakthrough single I’m Not Okay (I Promise) which sets the place off from the moment they kick in.
It is explosive, it is heartstopping, and it is a pleasure to behold.
The hits just keep coming from there on in as well, and although they stick to mainly their last two albums, it is a massive set, proving that they were never going to have any trouble in commanding a headline set here. The crowd are into it, and although perhaps a little smaller than some headline crowds I have seen, those that are in attendance are passionate about the band, and sing every word right back at the ringleader Gerard Way.
Way is on top form as he works the crowd like a pro, who oblige in kind to each of his requests. The band behind him are as tight and as powerful as ever, and the stage set is breathtaking, from massive lasers, pyro, lights and pretty much everything you could ask for from a headliner.
Planetary (Go!) sounds massive with its synth power piercing through the night sky, as Gerard gets the crowd to jump in unison, and House Of Wolves, Dead! and Famous Last Words are three other massive moments from their commercially massive The Black Parade album. It is nice that they throw in oldie Our Lady Of Sorrows as well for the diehards, although a lot of people near me seem to not know the song, and is a nice treat for the Leeds fans, as Reading didn’t get anything from their debut record. Of the new material, The Only Hope For Me Is You is a highlight and DESTROYA gets the pit action going down the front.
It is a crime for them to only play two songs from the breakthrough Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, and a couple more would have really gone down a treat, perhaps in place of Mama, Cancer, or S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W which I don’t massively care for, but that is forgivable considering it is the commercial success of that last two records that has led them to tonight’s headline slot. I personally would have love to seen something like You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison and Thank You For The Venom.
Helena closes the set proper, and is another massive moment, and Gerard returns in a blistering spotlight to open the encore with Cancer. Once Welcome To The Black Parade starts up, the place goes mental, and proves just why it is still such a fantastic song. The atmosphere kicks off and is electric as the place erupts when that powerhouse riff kicks in, and the band close proceedings with a massive bang.
The fans have clearly been into it from the moment they took to the stage 90 minutes earlier, with a portion of the crowd even ripping off a piercing flare during the set to take the already thrilling atmosphere supernova.
We may not get Brian May like Reading do, but he isn’t needed.
My Chemical Romance owned the stage tonight, and they justified their headline billing with an explosive performance that will never be forgotten.
Incredible stuff.
Setlist - Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) / I'm Not Okay (I Promise) / Planetary (GO!) / The Only Hope For Me Is You / DESTROYA / Mama / SING / House Of Wolves / Our Lady Of Sorrows / The Kids From Yesterday / Famous Last Words / Teenagers / Dead! / S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W / Helena / Cancer / Welcome To The Black Parade
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