Leeds Festival 2016 review

If you grew up in the north of England and you like music, then the chance are you've probably been to Leeds Festival. It's a place where formative memories are made, limits are discovered and usually immediately overstepped. Oh and you might also watch a few bands you like in the process. 

It's heralded as a rite of passage for many, and this year we witnessed that reputation holding true. Across 12 stages, named non confusingly so you know exactly what you're getting into when you dash into the first tent you see when the rain starts, are the acts that soundtrack some of the most important memories of your youth.

There's no getting away with it, Leeds is for the young and a look down the 2016 line up would suggest that the organisers are doing plenty to cater for that.

Over the years, the festival known best for its rock and roll sympathy, has had the likes of Oasis, Foo Fighters and almost any band you could care to mention top its bill. In recent years that's morphed slightly, best exemplified this year by the presence of Disclosure, as the event has swaggered to hip-hop and dance grooves.

While the headline acts are almost always going to have guitars slung round their neck, the infiltration of grime and hip hop across was in full effect, the Radio 1 Xtra Stage putting on performances from acts who wouldn't have got near the festival in years gone by. 

Little Simz and Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals were just two artists on a fine roster of talent that also included Bugzy Malone, Stormy and Kano. Paak put in a high tempo performance that dipped heavily into Mailbu with 'The Season/ Carry Me' and 'Am I Wrong' filling the small tent with shimmering soul vibes.

Another man who brought heavy beats and bass was BDL's main man and cult hero Big Narstie, whose enigmatic stage presence was matched by his exuberance backstage when we spoke to him after his show.

LIVE on #Periscope: Live from Big Narstie's dressing room https://t.co/Zv5gm0NTC3

— Skiddle (@skiddle) August 26, 2016

Elsewhere, Skepta brought BBK and a mass energy crew to the main stage on the Saturday night. Notably, the don of grime and his collective were the only act of the genre to make an appearance at the top table, although the music was well represented elsewhere. 

Giggs put in a shift on the Radio 1/NME stage - the popularity of his latest record Landlord will have gone a long way in making this happen. There was also room for him alongside JME during BBK's set, coming onstage to lend his vocal stylings to 'Man Don't Care'.

The weekend's weather was nowhere near as bad as previous washouts, and while mud was an ever permanent fixture, it was only fans of Foals who were drenched in an early evening downpour on Saturday. Things had cleared up somewhat by the time Disclosure blitzed through a slick set, bolstered with a host of special guest performances.

The purists, or older contingency perhaps, were given their fill of trendy indie bands to watch over at the NME/Radio 1 Stage with Whitney and Hinds both soothing heads with early afternoon slots. Dressed down but musically clued up, both sounded polished and flew the flag for a slacker scene that continues to create great music.

The same stage also played host to the UK's hottest new things, Blossoms, on Sunday afternoon. Given that they now have a number one album to their name, in theory, this may have been too early. Naturally, a capacity crowd were in attendance to see the group blitz through the likes of 'Honey Sweet', 'Charlemagne' and 'At Most A Kiss' with Topman's finest garments the choice of most males on and off stage.

The 1975, Blossoms' peers and perhaps the band they look to as inspiration, topped the bill in the same tent on Friday night. Their set now boasts the huge singles to come from the gargantuan I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it, and the success of that LP made them even more determined to bask in the Leeds limelight.

The Mancunian four piece brought grooves, raging hormones and squealing singalongs, as lead singer Matt Healy urged that one day his band would be topping the bill on the festival's biggest stage. Leeds' tradition of putting on huge, already established bands might halt this somewhat but there was no arguing with his group's performance on the night.

.@the1975 coming onstage at @OfficialRandL last night 💃🏻#leedsfestival pic.twitter.com/6Xbq31JYDY

— Skiddle (@skiddle) August 27, 2016

So from young pretenders to the old dons; Sunday night showcased two of the biggest acts of the 90s, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nas, putting on huge shows infront of equally large crowds. The New York emcee delved into the classics with a cluster of Illmatic tracks sounding as fresh as ever.

Meanwhile, the LA funk rock icons did the honours and saw out another Leeds with an era spanning set that threw up few surprises but plenty of treats; perfect fodder for the huge swathes of adoring fans singing along to every word.

The late night line up on the Alternative Stage left Loyle Carner as the first act to follow the Chilis and one of the last acts of the whole weekend. The young rapper was blessed with a packed out tent all there to see his gentle jams, insightful flow and astonishingly humble onstage presence. 

Whether the potential of promising young acts like Carner or the 1975 will see them granted headline slots is yet to be seen. Naturally, it's easier and more enganging to have an internationally acclaimed act at the top of the line up, regardless of their age. 

This isn't totally a bad thing though. The Leeds formula still works and as long as smaller acts are still having their moment somewhere, joined by people still flocking to the festival for the first, second or hundredth time, an institution lives on.

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