Live At Leeds 2012 Preview

Why I am so excited about Live At Leeds:

So I’ve just been emailed the final band announcements for this year’s Live At Leeds, which takes place May 4^th to 7th. That the top line of billing includes Example and Alkaline Trio suggests just how diverse it has become and how much they are trying to push it as a broad, but quality festival.

In all honesty, I’m not really a headliners kind of guy but the mix of bands towards the top of the poster is quite impressive. Marina & The Diamonds, The Enemy and Ladyhawke aren’t names that strike an ounce of emotion in me, but equally, they are quality, big names and ones I’ve not seen on EVERY SINGLE FESTIVAL POSTER over the last few months, so good picks. Obviously I can vouch for Los Campesinos! after last year’s Long Division as being essential and The Subways; I thought they were washed up a long time ago, but they may well do what The Futureheads did last year and pull out a set that reminds us why we loved them so much in the first place.

Of the bands slightly lower down the bill, Ghostpoet is the name everyone is talking about. It seems crazy now but I saw them supporting Metronomy at The Hop in Wakefield just last year and they were excellent. It will be interesting to see them in a bigger venue. I Like Trains is a big one for me. Again, we had them at Long Division last year but I missed them and am very excited to hear material from their forthcoming third album. Bands like Howler and the more local Spector are also tipped as ones to watch. So all in all, a pretty decent mix.

BUT! It is the bands further down the billing that excite me and the reason I love my day in Leeds so much. There are bands that have only existed on the periphery of my knowledge and understanding and Live At Leeds is a great way to ‘top up’ your enthusiasm for new and live music. Alt-J, Blacklisters, Black Moth, Fanzine, Moody Gowns, Post War Glamour Girls, The History Of Apple Pie, This Many Boyfriends; all bands I know of but want to know more about. The journey round the city on a scorching hot summer’s day searching them out can’t be beaten for me.

As a fellow festival organiser I really appreciate the efforts that go into making my day effortless. I’ve always been impressed with the setup over the last few years; it couldn’t be less stressful. That and the pleasant traipsing around the city combine to help make this one of the most sociable festivals on the calendar.

This aspect has been built on with additional events over the rest of the weekend. Sunday and Monday Hangover events take place at Brudenell Social Club (the public acknowledgement of a two day hangover is pleasing) whilst The Unconference takes place on May 4^th (Friday) before the rest of the celebrations. It features a panel of speakers talking about the current state of the music biz, especially in relation to digital media / distribution etc. Tom Robinson of BBC 6 Music and Sean Adam, founder of Drowned in Sound, will be there aswell as many other industry people. This is the kind of thing some unscrupulous people will try sell tickets for, whilst these ‘experts’ pass on their wisdom. But here it is free. A great example of Live At Leeds’ commitment to quality music and community.

And finally, there will be the Live At Leeds annual 5-aside Football Tournament on the Monday. I can’t bloody stand football, but this sounds like a great idea; a real communal thing and a proper good laugh.

At £20 for the Saturday all-dayer, this is bloody good value. As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I love the city based festivals and the fact that, alongside kick ass music, I can also have a really nice dinner, or sneak off for a quality pint in The Adelphi and make a full day of it. Live At Leeds is a fantastic advert for The City of Leeds, music both local and live and for the importance of a strong, social community. Here’s to another great year.

www.liveatleeds.com

Dean Freeman

Live @ Leeds Review

Live @ Leeds 2011

The sun radiates upon the collected wristband wearers sat outside the exchange as they listen to a band in a tent. It’s Rhubarb Bomb’s first festival of the year, the multi venue extravaganza that is Live @ Leeds. The weather has done the city proud, but I feel less good myself. A combination of having finished a night shift at 7am that morning and an incredibly snotty nose and sore throat don’t conspire to promise me an AMAZING time. But the vibes are instantly good. With a box of brand new Issue 2.1’s under my arm we pace up to Faversham for the first band of the day.

Arriving at The Fav we find many a friendly face outside. It’s a beautiful day and it’s pretty tempting to just stay outside on the picnic tables. We don’t though, because this is the Runaround Kids and, seemingly, wherever they go, Rhubarb Bomb must follow.


With an album recently complete (due in August) the band confidently showcase a lot of their new material. “Cant Lose Lover” stands out as breaking away slightly form their usual driving 2 chord variations with its sliding, weaving chorus (is it a chorus? I don’t know). Basically they seem to have expanded on all the good bits from their previous single and EP, namely, the expanded instrumental sections, the spiky vocal passages and the use of two vocalists, with Bassist Jack noticeably contributing more. They even drop regular closing track ‘Clandestines’, rightly choosing to move onwards and upwards. But most of all, and more than ever they look and feel like a group, 3 individuals, each virtuoso in their own right, but also tightly locked into together; like a proper band man. And they look like they are having fun too.


Outside for a pint and back inside for Piskie Sits. On form, as ever these days, they deliver a short sharp set of riotous yet honed slacker pop brilliance. Singer Craig is the focus; on the tight stage only guitarist Harry Rhodes has space to ‘rock out’ (which he obligingly does). Craig, with his band kicking out the jams around him seems to exist within his own bubble, off in his own world of imagination from which he draws his acute observations. I like that detached otherworldliness. It also makes me notice; I NEVER see him before a Piskies gig, hanging around, talking to people. He just seems to ‘beam in’, then out again. Otherwise the band are tough and tight and confident but pleasingly maintain a feeling that you don’t quite know what is going to happen. The only thing to let it down is the consistently bad sound within The Faversham. It’s never been a great venue for sound and today the drums are almost lost and the nuances of the guitar work not as pronounced as they should be. Still, most of the crowd, resplendent in their chequered shirts (at least 50% are wearing them) lap it up enthusiastically.


Foolishly ignoring many peoples advice to stay and watch Squarehead (who were amazing, apparently) I instead am recommended to go check out Arthur Rigby & The Bakervylles at Stylus. From the write up and the stage set up as I arrive I anticipate sub Mumford & Sons type folky balladearing (i.e. M&S’s turgid ‘mass appeal’ output). What I get is kind of like that, I guess. The singers voice from the word go reminds me of the Kings Of Leon guy (very bad news) and the music is probably somewhere between Mumford and Arcade Fire in that it is an intricately constructed sound around some basic chords and structures. There are 8 people on stage, a nice bit of brass and some keyboard all helping the songs of Arthur Digby rise and swell with emotion as required. It’s all very accomplished and polished, the sound is huge but accessible. Looking across the stage I can see that exact setup working on Jools Holland, that kind of music; the harmless folk section of the show. All very well, but I also find it very boring. Plenty of people in the crowd (including the chum who recommended this to me) are well into it, but it is not my cup of tea at all.

So instead I head off to catch Fight Like Apes. But for the second year running (last time for Middleman) I am unable to even get into the room at The Well. It’s chock full. Can’t even get my head round the door. Are Live @ Leeds putting too big bands in there? Or do they just happen to pop the ones with cult followings there? Shame, I heard the show was pretty cool.

By now it was time for dinner. Now, one of the great things about Live @ Leeds is that you don’t need to grab a dodgy burger or a Subway; you can actually eat somewhere nice. For me, and our group, it’s now part of the whole experience of the day. After dashing madly around, it’s a relief to sit down for an hour and relax. So, in the spirit of that, I will also review where we ate.

We stopped for tea at a place just over the bridge from The Well called Veritas. It’s a sweet little place, a pub that serves a selection of Real Ales and interesting wines. It has that sociable pub feel but is a little more classy. It’s got a deli with loads of different cheeses and olives. And a pretty cool menu too. I had the Moroccan Lamb Pie which was divine. Someone else had a burger which looked tasty too. A couple quid more than Weatherspoons and you can have a genuinely great meal. The fact you can do that is one of the things that makes Live @ Leeds special and ties it to the city it is celebrating. Veritas is a great little place with a varied menu. Without detriment to the musicians, sitting in there with a bottle of wine was one of the highlights of Live @ Leeds this year.

Refuelled, we headed over to Stylus once more. Compared to last year I didn’t get to see as many bands. Partly being tired, partly being ill, I didn’t feel like dashing about. But to be honest there wasn’t as much that grabbed me this year, and the majority that did was scheduled to overlap. I’d have loved to have seen The Twilight Sad, Honour Before Glory, or Frightened Rabbit, but couldn’t. Instead, in the interests of having a good time with a group of friends, we went for something we knew we’d all enjoy; Slow Club and The Futureheads.


I only caught the second half of Slow Club due to some RB delivering but Stylus was pretty rammed. The band should have been on tour promoting its new album, but due to sickness it has been delayed. Meaning this was their only gig in the foreseeable. The band seemed a little shaky and under rehearsed. For some bands this could be calamitous but in this case it just added to the charm of it. The simplicity of their songs combined with their ability to fill a space as big as Stylus with that sound shows what a great band they are. I do wonder where they can, or intend to go now. It feels like they have found their level; playing small to medium sized venues. Could they go any larger and keep that intimacy and sense of fun? I always remember seeing The White Stripes (who I am no especial fan of) at Leeds Festival and realising it could be done. Do Slow Club want to, or indeed need to? I don’t know, but here they showed themselves to be a fine festival band.

And finally The Futureheads. Wow, they do an amazing thing and almost make me feel 17 again, which is odd, because I was 20 when they released their first album. Half of the set tonight is taken from that debut album and it’s quite possibly down to this that myself and the entire audience have such an amazing time. A cracking 1-2 of ‘Decent Days & Nights’ and ‘Robot’ kicks off a bouncing set which sees the band in carefree, possibly drunken spirits, Singer / Guitarist Barry in particular looking like he was blagging his way through the lyrics quite often.



The lyrics and vocals were then surprisingly put to the forefront for an acapella interlude. Oh yes - showcasing songs they’ve been writing for a new purely vocal album they leave Stylus in shocked awe. Those familiar with the debut album would be perhaps less surprised by this turn of events, featuring as it did ‘Danger Of The Water’ a beautiful example of the acapella style. Here they expand that and it kind of develops into something like ‘The Crimp’ from Mighty Boosh. It’s that mind boggling and bizarre. When they kick into the second of their vocal only numbers you can feel the crowd feel uncomfortable – ‘oh, it wasn’t just a one song interlude… ok’. And then when they go into the THIRD!? But they nailed it and the audience totally went with it, even getting the chance to join in on a barroom singalong about The Dun Cow Pub in Sunderland (my favourite pub when I was at uni there, by happy coincidence).

However, they then crank up their guitars and blast out another fast paced run of classics, ending with the killer trio of ‘Carnival kids’, ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘Man Ray’. Awesome, what a night. It made me wonder why I ever stopped listening to them.

Overall it was a different Live @ Leeds this year, for me at least. Due to either the scheduling, or simply my personal taste, I didn’t find myself running about all over the city trying to see as many bands as I could. Knowing I was going to end up in Stylus for the Slow Club / Futureheads double whammy kinda kept me round there. Overall the line up didn’t excite me too much but ultimately I had an excellent time; with so many places to go, so much to see and so much to do, it would be hard not to. I was also pleased with the general helpfulness of staff – even in the venues who presumably have no real connection with Futuresound. Perhaps I didn’t get to make enough of Live @ Leeds this year but for me the fact that I don’t feel pressured to see everything and be everywhere led me to have a more enjoyable day. Great times; well done Live@Leeds.

Words: Dean Freeman
Photography: Jayne Woodhead

Summer Festival Roundup Pt 1

Where once the festival season consisted of 2 or 3 huge, high profile events, it now seems there is an event worth going to every weekend from May to September. Whilst the larger festivals has stretched themselves to bursting point in order to squeeze a few more consumers through the turnstile, these smaller festivals have been left to fill the spaces in between, often catering to more niche tastes. But also, without the pressure of having to pay Guns & Roses to fuck about for 2 hours, they are able to offer a more unique experience, something different, something special. Here, we take a look at the festivals we’ve been lucky enough to experience this summer and mark them on SETTING, LINE-UP, VIBE, STAGES, ORGANISATION, FOOD & DRINK, CAMPING, FACILITIES, VALUE FOR MONEY + PERSONAL ENJOYMENT, giving a final total at the end. Bare in mind that 75% means the festival is ¾ absolutely brilliant. Anything above that is well worth a look we reckon.

LIVE @ LEEDS – One day, multi venue festival in the city of Leeds


As a setting for a festival, Leeds is a pretty good choice of city. It’s big, there’s lots going on and it’s a fun place to be. Though there’s no real sense of being at a festival, and with the general public walking with you between venues, it feels fun, exciting and familiar, despite the occasional long walks involved (7). The line-up this year, as ever, is fantastic, offering real diversity – quality as well as quantity – and it’s often difficult to decide between which bands to see (9). The vibes are pretty good in the venues, certainly a strong buzz, with excited crowds and busy venues. But some of that is lost outside the venues, especially as you wonder around the city centre, sometimes making it feel like just another night out in Leeds (7). The variety and quality of the stages for Live @ Leeds is pretty unbeatable. From large venues at Leeds Uni to the tiny upstairs of The Packhorse, its all good (10).

The event as a whole is very well organised and well staffed. Exchanging your ticket is easy and the programmes provided are very useful (9). You couldn’t really ask for much more choice in terms of food and drink – the choice is near endless and you can spend as much or as little as you like (9). Camping is not something you do at Live @ Leeds and as such it’s a little unfair to judge it as such. Perhaps they could organise something with local hotels, offer cheap rooms to people who do want to stay over in the city. After a long day out, it would certainly beat train / bus home (5). As with Food & Drink, facilities are wide spread, meaning you are never too far form a toilet (9). At £15 a ticket, Live @ Leeds is unbelievable value for money (10). Personally, I always really enjoy Live @ Leeds. This year was great, with a superb range of bands to enjoy. Some people moan about the walking involved, but personally I think that is all part of the fun, kind of like a pub crawl, with one of your favourite bands waiting for you in each bar. I guess the only reason I don’t rate it any higher is that it’s a festival in Leeds, a place I go to anyway, so it lacks that ‘special’ element of it feeling like an adventure / holiday. But otherwise, it’s fantastic (8)

OVERALL 83%
www.liveatleeds.com


Rough Beats – A weekend in the field of a farm in Beautiful North Yorkshire


Rough Beats is a family run festival on a farm close to Settle. The scenery is fantastic, the tents held in by dry stonewalls, the desolate hilly plains of North Yorkshire stretching out beyond. It’s isolated, meaning you really get into the festival and forget about the outside world (10). The Line-up of the festival is a little different each year, this year seeing what I would describe as a more ‘family friendly’ set of acts. Much of it was acoustic folk and similarly inoffensive stuff, nice to listen to on a sunny day, though naturally it mainly washes straight over you. Hot Club De Paris headlined one night, but the event lacked many, even slightly, big names across the weekend (6). The general vibes, however, more than make up for this. It’s very peaceful, but everyone there is chatty and interested and there are a much greater percentage of people dancing to bands, which is great. Despite the few hundred people walking around, it still retains a family run atmosphere. It’s just seriously chilled out (9). Rough Beats has a couple of stages that are actually really professional, with top quality sound and light setups, all under relatively huge canopies, ensuring you can at least enjoy then bands, whatever the weather (8). The event is pretty well organised, with parking provided and people checking wrist bands as expected. Its not overbearing, which is nice, but they were confident enough to boot someone out for playing a drum all chuffin night, so it’s always nice to know someone is paying attention (8).

Food & Drink is pretty decent; there was a fantastic vegetarian stall which served lovely egg and (vegi) sausage butties all day. Strangely the non meat sausage was a million times nicer than the ‘real’ meat provided at the other van. For the first time Rough Beats had got in a ‘proper’ burger type van and it produced overpriced unrelentingly crap food, as well as staff uncaringly scalding my girlfriends hand with chip grease (and not saying sorry). Rough Beats need to keep it local in future. On top of all that though, there is a great, covered bar and there was even a sweets stall. So all in all, pretty decent (7). Camping is fine, though it was close to bursting point this year and we were stuck on some pretty uneven ground. A little more thought into distributing the camping space or the opening of another field would help, as it ended up a little cramped. But, on the plus side, you are literally a 30 second walk from the stages (8). The facilities are ok, your standard porta-loos which do end up a little messy at the end of the weekend – but are cleaned every day. There’s a sink with running water and that’s about it. Serve their purpose (7). Rough Beats is good value for money at around £50 for the weekend (cheaper if you buy your tickets early), though again, I wouldn’t mind one ‘big’ band for that price (8). Rough Beats to me is all about the atmosphere – a relaxed friendly place to spend a weekend with friends. Making more friends there is easy enough; there is a nice bohemian element to the crowd, mixed in with a family friendly approach. Previous years have had better line-ups, but that is secondary to the on site vibes (8)

Total 79%
www.roughbeatsfestival.co.uk


IndieTracks – A Weekend of Indiepop fun in Derbyshire


Indietracks takes place in the grounds of a Railway Museum, out in the countryside. There’s an old railway platform and station, a signal box, level crossing, old rail sheds and sidings, full of rusting trucks and carriages. It’s completely self-contained and you are free to wonder round as you wish. Its quirky and interesting, giving that slightly other world feel I like at a festival. It’s old, quaint but post industrial too – I really like it; a great, unique place to spend a weekend (10). The Line-up is pretty awesome too, with sets this year from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Slow Club, The Primitives etc plus loads of other lesser known bands. It’s the best festival I’ve ever been to in terms of thinking ‘oh, I’ll check out this band I’ve never heard of’ and them being excellent. It kept happening over and over again and it made it even more of a pleasure to explore the site. The only criticism would be a slight lack of variety – its all very Indiepop, which for me was fine. Others might be less pleased. But overall I think it treads the line between ‘niche’ and ‘variation’ with great success (8). There is a really positive vibe around site, its very relaxed and if you want you can grab a seat on one of the railway carriages and sit in peace with a couple of friends… or you can wonder the grounds and get talking to a variety of interesting people. The organisers manage to create a very inclusive environment; a free mixtape / cd exchange, loads of merch stalls, workshops and talks from record labels / bands, Indie quizzes all combine to make sure there is always something worth seeing and doing (10).

The variety of stages helps with this too. From the large main stage on a slight, open grass hill, and the large echo chamber-esqe train shed to the smaller and more intimate setting of an iron chapel and a carriage on a moving steam train, the festival offers excellent variety. The latter of those two stages were very crowded at times, meaning you often had to start queuing for a band in the chapel up to an hour beforehand. But, if you were patient, it was worth it. Bands also played impromptu sets in the march tent. All bar the main stage are under cover too, so if there weather turns nasty, you still have options. Excellent (9). Organisation was top draw, lots of friendly stewards around to show you where to go and help out (9) and the food and drink options were surprisingly varied and all excellent. The food vans were of a high quality, and not overly priced. There was also the on site museum café, which looked really old skool but actually knocked out some lovely ‘meat pie’ type meals which were a welcome change. The bars also served a wide range of local ales. (9). The camping was excellent. The festival site does not have its own camping – instead you need to camp at a private campsite, which is about 15 minutes walk down the road (or catch the bus that is put on). As a full time campsite, it contains decent toilets, a shower that’s probably better than yours at home, as well as a proper shop, that serves breakfasts and food. It’s all set in lovely woodland and overcrowding is not a problem. It was so far from the horror of some large scale campsites; it truly felt like a holiday (9).

Due to the camping situation, the facilities available are excellent, toilets within the site itself are also plentiful and pleasant (9). At around £50, Indietracks is fantastic value for money. Note, however, that the private camping does not come as part of the price and needs to be booked separate. Personally, I didn’t mind this, as it was worth it for the quality of the campsite (8). Indietracks this year was one of the most enjoyable festivals I've ever been to. It’s a perfect balance between the cosiness of a low key festival, with the communal excitement you find at larger events. I enjoyed the whole weekend and cant think of any negatives whatsoever! (9)

Total 90%
www.indietracks.co.uk

Dean Freeman

Live at Leeds PT II

‘We didn’t expect anyone down, so we’ve gone for a just out of bed look’. So say James Graham, Singer with The Twilight Sad. Despite being on so early in the day, the next great Scottish band manage to pretty much pack Brudenell Social Club and kick into their howling wall of noise. And it’s real loud. I wont say unbearable so, because I don’t want to appear soft in front of the scary, seemingly possessed Scotsman wistfully screaming in front of me. But it packs a punch and it’s exhilarating. Sound wise, I’ve always thought of them as ‘a good Glasvegas’, and this afternoon they live up to that; epic, pounding but strangely sad and tender too. They blast through songs off last years ‘Forget the night ahead’ and seem genuinely touched that so many people have turned out to see them, the daunting front man eyeing the crowd from the front of the stage for the closing minutes of squalling instrumental close the set. As he leaves, he can’t help the smile spreading across his face. Great start to the day, even if my hearing has been utterly hammered.

My path briefly crosses with Stevies; I manage to squeeze my head in the door to catch the last 2 songs of Piskie Sits and they do indeed sounds like they’re really hitting their stride. We moved on next to The Well for Leeds high-flyers Middleman. Sticking my head round the door, I saw another packed room. Nipping off to get a pint, by the time I return its chaos; people are now queuing almost to the door – of the venue, not the back room. They were always popular, sure, but it seems fresh from their jaunt to South by SouthWest, they are now official MASSIVE. My photographer chum assures me the place was literally bouncing in there, a frantic, sweaty fun filled gig. It seem Middleman are slightly more about that these days; less MCing, more big pop grooves, a more streamlined sound, and a major pre-occupation with giving the crowd a night, or in this case, an afternoon to remember. Fantastic

Benjamin Wetherill, today with ‘the Trumpets of Death’ at Holy Trinity Church. What could be more lovely? I kind of presumed ‘the trumpets of death’ part would be a little backing band for Benjamin, maybe a horn backing for that splendid cover of Queens ‘Good old fashioned lover boy’ I heard him do once. Or… perhaps something completely different. Admittedly, I’ve not seen him in a while, so if this isn’t new, forgive me. But gone is the ukulele. Gone is 1920’s music and attire – tonight he is wearing a T-Shirt for Gods sake. Pretty much a brand new band, they perform discordant, unsettling, freeform pieces, the first containing wailing monk like chanting and half hearted drum fills instead of a steady beat. The second has more structure, with MBV feedback and an insistant 2 chord drone running throughout, the incessant, rolling rhythm giving the whole thing an apocalyptic stoner vibe. Benjamin’s once sweet vocals are much less to the fore; in fact at one point the other vocalist creates some sort of sound that seems to replicate a distorting guitar by howling and battering his chest, which I found amusing because earlier I could have sworn Twilight Sad’s guitarist was producing the sound of a man howling from his guitar. What does it all mean?!

In some ways I’m glad that Benjamin has moved on and is experimenting with new forms, I just feel a little bit let down as I was expecting some pleasantness in a beautiful church. But for surprising me – well done.

Then, over at Stylus we caught Loops Haunt, one man and his laptop, mixer and all kinds of sampling gear. Mainly beat driven with not always a lot else going on, its back to basics IDM. There’s a nice use of minimalist, mysterious synth and backwards samples throughout that gives it all a special, slightly spooky experience, though this may well be down to the fact that the smoke machine at the side of the stage was on, none stop / full blast for the entire gig. The fractured beats, were perhaps a bit too broken up; from the balcony I could see people in the audience getting their groove on, only to be forced to stop quite regular and find a fresh groove pretty quick. So’s the nature of the beast I guess. Still an enjoyable and very apt warm up for my chosen Live @ Leeds Headliner.

65daysofstatic took to the stage hot on the release of their new album ‘We were exploding anyway’. The album has a slightly straighter edged, more techno element than previous albums, as was hinted at on their last single ‘Dance Parties’. Still, live, they were always closer to the Post Rock tradition of keeping quiet and letting the music do the talking. But something’s changed. Yes, they rock out and yes, its still all instrumental, but what’s this? Guitarist balancing his guitar on his chin (for an impressive 30 seconds or so) just for a laugh? And repeated sightings of said guitarist pulling off some dance moves mid song that I am quite certain have been patented by one Mr Thom Yorke, circa 2002? And then it clicks; these boys are having fun. And they want us to too. Down at the front the crowd is starting a mini riot, as crazy as any punk gig I’ve seen. The new songs are heavily driven by the beats and there are up to four drum set ups around the stage to make sure you’ve got something to dance to.

Admittedly the songs kind of blend into one, but in retrospect, I think this may have been the point. There’s no real ‘hits’, a song each off the first two albums, and no ‘Radio Protector’ and where once each song was like a massive slap round the face, this is more about the atmosphere, the mood, the energy rather than simply playing the ‘best’ songs. From more of a DJs perspective. Part of me missed the gentle, subtle, and then less gentle and subtle dips and peaks of the old static, but this was new, different and great fun and I still rate them as one of the best live bands around. I only wish it had been louder. But that might be down to The Twilight Sad rather than Live @ Leeds organisers, who, it has to be said have done another splendid job in terms of getting some great bands in, and organising the whole thing. A lovely and tiring day out.

Dean Freeman

Live at Leeds PT I

Last year one of the overriding complaints was that Live at Leeds was just a big queue. Now there could be a touch of hyperbole in that statement, but it is certainly no exaggeration to say that I was stood for an hour waiting to get into Leeds Met to see a band I don't even like (The Maccabees). Other people lamented in equal measure at standing stationary outside rather than inside the venues. This year I saw twice as many bands as last year, which reveals a happy development.

Live at Leeds has got bigger, with more venues, more bands, more fans and thankfully more organisation. Futuresound, who with the help of half of Leeds' promoters, put on this event and they are learning with every year. Perhaps the increased use of Leeds University has spread the crowd out sufficiently to prevent queues from being an issue.

I opened my day in a room above the Packhorse and saw two Wakefield bands - The Spills and Piskie Sits. You should be familiar with them. The Spills do anger and grunge with youthful finesse, where as the Piskie Sits do slacker indie with nonchalant grace. The room was ridiculously busy for two dinner-time slots and the fact that it is just a room without a stage means that those under six foot tall and stood three 'rows' back were unable to see. The sound was rock solid and was complimented so by the Piskie's lead singer Craig Hale.

Mine, which is part of Leeds University, is a splendidly shaped room for gigs, equipped with a side balcony and steps at the back which means viewing the stage is easy. I watched a band from Hull called The Neat. I was told that they sounded like The Fall, which they did. I was told that some of the lyrics were akin to the words of Mark E Smith, but I found no way to substantiate this due to muffled, suffocated vocals that were hiding behind wiry guitar and dinosaur drums.

While I was at Leeds University I took a stroll down the corridor to see Lightspeed Champion. He opened with a Beatles cover (I forget which, possibly due to inebriation) and it all went down hill after that. Songs built to nothing, like a French film about a man who owns a patisserie and lives a fairly uneventful life. Halfway through the set I went to Fuji Hero - a nice noodle bar that probably takes the prize of my number one recommendation for the day (It's down the side of the Merrion Centre if you're interested in sampling Japanese cuisine).

The next band I caught a substantial amount of was Wild Beasts at Leeds Metropolitan University. Two albums of mildly pretentious yet sonically superb wordy, falsetto, ethereal art have come from this Kendal four-piece, who now live in Leeds. They began with second album opener The Fun Powder Plot, which is a low-key song to start with, but the audience appeared entranced none the less. They seemed giddy during Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants, the bands' tour de force thus far.

I then sprinted up to The Faversham to catch The Sunshine Underground, a band I keep missing for some fateful reason. Fate was against me again as their set was blighted by technical difficulties. The guitarist Stuart Jones kicked over the drums in anger. They left the stage a few times as the PA seemed to capitulate persistently beneath their behemoth of beats and bass. When they returned for their last stand they squeezed in some crackers. Fan favourites like Put You in Your Place almost brought the place to its knees. More people seemed to be jumping up and down than not and afterwards there were many sweat-soaked revelers.

When the bands were over the drinking begun properly, for me at least, and created a headache almost as painful as that the organisers must suffer from when they are putting together this beast of an event. For that you've got to be grateful. What a day.

Stephen Vigors