Spoiler alert: Leeds Fest was immense. As the biggest festival-reviewing opportunity Record Weekly has had* to date, it was destined to be epic, but the day was far greater than we could’ve imagined.

We sauntered through the guest campsite and this secret forest, armed with coffees and press and photo passes, into the arena (like so). A sea of bucket hats seemed to welcome us, but Bramham Park only seemed to swell and grow in size as the hours ticked by. A gigantic Ferris wheel and cluster of fairground rides sprinkled the inner section, while rows of pop-up shops and food vendors lined the perimeter; it was a place constructed for magic. And the festival fashion highlights immediately included sequinned shorts, cowboy boots and leopard-print garms — the latter of which I’d gone for myself. But we were really there for the music…

Our first port of call was BIG SPECIAL, a duo rising to fame right now, following their debut album, ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’ (you might have read the review). On the Festival Republic Stage, tight drumming and accompanying synths were fused with monologue-style, spoken-word, Brummie vocals that would’ve drawn out fans of The Streets and SOFT PLAY (formerly Slaves). Amid scenes of their £BS banner and beholding their unpolished lyrics realism, we saw the drummer ascend some of the tent’s columns and frontman sing from the crowd. Their bantering engagement was on point, too. What a start to the day! These guys are surely about to soar, and seeing them again is a matter of necessity. 

Pure indie vibes were delivered by The K’s, who assumed the Main Stage and rallied a huge, youthful crowd in return. Everybody was bopping, and I could’ve help but notice that very slick black Gibson SG either. 

But it was Neck Deep not long after on the same stage that really gripped us. Timely pyrotechnics studded their set, which was governed by heavy riffs pushed through thumping speakers, and those slightly American post-punk vocals were spot on. The British band acted as a fantastic, bombastic warm-up for blink-182, who were due on much later. Neck Deep also shared at this point that ‘Take Me With You’ was actually inspired by the band themselves (well, their alien fascination). ‘Heartbreak Of The Century’ and ‘STFU’ were the obvious crowd-pleasers, and their frontman’s gentle speech about the mood of the nation and need for us to all group together to create change was superbly well-received. 

Anger was the theme of Lambrini Girls’ show. We walked in as ‘God’s Country’ began, though the angsty Brighton punks — for fans of Kid Kapichi, SNAYX and Monakis — really seized people’s attention during the feisty ‘Lads Lads Lads’. They’re one of the particularly politically motivated bands right now, and they knew how to summon a mosh pit…

We were delightfully up close and personal for Bad Nerves, the poppy, punk five-piece from Essex, who have toured with The Darkness. Rather than hold back and save a bona fide favourite until last, they treated us to ‘Baby Drummer’ from the off. These chaps looked like a band of rockers, in their Ramonesy black and white attire. The newer ‘Plastic Rebel’ was a belter, and ‘Radio Punk’ was excellent live, so there were stark reminders left, right and centre of why they’re becoming so popular.  

The walk felt much longer from Festival Republic to the Main Stage mid-afternoon; we assumed most of the hungover campers had rejoined the herd for round two, as there were apocalypse-like hoards suddenly swarming. Spiritbox’s welcoming, heavy screams lured everyone downhill, and a flash of purple ombré hair which complemented their lead guitarist’s axe was big-screen-worthy. Their frontwoman’s incredible vocal range had all the highs and lows you’d desire from such a gothic group. 

You can bet it was contrasting to say the least when Two Door Cinema Club took the Main Stage helm. We had the pleasure of seeing them at Live at Leeds: In the Park last summer, and they’re always a fun addition to the festival circuit. Indie throwbacks by the bucketload, anyone? Through bangers from ‘Tourist History’ to newer bops, they had us in the palm of their hands as the sun blazed.

Thank god for the dry weather, which continued into Gerry Cinnamon’s set later on, as we gobbled dinner on the go. Props to the man for garnering such a huge crowd! 

A whole lot of bouncing was then afoot at the Chevron Stage, as US rapper Denzel Curry grasped the mic and fed us bold bar after bar. His ‘UNLOCKED’ album from 2020 used to be a gymming playlist staple of mine, and it’s what earned him a spot on RW’s artist POA for the day. But he went for loads of different tunes instead, including ‘HIT THE FLOOR’ — everyone was mad for that. The atmosphere was electric, lyrics were spat at speed, and the in-crowd chat was top-notch. 

The same stage then dealt us an even more massive injection of energy, as piercing red lights backed the decks of DJ extraordinaire, Skrillex. Throbbing beats with trance, dance and techno styles all interwoven; it was a Lucozade in set form. Though we sadly didn’t get any of A$AP Rocky’s ‘Wild for the Night’, there was a burst of the brilliant ‘Bangarang’ towards the end.

‘What’s My Age Again?’, ‘All the Small Things’, ‘Feeling This’… What do all these have in common? They’re three of the biggest, most well-known hits generated by the one and only blink-182. We were not worthy.

The pop-punk trio has been a household name for as long as I can remember, so I fulfilled a childhood dream of seeing them live when they assumed the Main Stage as Saturday’s headliner. It was bucket-list fodder through and through, as rapid, perfect drumming and those trademark hooks captured every single member of that humongous audience. Nothing had changed about their boyish humour either, and their talent was still abundant. Everything was bespoke, too, from guitar fretboards to the amazing light show and backing video. And did I mention there were fireworks to add the cherry on top of the theatre of it all? Words failed as they dazzled.

It was naturally going to be a day to remember, but what a set from blink-182. The memory box is well and truly full.

*With massive thanks to Festival Republic and Borkowski PR for the press and photo access.