Leeds Carling Weekend

review by Ruth and Jon

For Leeds Photos, go to our CAPTURED SECTION

Saturday:

[R] First on the Main Stage on any day at the Leeds festival is a nervewracking prospect, but The Donnas should be pretty unfazed by it - after all, this is the second time in the last couple of years they've played here in this slot. There's a couple of diehard fans bouncing up and down to this shouty, girl rock'n'roll fun, but most of the audience seem to be people waiting for Living End or Green Day, etc. Shame...

Next it's off to catch new Fantastic Plastic (the label that's also home to Angelica) hopefuls Ikara Colt, and at once I can see why NME have compared them to The Strokes. Nope, nothing to do with the music - it's more important than that - they wear suits as well! Wow! And now to something less trivial. Ikara Colt rock like the shoutier bits of Mo*Ho*Bish*O*Pi, but fused with a kind of caffeine nervous stutter which permanently places them in danger of falling off the stage. Nice!

Rushing off to catch Crackout on the Evening Session stage, the place is half-full, but again, not for them. However, by the end, renditions of radio-friendly single 'You Dumb F***' and 'Breakout' have got some kids cheering to their abrasive punk grunge. However, they never seem to set the tent fully alight, and seem to be playing rather more limply than we're used to. A case of neither band nor audience being particularly arsed?

[J] The Living End are just as good, mixing up tracks from their new "Roll On" album and their self-titled debut. There's a large contingent of Ozzies in the crowd today, making sure their voices are heard about that of Chris Cheney, who shows us exactly why he was voted Rolling Stone guitarist of the year - he's truly superb. Tracks like "Roll On" and "Prisoner Of Society" (which is aired surprisingly early on) show why they're one of Australia's premier bands, although sadly "Uncle Harry" doesn't get a showing.

[R] Despite the fact they're playing the Radio 1 tent as well, Moldy Peaches seem to be intent on making a show out their set. I've only been here thirty second and it looks like the guitarist has just attempted to assault someone else in a huge fluffy hat. There's also someone singing scuzzy lofi dressed as Peter Pan. Or is it Robin Hood? Whatever it is, I'm currenly wondering how different Eminem's stage show would've been if he had employed similar tactics...

Run DMC take the stage with the intent of showing everyone in the audience just why they're revered as part of the clan of godfathers of rap. Live freestyling, handclaps, and live DJing, picking on classic tunes. But then they suddenly decide they've had enough halfway through and no amount of cheering can get them back on. After a set like that, an early finish is even more of a let-down than half an hour of pants.

E from the Eels seems to be growing a little too fond of his new facial hair.. to the point where he seems to have tailored his entire outfit around it (now who's being trivial). Mr E the farmer steps out onstage and then procedes to spend the next half hour running through the newer stuff when half the crowd are expecting 'Novocaine For The Soul' or 'Susan's House'. Well, they certainly weren't expecting a cover of 'Get Your Freak On'. Dressed like that, it's also giving me some weird images about Southern US families...

[J] We're then off to the Evening Session tent to see The Strokes, who it appears have moved to the main stage, so we're greeted with the Cosmic Rough Riders instead, who are a bit bollocks. So we hang around to watch glam gutterpunks King Adora who put on a hell of a show, although it's obvious that "King Adora mosh pit" is a byword for "death trap". Still, good fun.

[R] Demand for The Strokes was so high that they got moved up to the main stage... above Eels? Clearly something's amiss, as the band don't really look terrifically comfortable up there. It's all very well to have 8,000 people dancing away to the chugging 'Hard To Explain', but it loses all intimacy on a huge stage like this, especially when a new fresh band are built on music that implies cult appeal and an almost clique-like air. After the hype for these new saviours of pop, quite disappointing...

Iggy Pop in the meantime, is The Strokes natural conclusion. We hope. After God knows how many years in the saddle, he can still ride, belting out classic rock anthems like a... classic rock anthem machine. Could've done with a rendition of 'Fire-engine' though...

PJ Harvey, on the other hand gives us just a taste of why she's (finally!) been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Dressed all in red, sensual and powerful, she serenades us with sweet voiced guitar and a low-slung, erm, voice. The gorgeous 'Good Fortune' slips over the transfixed crowd like molasses, but I don't think anyone would mind if they drowned in this.

[J] Up next are hardcore punks Amen, whose vitriolic metal-punk is the perfect antidote to the boredom instilled earlier by Cosmic Rough Riders. Opening with "Coma America", the band are on fire from the word go, knocking out tunes like "CK Killer" and "Piss Virus" as well as older stuff like "Drive" and "I Don't Sleep" to the utter enjoyment of everyone around. Much better than their last appearance at Ozzfest as well due to the sound quality being infinitely higher, and one of the best sets of the festival.

After Amen, Green Day seem rather tame, even when you consider that they only play 3 songs from their new album. Opening with oldie "Welcome To Paradise", the set's mostly taken from "Dookie" and "Nimrod", with a few from "Insomniac" chucked in, plus "Knowledge" from "39/Smooth". The set is the same as every time, with the band getting people up on stage to play "Knowledge" (a whole new band rather than just the usual guitarist, though the drummer gets kicked out for being shite!), and Billie Joe getting the "way-oh" calls going. It's quite cliche but still good fun, especially when the band trash the stage and set it all on fire at the end of "When I Come Around".

[R] Kudos, Mr Billie-Joe, sir, you have won the award for second-best showman this festival, just for managing to make 'Minority' not just a song for people to ironically Irish dance to. Not that you were up against much, though.

In the meantime, in the Evening Session tent Evan Dando is courting legions of Lemonheads fans with mellow ballads.

And while the adoring hordes gawp, that gives me just enough time to get down to the front for Ash. And just in time, becuase they appear to have rammed out the tent already, creating one of the most violent pits of the festival. But who can blame us? Earlier this year Tim Wheeler was decribed as a pop genius. And by gum, if Steven Wells hasn't got something right for once! Who can resist those fuzzy, beat-up trainers guitars? That soothing voice? Those impenetrable basslines? Have you heard 'Girl From Mars'? It still sounds a fresh as the day it was released. Ash may have grown up, but they still make perfect summer music for those who are about to rock and sing sweetly along with it. The sound of your first summer, this summer, last summer, whenever it was. Ash are the summer. And no festival is complete without them.

[J] Ash (4/5) really shouldn't have been on the small stage today. It's criminally dangerous in the headliner's tent, with as many people here as for Alien Ant Farm the previous day. In fact, halfway through third song "Submission", the band have to stop the set as the pit collapses, a situation which is repeated four or five times throughout the night. The set concentrates wholly on their stronger material from "1977" and "Free All Angels", with only "Numbskull" making an appearance from "Nu-Clear Sounds". Highlights include the wonderful "Girl From Mars" and "Kung Fu", as well as set closer "Jack Names The Planets". Just next time, put them on the main stage.

ON TO SUNDAY....