Leeds Carling Weekend

review by Ruth and Jon

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Sunday:

[R] Despite the lure of the Concrete Jungle stage (aka the punk stage), it's the barely populated Evening Session stage which gets my vote for newish label Truck Records trump card, and the former Whispering Bob, Goldrush. Essentially Coldplay with a twist, they take things with a much less innocent air, and mcuh greater willingness to experiment than their southern counterparts. It's I Am Koot without the sudden stops.

Then it's off to The Zephyrs. Grabbing the prize for the most relaxing band of the festival - unfortunately, on the third day of Leeds it's not really what you're after as you struggle to keep your eyes open. However, the drummer looks like he's in completely the wrong band. Has anyone seen Ikara Colt anywhere?

[J] Next up are Italians Linea 77, whose nu-metal is perhaps an odd addition to a mainly skatecore lineup, but are rather good nonetheless. Their cover of The Bangles' "Walk Like An Egyptian" is an obvious, if rather odd, highlight.

[R] We squidge into the Concrete Jungle Stage to catch the rising Kid Near Water, and can instantly see why. Punk with the added emo-core twist of Hundred Reasons et al, it's bouncy, yet pummelling, yet cerebral, all at the same time. And utterly gorgeous.

[J] Save Ferris (5/5) are making their first appearance ever in Leeds today, and it's apparent from the offset that there's a lot of hardcore fans been waiting for this moment. Their skacore is bouncy, chirpy and fun, and lead singer Monique knows how to use her looks and sexual charms to get attention, and their cover of "Come On Eileen" is one of the best songs of the festival.

From here it's off to the Carling Premier Stage to see much-hyped Vex Red (2/5). Sadly they're not as good as last time, with "Can't Smile" being the only obvious highlight of their set.

[R] Thirteen:13 seem to be quietly moving up the charts with hardly anyone noticing. With sensitive indie anthems like 'Truth Hurts' and 'Perfect Imperfection', it seems that from the number of fans in this tent that there's still a market for those who aren't attracted to NAM or Nu-metal.

So then it's off to OPM to see if they have any songs to top the excellent skate anthem 'Heaven Is A Halfpipe'. Unfortunately it seems from this gig that the rest of their album contains mediocre rapping and clichéd rhymes. I hope for their sake they can cruise on their current single a little while longer before anyone realises.

Last time I saw '...Trail Of Dead' it was supporting Foo Fighters. Unfortunately schizophrenic guitar thrashing doesn't sit well with white teethed rocky pop anthems, and the response was a tad muted. But today, with everyone in end of festival limbo, it's the perfect antidote to the hungover stare.

Capdown seem to have the Concrete Jungle in the palm of their gibbon-dancing hand, with at least half the crowd screaming for the ever-popular ska-wars, and the other band discovering the best ska-core band in the UK today...

Up at the Carling Stage, Hell Is For Heroes are swiftly erasing all memory of Symposium as Will McGonnigle's best ever band. It's not just the blistering screams accompanied by the concrete guitar wrenching, but just the utter sincerity of it. In a music industry where personal angst is a trading commodity, a set where the singer wears himself out so much, physically and emotionally, he has to go and lie down is a rare gut-wrenching display.

[J] Catching the final song of the Dropkick Murphies back at the Concrete Jungle (a rather rousing rendition of "Good Rats", if you're interested), we hang about for 28 Days to take the stage. Their rapcore-punk clashes with Rancid on the main stage, so the tent's a little more empty than previously, but everyone in there sings along and has a great time to tunes like "Rip It Up" and "Sucker". We even get oldie "Ball Of Hate" thrown in for good measure.

Then it's a quick sojourn to the main stage to catch the last half-hour of Rancid's set. They are incredible, in a word, knocking out tunes like "Losing Streak", "Avenues And Alleyways" and "Dead Bodies" (dedicated to Rocket From The Crypt) easily, and making the biggest circle pit I've ever witnessed in my life. They close with "Ruby Soho", and leave after an all-too-short set. Let's hope they're back soon.

[R] In their nearly six year career as signed artists, Voy's first trip to Leeds should be a momentous event. And as one of my favourite bands, it makes it even more heartbreaking that some members of the band seem determined to wreck this chance. It seems quite clear from the start that Ste Williams is determined to attract attention by shocking people. So water is thrown, and the man stumbles around acting as schizophrenically as possible, alternating trying to insert his microphone it seems up his arse the hard way, and showing everyone watching that the rest of the audience consists of his mates from home. In the meantime, the rest of the band seem utterly embarrassed, because that's the only excuse I can think of for their mediocre performance. Don't get me wrong - formerly, as Cecil, Voy were one of my favourite bands ever. I've travelled great distances to see them. But today is the first time they've let me down.
And they've let me down badly.

Back at the main stage Feeder seem determined to carry on where Ash left off yesterday. Buck Rodgers is pure push-button pop for the rock-oriented kids, and soon has several thousand people pogoing in unison. If there is a god, then I wouldn't rule out seeing Feeder headline one of these days, but then Eminem was headlining the other night, so he/she obviously has a sense of humour.

My Vitriol seem to have grown immensely since I first saw them supporting Live back in November 2000. Not just in stature, but in confidence, and their own brand of eighties-tinged white noise rock is no longer just cult appeal, judging by the amount of kids getting into them this afternoon. The fifty or sixty bouncing along to them last year on the main stage are breeding. My work here is done.

Supergrass are yet another consumate festival band, but like the mogwai (That's those creatures from Gremlins, not the band. Though it would explain Stuart Braithwaite's balding pate...), don't seem to do well in the rain. Thank god, the sun is streaming through the clouds in buckets, then! It's a well known phenomenon that if you put several thousand people in a field with a band playing 'Pumping On Your Stereo', people will bounce. However, it's getting a bit samey now, and I can't help wondering whether there is actually any new material on the horizon, or just these sketches they seem to keep coming up with. Only time will tell if they can repeat former success...

[J] Next it's back to the Concrete Jungle for Snuff who are in the dying throes of their set, although we do get to see "The Likely Lads" and "Arsehole", which makes it all worthwhile. After the electrifying Snuff though, Good Riddance are a bit of a comedown. None of the audience are really interested in them, and the band pick up on this and jibe us all the way through their 40-minute set.

However, the same can't be said of Reel Big Fish, unknown in this country before January this year and now massive stars. It seems like everyone's here for them, and they feed off this, knocking out tunes like "She's Famous Now", "Thank You For Not Moshing", "Everything Sucks" and "S.R." with the greatest of ease, and even getting Monique from Save Ferris up on stage for "She Has A Girlfriend Now". The only downside of the set is someone getting injured from crowdsurfing, which dampens the mood a little as it should, but the band play on and everyone leaves happy after a rousing rendition of "Sellout" followed by "Take On Me".

So who could follow da Fish? I'll tell you who. The Lostprophets (4/5). Of the 20 minutes of the set I catch, they're amazing, knocking out tunes like "Shinobivsdragonninja" much to the delight of the absolutely rammed Carling Premier tent, which has one of the largest pits it's ever seen going.

[R] Back in the Concrete Jungle Stage, it's up to Rocket From The Crypt to finish off the evening. In such a confined space, it's hard to have any off the stage tricks of the headliners on the main stage tonight (the Manics, who appear to have pulled out all the stops… short of putting Nicky Wire in a 90 foot dress…), so are instead resorting to, between slices of pummelling punk rock, making everyone shake hands and give each other massages. Well, I could've got the same effect from just standing a little closer to the speaker stack, but hey, it's the thought that counts.

[J] And finally, who better to close a festival than the Backyard Babies? With bassist Johan having broken his leg, it's up to guitarist Dregen and lead singer Nicke to make up for his loss, which they do in fine style. Taking tracks mainly from new album "Making Enemies Is Good" and previous one "Total 13", the band rush through songs like opener "I Like To Roll", "Made Me Madman", "Highlights" and "Heaven 2.9" with a vigour not really witnessed in a rock'n'roll band since... well, the Wildhearts, who the Babies owe more than a little to (even down to the Ginger co-penned track "Brand New Hate"). The band's hardcore fanbase sing along to every word and by the time the band are cut off in the middle of "Look At You" when they run over time, everyone's having a great time. The band, and the audience, aren't best pleased at the abrupt stop of the set, bringing the set to maybe a bit of an anticlimax, but nonetheless, a damn fine show by the band, and a damn fine festival.