Leeds Festival 2024 was the most chaotic in recent years – stages were cancelled, sets were ditched halfway through, and sleeping in a tent was a nightmare for most. Nevertheless, it was one of the biggest weekends in 2024’s music history, and brought with it some incredible new and old talent. There was something for everyone, and Nouse was there to cover it all. Here’s our official review of Leeds Festival 2024.
First of all, let’s acknowledge the obvious. Due to Storm Lilian, two stages were shut for the entire weekend, and a large amount of Friday’s lineup was cancelled. For the full rundown of what happened, click here. Two acts we were really looking forward to were beabadoobee and Reneé Rapp, and many disappointed fans in their merchandise were seen wandering around the fields.
However, the day was by no means a failure – one of the standout artists of the whole festival played that day. Delilah Bon performed on the BBC Introducing stage and was mesmerising, capturing the attention of passers-by immediately and energising the crowd. Her punk rock hit, ‘Dead Men Don’t Rape’, had crowds chanting along with her, and afterwards, her band members held up protest placards and a guitar with ‘WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED’ painted on it. Despite being on at the same time as headliner Liam Gallagher, she drew in similarly strong crowds to the rest of the BBC Introducing performers, and we at Nouse would say she’s definitely one to watch.
The BBC Introducing stage was a highlight, hosting upcoming artists with incredible stage presence. Because it was the smallest stage of the festival, the artists that we saw performing there worked hard for the audience’s attention. Acts weren’t just acts, but shows with high energy bands and meaningful props like Delilah Bon’s guitar. Another brilliant performance on this stage was Welly on the Sunday, whose guitarists jumped on beat for every song while playing. They were dressed iconically in British school uniforms to hearken back to their British school day roots, and they played the BBC Introducing stage as if it were a stadium. Interviews with both Delilah Bon and Welly can be found here.
Contrasting the energy of the BBC Introducing Stage to the headliners’ performances was disappointing to say the least. Friday saw Liam Gallagher and Catfish and the Bottlemen take the stage. It’s difficult to deny that the atmosphere at Liam Gallagher was immense, with every person singing along as he performed Oasis’ Definitely Maybe in its entirety for the album’s 30th anniversary. As expected, many people did get rowdy so we left to join the much more serene crowd at The Japanese House.
Saturday’s headliner Blink-182 made a bizarre comment about not being able to please women during sex at the start of their set, alienating and confusing parts of the audience. The trio may be hailed as one of the most iconic bands in late ‘90s and 2000s pop-punk, but we certainly found ourselves underwhelmed by their opening few songs. I can’t help but wonder what Kourtney Kardashian thought of Bramham Park.
Gerry Cinnamon however, brought an instant wave of positivity to the Saturday. Although unfamiliar with his songs, we sat down with our mac ‘n cheese and watched from afar as he jumped around the stage while seamlessly playing his guitar and delivering great vocals. He did seem to think he was in Reading for half of his set, but we will forgive him after his energetic renditions of ‘Discoland’ and ‘Canter’ to close.
Sunday at Leeds Festival easily boasted the most impressive lineup of the weekend with the Main Stage offering Dead Poet Society, The Last Dinner Party, Bleachers, Fontaines D.C., Raye, Lana Del Rey and Fred again.. one after another. While it was evident that some people had arrived at midday just to secure a good spot for Lana Del Rey, Raye was a personal highlight of the entire weekend with her outstanding vocal talent and connection to the crowd. She spent time pointing out individual members of the crowd and expressed gratitude to the festival. Her performance of ‘Ice Cream Man’ didn’t leave anybody with dry eyes and ‘Escapism’ was the perfect ending to her theatrical performance with the Flames Collection Choir.
Lana Del Rey’s massive set and many dancers felt at odds with her low energy enthusiasm. Del Rey came onto the stage slightly late, but nothing compared to the 20 minute delay at Reading, and gave her fans what they wanted: an aesthetically beautiful show of hit after hit . But it did feel as though something was lacking. At times, it seemed that her vocals were drowned out and there wasn’t much stage presence to comment on. However, Del Rey’s set was certainly an ode to her almost 20 year long career so I can imagine that die-hard fans were more than satisfied with her slot.
The festival closer, Fred again.., captured the audience from the start with people dancing all the way to the back of the crowds. Despite only staying for a few of his songs, we can confidently say that the energy of his set was one of the highest of the weekend and Fred again.. could be seen with a gleaming smile at all times.
Overall, Leeds Festival 2024 had its ups and downs but was a great weekend to witness. Even during Storm Lillian, it was remarkable to see people braving the fields and having the time of their lives. The Main Stage had its moments of disappointment but the acts on the BBC Introducing and Festival Republic stages really stole the show. Unfortunately due to the storm, only one of the two new stages were able to debut in Leeds. The Aux was impacted by closures whereas we only saw The Chevron while The Useless Hotline were onstage, so didn’t see it at its full potential. Hopefully next year will see these new stages put to good use. Highlight sets for us were Raye, Big Special, Fontaines D.C. and The Japanese House.
