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Leeds Festival 2004 (Sunday)
Sun 29 Aug 2004
Radio 1 Stage
Funeral For A Friend
Matt Davies - Vocals
Kris Roberts - Guitar
Darran Smith - Guitar
Gareth Davies - Bass
Ryan Richardson - Drums
Funeral For A Friend
The boys from the Welsh valleys were worthy headliners of a final night on the Radio One stage at Leeds, as the tent heaved to the point of bursting. Those who had deserted The White Stripes on the main stage were treated to an onslaught of hardcore/metal with a tinge of indie introspection, having concreted their status as having an intense and powerful live performance that will leave you sweaty and gasping for air. With the pit busy the as eager fans surfed their way to front with a steady flow continuing from start to finish, the intensity of Funeral For A Friend undisputable and as they left the stage no one felt hard done by.
Dizzee Rascal
Dizze Rascal - Vocals
Dizzee Rascal
The kid of the East London block, expelled from schools from making a living from stealing cars and robbing pizza delivery boys has finally made it good. Dizzee has that mischievous as he delivers a hurricane of lyrics that few of us could even begin to get out tongues around. This was the first major shift on the Radio One stage into hip hop and R ‘n’ B and Dizzee carried it off with a fluency that brought cheers from a packed tent. Playing from his exciting new album ‘Boy In Da Corner’ which has been hailed as one of the most exciting and innovative hip hop albums of the year. This is a man that is going to be hard to kept down.
DKT/MC5
DKT/MC5
The Detroit band with the infamy of having been the blueprint for The Sex Pistols was one of the highlights of the day on the Radio One stage. Conservative by today’s standards their powerful set was full of lacerating guitars, propulsive drive and howled vocals, DKT/MC5 have the appeal that transcends the generation. Seamlessly wielding hard rock, sole music, rhythm and blues and avant-guard jazz, their finest moments, amongst an amazing set, was the blues DKT/MC5 put in at the end.
Stereolab
Stereolab
Now here is a band with a difference, combining all their electronic hardware with almost mystic/ambient vocals to produce a lush funk sound. Recently reformed after pivotal member, Mary Hansen was killed in a bicycle accident in 2002, Stereolab are back out on the road with their new album ‘Margarine Eclipse’ that is loaded with sophisticated textures and tunes. The Radio One tent was captivated by Stereolab and their diversity that made for a sound that fitted so many moods with the cross over between genres many bands would be frightened of attempting.
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
Guy McKnight – Vocals
Marc – Guitar
Andy – Guitar
Sym – Bass
Tom – Drums
Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
Launching into a set that left the Radio One tent breathless the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster appeared fuelled with almost superhuman energy. Guy was as chaotic as ever splitting his time between the stage and the barrier. Brighton’s death punks wielding their brand of Southern ‘gothic boogaloo’ are nothing short of complete entertainment. A band made up of such powered energy ponders the question just how long can they go at this pace.
The Ordinary Boys
Sam Preston – Vocals/Guitar
William J Brown – Guitar
James Gregory – Bass
Charlie Stanley – Drums
The Ordinary Boys
The Ordinary Boys certainly look ordinary but their sound is nothing short of explosive. Wielding their guitars they have been described as The Clash meets The Jam and Rockbeast can confirm this resemblance. Playing from debut album ‘Over The Counter Culture’ this Brighton quartet should make their mark. Not to everybody’s taste but a near full Radio One tent is good indication that The Ordinary Boys are going somewhere.
Har Mar Superstar
Har Mar Superstar
Har Mar Superstar real name Sean Tillman from Minnesota is whites man R ‘n’ B with a hint of glam, if Sean’s pink string is anything to go by. Certainly this superstar is not your average superstar, in looks he has receding hair and carries a little extra weight. Singing from his second album ‘You Can Feel Me’ that is full of sexy R ‘n’ B tunes, Sean moved about the stage with all the energy that R ‘n’ B can muster. To the enjoyment of those packed into see him Sean took his act right up to the barrier and gave everyone a taste of his skill at first hand.
The Icarus Line
The Icarus Line
These four American punk ass rock ‘n’ rollers burst onto the stage with a sound of Black Flag, the Stooges and Mudhoney. They dominated the stage playing tracks off new album ‘Penance Soiree’ which went down a storm amongst the packed tent. The Icarus Line brought chaos to the Radio One tent that was taken in by all as the band poured their entire energy into the set that saw them jump around and patrol the stage with class. Definitely a set that went down well.
The Bronx
The Bronx
Energetic punk rockers The Bronx took the Radio One crowd by the neck and controlled them from the off. Playing tracks from self titled album The Bronx tore their way through a manic set that saw vocalist Matt Caughthran getting up close and personal with the audience jumping into the crowd. The Bronx worked themselves into a huge sweat which was worth it as the crowd lapped up everything not leaving anything to waste. The Bronx as always put in another intense, great set.
Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Conventional rock from the South Londoners with post punk influence at a moderate pace, slightly repetitive but that’s not to say the lack of imagination in the lyrics is not made up for in the power of delivery. With the post punk growing stronger as the set progresses Bloc Party hold the attention of an early tent, setting a wave of hands clapping to the rhythm.
Read Yellow
Read Yellow
Read Yellow should Read Red by the passion put into the set. Full on vocals backed up heavy rock with a sharp cutting edge. With the Radio One tent hosting a healthy crowd, if hung over fans this wake up call was nothing short of brutal. Read Yellow with the female bassist Michelle being nothing short of a masculine onslaught into passionate felt riffs. Read Yellow try and break down every barrier possible between them and the crowd and they certainly did that today.
Leeds Festival Sister to the Reading Festival that has become an institution of the music year. This is the chance to see all those bands you dream of seeing and those you do not.
Dizzee Rascal Dizzee Rascal is tearing up all the rule books and setting the music world alight with his raw talent. His thought-provoking lyrics, distinctively piercing and poignant delivery, and original production have made him one of the hottest new stars of the urban scene, and yet one impossible to pigeonhole.
Stereolab Now here is a band with a difference, combining all their electronic hardware with almost mystic/ambient vocals to produce a lush funk sound.
The Ordinary Boys The Ordinary Boys certainly look ordinary but their sound is nothing short of explosive. Wielding their guitars they have been described as The Clash meets The Jam.
The Icuras Line Four American punk-ass rock n rollers with a rather large fetish for the sex, drugs and mayhem part of the sordid equation.
Bloc Party Conventional rock from the South Londoners with post punk influence at a moderate pace.
Funeral For A Friend Taking the emotional drive and melodic heart of emo, the gut-driven power of rock and the hardworking ethic of hardcore, FFAF are as potent and intense a band as you could wish for. And while there is undeniably a muscular aggression within their sound, their true strength lies in their dedication to the art of writing songs!
DKT/MC5 The Detroit band with the infamy of having been the blueprint for The Sex Pistols.
