> Reviews > Reviews 2006 > Leeds

Review by Rob.

Dresden Dolls - "This is a song about a vibrator"

Stability can be a good thing. It is always nice to go over familiar ground as much as it is exciting to visit new places unknown to us. Returning to a site and regaining your bearings can be a rewarding experience. This does not apply to the Leeds 2006 festival layout however, the inclusion of a new camping area, brown, meant that last year's car parking was full of tents this time out, and this year's parking was miles away in a distant field. On the plus side the campsite was roomy and quieter than normal and so it was that we lounged on the grass on a sunny Friday morning contemplating the festival's line up and wondering whether the old time acts like Pearl Jam would outshine upstarts like The Kooks, would the Arctic Monkeys still be cutting edge and exactly what would Karen O be wearing on Saturday. Or you could just throw pitta breads around instead.

Hope of the States - Erm Bowing out (Sorry I really am)

After a longer than usual walk to the arena we were relieved to find the layout inside had not mirrored the goings on outside and was practically the same as last year. There was plenty of time to have a walk round and confirm this because to be honest the festival took a while to spring into life this year. I see some so so stuff from Tapes n Tapes and Taking Back Sunday but the first band I see proper are the Dresden Dolls. Their set is fab as usual and they play 'War Pigs' of course but the new stuff doesn't seem to be the strongest. The best song is 'Coin Operated Boy' from the debut album, and possibly the best song ever written about a sex toy, but it is still a pretty decent show all told. Perhaps I should buy the new album. Talking of new albums, 'Left' by Hope of the States was a bit of a let down if truth were told, and it doesn't help when your debut is as great as 'The Lost Riots'. I mean what could they follow it with? Today they play few songs from left possibly only three, and pack the set with Riots stuff, the best of which is 'Black Dollar Bills' one of the great protest songs of the last ten years. Their set is powerful and emotional and they play as if it were their last ever gig. Which sadly it almost was.

Weather wise it had been a glorious late summer day, quite out of character with recent Leeds Festivals. Slayer of course change all that. Right on cue the skies darken and as 'South of Heaven' rolls across the field smacking into innocent couples laying in camping chairs at the back, rain begins to fall. Its certainly a festival moment, and they capitalise by playing a brutal half hour, no more and can even leave out the classic 'Angel of Death'. However the likes of 'War Ensemble' and 'Seasons in the Abyss' plus a couple of new ones are more than ample fayre. Though not everyone's bag, judging by the "Slayer Slayer" chants rolling round the arena a good portion of the crowd were well satisfied. And it had a happy ending, it stopped raining as they left the stage. After the metal mayhem it was time for some good old indie pop, and Boy Kill Boy oblige at the Radio One stage. Last year this lot kicked off proceedings and well impressed me and true to form they have reaped the rewards this year with some hit singles and a decent debut album. However they didn't quite cut it today though 'Suzie' was still great and others seemed to enjoy it. If truth were told the audience were piling in for darlings of the moment, The Kooks who were up next, and it got uncomfortably packed in the middle. Seeking more relaxed pastures I headed off to see one of my favourite bands of all time Placebo. Though the set list was dodgy, lots of new stuff, not much from the early albums, they do the magnificent 'Running up that hill' cover, and it does differ from last time I saw them at Roskilde as they do a blinding 'Special K' and finish with 'Nancy Boy'. This makes people very happy and looking forward to the headliners.

Pearl Jam - Band of the festival and perhaps the summer

There was really only one band I had to see today, and possibly the whole festival. I had the pleasure of seeing Pearl Jam five years ago in Manchester, but spoiled it by getting horribly drunk on an all day session in the city's fine inns, and it kind of passed me by. I do remember that the set list was just a tad indulgent that night, and a lot of new stuff was played from the Binaural album, which is arguably their weakest. So I am just a tiny bit worried as I take my place close to the front that this could all be an anti climax and I will spend the next 2 hours wanting songs to be played that never are and disappointment sets in. Hey we have all been there, you know what its like. Bang on nine the band take the stage, and it's a big big deal for them as this is the first festival they have played since nine fans were crushed to death during their set at Roskilde in 2000. So understandably Eddie Vedder has a quiet word with everyone to look after one another, and the band lurch headlong into 'Go'. Vs is a very underrated album, in fact I think it's their best and they stay with this to play 'Animal'. As the set pans out its obvious they are going to draw on all stages of their career, as the next three songs draw from 3 different albums. The new album is represented by only about 3 songs one of which was the fairly bland 'Worldwide Suicide' recent single. Instead they put in some gems such as 'Whipping' from Vitalogy and even play something from the aforementioned Binaural. The band themselves are on top form, and for me the star of the show is the bleach cropped Mike McReady who is a complete and utter guitar hero who plays magnificently. He is ably supported by Stone Gossard and the solid punch of Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron ex of Soundgarden. Eddie Vedder seems content to just be one of the band and doesn't stand out too much. His voice is superb though.

The highlights of the main set are many but for me 'Daughter' was a great to sing along to moment, and I liked the inclusion of 'State of love and trust' from the Singles soundtrack. However it's the closing couplet of 'Black', my favourite PJ track and and an awesome 'Porch' that really push this show into the special league. Of course they only go and top this with a truly memorable 'Alive' during the encores, and its so good that around me people are crying. We all wanted the guitar outro to go on forever but eventually the song reaches its close. They stay onstage though and Eddie tells us about a bizarre dream he had about George Bush having sex the night before. Whilst I prefer my dreams to be about twins and baby oil, it nonetheless was an amusing tale and preceded a manic thrash through Neil Young's 'Rockin' in the free world' which was a great way to end the set and a fitting end to a day which overall was a little disappointing. Still Saturday's line up looked very solid.

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Review by Rob.

Early starts were the order of the day last time out to catch some of the most highly tipped new bands, like Boy Kill Boy who were on at 12 noon in 2005. This year it is taking a while for things to hot up each day but on Saturday I am in early and decide to have a skulk around the stages to see whoever is on. The Towers of London play sleazy rock n roll and on the main stage too. Its a pretty good show and frontman Donny does have just a hint of David Lee Roth about him whilst the rest of the band throw shapes and riffs whilst never wasting even a nanosecond to pose. The only small thing wrong is that it's 20 years too late but hey, who's counting? A hasty retreat towards the back is the order of the day next as Fightstar are surely the band who will attract all of the bottles and other assorted festival delights this year, following in the, ahem, illustrious footsteps of Daphne and Celeste and 50 Cent. But wonder of wonders not one missile is thrown and the crowd actually seem to love their aggressive brand of metal. Some songs are even quite good and they do entertain bless 'em. Don't write these boys off as teenyboppers and you may just be a tiny bit impressed.

Leeds has done quite well for itself in recent times on the musical map and the Pigeon Detectives will surely carry on this trend. They are straight out of the Kaisers stable but the music owes much more to the raggy arsed approach of the Cribs and of course the Libertines. However singer Matt is a nutter of the highest order and loves to go to war with the security at the stage front. Oh and they also have some top tunes like 'I'm not sorry' and 'You know I love you'. At the end of a hot and sweaty 30 minutes they had richly entertained the large crowd. Make no mistake this lot will be one of the bands to watch in early 2007. Skipping forward an hour or so, and the Carling tent sees another band of similar ilk Little Man Tate from Sheffield tread the boards. I make the mistake of dismissing them as probable Arctics rip offs but I'm glad i stayed because they were excellent. Whilst their sound does owe a little to Alex and the boys a more likely reference point would be the Jam, Blur, Pulp or even the Kinks, and the lyrical content reflects these bands. The selling point is definitely the songs, remember the likes of 'Court Report' and 'Down on Marie' when they take residence in the tune section of your brain sometime next year. You have been warned.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Surely the lead role in Joseph beckons

Between the high quality control of the new bands we had variable performances from other acts who had been on radar for a while now. Whilst Guillemots put in an eclectic show somewhat reminiscent of the Flaming Lips, not helped by poor sound, The Long Blondes disappointed with what seemed to these ears like a lack of memorable tunes and little stage presence. The Mystery Jets fare better and turn in a show full of pomp and bouncy pop. And in 'Alas Agnes' they have one of the singles of 2006. It has been several hours since I wandered to the main stage but the appearance of a certain Miss Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs drags me there now. There is a big crowd to see them too and right on time messrs Chase and Zinner come out dressed in black almost as if its a genuine effort not to upstage their lead singer. No danger of that though, and as the drums kick into 'Gold Lion' Miss O emerges in a blaze of yellows and reds and.. look just see the pictures ok. Whilst its visually stunning, musically the emphasis put on the latest album is a bit disappointing, though 'Date with the Night' gets the crowd going early on. Some of the new stuff also does not seem up to the mark of the debut either and this might be a problem for them. Never mind 'Maps' will save them. Now 'Maps' is truly a classic song, possibly the best tune of the 00s so far, but the stripped down slow version they played today rids the tune of the raw emotion that made it so special in the first place. Bad move you lot and only a so so show, now go away and write a truly classic album.

So far today its has been largely new stuff on show. So it is with some anticipation that we head to the Radio One Stage to see the UK comeback of the more established Vines. Craig Nichols problems have been well documented and both him and the crowd just seemed happy to have them playing live again, all else is a bonus. Well on tonight's evidence its a wonderful decision because the Vines are simply awesome. Running through what seemed like their entire back catalogue with Ramones like speed they managed to play over 20 songs in less than an hour still finish early and smash the gear up just like old times. Mr Nichols was pretty mellow between songs being quite softly spoken and thankful that all the fans are still there. They replicate this gratitude by playing stonking versions of 'Ride' and 'Outathaway' and 'Get Free' and 'Don't listen to the Radio' and 'Miss Jackson' and it's all immense. If we never ever see them again in the UK this is a great way to remember them. There's just time to mention that I saw a little bit of Bodycount after the Vines and they were awesome too, pity I couldn't see the whole show. Ice "Motherfuckin'" T was on great form. And they played 'Cop Killer' too.

Primal Scream - Putting the good folk of Leeds in party mood

Saturday has been a long day but it is not over yet. With a bit of time to kill I head to the Carling to see the Twilight Singers. These US veterans are drawn from wide musical backgrounds and have songs telling the tales of their lives and all that sort of stuff. Nothing to write home about so far, but they do have one ace in the hole. After 3 songs Mark Lanegan ambles on with obligatory ciggy and proceeds to growl along to some wonderful dirge tunes. I can't tell you what these were but they sounded great and a cover of 'Where did you sleep last night?', the Leadbelly covered by Nirvana tune, makes my night. Now the headliners tonight offer a bit of choice, over on the main Franz Ferdinand are confirming their meteoric rise by running through their 2 albums worth of good honest guitar pop stuff, in the Lock Up punk legends Sick of it all are on whilst The Carling hosts the Bedouin Soundclash who have a great name but sadly I know sod all about them. So tonight's choice is a band I have seen many times before but this year have had something of a new lease of life, thanks mainly to releasing one of the songs of the year. Primal Scream have also ditched the euro based dancy sonic sounds of the last 3 albums in favour of a return to the rock n roll sounds of 'Give out but don't give up'. Live there are a few changes too. Long time collaborator Kevin Shields no longer plays live which instantly means the absence of some of the more complex songs of 'Vanishing Point' and 'Xtrminatr'. Also the band have recruited some soul singers to add backing to tracks from the new album and of course the awesome 'Movin' on up' which opens the set. The band are in a great mood again, possibly due to Mani being released from police custody just in time to play! They rip through a fair chunk of the new album but also find time for rocky old stuff such as 'Jailbird' and 'Medication' both of which fit in with the rock n roll sound of the scream circa 2006. They do dip into the dance chunk of their career too and the likes of 'Kill all hippies' and 'Kowalski' are summoned forth. Throughout the huge crowd are with them all the way and its a Saturday night kind of party mood that suits me just fine. The show is capped by the magnificence of the closing three songs, 'Swastika Eyes' which gets the whole tent dancing, the aforementioned 'Country Girl' and everyone sings along to this fine fine tune, then finally the sweaty bluster of 'Rocks' which finishes us all off, so to speak. There have been times when I have seen this band dour and sour faced as if playing live is an unnecessary chore, but this seems all gone now. Lets hope the change is permanent because tonight we had a great show and the Primal Scream career revival is in full swing.

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Wolfmother - Bet he ate all his crusts

Today sees several bands on the 'must see' list on early. The site is unsurprisingly not too busy with most people still at the tents. In fact I am lead to believe that some people visit the festival and never leave the camp site, preferring to drink themselves into a stupor by their tents, and bbq 4 day old burgers (as opposed to paying 4 quid for one at the appropriately named chuck wagons I suppose). Whilst it's always nice to drink and eat I can't help feel they are missing the point of the festival, after all it costs the small matter of 130 notes to do this so let's see some music eh. Oh well each to their own, lets see what they could have won this Sunday.

Aussies and Kiwis are always in evidence at Leeds judging by the flags on display and there were a few acts for them to get excited about today. New Zealanders The Morning After Girls on the face of it should not really excite too many, with their line of dirgy rock based quite heavily on the blueprint left behind by the Black Rebel Motorcyle Club. However they wisely opt to play many slow burning epic tracks laced with heavy guitar feedback and end up sounding a lot like their other obvious heroes The Jesus and Mary Chain. There's lots dry ice and purple lighting too which adds to the atmosphere and the few that could be bothered to attend are very impressed indeed. I miss out on the Macabees Arctics based observational pop and plod over to see Giant Drag an act I saw recently supporting the Cribs, more of which later. The draggys are a 2 piece who play and sound a lot like The Kills. The girl singer swears a lot, smokes a lot and they knock out some impressive tunes. They go down well with the Radio One stage and they are definitely one to watch for next year.

Its time to crank things up a bit and also have a bit more Antipodean stuff too from Wolfmother. The three piece are here to run through the best of their debut album and on the main stage they could be a bit lost. However main man Andrew Stockdale delights in the wide open spaces and the chance to throw Hendrix shapes as well as run through several heavy metal poses ensures the audience is well entertained. Tracks like 'Apple Tree', 'Woman' and 'Dimension' may reek of Black Sabbath, but when its this good who cares? They close with the awesome 'Joker and Thief' and the festival has seen the guitar hero of the weekend. Indeed it is rather like the glory days of the Reading Festival when every act was like this. Indeed some chemically enhanced punters could be excused in thinking that Ozzy and Co had been a late addition to the bill. Phew! On the face of it everything should be set for the Cribs to conquer today. However soon after the start it becomes apparent that the decision to put them on the main stage was a grave mistake. Much as I love this band and the fact that they have more great tunes than most of the other bands put together today, this was not a memorable show. Look great a city that Wakefield is it gets a bit tiresome mentioning it between every song. It would have been better to just get heads down and play for 45 minutes. The songs they played are still class, like opener 'Mirror Kisses' and 'Another Number', and there are also several promising new ones aired. They went down well with the fans at the front and there was much crowd surfing, but whilst it was not a disaster they appeared not to win too many new friends in the field which was simply too big a venue for this stage in their career. Go and see them indoors instead.

Dirty Pretty Things - "Oi you lot at the back wake up"

Three years ago a band called Electric Six had a hit with a 2 minute pop classic called 'Gay Bar'. The tune became an anthem for that summer's festival crowds and by the time they played Leeds it had also become something of an albatross. Their show in the Radio One Tent attracted a huge crowd who only came to hear one song then buggered off before the end of the show, as they foolishly failed to play it last up. Fast forward to 2006 and The Automatic could face a similar situation today. 'Monster' of course has become just that, a tune that is sung by everyone from students to housewives to kids in the playground. However this show is a triumph. For starters they have better songs than Electric Six and they also have a whole album's worth of them. Thus it was that 'Recover' 'Raoul' and 'You Shout You Shout' win over the audience big time. A hilarious cover of 'Golddigga' helps their cause even more and by the time 'Monster' comes along it is not even the set highlight, even though they wisely choose to play it last. Brilliant set, one of the best of the festival.

Fast rising indie stars Dirty Pretty Things are billed on the main stage and like the Cribs it is a bit of a mistake. From the back they don't come across too well, and maybe I missed it but I swear they didn't play hit single 'Bang Bang You're Dead'. They do slip in a couple of Libertines classics though, and 'I get along' which closes the set is pure class, shame everyone around me didn't recognise its genius. I really wasn't expecting too much from Feeder today but the little rascals seize the moment and play a greatest hits set that lifts the whole field and they show previous bands exactly how to conquer the main stage. Tunes like 'Buck Rogers' and 'Just the way I'm Feeling' get everyone up and moving but the real classic is set closer 'Just a Day' which inspires some legendary dancing from certain members of the Peace and Love team. Top stuff. Anyway we haven't had much from south of the hemisphere for a while now so its over to the Radio One for the return of Jet. Now I know their brand of retro rock is not everyone's taste but they have cornered a little niche in the market and were helped out on the debut 'Get Born' by some quality tunes. Well the good news is that the stuff from new album 'Shine On' carries on in exactly the same vein. A fair chunk of this is played tonight and goes down very well. However its debut album stuff like 'Look what you've done' and 'Cold Hard Bitch' that goes down a storm and when the tambourine intro to 'Are you gonna be my girl?' begins the whole place erupts. Not earth moving, not revolutionary, its just rock n roll, and it's good to have them back.

The Raconteurs - Musical maestros close Leeds 2006

Now I must make a confession here. Before tonight I thought that TV on the Radio was only the catchphrase of the late great Tommy Vance. Well on seeing that name billed on the Carling Stage I decided not to bother with the Arctic Monkeys and go and check them out. And what a good decision. They are a pretty weird outfit. On the face of it they look like the Mars Volta but whilst some of the music is proggy it just as easily veers off into a bit of blues, a bit of Hendrix, and even some metal. Then just in case we get bored they put in a jazz solo or a bit of hip hop. All in all its a pretty entertaining half hour or so and I will be back for more soon hopefully. And apparently their debut album is a Piss take of Radiohead called 'OK Calculator'. Unfortunately the tent is less than half full for them but after they take their leave it fills slowly but surely and by the time The Fratellis take the stage it is pretty packed. They run through most of the debut album at breakneck speed, have an excellent sound quality and songs like 'Henrietta' and 'Chelsea Dagger' come across really well. They seem to bring a sort of cockney chirpiness to the set which is apt as they hail from, er, Glasgow. It is an odd mix of indie rock, rabble rousing, with a bit of tweeness (is that a word?) thrown in and they go down well which of course is a good thing.

Finally there was a difficult choice to be made. I had been looking forward to Muse quite a bit in the weeks leading up to the festival. However the last time I saw The Raconteurs they were superb and I wanted to see them again. As it happened I started off with a bit of Muse. The night had been punctuated with drizzle for a few hours and there was a downpour after the Fratellis but this seemed to have passed over as Matt Bellamy and Co came out to a suitably over the top intro. The choice of opener was also suitably grand, 'Knights of Cydonia' contains everything but the kitchen sink and is accompanied by a light show flashing the words "Fight" and "Survive", from lyrics in the song. Its a spectacular opening 10 minutes. They then plod into the gig and after the start is goes a bit flat. It doesn't really help that I am watching it from so far back where the atmosphere is a bit like the moon. 'Hysteria' and 'Supermassiveblackhole' are early in the set and sound just fine. However the pull of Mr J White is strong so I head for the Radio One just as it starts to drizzle again and just in time to see The Raconteurs take the stage. It is clear from the huge crowd in the tent that there are a lot of folk with similar intentions tonight. Jack White is always captivating and here he has a proper band to accompany him. It is far from a one man show though, Brendon Benson gets a pretty big share of the limelight and sings on a couple of tracks. On taking the stage Jack urges us to do 3 things "something for someone else", "something for yourself" and "something rebellious", then leads the band straight into 'Intimate Secretary' and it is quite surprising just how many folk know the lyrics. Highlights are many but I will go for first single 'Steady as she goes', a cover of Nancy Sinatras 'Bang Bang' and the song which closes the main set 'Blue Veins' which features some seriously good fret work from Mr White. All to soon its over and we are turfed out into the rain which simply poured down during the set and must have soaked the Muse throng on the main stage. There is just time to leg it before they all come my way and head to the car. In 10 minutes I am out missing all the chaos of the last night and a good mornings scavenging on the camp site. It has been a good festival, one of the best Leeds I have been to (this was my 7th) with some great bands and very little rubbish on show. Finally a quick word about the Love Not Riots campaign. It seemed to be a huge success, the badges were everywhere and in addition to the message they make a great tool for repairing torn jeans.

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