RBC Michaela: From Talent to Trio
The final day of Leeds Festival 2010 seemed to come and go very quickly! We woke up pretty late, ran around our house like maniacs to try and leave on time… the weather was pretty rubbish with loads of clouds and a really strong wind and we knew there was nothing else for it than our WINTER coats and wellies. I kid you not, hoodies, scarves and thick coats in August. Not kool!
We managed to get to the arena on time to see Billy Talent. It took some serious running (bad idea when you’re dressed for a blizzard), panting and crowd dodging!! BT are a fantastic festival band; Benjamin Kowalewicz** knows how talk – just a shame the Leeds crowd didn’t know how to talk back. Must have been the chill! They played a lot of their newest songs and threw in a few classic ditties like “Red Flag”, “Try Honesty” and “This Suffering”
**[on a slight tangent... I was just looking ol' Ben up on Wikipedia. Apparently his surname is pronounced /ˈkɒvəlɛvɪtʃ/ ... are those even letters? I think I'll stick to Benjamin Koala-Bear-Wicks!]
NOFX were really good fun!! I admit, never been a huge fan but I’ve always known a few songs like “Bob” and “Franko Un-American” and it was brilliant to jump around and sing to those… I say jump, instead I was having the life squeezed out of me by two whirling pits – aah, gotta love it!
I usually like Lost Prophets but there’s something about having “Mega Lolz!!!!” [what does it mean???] as a back drop and seeing Ian Watkin’s make-up on screen that made me feel quite unwell.
Biffy Clyro were next on the main stage. I really love the Scottish rockers; with the exception of Blink 182, not many 3-piece bands can pull off a huge stage like they can. They play with a lot of raw energy and passion; Simon Neil could easily be mistaken for a nutter with his dyed blonde beard and pink-jean pelvic thrusting…
Against Me! were the next and second-to-last band of the festival weekend. I’ve been a huge fan for quite a few years and seen them numerous times and it’s always good to know that their set will be consistantly awesome. They’re one of those bands who always looks like they’re enjoying the show, always carefully pick tracks from each of their albums and accomplish some of the most passionate sing-a-longs. It’s just a shame that their tent was half full… oh well, better view for me! As much as I hate to dislike their most recent album, Against Me! have semi-converted me with their live versions of “Teenage Anarchist” and “White Crosses”.
It was Against Me! and the final band of the night, Alkaline Trio which finished off the Leeds Festival weekend in the best way possible. I know singing along is a little cheesy but it feels amazing, especially when you’re at a festival. They played all the audience favourites such as “Time to Waste”, “Mercy Me”, “This Could be Love”, “Sadie” and dedicating “Private Eye” to the UK!
I can’t believe it’s over…. Keep an eye out for the overall highlights and lowlights of Leeds Festival 2010 **coming soon**
