What's a festival without a bit of unpredictable weather? Storm Lilian certainly kept festivalgoers at Leeds Festival on their toes over the weekend. With people arriving on Thursday, they were preparing to see the likes of Liam Gallagher, Catfish and The Bottleman, Gerry Cinnamon, Blink-182 and Fred again..
But waking up in a storm probably wasn't on their bingo cards for the weekend. Early on Friday, bosses sent out a warning to those on site, urging them to stay in their tents or in their cars for their own safety and for good reason. But while the weather became the topic of conversation, that soon changed once the arena doors opened and people flocked to the Main Stage and Chevron Stage for the performances.
Having missed Friday's performances from Liam Gallagher, I can only say that I am gutted. LG, or King LG as he's often referred to absolutely smashed it in the videos I've seen circulating on social media and I'm even more gutted after missing the hype surrounding the upcoming Oasis reunion – I mean, we knew it would happen one day but the fact it is finally happening is just something else. Arriving on-site on Saturday, although I've been to Leeds Fest several times I was keen to take in all the new sights (and smells, there are too many options for food – but I managed to try several!).
This year, the Main Stage East had been replaced by the all-new Chevron Stage which I have to say is like nothing else. It was a brave move for bosses at Festival Republic to introduce something new but all I can say is – why has it taken so long? With a capacity of 40,000, the new stage saw the most magnificent names across music including Skrillex, The Prodigy and The Wombats performing. The stage features a large sheet of LED lights stretching over the audience which delivers nothing but an incredible scene as you dance along to some of the most upbeat electronic tracks you could imagine.
Away from that though, the Main Stage had a completely different vibe – in a good way. The K's fell victim to Storm Lilian when the Radio 1 stage went "missing" after a huge chunk was torn out of the top. But it worked in their favour, the Earlestown-born lads ended up on the Main Stage and certainly blew the audience away as thousands packed into the arena to see them.
Click here to see what they had to say when they spoke exclusively to the Mirror. However, things became even more heated when American rockers Blink-182 took to the stage as the closing act on Saturday. While I'm a fan of the band, nothing could have prepared me for the level of show they put on.
With fireworks left, right and centre, it was crazy to see so many people rocking out – despite the freezing temperatures and the ferocious wind circling Bramham Park. Kourtney Kardashian was even in attendance, but I didn't get to see her as she and Travis hung out in the Artists Village, rather than the backstage guest area. Sunday certainly had an electric feel as my friend and I waited for Fred again to close the weekend.
Lana Del Rey was up before him and we assumed she would be late, given her track record. But to our surprise, she was only three minutes late to the stage. Having listened to Summertime Sadness religiously throughout my first year of university, I was impressed by her live performance of the track – but I soon realised the rest of her music wasn't my cup of tea, so off we went to explore the fairground rides and hit the bar while waiting for Fred.
Several of my friends have seen Fred in the past and I have always been incredibly jealous. Seeing him perform to around 100,000 people was nothing short of an out-of-body experience. We found ourselves in the front pit for his incredible set, with Fred taking to the decks to play some of the best tracks including Adore u and Marea (We've Lost Dancing).
At one point, he had visuals of Blessed Madonna on the screens and I assumed she was on stage so I went a little crazy...
She wasn't on stage with him but my reaction was still valid. From laser shows to smoke and fireworks, Fred certainly closed Leeds Festival with a bang and I can honestly say, it's been one of the best years I've attended Leeds. I don't know how this year will be topped after the likes of Liam, Lana, Blink and Fred but I have no doubt that bosses will once again pull out an incredible line-up, maybe a headline slot from Oasis? But while I loved being out in the main arena and being in the crowd, nothing beats heading backstage to the guest bar where there's basically no queues, nice toilets and even free fries from McDonalds - what more could you want? Click here to read all about the backstage area.
All in all, I have to say, Leeds Festival has my heart and I already cannot wait for next year. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads ..
