Leeds Fest 2007
Posted by charley on July 5th, 2008
I think i can safely say that I’ve recovered from the 4 day, alcohol filled, musically virtuosic event that is the Carling Leeds Festival, albeit with peeling shoulders and a fridge still full of Carling lager. I don’t quite know how to document the whole weekend without scaring my Mother witless about the blatant drug abuse and what not, but heck i suppose that’s what it’s all about for some people.
Having witnessed many many people quite literally “off their tits” on pills, i can safely say that i won’t be popping some anytime soon, rather being put off the very idea of any pill at all. One happy camper was overheard stating that taking the pills she “found on the floor was the best thing [she] did all weekend”, to which my face drained of all colour at the shock that someone could be so stupid as to take unknown substances.
There were funny sides to the abuse however! As we returned from a well partied Thursday night at the Oxfam Tent we got to our campsite’s Rave Tent only for Stacey to inform us some people were lying on the floor, eyeballs rolling, hands down pants, getting..well, themselves off quite frankly. Such a sight to see! Watching people spaced out, rolling around the floor trying to squash an invisible kid called Nigel and talking about fire fairies is just as fun as doing it yourself. The rave tents were fun until you start to get a bit sick of the pure noise they kept pumping out, and the Duracell tent looked to be an epileptics worst nightmare. Ironically the worst DJ in the world decided to spin Faithless’ Insomnia at 5am, prompting me to scream that yes “I CAN’T GET NO SLEEP”, falling on deaf ears..obviously.
So on Friday it all kicked off and i finally got started on this wonderful tan I’ve been plotting all summer! Turns out my skin hates me though so all I’ve got is a chav tan on my neck and two peeling shoulders. I spotted my friend Tammy in the crowd and she thankfully singed the ends of my wristband off to stop it scratching my face (they seem to make them for people with really really fat wrists?!). She also gave me a Urinelle as a present, in case i needed to do wee wee. I was rather thankful for that, although they’re made of paper..paper and wee don’t seem to mix in my head! Still, it’s better than having to squat over the holes in the ground, afraid that your decision between getting shit on your arse or on your hand might not have been the right one. I discovered that the queues for food weren’t worth it unless it was for a baked potato, which were the best i have ever eaten! The whole weekend was worth £150 purely for the biggest and filling packed snacks known to man.
The bands were good, not a very bold statement for such a big music festival, but only a few bands shone through for me. One in particular, Maximo Park. They’re not a band i listened to regularly before Leeds, in fact hardly at all, but they impressed me so much I’m considering actually buying their albums. The whole band had so much stage presence, and didn’t have their faces on 8ft screens behind them *cough*Razorshite*cough*. Despite being pushed around i had so much fun listening to them, which made it worth my while since i was only there to get to the front for Kings of Leon, i even had a little dance to myself! The Kings of Leon boys were…well, marry me? Listening to their set, i had one of those girly moments where you imagine you know them and they dedicate a song just for you, right in front of thousands of people. That happened in my head as Caleb (who, by the way, looks drool worthy nowadays!) sang that he would be on call to be there for me..Seriously though, KOL were my band of the weekend, and I’ve not stopped listening to them since i got back.
The little shops were interesting, and it was fun to see people walking round with sleeves pulled over their shoulders, waving air over their klaxons henna tattoos. At least it’s not there forever? I was still in shock that anyone could charge a fiver for a paper plate of noodles, which is not like me because i buy shoes..expensive ones.
I feel that the Smashing Pumpkins deserve their own paragraph, purely for Billy’s sheer brilliance. I’ve only been a fan for 2 years or so, and on first listening i vowed to call my firstborn daughter Lily, but never have i loved this band more than at Leeds. As Billy and the others walked onstage they were met by a thunderous applause, so many smiling faces happy to see them make history, and his face lit up. For a moment i thought Melissa had joined them as a surprise and i got a little excited, but it was only a very good look alike. Billy stayed smiling throughout the hour and a half set, totally focused on what he was doing and giving every song his all. I was pleased to see that he was wearing stripey knee socks, still in with the festival fashion even after being away so long! With or without the crazy clothing preferences, he croaked (in a good sense) his way through ‘Disarm‘, giving me goosebumps in a way I’ve never known before. It was the sort of gig where you have to close your eyes for a few seconds every now and then just to take it all in, and I’m sure there was a collective shiver from everyone watching when Billy howled “today is the greatest day I’ve ever known“. I reckon this might have been the first and last time i see the Pumpkins live but my god do i feel privileged to have seen them at Leeds.