Though the UK plays host to countless music festivals every year, some short lived, others more established, Leeds Festival stands head and shoulders above the majority, not just in size, but in scope as well, curating line-ups that feature some of the biggest names in alternative music alongside those from the more mainstream end of the spectrum.

Thanks to a slight shift away from its more alternative beginnings, Leeds has been able to retain its relevance when so many other festivals have failed, evolving its line-ups in tandem with the ever-evolving tastes of its attendees. And while that might have meant a scaling down for stages such as The Lock Up, it’s also seen the introduction of further, more specialist stages, allowing for an even more diverse line-up in recent years.

This year proves no exception. With what is arguably the festival’s most eclectic line-up to date, next week will see the likes of Giggs take to the Main Stage, sandwiched in between Architects and Blossoms, while over on the NME/Radio 1 Stage You Me At Six follow R&B star Tory Lanez. And though it seems that the genre distinctions between stages are becoming less important these days, this has seen the sense of community found in the festival’s campsites flowing in to the arena more freely, as punk kids rub shoulders with house heads, and metalheads mix with grime fans.

It’s this feeling of eclecticism that keeps the punters returning from Bramham Park year after year, much like many people’s annual pilgrimage to Glastonbury, only distinctly more Northern. Of course, while many see Glastonbury as the pinnacle of the UK festival calendar, Reading and Leeds are themselves rites of passage, with everyone remembering, at least parts, of their first one. And though the site and style of the festival has evolved dramatically over its lifespan, it’s still one of the strongest festivals around.

Below are the top five acts we’ll be catching this year:

Cassia

A guaranteed way to inject some sunshine in to your Sunday, no matter whatever the weather, the Macclesfield three piece will be hitting the BBC Introducing Stage following on from there inclusion as artist of the week. Expect calypso melodies and massive singalongs from a band you’ll be seeing much more of before too long. 

Bear’s Den

Having watched Bear’s Den progress since their inception in 2012, it’s clear the band have gone from strength to strength over the past few years, with the departure of founding member Joey Haynes only strengthening their resolve. Headlining the Festival Republic Stage on Saturday evening, huge swells of instrumentation will backbone the band’s heartfelt lyricism, not a set to miss.

At The Drive-In

A band who barely need an introduction, At The Drive-In are post-hardcore legends, and a turbulent history of break-ups and reunions, as well as a revolving cast of members, means there’s every chance this could be the last time we can see them on stage. They play the Main Stage on Sunday afternoon and you guarantee their set will blow away any lingering cobwebs.

Jimmy Eat World

Playing the Main Stage on Saturday afternoon, Jimmy Eat World are Leeds Festival favourites, having appeared four or five times over its history. Offering up a set of rousing emo anthems, their combination of midwestern indie and polished production are the perfect afternoon accompaniment and are a definite must see.

Eminem

Back at Bramham Park for what will be his third appearance at the festival, Eminem last headlined back in 2015, in which a mammoth set of almost 30 of his most well-known tracks saw a special appearance by Dido on ‘Stan’, suggesting that this year he’s bound to have some surprises in store. Closing out the Main Stage once again on the Sunday night, it’s going to be the last of a string of highlight performances across the weekend. 

Preston welcomed The Wedding Present for the first time since 2010, for two sell out shows at the New Continental. A capacity of 220 gives you a good idea of the intimacy of these gigs and also why they sold out so fast! 21 songs on each night, with only 7 played twice…mostly from the most recent album Going, Going… .

'Go Out And Get ‘Em Boy' (night one) and 'You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends' (night two) from the Tommy compilation plus a smattering of crowd pleasers from George Best ('My Favourite Dress', 'Give My Love To Kevin', 'A Million Miles' and 'Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft' being your reviewer's personal highlights) were all played as if they were brand new songs, crackling with energy and David Gedge singing like he still meant every word. Their cover version of 'Mothers' is as brilliant as ever…Gedge must wish he wrote that song! Requests from the crowd are met with the Gedge standard response “we don’t do requests, what do you think I am, a jukebox?”, delivered with a smile.  The easy going vibe continues with the Wedding Present facts of the day, delivered in typically ramshackle fashion.

Its testament to the consistency of the song writing across the years that tracks like 'Interstate 5', 'Click Click' and 'Flying Saucer' along with all the aforementioned early material sit perfectly next to tracks from the much later albums Valentina ('Deer Caught In The Headlights') and Going, Going… ('Secretary', 'Kill Devil Hills', 'Fordland', 'Emporia', 'Lead' and 'Ten Sleep'). To close, we're treated to 'Brassneck' on night one and 'Kennedy' on night two. No encores, of course.

It would be easy to dismiss the Wedding Present as indie favourites from the '90s meandering through past glories. It would also be nonsense. The band that Gedge has assembled around him bring a freshness to old songs and deliver quality new ones. The most recent album is among their best and these two shows are up there among my favourite Wedding Present shows. Catch them while you can.

Photo by Kim Larysa

New York metallers Prong are back in town to rock the Voodoo Lounge. With the release of their latest album, Zero Days just around the corner, it will be interesting to her if they play any of the new songs alongside the ‘90s classics that the crowd know and love. There are still tickets on the door so even though the room is quite full, there is elbow room in front of the stage. It’s a relatively comfortable night in Voodoo. It is, once again, a credit to Dublin Metal Events that Prong are here. Before the emergence of this independent promoter, bands like this bypassed Ireland, North and South, on tour like this. Now it is rare for a band to play the UK and not include at least one Irish date. While the line check is taking place we take a look around at the crowd. There are not many young people here. Perhaps we can risk a jaunt into the mosh pit?

The Beg To Differ backdrop lets us know what we are in for. Veteran frontman Tommy Victor comes out smiling and briefly introduces the band. Tonight proves beyond all doubt that Prong are far superior live than on any of the their studio work.  ‘Ultimate Authority’ from last year’s X-No Absolutes is more powerful live than it is on record. It comes swaggering in with a hardcore bounce. ‘Beg To Differ’ itself follows in all its glory. Prong’s recent albums have suffered from over-production but live they are raw and ferocious. Victor sounds as righteous as he ever did. He prowls the lip of the stage, posing for pictures while jutting out his jaw and his guitar into the crowd. He shakes hands and shares smiles with the fans. He even stops to ask the audience “What’s the craic?”; a sure way to win over any Irish crowd.

‘Rude Awakening’ and ‘Broken Peace’ go down particularly well but even the lesser known tunes sound great. There is not a bad song among them and the band are on fire tonight. There’s a minor stage invasion during ‘Another Worldly Device’, and ‘Whose Fist Is This Anyway?’ provokes a raucous reaction with a lot of stage diving. Their best known tune, ‘Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck’, seamlessly follows and the fun really starts. Things take a comedic turn with a bunch of middle-aged men lining up to stage dive. As impressive as the band are musically, the crowd are their match comically. The climax is during the closing number when an inebriated oul’ lad gets up on stage to take a picture of the audience and can’t work his phone. After much badgering from the crew he eventually stage dives and lands on his head. He seems to be taking the “Snap your neck” part literally.

An encore of ‘Revenge... Best Served Cold’, and ‘For Dear Life’ brings proceeding to a close with a hardcore groove. Drummer Art Cruz comes out from behind the kit and shakes the hands of everyone in the first few rows. He’s about to depart when he suggests one more to the sound engineer, then to the rest of the band. The decision invokes euphoria in the audience. After, not one but three songs they call it a night. The sweat cools on our skin on the walk down the quays. We’re gonna feel this one in the morning.

It's probably some sort of success that, after 42 years of existence, Sjock is still unknown to people living just a few kilometres away. Clearly it knows its audience and sticks to what it does best, rather than becoming some festival-to-end-all-festivals and needing to take a year off to let the landscape & wildlife recover from the havoc it wreaks. 

Like many events on the continent its ticket prices don't break the bank yet you get big names on the bill although things start off low-key on the Friday with only two of the three stages in action and a total of eight acts performing.

Unfortunately, due to the atrocious traffic around Antwerp & Brussels, Friday night became impossible to attend (after eight hours in the car coming South from Amsterdam cold beer and pizza was preferred over more driving). Making use of the nearby hotels will in the future be the order of the day, rather than commuting from Brussels but the drives there and back on Saturday and Sunday were at least jam and hassle-free.

The event's well signposted with its own signage once you get to the outskirts of Gierle, parking was plentiful and the event site ample for the number of fans attracted (oddly fewer on the Sunday than the Saturday) with high numbers of Turbojugend spotted over the two days.

Kicking things off for our time at the festival we initially took in Belgian duo The Glücks who dish it out fast loud &, most importantly, tuneful. A great burst of energy to fire the crowd up for the entertainment to come. Next a move to the Titty Twister tent to catch sight of one of a number of veteran bands on the weekend's bill, The Vice Barons. Back in the '90s their Steel Blue Moods and Friends In Low Places albums were excellent, fast slabs of instrumental surf/garage. New album Glamour & Barreled Guns is slated for release later this year (demos here) and with luck that'll be as good as their work of 20 years ago but onstage they looked to have let themselves go a bit & there wasn't a great deal of engagement with the crowd.

Next on the main stage were Melbourne's Clowns, a prime example of festivals introducing you to new bands that have actually been around for a while. They've been on the go for eight years and manage to combine party band energy with the pace of hardcore. A sextet who clearly subscribe to the idea of being here for a good time and not a long one. From that fairly youthful eight years we then took in the sight of the Guana Batz, 35 years and counting. With a new EP out their energy is certainly undimmed although there were rather more covers in their set than expected. Still, you can't fault upright bass playing of the quality they offer.

Sjock has a "newcomers" stage but over the course of the festival we only really gave it a look a couple of times. Firstly on Saturday we had a gander at Sunpower who, having been around for 15 years stretch the stage's title quite a lot. They dished out plenty of well paced punk/hardcore numbers, both originals & covers but somehow visually were unconvincing. Later on the Sunday we caught Italian quartet The Manges, who've been around a few years themselves it seems, delivering up their Ramones-inspired punk. Good, energetic stuff played at speed.

For the remainder of the Saturday session we were impressed with the emotional power of trio Brutus, Minneapolis's The Cactus Blossoms (does Minnesota have cacti?) slowed the pace to something approaching loveable over in the tent, with their harmonies only slightly marred by loss of voice. Cover songs were plentiful throughout the event but their version of The Kinks 'Who'll Be The Next In Line' was probably the most unexpected. Apparently you can see them in one of the new Twin Peaks episodes too. Back on the main stage Zeke, who I've been unaware of for 20-odd years, tore it up suitably. Ten years since they last had an album out so maybe time for something new. Seeing out the night were punk legends Bad Religion, as vital now as ever given the Trump presidency amongst other things. Their anthems were passionately embraced & sung back by the seething, bouncing crowd showing the international impact of their simple, common sense message over the past three decades.

Sunday had originally been forecast as having thunderstorms but dawned as sunny as the day before with the rain pushed to Monday so another day of perfect festival weather was had. We started in the tent with Barny & The Rhythm All Stars rumbling through a nicely paced set of rockabilly wildness and yet more excellent upright bass work. Further Belgian musicians were heralded onto the main stage by The Animals version of 'House Of The Rising Sun' (and thankfully not Alt-J's pointless attempt at it). These were The Sha-La-Lees, made up of members of Evil Superstars, Sore Losers & El Guapo Stuntteam. Having found Evil Superstars a massive letdown a couple of years ago this could have been a low point at Sjock but thankfully the quintet were clearly having a lot of fun in this project and their crunchy, fast rock sound was the perfect flag raiser for tonight's headliners.

Two older acts one after the other graced the main stage now. First up came Nashville Pussy, amped up to the max and throwing Jack Daniels around like it was going out of fashion they raced through a nitro-fuelled set, finishing off with the storming 'Go Motherfucker Go' from the very start of their career. Following this, with as much energy as when last encountered in some Edinburgh venue or other 20 years ago, New Bomb Turks blasted the crowd with their wit and rapid fire punk in equal measure. Hopefully the mic was washed or swapped after Eric Davidson had it down his jeans etc.

Calm of a sort was needed now so we sought that in the tent with some r'n'b and blues from yet another young group, albeit with an experienced bass player, in the shape of Joakim Tinderholt And His Band. This is a man with a serious set of pipes on him yet he can also tone it down, as on the Johnny Rivers number he and the band covered. Now though there was nothing between us and the highlight of the weekend - 20 years after debuting with Supershitty To The Max! The Hellacopters were back together to pay their dues once again and dish out some of that grande rock they do so well.

'The Devil Stole The Beat From the Lord', 'Toys And Flavors', 'Down On Freestreet' and all the great tracks were lapped up by the hugely appreciative crowd. Whilst you could possibly say there was an attempt to cash in with the dearest t-shirts of the weekend the actual stage performance was faultless and clearly a blast for a bunch of guys who maybe haven't quite hit the same high notes with subsequent groups. Whilst bucket list are anathema to me this show was a sweet tick in a non-existent box, having not seen them in their hey day in the UK (on the plus side of that it means I've never seen the Foo Fighters who they were (unjustly) supporting). Few bands have that resonance (and still manage to perform like the years haven't taken their toll) but The Hellacopters were the crowning glory of a festival where a number of veteran acts proved there's a great deal of life in some old dogs yet.

Cheers to Penny for digs, driving and good chat.  

Further event photographs of dubious quality can be viewed here.