Gigraphy Review - Leeds Festival 2024, Day Two

The following day at Leeds Festival 2024 witnessed quite the adjustment in its schedule as a response to prior cancellations from Storm Lillian. The festival's management did the impossible by navigating through the disruptions, ensuring that the vast majority of performances could still proceed by reallocating them to available stages. Artists such as Jorja Smith, initially slated for Radio 1's stage, were elevated to the Main Stage, as well as Ashnikko who was rescheduled to the Festival Republic stage.

As you'll start to see as you scroll - it was a jam-packed day of a variety of acts and genres. Read on to find out what Christina and Josh got up to!

Dasha

Kicking off day two on the Main Stage was American country/pop artist Dasha, who drew a great crowd for so early in the day. Waving to the crowd and smiling at those in the audience throughout her set, Dasha felt very real, authentic, and genuinely appreciative to be performing, going as far as to mention she didn’t expect so many people to turn up for her. With a style that evokes early Taylor Swift, Dasha’s set was the perfect early-in-the-day act for Leeds Fest, with feel good music that’s just good to listen to and a crowd that was happy to see her in the UK. Certainly a far more pleasant way to start the day than battling high winds for a few hours.

Big Special

Moving down to the festival republic stage we went to go and check out Big Special, a duo which we previously covered back in May when their tour came to Manchester. We were looking forward to seeing the band perform at a festival, but what we didn’t expect was to be completely entranced by their performance. Lead vocalist Joseph Hicklin’s blend of traditional vocals and poetry was utterly captivating to watch, especially when accompanied by Callum Moloney’s percussion. It wasn’t just the sound either, but the pairs’ intense physicality that brought weight and meaning to each lyric spoken. Things got even more interesting when Callum took a cymbal into the crowd, choosing a crowd member to hit it on his signal and get everyone engaged in the action. This duty was then taken over by Joseph as Callum returned to the stage to climb up the scaffolding, keeping the energy going as he screamed lyrics from up on high. As the band returned to the stage and back down to the ground they took the time to thank each and every member of their crew by name, something we hadn’t seen any other artist do, closing out their set and leaving me thoroughly impressed. We would absolutely recommend catching these guys if you want to see a great performance, and we’relooking forward to seeing what’s next for them.

The Oozes

Due to the tight schedule of the day, we didn't get a full round-up of The Oozes, but what we did see was a rather different take on the acts put on by the festival. The Oozes delivered an energetic preview of their forthcoming EP Gelatinous Man, which captivated Leeds Festival attendees with a live performance that emphasized their dynamic sound and punk spirit. Their set not only showcased the band's musical prowess but also underlined their significance within the queer music scene, forging a visceral connection with fans through their vibrant and empowering act. One punter even said they'd bought a ticket for Saturday just to see them perform - so you know they're making waves!

Neck Deep

Not just content with being on the billing once, Neck Deep played two separate sets at this year’s festival, each with a distinct feel from each other.

Their Main Stage set came first early on in the day, mostly playing tracks from their new self-titled album. The majority of these tracks are more upbeat and energetic, perfect for both early time slots and for enticing an audience that may not have heard of them before (though they may have lost some of this audience when lead vocalist Ben Barlow announced that he was a Manchester United fan). Similar to their performance at Alexandra Palace earlier this year, Ben made a politically motivated speech before they played their track “We Need More Bricks”, this time on the recent riots and the misplaced anger that caused them. Neck Deep were one of the few acts who made any kind of political statements at the festival, and it was something we were extremely happy to see them do as they have always been outspoken in their views. Of course this set closed with “In Bloom”, one of their most popular tracks that had the whole crowd singing along and waving their arms in the air. We couldn’t wait to see what their second set had in store.

This second set came later on in the evening on the Festival Republic stage and was one filled with older tracks that had been absent from their setlists for some time, such as “I Hope This Comes Back To Haunt You” which they hadn’t played in ten years. This set drew one of the best crowds of the festival, with everyone packed into the tent bouncing, singing, and moshing along as they powered through a great roster of songs. This was the set where they played the track that catapulted them into stardom, “A Part Of Me” which you probably could’ve heard the crowd singing from the Main Stage with how many people got involved. Closing their set with “December”, the crowd were hoping and praying that Blink-182 member Mark Hoppus would join Ben on stage for his guest vocals, something that Ben was all too aware of. As the song reached Mark’s spot, Ben welcomed Mark to the stage, pointing to the side…before throwing up the middle finger and stating “here’s not here guys he’s over there” and gesturing to the main stage. Fans may have been hopeful but it was a long shot for it to actually happen, and playing off the moment with humour and the amazing performance regardless quickly had people forgetting. We already can’t wait to see them again in January.

Jorja Smith

To be totally frank, we hadn't listened to Jorja before, but we were blown away by their performance and the insane reaction from the crowd she drew in. Complete with a band and swaying instrumentals connecting her set, it was a huge turnout - especially as she was originally set to perform on a smaller stage.

Spiritbox

Playing one of their very few UK shows of 2024 at Reading and Leeds, we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch Spiritbox. The band have exploded in popularity over the last couple of years and for good reason - their tracks demand your undivided attention, and frontwoman Courtney LaPlante is one of the most talented metal vocalists on the scene. Her clean vocals washed over the crowd before the powerful, guttural screams had the pits that had opened up crashing back together. Spiritbox are a band with some extremely devoted fans, and while UK fans don't often get a chance to see them live, the performance is absolutely worth waiting for.

As "Holy Roller" kicked into gear, one of the band's most popular tracks, every intense guitar strum and pounding drum beat had the crowd moving. This was made even more impactful by their commanding stage presence. While their upcoming Alexandra Palace headliner is unfortunately Spiritbox's only UK date of 2025, we can only hope that we get to see them play Download Festival or Bloodstock in 2026 or potentially even a headline tour - UK fans deserve as many chances as they can get to see them in action.

Ashnikko

Originally set to perform at the BBC Radio One stage, Ashnikko's meticulously choreographed and flawless performance was one many punters didn't want to miss. We had to run from Spiritbox to make the barricade for her and boy are we glad we did!

Opening with 'You Make Me Sick' - the crowd was roaring, and if you'd be at her last headline tour, you'll pretty much know her setlist (albeit this was a slightly shorter version), Ashnikko took a moment to reference the Demure meme with regards to her costume, as well as call out some pretty impressive festival fits from her crowd. She played some of her other iconic tracks such as 'Working Bitch', 'Manners' and Slumber Party' - and despite one minor technical difficulty, the performance was tight to a T. All in all, it was certainly one of the most-anticipated acts of the day indeed.

South Arcade

South Arcade was a huge on on our list to review and shoot, particularly as we interviewed them (more to come!), and are big fans of their hits such as 'Danger', 'Nepo Baby' and their most anticipated track 'Stone Cold Summer'. Also suffering a small bout of technical difficulties, they were quick to get back on track and rewarded their crowd with water pistols that caused all sorts of fun and (good!) chaos.

Blink-182

Returning to the Leeds Fest Main Stage after 10 years, Blink-182 put on a spectacular performance that proved why they’re still worthy of the headline slot. An hour and a half show filled with tracks old and new, crowd interaction, and of course classic Blink crude humour, we were grateful to finally be able to see one of if not THE most important band in the pop punk scene live. The banter between Mark and Tom felt like seeing two old friends enjoying themselves, especially on Mark’s end as he dealt with Tom’s unique personality on stage from his gradual removal of clothes to an endless barrage of “your Mom” jokes. The band are also very aware that they have one of the world’s best drummers in the form of Travis Barker, with plenty of shots of him on the big screen and allowing him to go all out on the kit to add new depth to songs that the band have played countless times over the years. The crowd was invested in the performance from start to finish, no doubt something that was helped by tracks like “I Miss You” and “All The Small Things” prompting audience-wide singalongs.

Mark Hoppus really was the standout character on stage, acting up to camera and getting the crowd clapping and singing along when the time called for it - and the smile never left his face. Something about it felt so genuine that it was just a joy to watch, and you could tell that he was the reason that they were all back on that stage together that evening. Finishing their set on an emotional note with “One More Time” while pictures of videos of the band’s past played on screen it was difficult to not feel something, and as they banded together for one final bow before they walked off stage we knew we wouldn’t be forgetting the experience any time soon.