Leeds Festival 2025

As August bank holiday rolled around again, it only meant one thing… Leeds Festival was upon us. This year’s festival looked a little bit different in a lot of ways- new camp sites, an array of activities, but still the same stacked line up that they always bring to the table and to top it off, the sun was beaming! The Mic’s Beth Coldwell reports.

Sat on the train on the way back from the festival, I am full of nostalgia and longing for just one more day of this weekend, as I always am when Leeds is over for another year. Feeling burnt out from all the dancing, singing along and emotional rollercoasters brought by the artists this weekend. Understandably, Leeds has its critics- even some of the artists themselves brought to light the obvious invasion of GCSE students in the crowd. But I’m not sure if it was the festival, or the peach Jubel for breakfast, but I didn’t feel out of place (at the ripe age of 23) for the first time this year. Contrary to some criticism I’ve seen online, I completely loved how the days were categorised into genres per day, and you could tell such a clear difference in the crowds across the three days, with such defined headliners. It meant everybody with a day ticket had a great line up for the day, but as a weekend go-er, we still had completely packed days, so much so that we rarely have time to grab some food before we were whisked away to another stage!

 "Leeds hosted some incredible speeches, important, informative and intentionally chosen words and the crowds met them with open arms and listening ears."

As much as it has its place in the festival world for being a younger crowd, with a slowly diversifying line up each year, I feel such a deep wistfulness for the eras of Leeds festival, of summers upon summers seeing some of my favourite artists perform with such incredible production, all in the same few days. My festival blues are well and truly in check, and I will be writing this with a single tear running down my face (playing my tiny violin). For me, this year was like no other; I know some people were slightly bitter about the fact that day tickets could no longer go to LS23, but this isn’t massively my cuppa anyway, so I won’t talk about it. But from what I could see, the festival has completely scaled up, it felt more inclusive, more of a community and more welcoming than any other year I’ve been, with safer feeling campsites and more daytime activities. It seems like they’re trying to go for the Glasto vibe, and I think it will serve them well in the long run as it starts to appeal to a wider (and slightly more mature) audience once again.

Notably, one thing I find very significant to mention before I get into the music, is the feeling of empowerment and intentional lack of censorship at the festival. I’ve heard many artists over the summer suggest that festivals have tried to censor their statements on activism, demonstrations of passion and actions against global injustice, but Leeds hosted some incredible speeches, important, informative and intentionally chosen words and the crowds met them with open arms and listening ears. Through music, communication, connection and community are offered. A way to encourage messages of peace, love and validating the need to speak up in times of injustice. I certainly felt that through many performances this weekend and I found it so important that these artists had the space to use their platforms and also that they chose to. Oxfam also had representatives offering information and a place to find out more, which I will pass on here.

Now to the music…

Three days of music began ‘early’ on Friday morning (midday), as we made our way to see Radio Free Alice’s Morrisey-esque sound echoing round the Festival Republic tent; the first of the Australian bands we were excited to see this weekend. Their indie tones were completely contradicted by the subsequent set from Songer’s on the main stage. EDM is not normally my thing, but I have been experimenting a little this summer, and it sounded too good to not join the crowd and watch. Songer had a live band, his first time performing with one, and it completely transformed the sound into something really hypnotizingly rocky and cool. The heavy bass and drums complemented his rapping style extremely well.

Keeping up with this edgy sound, New Zealand duo Balu Brigada were next. After listening to them religiously over the summer, they completely delivered with their set; it was really interesting to have two front men, and even better that they seemed to like each other. Their on-stage chemistry was electric, bringing such energy to the tent. Their number 1 song Backseat, featuring clashing verses and merging different styles throughout the song, brought such positive vibes, despite the rain outside. We also managed to catch the last couple of songs from Waterparks who sounded fantastic, although this was a running theme over the three days. Leeds clashes are always hard, but over this year's line up, they were a real struggle- there was just too much good music happening!

Next on our schedule was Sea Girls, who delivered as they always do. Despite the disappointingly unenergetic crowd, the band had enough energy that it wasn’t even noticeable, offering some real indie classics that no summer festival feels complete without like Call Me Out and All I Want To Hear You Say. Suki Waterhouse left me speechless; she is effortlessly cool and exceptionally talented. Her setlist brought rock and roll vibes, with a touch of yearning. Moves has been a making its way up my playlists this year and seeing it live was strangely emotional and honestly better than the studio version. One thing we began to notice over the weekend was the production value of so many of the artists, the sets were so cleverly executed and so much effort had obviously gone into them- not only the evening headliners, but throughout the days and on smaller stages, too. This really set apart Leeds from other festivals for me, as the stage set-up adds so much necessary context and complementary atmosphere to the performance alongside the music. Amyl and the Sniffers delivered an unbelievable atmosphere that the crowd were loving, with their punk sounds contrasting our next artist Nieve Ella, who filled the tent with such beautiful tones. Sammy Virgi on the Chevron stage drew a huge crowd, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t love having a dance at the back of the crowd, soaking up all the energy.

Saturday started with two coffees, a waffle and a cowboy hat. These were completely necessary for 1- the complete lack of energy I managed to muster after a measly 4 hours sleep and 2- the cowboy-rocking trumpet-playing Red Rum Club set I was about to witness. They have quickly been a name I consistently look out for on festival line-ups, and I am sure they will only continue getting bigger. Their funky, cowboy, rock n roll vibe mixed with catchy bass and trumpet is such a cacophony of greatness. I find it impossible to stand still during their set and always have a smile slapped on my face when they’re playing. Next, the Royston club took to the main stage for a light sprinkling of indie tunes, which was well attuned for the artists set to play later in the day. Been Stellar and Bloc Party were featured earlier in the day, only encouraging the indie feel of the day more. Solo artist Still Woozy has been on my bucket list for some time, and his set alongside band members created such a chilled out but iconic vibe; his sound sets him apart from anything else at the festival and it was evidently loved by the floods of people joining the crowd. The set was covered in flowers and so cleverly designed. They brought such fantastic, carefree energy to the stage and their music sounded so great live as an eclectic mix of vibes. Soft Play were fantastic, as always, and played a mix of both new and old songs, including Sockets, Beauty Quest and a heartfelt and devastatingly moving rendition of Everything and Nothing that completely contrasts the rest of their discography but also brings such a realness to the pair. The kooks, another summer staple, had the whole crowd singing and dancing and soaking up the sunshine- it truly is the best way to listen to this band. We only managed to catch the last song, Beautiful, of overpass on the BBC introducing stage, but they had a huge crowd singing along with people on shoulders and sounded fantastic.

Now for the headliners… First to take to the main stage was the icon that is Chappell roan. Her recent rise to fame has been sudden, but her performance on this stage proved that she is not just riding a wave to nowhere- she deserves every ounce of the praise and attention. Her set was nothing short of phenomenal; an entire experience complete with elaborate staging, seamless costume changes and an unstoppable energy that never faltered. And I mean unstoppable- she literally did not stop! Once! For the entire hour and a half, she commanded the stage without a pause, her vocals powerful and flawless throughout. There was absolutely no questioning if her microphone was on- her voice carried with incredible range, control and belting power that consistently left the crowd in awe. The setlist was a masterclass in variety, moving effortlessly from euphoric anthems like HOT TO GO! and Pink Pony Club to more intimate, slower ballads that showcased the depth of her discography. Every track felt tailored to highlight her vocal strengths while keeping the audience fully immersed. The atmosphere in the crowd was electric, completely unified in joy and admiration. On stage, she was every inch the princess of her castle.

" I felt like I could feel every single word he said and was completely overcome with emotion at such a powerful, moving and intentional performance."

Last to take the stage on Saturday night was Hozier. Now, I could write pages and pages about this performance, so I will try to make it concise. If I could relive this performance every day for the rest of my life, I would, and it would be an extremely happy life. Hozier is an artist in every sense of the word. So talented, so poetic and so well-articulated. I felt like I could feel every single word he said and was completely overcome with emotion at such a powerful, moving and intentional performance. So nonchalantly, with both hands in his trouser pockets, he produced some of the most beautiful vocals I have ever heard, like he was just talking to a friend he’d bumped into down the street. A variety of his songs were performed, from rockier rhythms like Jackie and Wilson and Angel of Small Death & The Codeine Scene, to a small acoustic set of Cherry Wine, Unknown/Nth and Like Real People Do that left me with tears rolling down my eyes. He is truly one of the greatest of this generation, and one of the many artists using their platform for important reasons this weekend.

Hozier’s set intertwined his music with clever and intentional lighting and set use to encourage intentional thought over past and current global injustices, which he voiced through a tastefully executed speech prior to performing Nina Cried Power. He passionately and unwaveringly encouraged critical thought, peace, love and community in times of uncertainty, praising other artists like Kneecap for telling the truth through their music and importantly for exercising free speech over important matters. You can see Hozier’s speech online now, and I really urge you to.

Sunday was another packed day, starting with Keo on the BBC introducing stage; their sound resembles Wunderhorse in a fantastic way, and they have been on repeat since I saw them at Splendour earlier this summer. South Arcade have grown exponentially since I saw them a few years ago at Rescue Rooms, to playing the main stage at Leeds. Their performance was electric, with fantastic tone and seriously confident stage presence, I’m excited to see where these guys go! It is endearing to hear so many artists say that Leeds was their first festival and even more amazing to see how far they have made it- it feels like a lot like people’s ‘I made it’ moments. The turn out for Good Neighbours did not at all reflect the quality of their performance; this band is like sunshine personified. Their music is so upbeat and catchy, and I cannot wait for their full album to be out soon. Royel Otis played an incredible set on the main stage this year, after seeing them in a tent a couple of years ago. They even had massive balls in the crowd…They were fantastic!

The evening was a full-on heavy dream! Enter shikari were first on the main stage, drawing in a crowd of fishnets and Doc Martens to headband to an eclectic mix of EDM and heavy rock. They set the perfect tone for how the rest of the evening would unfold. Next were legendary Limp Bizkit, met with a sea of red caps and Fred Durst cosplayers who were nothing but ecstatic to witness all of the rock and roll that the band had to offer. This even included not one, but two renditions of iconic Break Stuff, which they play just as well now as when it was released in the 90s.

Closing the weekend were Yorkshire’s own Bring Me The Horizon- and what a performance to end with. The production of their set was absolutely phenomenal, with a cleverly tailored video game-like introductions to huge firework and confetti displays, they spared no expense with this performance. It is clear why they are one of the biggest metal bands in the world. They were consistently greeted with an entire crowd filled singing their words back to them, with extreme passion for some of their biggest songs such as Throne and Can You Feel My Heart. This set wasn’t just a performance but an entire immersive experience, with lead singer Oli Sykes heading into the crowd and a fan from the crowd confidently executing Antivist in front of nearly 75,000 people! Suspecting their live performances may come to a gentle break after the birth of Oli’s twins earlier this year, they are sure to come back bigger and better, maybe even stadium shows are on the horizon for these guys…

So, whether cowboy hats or red caps were your thing this weekend, it was clear that Leeds festival is rapidly evolving into something that could appeal to the many. Its time for me to head back into hibernation until the next festival season, and I can’t wait to see what Leeds has in store for us this time next year.

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Edited by Bethany Coldwell

Images courtesy of Emily Marcovecchio and Luke Dyson through Leeds Festival