Photo: Danny Payne
Leeds Festival got off to a sunny start yesterday (28 August) at historic Bramham Park in Wetherby.
Hawk Eyes were one of the early highlights of the Pit stage, although they had to contend with a brief time slot and a small crowd. The energy with which they approached their set left no doubt as to why the Foo Fighters picked them as their opening act during their recent European tour.
Meanwhile, The Cribs brought a Wakefield flavour to proceedings as they rocketed through their past hits on the main stage, with a shout-out to old school friends at their biggest local festival.
Always popular, the Jarman brothers sounded on top form grinding through a heavy set which included 'Mirror Kissers' and 'We All Live Under The Same Sky'.
Later, Kendrick Lamar took to the main stage with the confident air of his Compton mentors Ice Cube and Dr Dre. Hits 'Swimming Pools' and 'King Kunta' got the crowd bouncing in anticipation for the main act.
The Libertines came out to the expected fanfare, and the Londoners did not disappoint. Only Pete seemed ravaged by time, taking to the stage in a leather trench coat, his face drawn with tiredness.
But the clock was turned back with a stellar performance which included hits such as 'Time For Heroes' and 'Up The Bracket'. The bromance of old was rekindled as the duo shared a mic on the Leeds stage for the first time since 2010.
Another band making a comeback of sorts were Swedish hardcore legends Refused. Nothing seemed to have waned since their implosion in 1998. Trim, energetic and full of screaming - met with one of the most frantic mosh pits of the day - the band put shame on some of the young pretenders from earlier in the day. A sure fire highlight.
