Live at Leeds In The Park returned for its third year at Temple Newsam on May 25th and we were there to experience and capture all the action the day festival had to offer.
The UK festival season came to life as Indie fans from up and down the country flocked to the event from Leeds-based promoters and Yorkshire’s largest live music brand Futuresound. The day was filled with a mix of up and coming and ready established music acts and we were on a mission to see as many as possible. With a rainy bank holiday weekend in-store it didn’t stop the crowds energy.
We were lucky enough to catch artists across a vast majority of the stages. At The Cockpit main stage we caught the likes of Baby Queen, The Kooks, Declan McKenna, Sea Girls and Mel C.
Baby Queen had her crowd in the palm of her hand as she performed fan favourites to a front row of die-hard fans singing every word. Mel C brought all the hits to the MainStage in full sport spice fashion. Declan McKenna had such a wonderfully rowdy crowd for his energetic set and indie icons The Kooks had the whole festival out in full force in the pouring rain singing hits such as “Naive” and “She Moves In Her Own Way”.
At The CLASH Big Top (partnered with CLASH Music) we were able to see White Lies who we hadn’t seen before but really enjoyed. The tent was huge and they filled it with such an electric set. Of course we had to see Liverpool born band Circa Waves – headline The Temple stage (the stage named by Live at Leeds fans online).
Despite the fact it began to pour down with rain as their set started, fans came running even
sheltering under rugs to enjoy the set. Circa Waves definitely won the best mosh pits and crowd energy by far. The Mysterines were another band we hadn’t seen before but really enjoyed, confirming that this festival is the perfect place to discover new and exciting indie acts.
The Cribs and Corinne Bailey Rae and Caity Baser also had incredible sets but due to unfortunate stage time clashes we weren’t able to catch them fully. That’s was the only thing that added a slight challenge to the day. With so many incredible stages it was easy for artists to clash meaning festival go-ers were sprinting across the hills to catch bits of different sets.
The crowd consisted of groups of friends big and small, couples and families including tiny babies showing that Live at Leeds In The Park truly is a festival for everyone… even a few hen parties! In true British fashion the rain didn’t stop or put a damper on the day donning their rain ponchos or just embracing it.
By the end of The Kooks the entire site was a mud bath but it just made leaving even more fun. Watching happy festival fans slip and slide in the mud, sharing laughs as they slipped and fell in getting covered from head to toe it goes to show a little mud doesn’t hurt anyone. We say it’s part of the true British festival experience!
Overall it was such a fun filled day and a great festival to kick off festival season 2024! We can’t wait to see what Live at Leeds In The Park brings next year for 2025 and we hope to be back to experience it all over again.
Live at Leeds In The City will also take place later this year on Saturday, November 16 across Leeds City Centre venues. Check that out on their website for more information and the lineup.
For information on next year visit the Live At Leeds: In The Park website.
Words + Photos by Niamh Louise
