Review: Leeds Festival 2010 Day Three

When: 29th August 2010

Reviewed by: Kelly Murray

Euro-Brazilian, American based gypsy punks Gogol Bordello launch us into the final day of Leeds festival with a mighty colourful bang. Sprawled across the main stage like a circus show, the team of folk storytellers lead by Eugene Hutz make quite the Sunday morning spectacle.  In between  'Wanderlust' and 'Start Wearing Purple', Hutz is all drama and charisma with the fans, like Fagin and the Artful Dodger all at once. You can't take your eyes off him.     

Meanwhile local Leeds lads Pulled Apart By Horses are preparing to support Muse on some huge UK dates, but this afternoon's focus is all about a home town show to festival gatherers at the Festival Republic camp. Curly-haired bassist James Brown (the Godfather of spazzcore in this situation), doesn't appear to have been tamed at all this morning; he's jumping on to the ten foot tall speakers as if he were spiderman. Main screecher Tom Hudson dives into the crowd for some intimate one-on-five-hundred time and returns even sweatier than when he left. Current single 'High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive' meets a worthy reception, as do the boys' attempts to throw beer into the audience.

NOFX on the other hand, are a slightly more cringey episode. Fat Mike is a total character, but surely you have to recognise your audience; we're all for a bit of immaturity with a dose of punk pop Mikey, but is there really need for the plentiful race jokes? Funnier topics include: your hair. 

Luckily, we're not confused for long as a rather Viking-esque Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro appears on the main stage, clad in skin tight luminous pink jeans with a rugged display of facial hair. Adorning the sense of occasion like rock veterans, the Scot boys sail through a back catalogue of  some of the best British rock n roll songs in recent years. Not to mention the most beautifully crafted. Although they have their softer moments and full-on grunge episodes, you can't ever really call Biffy a predictable band. As Neil attempts to sing 'Many Of Horror', his monitor goes awol and he ends up throwing it off stage like a bit of old rubbish. Nicely done!  

The anticipation surrounding Queens Of The Stone Age is making us chomp at the bit during the equipment handover. There's not many live bands this good on the planet, but when they come complete with some of the sexiest rock tunes in existence, it can't get much better! As ginger-haired rock God Josh Homme said before trademark number 'No One Knows', “If you don't know this song, you must have been under a rock for the last ten years.” Fortunately, we've been sat right on top of it and get chills for 'Little Sister' and 'Go With The Flow'. It was 'The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret' though, which really made us high.  

The much-debated “are they going to be complete crap?” topic regarding Guns N Roses is finally, finally here.  Opening with 'Chinese Democracy', the title taken from the album the world's rock community waited 16 years for, was followed by 'Welcome To The Jungle'. Axl Rose just looks bonkers. He could even be a caricature impersonator, with all the over-done vocal pitches shooting about. 'Sweet Child Of Mine' kind of rescues the situation if only due to the crowd atmosphere. We had to wait an extra half hour to see the notoriously late icons appear, but at this moment in time, it doesn't seem worth it. Not our cup of tea this evening, but there's no shortage of fiercely loyal fans crushed side by side, watching a gig they never thought would happen.    

And with that, 80's aroma floating between a mixture of bored, confused and simply ecstatic faces,  we kiss farewell to Leeds Festival 2010. It's been seriously fun!