There was a strangely subdued atmosphere on the opening day of Leeds Festival 2023. Not surprisingly under the circumstances. However, safeguarding was at the forefront of the festival and rightly so. The festival needed a spark and that came when Billie Eilish brought Barbie to life at Leeds Festival on Friday, performing her latest celluloid hit in the middle of a cathartic and career-spanning set. It saw her become the event’s youngest solo headliner, surpassing London rapper Dave from last year. Cue screams. And then fire. Since last performing here as a teenager four years ago, Eilish has gone on to pop megastardom and it shows. Swaggering, running and at-times sliding and humping down the runway, she conducts the adoring crowd at will. The faultless renditions of When the Party is Over, and All the Good Girls Go To Hell, Eilish finished with a final thought. She tells fans “we all need to do a much better job of protecting our world, starting with each other”. Eilish was always going to the highlight of the whole festival. But there were some astonishing music too.
Kicking the whole festival off were power punks, Hot Milk, a staple diet for the festival gutsy emo-pop which established them as one of the most exciting new bands in the UK. Their 2019 was a whirlwind year that saw them tour with Foo Fighters, Deaf Havana and You Me At Six, as well as playing some of the UK’s biggest festival stages.
Rina Sawayama saw her profile rocket this summer, thanks to appearing alongside Sir Elton John at Glastonbury (in the Kiki Dee role). She provided the first big call-and-response crowd singalong of the weekend, earlier on Friday afternoon, on her track This Hell. Performing songs for deaf fans Los Angeles Indie pop-rockers Muna got things going at Branham Park with a lunchtime performance of their track Silk Chiffon, which features fellow US singer Phoebe Bridgers but alas, there was no surprise guest appearance.
And a special mention to Becky Hill and Imagine Dragons who performed admirably after American rapper Lil Tjay was due to perform before them to thousands of fans packed into the Arena to watch the ‘Brothers’ rapper take to the stage. However, shortly after his set was due to begin, a message appeared on the screen which said: “Unfortunately Lil Tjay hasn’t arrived on site and we haven’t been able to contact him. We hope he will arrive soon.” Las Vegas rock band Imagine Dragons made an explosive impression firing out paper into the crowd while belting out their hit Believer, Spotify’s ninth most-streamed song ever whilst Becky Hill drew scores of people over for an old school rave with added strings.
So who are we going to be seeing on the bigger stages in years to come? Undoubtedly The Last Dinner Party, who were magnificent on the Festival Republic Stage. From serenading the dimly-lit corners of East London pubs to courting interest from several major record labels, agents, promoters & publishers in a few short months, The Last Dinner Party have burst forth gloriously into the guitar music renaissance. Conceived during a wine-stained evening in Brixton, the name embodies a musical and aesthetic ethos of decadence, mystery, spectacle and charm. Finding artistry in the intersection between the beautiful, sublime and grotesque, the band are guided by their favourite Romantic poets and Gothic novelists. Singer Abigaille, guitarists Emily and Lizzie, keyboardist Aurora and bassist Georgia weave a fantasy of haunting melodies, explosive choruses, and lyrics that embrace tragedy and triumph in equal measure. At their shows, the band lead audiences through the soaring crescendos and pin-drop silences of the most debaucherous dinner parties, gathering a dedicated and growing company of attendees with every performance.
Also keep an eye out for Lauran Hibberd and Cole Bleu. They are brimming with charisma and satire-fuelled anthems, both have remarkable potential is reinforced by the groundswell of support across the press landscape. Moreover, they have decided to take all their energy and become the inspiration for a new generation of girls. And that is what Leeds Festival should be. An inspiration and to remain a rights of passage for teenagers across the country.
