Live At Leeds Festival 2023
at Temple Newsham in Leeds, UK
photos and words by Dylan Maggs

It’s that time of year where the sun is shining, everyone’s looking for a reason to drink and summer anthems are blaring from speakers out of windows. Fortunately, for anyone who is looking for great music in the summer sun, Live at Leeds in the Park made it’s return to Temple Newsam park in Leeds. The weather had been perfect for days prior and people were in high spirits for the weather to continue, and it absolutely exceeded that with many people laughing off sunburn. But hey, it comes along with the fun.

Walking through the main gates at 11.30 into a sea of bum bags and bucket hats set the tone, with the smell of dark fruits everywhere. Opening up the DIY stage was Halifax-born singer-songwriter Ellur accompanied by her band. I’ve seen Ellur perform before at Stylus, but with a band behind her the performance was elevated to another level. Tracks such as ‘Migraine’ and ‘Alive’ featured on the setlist with fan-favorite ‘Moments’ closing of the set.

Whilst on my way to catch BugTeeth I managed to catch the last song of Opus Kink, a band that I hadn’t listened to before but sounded great! BugTeeth was a last minute addition to the line-up as the ‘Apply to Play’ winners. A band all donning crochet hats and filling the air with their blissful tunes made for a lovely experience.

Lottery Winners took over the main stage just weeks after their UK number 1 album. When you catch the band live, you don’t just get amazing music, you get your own dedicated comedy show as Thom Rylance makes tension easing jokes throughout the set. “I want people to think we’re a big deal so I’m gonna walk off and back on again, and you’re all gonna cheer as loud as you can yeah?”. ‘Burning House’ and ‘Worry’ made the setlist from their latest album as well as ‘Much Better’ and ‘Start Again’ from older projects.

James Marriott was on the DIY stage next and the passionate fan base showed immense support, singing along with every song on the setlist. ‘Grapes’ kicked off the setlist as screams rang out inside the tent when James took to the stage before easing through ‘Denial’, ‘Car Lights’, ‘Who’s Dreaming of Utopia’ and ending with ‘Sleeping on Trains’.

Next I caught a few songs of the captivating Black Honey. Between incredible songs, blistering sunshine and a replicated Wednesday Adams dance by singer Izzy Phillips, the crowd were lapping it up. Opening up with ‘Charlie Bronson’ got the crowd warmed up and surprisingly ending with ‘Corinne’ instead of their most streamed ‘I Like the Way You Die’ was not what what I expected, but I’m sure there was a good reason and meant that fans didn’t have to wait as long.

Late addition to the festival was Beetlebug as replacement for Bully on the DIY stage, who brought a set full of cathartic and relaxing songs armed with only a ukulele, which was more than enough to deliver a beautiful set. Switching it up with Deadletter who brought a more punkish style to the festival with tracks like the ever catchy ‘Binge’ and the incredibly catchy ‘The Snitching Hour’.

Tom Walker received an exceptional welcome to the mainstage armed with just a guitar and a powerful voice. The sun further pushed the emotional content of his songs further as fans sang along at the top of their voices. CMAT brought the energy to the DIY stage whilst fans watched in awe.. With tracks such as ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!’ and ‘Have Fun!’ making spots on the setlist gave the crowd a good reason to dance around.

Manchesters’ The Lathums provided one of the most gripping sets of the day as they sounded absolutely flawless basking in the summer sun. Alex Moore belting out the chorus of their most popular track ‘Fight On’ just two songs in made the crowd lose their minds as hands reached from barrier. I managed to capture a glimpse of Rose Grays set, and despite not having a much of a turnout, it didn’t stop her from putting it all out there for those that turned up. And I think those that didn’t witness her performance greatly missed out.

Crawlers were one of the bands I was most excited to see as I have been able to catch them perform on previous occasions, and despite missing guitarist Amy Woodall, still managed to rile up their devout fanbase in attendance with a powerful collection of indie-rock tracks like ‘Come Over (Again)’, ‘Fuck Me (I Didn’t Know How To Say)’ and new track ‘Messiah’.

Another artist with an incredibly devout fanbase is indie-rock singer-songwriter Cavetown who provided a moving and wholesome performance to a supportive crowd. Unlike most artists, Cavetown brought a unique stage design with cutouts of mountains that framed the stage. Various pride flags and supportive self-written signs filled the crowd, showing their close connection to the LGBT+ community. The setlist consisted of songs like ‘Boys Will Be Bugs’, ‘Lemon Boy’, ‘Juliet’ and their most popular ‘Devil Town’ which closed the set.

Swedish rock band The Hives were easily one of the most energetic bands of the day with frontman Pelle Almqvist making sure to cover every inch of the crowd by climbing on monitors and even making his way onto the barrier for an intimate connection with the crowd. All dressed in their signature reflective patterned suits and providing rock classics to a feral crowd, the entire set was mad in the best way. Tracks like ‘Main Offender’, ‘Tick Tick Boom’ and their most notable ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’ got the crowd riled up the most.

Closing off the day was the incredible Two Door Cinema Club, a band deep-rooted into indie culture with their anthemic tunes that anyone would without a doubt know of. Walking onto the stage in front of a massive LED screen filled with graphics that would beautifully accompany the following setlist, we were all in for a treat. It was the last chance for everyone to let loose, mosh about, get on shoulders and sing to their heart's content.. And they did just that.

Kicking off the setlist with the well known ‘This Is the Life’ set the tone for the set as the vibrant colors exploded from the stage, fans singing along to every word, photographers frantically skipping from side to side whilst nodding their heads to the upbeat anthems. With a setlist full of hits, it’s hard to think of so many complimentary words to a perfect set. My personal highlights were ‘Sun’, ‘Something Good Can Work’, ‘I Can Talk’, ‘Undercover Martyn’ and of course the iconic track itself ‘What You Know’.

Once again, Live at Leeds have put on another brilliant festival. The next addition of Live at Leeds comes in October for their main in the City festival, in which the likes of The Mysterines and Wunderhorse have been named in their first artist announcement amongst many others.