Spectacular ending to 2015 Leeds Festival

The heavy brigade came out on the final day of the 2015 Leeds Festival as old favourites Metallica and new guns on the block Bring Me The Horizon and Royal Blood took centre stage.
Metaliica's James Hetfield on the main stage at the 2015 Leeds Festival. Picture: Ian HarberMetaliica's James Hetfield on the main stage at the 2015 Leeds Festival. Picture: Ian Harber
Metaliica's James Hetfield on the main stage at the 2015 Leeds Festival. Picture: Ian Harber

After some surprisingly lighter music on the first two days it was metal almost all the way on day three.

Metallica had the fireworks and two-hour headline set - and played to the biggest crowd of the weekend - while Sheffield metal band Bring Me The Horizon took second billing and delivered a crowd pleasing set that mixed their ferocious early work with their more considered recent material form forthcoming album That’s The Spirit.

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Royal Blood are the upstarts of the heavy rock scene and performed a well played set that ticked most of the boxes, although maybe lacked a little excitement to hold the attention of the thousands in the huge field.

Earlier on the main stage there was more rock from Alexisonfire, Pierce The Veil, Modestep, Fidlar, Babymetal and Bingley’s Marmozets, who delivered a typical enthusiastic and energetic set in their first time up on the big stage.

On the other stages there was more varied fare and there was something for everyone.

For indie kids there was The Wombats headlining the Festival Republic Stage and playing to a completely rammed tent housing its biggest crowd of the three days, while Catfish and the Bottlemen also pulled a huge attendance in their third from top slot on the NME/Radio 1 Stage.

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There was early excitement on this stage when news spread that Foals were playing a surprise set and had the tent full. Slaves kept the excitement going while Spector were as entertaining as ever.

For dance music fans Charli XCX was the big attraction on the BBC Radio 1 Dance stage and played a lively show while Ms Dynamite, Lethal Bizzle and Azealia Banks led a strong line-up on the BBC Radio 1Xtra Stage.

More hard rock could be found at The Pit with Pvris pulling the day’s biggest crowd here and Gojira and As It Is well received.

The Pit headliners Ghost did not have the biggest crowd because of an impending clash with Metallica no doubt, but were the day’s most extraordinary act.

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Definitely worth a watch, this Swedish band mix their heavy-ish rock with theatre as the musicians wear masks with horns and the vocalist sports a skull mask and is dressed in full costume as a demonic anti-Pope figure. Weird, yes, but a strangely mesmeric act that were like nothing else all weekend.

Another real highlight elsewhere was Ash’s short but sweet eight-song set on the Festival Republic Stage when they celebrated the 20th anniversary of first hit Girl From Mars with a warmly received show that reminded everyone how good they have always been.

The contrasting sweetness of Lucy Rose and the Nirvana-esque delivery of Seether were other impressive shows on another good day for fans in this tent.

Big laughs were on offer again over at The Alternative Stage where the anarchic Nick Helm show was perfect for a festival audience and Stephen K Amos delivered high class stand-up at its finest.

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Holly Walsh and Katherine Ryan showed it was not just the boys that can make us laugh while Alex Edelman and Paul Johansson offered a North American perspective.

All in all another great day at the Leeds Festival as it all finished with the spectacular fireworks display that signalled the end of Metallica’s show and the end of a weekend set to live on long in the memory of those that were there.

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