After a late night on Friday at Leeds Festival’s home of Bramham Park, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes (8.5/10) are a much needed shot of early morning adrenaline. They get off to a slightly rocky start, with the wind all but washing away the first half of opening track, My Town. Not that it seems to bother them, or anyone else for that matter. As they continue to unleash chaos, carnage and bedlam upon Main Stage West regardless.
Circle pits seem to appear as if from nowhere and it isn’t long until Frank and guitarist Dean Richardson are climbing the barriers themselves. Joining the rest of the crowd surfers for an extended version of Devil Inside Me, before finally finishing off a short but victorious set with fan favourite, Crowbar.
After the orchestrated mayhem of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. Our next band of the day, Black Honey (7.5/10) have a lot to live up to. Unfortunately though, despite their best efforts the four piece from Brighton don’t find their feet as easily early on. Maybe everyone is just a little too battered and bruised from their predecessors performance, but the arena feels a little empty as they make their way onto the stage and start things off with All My Pride.
By the time the stomping kick drum and grinding bassline of I Like The Way You Die rolls around, Black Honey have managed to beckon a few more bodies away from the food stands. There’s only time for a few more songs now though. Which is a shame as once buoyed by the enthusiasm of a slightly larger audience, Black Honey seem to come into their own and we can’t help but think they might have been better suited to a slightly smaller stage, perhaps a little later in the day.
It’s over to the Festival Republic stage next for our third and final band of the day, Tigress! (8/10) One of the more interesting sets we’ve seen so far this weekend, the Essex based five piece seem to shift gears almost at whim. From the indie rock Pixies-esque vibe of Feel It to the more straight ahead hard rock sound of Disconnect, their set is jam packed with differing dynamics that on paper shouldn’t really work. In practice though it absolutely does, thanks largely to lead vocalist Katy Jackson who can not only switch styles with relative ease, but has the talent to do so in such a way that the shifts in tone never feel jarring or out of place. Truly impressive stuff for a band their age and we can only hope they creep their way further up the bill in years to come!
Next year’s Reading and Leeds Festival will take place 25th August 2023 – 27th August and tickets are on sale now.
