Leeds Festival: Friday highlights and what there is still to look forward to

The sun shone on Bramham Park yesterday as Leeds Festival got underway.
Leeds Festival, Bramham Park - Day 1.
Fans in front of the main stage.Leeds Festival, Bramham Park - Day 1.
Fans in front of the main stage.
Leeds Festival, Bramham Park - Day 1. Fans in front of the main stage.

Around 80,000 music fans made the most of the dozens of acts performing across seven stages in the sunshine.

We look at the highlights from a fantastic kick off to the North’s most popular music festival, and what’s still to come.

Friday Highlights:

Leeds Festival, Bramham Park - Day 1.
Jess Hall, left, and Hannah Clancy enjoying Lonely the Brave on the main stage.Leeds Festival, Bramham Park - Day 1.
Jess Hall, left, and Hannah Clancy enjoying Lonely the Brave on the main stage.
Leeds Festival, Bramham Park - Day 1. Jess Hall, left, and Hannah Clancy enjoying Lonely the Brave on the main stage.

1. Skinner, BBC Radio One Introducing Stage

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Harrogate girl, Katie Skinner, took the stage with bags of confidence and a killer voice for her first ever Leeds Festival performance.

The 22-year-old former St Aidan’s School student and her band drew big crowds to the BBC Radio One Introducing Stage with their hip hop inspired electro-pop set.

It was an enthusiastic home town crowd for Skinner, with highlights broadcast on BBC Radio Leeds.

Top tracks included, Monochrome, her upcoming debut single Dangerous Game and Dizzy.

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Having recently signed a record deal, this girl is one to watch.

2. The Libertines, headliners, Main Stage

The likely lads have still got it.

Five years after their triumphant reunion gigs on the Leeds stage The Libertines showed they can live up to the hype and closed the main stage with typical ramshackle charm and charisma.

The crowd may not have been as lively as the mid-2000’s Libertines fanbase, prompting Pete Doherty to plead for more enthusiasm, telling fan’s, ‘You’re making us feel really unloved.’

Despite Doherty’s complaints it’s was clear the love was there with a roaring crowd of thousands singing along to Can’t Stand Me Now, What Katy Did and What a Waster, before the curtain came down to Don’t Look Back into The Sun, of course.

3. Jamie XX, NME Stage

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Fans were left dancing in a tent with hardly any room to dance after Jamie XX drew crowds which spilled out into the arena.

The DJ/producer’s performance was one of the most unique at the festival, and the eclectic set had everyone entertained.

The highlights of the set including I’ll Take Care of U and Gosh.

4. Kendrick Lamar, Main Stage

Grammy-award winning rap superstars are few and far between on UK festival line-ups, but Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar looked right at home on the Main Stage.

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With second billing, he had the liveliest audience of the day at the festival.

Storming through an hour long set raucous festival goers moved the earth bouncing to Don’t Kill My Vibe.

5. Jack Garratt, Festival Republic Stage.

The 23-year-old one man band has made appearances at festivals all summer, and sold out headline shows in London.

Jack Garratt’s eclectic performance showed why the multi- instrumentalist is currently making waves on both sides of the Atlantic.

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The haunting The Love Your Given was a highlight, and his chilled out vibe was a welcome respite from the festival chaos.

Still to come on Saturday:

1. Mosh out to Limp Bizkit on the BBC Radio One/NME stage at 8.40pm.

2. Dance act Django Django close the Festival Republic Stage with an hour long set starting at 9.35pm.

3. Grime MC Wiley will take to the alternative stage at 11.30pm.

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4. Bastille one of the biggest bands in the UK will take to the Main Stage at 5.45pm.

5. After years of success Mumford and Sons will headline the Main Stage at 9pm.

WEATHER: It isn’t going to be quite as hot and sunny on day two of the Leeds Festival. Expect more cloud and a few rain showers mid-afternoon. Top temperature will be a nice 19°C.

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