Festival Review: Live at Leeds in the Park - Temple Newsam // May 2025
Live at Leeds returns for another indie showdown at Temple Newsam.
For some, May weekend just gone is another ordinary weekend. But for many, the weekend beginning the 23rd commemorates the start of festival season for UKs' avid gig-goers and live music enthusiasts alike.
For Northerners, we're treated to a full weekend of celebrating music new and old on the iconic greenfield site of Temple Newsam, home to both Live at Leeds in the Park and Slam Dunk North.
This year, Leeds' ultimate one-day festival - which is arguably the roaring trendsetter for those to follow throughout the festival months - returned on the 24th of May with an equally stacked line-up of some of the most iconic original alternative artists we've seen over the past twenty years.
Amongst its stellar line-up of music, Live at Leeds in the Park also underwent a major glow-up this year as a second main stage, a comedy tent and a new upgraded VIP area were all added - with the ability to cater to our favourites - all without the likelihood of those *shudders* hideous clashes getting in the way.
This year also saw a new addition in the form of The Two Legs - our very own on-site public house serving craft beer. The sprawling tent saw Shaun Williamson's Feel-Good Karaoke Party (aptly known as Barrioke) that has become a mass sensation across the UK, aswell as music bingos, pub quizzes and a silent disco to the field.
Celebrating twenty years of their widely celebrated debut Silent Alarm, British rock pioneers in their own right, Bloc Party led the proceedings with a headline performance to remember as they brought their angular arcs of post-punk hooks to the North Main Stage. Amongst the listing were favourites Flux, Helicopter and the 13-minute powerhouse that is Compliments, which was performed live for the first time by the band since 2019. Elsewhere over the brow of the hill, Welsh band Manic Street Preachers closed out Main Stage South with their euphoric heart-to-heart anthems while Glaswegian belters The Snuts drew a crowd spilling out on the DIY Big Top stage. Meanwhile, Internet sensations turned-indie-pop favourites Arthur Hill and James Marriott closed out both The Cockpit Stage and DORK Stage respectively.
Throughout the day, we also saw some triumphs and some firsts for a few.
The Amazons performed an electrifying set ticking off the go-to hits aswell as trying out their new works for size from recent release, 21st Century Fiction.
Psychdelic Porn Crumpets continued their Aussie noise onslaught under the dome of the Big Top stage, as they too celebrated their seventh record of Carpe Diem, Moonman which was released just last week. Meanwhile, down the hill slopes, Sports Team set alight the main stage with their raucous anthems of true British follies as third record Boys These Days got its first taster being performed live.
Local heroes Yard Act also emblazoned true Northern spirit on the Main Stage as they cleaned through their finely-tuned and witty post-punk anthems from Dream Job to 100% Endurance all the while getting swept up in a hometown performance one for the books.
Keeping up with the feel-good factor under the warm afternoon glow, was Natasha Bedingfield. A true no-brainer for festival season, Natasha's free-flowing Noughties' hits of Unwritten, Pocketful of Sunshine and These Words brought out the most reserved of attendees on-site. The set also saw Natsha navigate the whimsies of Tinder via a fans' thrown phone aswell as promising new music soon - could this be the year we see the Queen of All Out Pop return?
The festival also saw a first for reinvented Hard Life. Formerly known as Easy Life before being sued by an airline not too dissimilar to their own name and design, it has been a path of redemption and discovery for the lo-fi pop outfit hailing from the East Midlands. Performing their classics of nightmares and BEESWAX aswell as works from their new onion chapter, the performance heralded the bands' first live show under the new name since October of 2023, where they bowed out in fashion at London's KOKO. A mighty kickstart to a band seemingly starting all over again, it's set to be an important Summer for the boys from Leicester.
Elsewhere, folks were getting ready for a band who are all the rage right now. With a year set up for them to be one of the biggest in their genre, Fat Dog filled out the Big Top tent in emphatic fashion. With their post-punk erratics, synth stylings and bold saxophone, mosh pits were a-plenty as they blasted out King of the Slugs, All the Same and a new-found melodic direction with Peace Song. A stand-out attraction for most on the day, it brought attention just how much good new music is out there at the moment.
Of course, known for championing new and upcoming music aswell as timeless hits, Live at Leeds in the Park also saw the likes of Deadletter, Getdown Services, Gurriers and L'Objectif all get to flaunt some of their best - which is undoubtedly so exciting for a alternative scene so reliant on opportunities like this.
Words by Alex Curle
Images provided by Hanglands
