Leeds Festival – Friday
Bramham Park
22nd August 2025
Aussie Punk Queen gatecrashes Hip Hop Party
Day one at Leeds Festival 2025 was all about the diversity of sound and the unique energy found across its many stages, as the site came alive with genre-spanning performances and crowds bouncing between musical worlds. The day began at the Main Stage with Demae, a hip-hop opener who set the tone for a lineup packed with variety. Early arrivals were rewarded with genre-jumping sets, as Waterparks brought their pop-punk energy, an unusual but spirited fit amidst the bigger acts, while Suki Waterhouse offered stylish indie-pop visuals in one of the day’s standout outfits.
The BBC Introducing Stage proved itself the beating heart of emerging talent. Cliffords, fresh from a summer of festivals, confirmed their rapid rise and honed live performance. Wench! took riot grrrl in a new direction with their lead-singing drummer commanding the band from stage back, while cardboard sign promo added a dose of DIY humour. Indoor Foxes delivered Scottish indie-rock flair, led by a charismatic female vocalist wielding a pink kitty guitar. Three acts, three distinct sounds—a hat-trick that underscores the BBC’s commitment to new music discovery. The stage’s central placement between the big arenas made it a perfect spot to drop in and find tomorrow’s festival favourites.
Chevron Stage demonstrated its arrival as the new home for contemporary pop and R&B. Leigh-Anne’s choreography brought the slick professionalism you’d expect from a Little Mix alum, attracting a surging young crowd eager to sprint between sets. The stage’s location, set far from the main arena, also allowed each the youthful attendees to sample the many sideshows and merchandise stalls as they got their steps in.
Punk met bravado on the Main Stage with Amyl and the Sniffers, outliers who owned their slot with irreverent anthems and instructions to simply look after each other. The crowd became a dust-filled Outback circle pit as Amy Taylor whipped them up into a frenzy. As darkness fell, the site erupted for the hip-hop build-up: Trippie Redd’s smoke-fuelled, gunshot sampling, theatrics and D-Block Europe’s DJ-powered call-and-response crowd work were both met with a solid wall of mobile phone recordings from the youthful crowd.
Festival Republic Tent hosted The Dare, a synth-heavy set where Men In Black styling and Monty Python-worthy dance moves combined for one of the day’s most inventive shows. The stages themselves felt carefully curated, spaces not just for music but for making discoveries and crafting memories.
Travis Scott’s closing spectacle capped the day with pyrotechnics, walkways, and mountainous set pieces. The young crowd sang a swayed to the massive beats. Huge fireworks signalled an end to a relatively short headline set much to the eager crowd’s disappointment.
Day one at Leeds 2025 showcased the power of a lineup unafraid to mix genres and generations. From grassroots grit to blockbuster production, it proved that every stage at Leeds is a gateway to something unforgettable.
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Neil Chapman is a photographer and occasional writer based in Leeds. His assorted works can be found at his Unholy Racket site as well as Instagram, and Facebook
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