After an abysmal year of sales, with a reported figure of only around 25,000 odd tickets sold with three weeks left to the festival opens its doors, Leeds really needs to up its game. But, what can Melvin Benn do? Well, we have a few suggestions.
I went to Leeds last year, it was my first ever experience of a festival and I had an absolute blast. It wasn't the best line-up Bramham Park has ever held, but nor was it the worst. It goes without saying though that this year, is dreadful. Some would say this may just be a personal perspective, but following the sharp decrease in ticket sales, I think this backs up my point. After increasing the price of a weekend ticket from £202.50 to £213.00, it's fair enough that you'd expect an even better line-up than the year before, but for some reason, Leeds hasn't delivered. Prioritising hip-hop and dance on stages like the NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage, instead of its dedicated BBC 1xtra Stage is just one of the reasons ticket sales have fell. But, sorting artists into incorrectly ordered bills and paying too much attention to the worthless Relentless stage has also played its part.
For some reason, Leeds has changed its persona from alternative rock 'n' roll to something I can't really distinguish. A stark warning came for me recently, when I saw people comparing the Creamfields line-up to that of Leeds'... Worrying, eh? Nowadays it all appears to be about pushing dance and hip-hop into prime-time slots on the main stages. Though I completely respect people enjoy this genre of music, and for that reason it has its dedicated stage, though for a festival that was once all about rock 'n' roll, enough of it, is quite frankly enough. The placing of these artists into prime-time slots also presents a knock on effect to others. As for example, artists such as Palma Violets, Drenge and The Cribs, are all set to play the main stage this year. Now, no disrespect to these lot, but I'm all but sure the majority would much prefer to see them higher up on the NME/BBC Radio 1, performing to a better crowd with a better atmosphere, not just people lingering to be at the front for the headliner.
Not only is the ordering of artists a problem, but new features such as the Relentless Stage are a huge stumbling block. A lot of money and effort is pumped into this stage, and for what exact reason? A drunken midnight rave. Rather pointless, don't you think? The Relentless Stage is something you would expect to see at Creamfields, not Leeds Festival, hence the recent comparisons.
Last of all, failure to book big name and on tour artists is a sign of decline. Acts such as James Bay, The Vaccines, George Ezra, The War on Drugs and Future Islands amongst others, are names of which you'd come to expect on bills such as Leeds', especially when on tour and playing festivals Worldwide. Though, for some reason, R&L appears to have missed the boat on a few big names this summer.
If Leeds (& Reading) is to return to its former glory, it should strongly consider re-prioritising the music it was originally created for, ordering its lineup via a better structed method, dropping the Relentless stage, booking big name artists and last of all, lowering the price! Have a good re-think Melv, before it's too late.
