Featured image: Gracie Hall

Leeds Festival 2025 is one for the history books. Across three relentless days, Bramham Park transforms into a dust-choked, glitter-soaked arena where breakthrough acts collide with stadium giants and fans leave dusty, voiceless, and aching for more. This year’s lineup proves Leeds still thrives on extremes: chaos and calm, confetti and carnage, new discoveries and unforgettable headliners.

Friday: Underrated acts prevail

The weekend kicks off with The Festival Girl, Eve Hudsen taking over the Aux Stage, hyping up crowds with a Fat Franks merch giveaway and Hungover Games throwing in two weekend tickets for next year. Eve brings her funny and chaotic energy to the Aux stage and reminds us why she is THE Festival Girl.

Over at the Festival Republic Stage, Balu Brigada groove through a set of guitar and bass focused songs that are reminiscent of 80s pop synth with added rock and experimentation. After touring Europe and the US with Twenty One Pilots, the Kiwi brothers have culminated fans very far away from home and as their debut album is set to release in exactly a week, this number is surely going to continue growing.

Amyl and The Sniffers turn the field into a dust-stormed battlefield. Amy Taylor commands the stage with feral energy, snarling vocals and wild facial expressions. Chants of “Freedom for Palestine” erupt, a mosh pit battle with Travis Scott fans breaks out as they attempt to hold their spot in the crowd despite Travis’ set being another five hours away, and somehow, the punk fans hold their ground like warriors and create the first of many dusty and sweaty pits of the weekend.

At the Festival Republic Stage, Nieve Ella owns the night after her secret set at the BBC Introducing Stage earlier in the day. Her performance is heartbreakingly consistent ‘Sweet Nothings’ hits hard, while an unreleased track about being lucky but still feeling the weight of the world silences the crowd. By the time ‘Good Grace’ and ‘Ganni Top’ lands, it’s clear: Nieve rules festival season, every single time.

The Dare closes the tent in a sleezy, strobe-y, sexy set. With a Jarvis Cocker awkward swagger, he launches himself around the stage whilst an eye watering number of lights flash behind him, the bespoke lighting set up follows The Dare around the globe and ties his live sets in a funky bow. Fan-favourite ‘Girls’ concludes the Friday night at Leeds Festival for many punters who are not part of Travis Scott’s target audience. And, of course, no The Dare set is complete without someone throwing a bra on stage.

Saturday: Pop and punk reigns supreme

Alessi Rose graduates from BBC Introducing to the Main stage in only the space of a year, fresh off the Dua Lipa tour that had her strutting around stadiums, her set is a masterclass in pop confidence, with ‘IKYK’ and ‘Pretty World’ floating over a swelling crowd that already knows every lyric. Rose is the UK’s answer to the US’ unstoppable legion of pop princesses, watch her when you can or forever regret not catching Alessi on her rise to superstardom.

Meanwhile, Sofia Isella delivers something entirely different. She stuns the Festival Republic Stage into silence, weaving violin melodies through ethereal vocals. Her set is a ghostly theatrical performance infused with female rage, think Ethel Cain but set in the context of 21st century political and online worlds. For just 20 years old, Isella’s confidence and stage presence is striking and unforgettable, echoing the likes of Lady Gaga and FKA Twigs.

Things get rowdier on the Chevron Stage as Soft Play unleash pure chaos. They carve out an all-girls pit, chanting “Free Palestine” (Not the first or last artist on the lineup who bring attention to the genocide happening in Gaza.) while crashing through tracks about grief, mental health, and anger. At one point, the duo leap into the crowd and join the pit themselves, blurring the line between artist and audience. It’s sweaty, political, and unforgettable.

The Linda Lindas bring riot-grrrl energy back to Festival Republic, exploding into ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ while the crowd chants along, fists raised. They’re young, loud, and politically charged, proving exactly why they’re one of the most talked-about punk acts right now.

But the Main Stage belongs to Chappell Roan. From the euphoric pop of ‘Naked in Manhattan’ to the gut-punch vulnerability of ‘Love Me Anyway’, her set is part drag show, part cult sermon, part stadium pop moment. Her signature ‘Hot To Go’ dance gets even the most miserable dragged along family member up and joining in. Despite not being the final headliner of the day, Roan pulls by far the biggest crowd of the weekend. Hordes of fans sprinting into the festival arena at 11am on the dot, pink cowboy hat and all, to secure the much-coveted barricade spot and first ten rows as well. It’s painfully obvious to see why Chappell has shot to super stardom the way she has, her live shows bring back Madonna levels of performance and showmanship that has never rivalled the queen of pop herself until now.

Sunday: Pyro-fuelled farewells

On the BBC Introducing Stage, Mudi Sama kicks things off with a slick, Bloc Party-inspired indie-rock set. With an EP already out and new tracks debuting, he’s one to keep an eye on. Following up, Keo draws one of the stage’s biggest crowds of the weekend, delivering moody, screamy guitar-driven indie rock that feels perfectly placed on the “Alessi Rose and South Arcade BBC introducing to main stage” pipeline. Fans of Fontaines D.C. and Wunderhorse pack out the tent. Unreleased track ‘Only We Know’ is a gut-punch ode to love, loss, and imploding relationships it has notes of Keane’s sound influencing it. Keo knows how to use their inspirations to create music that pleases without being accused of a being a badly pulled off knockoff.

Over on the Main Stage, Good Neighbours bring festival joy in full force, their high-energy band set making instant converts of casual passers-by. The vibes stay high as Conan Gray turns the Main Stage into a colourful dreamscape while dressed head-to-toe as a pirate. It’s theatrical, fun, and totally effortless. Despite being a pure pop performer on a rock biased day Gray manages to pull a healthy crowd.

South Arcade make their huge leap from BBC Introducing to the Main Stage, and it pays off. Their 2000s-inspired pop-punk energy hits hard, drawing a massive crowd who scream every word. With their feel-good hooks and infectious stage presence, they’re on the rise.

As the sun dips, Limp Bizkit storm the Main Stage like it’s 1999 all over again. The dust devils kick up, the field turns red with caps scattered across the crowd, and the band rip through all the bangers, including ‘Break Stuff’ – twice. When Fred Durst brings a fan on stage, chaos peaks, and the fan absolutely slays their moment in front of thousands.

Closing out the festival, Bring Me The Horizon delivers an era-defining headline set, a last hurrah for the “Next Gen” era before a new chapter. The setlist is relentless, from the fury of ‘Antivist’, where a fan is pulled on stage to scream the chorus, to the emotional highs of ‘Drown’ and ‘Follow You.’ Pyro blasts light up the skyline, Palestinian flags wave across the stage as we are reminded yet again that music is and always should be a political platform. Confetti rains down over a sea of fans on shoulders. At one point, Oli Sykes bolts around the barrier, sending the front rows into hysteria. This is Bring Me at their absolute best: unhinged, untouchable, unforgettable.

Sunday ties the weekend together in spectacular fashion. From tiny stage breakouts to headline chaos, Leeds Festival 2025 goes out in a blaze of sweat, dust and confetti.