Leeds Festival 2012 lineup and ticket info

It’s that time of year again! Get ready to air out your tents and break in your Wellington boots as you choose from the multitude of UK music festivals lined up for 2012. With mainstays Glastonbury and the Big Chill both cancelled this year, it’s a great opportunity to check out some of the fantastic events we have right here in the North.

We’re a stone’s throw from a host of great boutique festivals including Beat-Herder, Kendall Calling and Skipton’s fabulous Beacons Festival, but if you want it big, loud and unashamedly crowd-pleasing you really can’t go wrong with the Leeds Festival.

Now in its tenth year at its Braham Park site, the Leeds Festival has grown almost as big as its parent event down in Reading, with numbers this year set to reach just under 80,000 people. As always, the event will be held over the August Bank Holiday and has drawn the usual array of superstars. If you’re wondering who you should check out, you’ve come to the right place.

Friday

Friday is dominated by headliners Foo Fighters, who are making the Leeds/Reading double-header their only festival appearance this year. Expect a punchy live set and plenty of singing along.

Backing them up are a band surely made for the festival experience, The Black Keys, capitalising on their breakthrough seventh album El Camino with a set of rousing choruses sure to win over fans old and new. It’s a good day for Leeds bands too, with local heroes Kaiser Chiefs in the sunset slot, which should add a bit of visual clout to their back-catalogue, and up and coming Leeds favourites Pulled Apart By Horses also playing the main stage earlier in the day. Also worth a look will be critic’s favourites The Gaslight Anthem, and French electro titans Justice who are headlining the NME/Radio 1 stage.

Saturday

Saturday on the main stage is definitely one for the kids, with arena friendly pop-punkers Paramore, sugar sweet rock from You Me At Six and post-hardcore mainstays Coheed and Cambria among other teen-friendly treats.

Topping the bill though – in a slightly bizarre quirk of scheduling – are 80s legends The Cure. We suppose 51-year-old Robert Smith is the granddaddy of the emos, so maybe it’s a poetic choice…. If you’re looking for quality we also recommend tracking down the loud and raucous Cancer Bats, as well as Crystal Castles, who will be translating a notoriously manic live show to the main stage. Finally, you could do worse than check out indie chancers Maccabees, who will be flaunting their newly revived career over on the NME/ Radio 1 stage.

Sunday

For a lot of people, Sunday will be all about NME/Radio 1 stage headliners At The Drive-In, newly reformed and back in the UK to play their first shows since their split in 2001. Get into the crowd early if you want to see more than just a glimpse of wild singer Cedric’s mop top as he flings himself around to the deafening racket of this legendary band.

Preceding them are Wakefield’s finest The Cribs, who should set the chaotic tone nicely. Over on the main stage, indie fans can delight in Mystery Jets and The Shins, before settling into position ready for the world-conquering Florence and the Machine, who promise to be a positively euphoric experience in a festival setting. Finally, closing the weekend are live favourites Kasabian. A predictable choice? Perhaps, but no less satisfying for it.

Weekend tickets for this year’s event cost £197.50 while day tickets are £85 plus booking fees. Book through the official Leeds Festival 2012 ticket partners.

See Tickets
Leeds Festival 2012 Weekend Tickets

Further advice for Leeds Festival 2012

For more information, tips and advice, read our Leeds Festival 2012 Survival Guide, which includes information on bus timetables and numbers, links to useful websites and some tips on surviving the Leeds Festival.

Click here to read our Leeds Festival guide