IF and when you are standing in a field north of Leeds during this August Bank Holiday just remember you are part of a landmark event.
In fact, several landmarks are established with this year's Reading and Leeds Festival a week today.
Leeds chalks up its 10th anniversary. And it is 20 since promoters Festival Republic rescued Reading and made it the world beating gathering you know today.
Throw in the only 2008 UK festival appearances by The Killers, Metallica and Rage Against The Machine, and it is maybe no surprise all weekend tickets for both sites sold out in record time – a total of 200,000 in two hours!
Six stages at beautiful Bramham Park host the Leeds Festival action, starting next Friday with the big local interest surrounding the first full public performance from Arctic leader Alex Turner's The Last Shadow Puppets.
Some 150 bands will play across the three days while the likes of Henry Rollins and John Cooper Clarke provide alternative turns alongside unsigned talent – all in all a stark contrast to the fate of some festivals that fell by the wayside this summer courtesy of weather and crunchy credit.
Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, is in jubilant mood.
"I am over the moon. Absolutely thrilled." Told you so. "The 20th year since we took over Reading after it had been bankrupt; the 10th year since we created Leeds... the UK's biggest-selling festival with the best bill on the planet this year sells out in less than two hours. Whoever is talking about a slump in festival popularity is talking rubbish. Long live Reading and Leeds."
Casting an eye across the various line-ups you've got Plain White T's, Bloc Party, The Raconteurs, Editors, Queens Of The Stone Age, Biffy Clyro – at The Leadmill for a warm-up next Wednesday – The Enemy, The Fratellis and Slipknot among the main stage action.
Elsewhere the NME/Radio 1 Stage has Manic Street Preachers, The Wombats, newcomers Vampire Weekend and Pendulum, Bullet For My Valentine and The Ting Tings among the big draws.
Gallows, CSS and Less Than Jack headline a Lock-up Stage that also boasts the likes of Lethal Bizzle, Alkaline Trio, Pennywise and Anti-Flag. The Kills, Elliot Minor, The Audition, excellent risers Cage The Elephant, Glasvegas and The Rascals stand out on the Festival Republic Stage.
The Introducing Stage contains the bulk of the South Yorkshire interest as Sheffield's Darlings Of The Splitscreen, Skeletons and Situationists confirm why they're likely to be standing stage-left elsewhere on the site in 2009.
- You cannot buy a Leeds ticket for love nor money right now.
But thanks to promoters Festival Republic you have the chance to catch one of the biggest live music events of the year – for nothing.
One winner will win a pair of camping weekend tickets.
All we need to know is the name of the three bands who headlined the main stage last year.
Email your answer to me david.dunn@sheffieldnewspapers.co.uk by Monday lunchtime, placing Leeds Festival in the subject field and including your mobile number and address.
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FeaturesMore business newsMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsThe full article contains 552 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
