Post Malone and fireworks bring 2021 Festival to a big finish

American Post Malone had the honour of bringing the 2021 Leeds Festival to a close along with a firework show that accompanied his headline set at Bramham Park last night.
Headline act: Post Malone.Headline act: Post Malone.
Headline act: Post Malone.

A second successive appearance at the top of the bill at the event showed how the man by the real name of Austin Richard Post has become a huge name in music and he once again performed to a huge crowd.

With all the other stages closed for another year he was the last man standing and made himself clear on how grateful he was to be given the chance to play live again after the troubles of the last 18 months.

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Post Malone was greeted like a long lost friend and had plenty of crowd pleasing material up his sleeve to ensure he went down well.

Slowthai on the main stage west.Slowthai on the main stage west.
Slowthai on the main stage west.

It was something of triumph that he was even here with so many other American acts that were originally in the line-up pulling out.

Big crowds were the order of the day all over the park with the main stage west seeing ever increasing audiences from dance pop act Becky Hill in a mid afternoon slot through rapper Slowthai to the ever reliable indie band The Wombats and headliners Disclosure.

The main stage east saw alternative Northern Irish band Two Door Cinema Club prove popular while there was more rap from Australian The Kid Laroi, a bit of electro pop from Sigrid and some indie rock from Filipino-British singer-songwriter Beabadoobee.

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There was a double dose of rising stars Easy Life as they delivered their alternative r'n'b sound on the main stage east before playing a secret second set on the more cosy BBC Introducing Stage.

The Wombats on the main stage west.The Wombats on the main stage west.
The Wombats on the main stage west.

The latter played host over the three days to acts primarily just making their way in the music business and there was huge promise shown in particular in the classy songs delivered by young singer-songwriter Finn Askew.

Comparisons with a young Ed Sheeran are likely to come his way, but he looks a real talent as do Bonnie Kemplay and Police Car Collective, who also took to the Introducing Stage.

Over on The Pit Stage, which came into being on day three to provide a rock music element to proceedings, headliners Waterpark were a late addition and a welcome one as they delivered a pop punk set that thrilled a good sized crowd.

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Fellow Americans Badflower also impressed and Jazmin Bean and the wonderfully named Bob Vylan brought great energy.

Becky Hill in front of a huge crowd at the main stage west.Becky Hill in front of a huge crowd at the main stage west.
Becky Hill in front of a huge crowd at the main stage west.

The Alternative Stage had its best comedy of the weekend with king of the one-liners Milton Jones, sharp as a tack Dane Baptiste and smart Canadian headliner Katherine Ryan making up a mighty trio of stand-ups.

And so that was that, the Leeds Festival was over for another year. There was no question that it was a success in returning everyone back to normality with social distancing and mask wearing a thing of the past - for three days at least.

Time will now tell if all the precautions beforehand have worked to make it as big a success safety wise as it was with the acts who did the performing across all the stages.

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