If it was ever in doubt, Enter Shikari are one of the best live acts around at the moment. The post-hardcore rock band absolutely smashed their Leeds Festival set on the Main Stage with a number of their biggest hits including ‘Sssnakepit’ and ‘Rabble Rouser’.

Bringing their trademark energy to the stage, Enter Shikari opened with the newly-released single ‘Stop the Clocks’ to ensure that the assembled crowd was ready for the other songs to come. They even threw themselves and the crowd through an eight-minute medley comprised of four other banging songs: ‘Sorry, You’re Not a Winner’, ‘No Sleep Tonight’, ‘The Last Garrison’, and ‘Meltdown’ were interwoven superbly and kept the crowd on their feet – literally and metaphorically.

The likable St Albans quartet made everyone know just how appreciative they were for their ongoing support, and frontman Rou Reynolds’ call to arms before the final song, ‘Live Outside’, summed up everything that the band holds dear.

“At the end of this festival, take this community feeling into the world and spread it around. Make everyone savor it and drink it in,” Reynolds said.

If there’s anything we’ll all take from Leeds Festival, it’ll be that sense of camaraderie that was on display throughout their performance.

Kim Petras made a big impact (or Kim-pact…) on the glitter-festooned hoard who piled into the Radio 1 Dance Stage.

Drawn in by her characteristic allure and synth-laden brand of rave-pop, those that gathered found it impossible to tear their eyes away from the petite yet powerful figure that dominated every inch of the stage.

Reclaiming sexuality and sensuality in a profound way, tracks such as the unabashedly titled ‘Do Me’ (dedicated brilliantly to ‘all my fellow hoes out there!’) brought a sense of liberation and defiance in equal measure, while Kim’s soaring vocals shone through – even over the pulsating synths and gimmicky yet self-aware sound effects that permeated the set.

The pulsating drums meant to inspire raucous applause from the crowd were hardly necessary, as Kim’s punchy, unapologetic, candid performance was enough to win the tent over, all on its own.

In the world of punk rock, having the weight of the Armstrong name on your shoulders could anchor many a young band into a narrowly defined set of footsteps to follow. However, indie punks SWMRS proved that while they possess that self-same unmistakable stage presence, they also aren’t afraid to shatter any preconceptions anyone may have had based on their heritage.

Frontman Cole was impossible to miss, with his glimmering blue hair and stylised convulsions that somehow made him appear even more enigmatic! SWMRS clattered through an anarchic collection of tracks, epitomised by the infectious rabble-rouser ‘Berkeley Is On Fire’, which sent the crowd into waves of feverish excitement, citing SWMRS as purveyors of pure punk rock spitfire!

Far and away the highlight (narrowly beating the impassioned promise which preceded it to ‘kick those motherf*****s out’ in the case of sexual harassment in the crowd) was tongue-in-cheek number ‘Miley’, which built acoustic lines courtesy of a beautifully graffitied old guitar battered by Cole alongside grin-inducing lyrics praising the unapologetic tendencies of one Miley Cyrus.

What a way to blow away the cobwebs of 2018 and kick off this year’s festival in style!

They might have been appearing on the Main Stage for the first time, but rockers Milk Teeth gave us a set to remember under the blazing Friday sun.

The three-piece Gloucestershire punk rockers are no strangers to Leeds Festival, and their past experiences showed as they lit up the stage, literally and metaphorically. Despite it being early, Milk Teeth’s heart-pounding drums, thundering bass lines, and frantic guitar riffs jolted the crowd to life and, by the end, had them eating out of the palms of their hands.

Becky Blomfield and Em Foster were as good as ever vocally, and their lyrics carried across the Main Stage and into the crowd with ease. It wouldn’t have been surprising if you could have heard them across most of the arena or further afield.

Crowd favourites ‘Owning Your Okayness’ and ‘Stain’ were blasted out of the speakers and, save for relatively slow burner ‘Swear Jar’, Milk Teeth were relentless as they shone in the sunshine.

It was the perfect way to get Leeds Festival up and running this year, and it’s a dead cert that Milk Teeth will have won new admirers and cemented their relationship with their long-time fans further with this showing.