Neck Deep:

Pop punk prodigies Neck Deep are always guaranteed to bring their impish sense of humour and seemingly endless energy to any and all stages which they grace, however, the combination of the Wrexham quintet and Leeds Festival is a match made in heaven! Vocalist Ben Barlow commanded the crowd as though they were his own personal army, stirring up mosh pits and fields of swaying fists seemingly without effort. It must be said that their older songs captivated the crowd with more ferocity than their newer material, but in many ways, their set was better for it. Heartfelt love songs like ‘When You Know’ sat side-by-side with anarchic, youthful ragers, such as the band’s hallmark track ‘Gold Steps’ and one slid into the other incredibly seamlessly.

The accolade of ‘set highlight’, however, has to go to closer ‘In Bloom’. With its soaring chorus which was just built for gang vocals to sing their hearts out along to, and its powerful message of hope’s triumph over adversity, it rang out, even more resonant now than ever before. Pop punk is often branded as a genre with something of an upper age limit, but when it comes to bands like this, whose appeal never wavers no matter what your age, it is simply a joy to dive headfirst into being a teenager again!