We would love to get some feedback on the Alternative Stage this year.

Please post your reviews, thoughts, comments, highlights, favourite bits here.

thanks

Either the tent needs increasing or there really needs to be a someone to tell the crowd to stand up for the bigger acts. I really wanted to see Stephen K Amos but couldn't get anywhere near the entrance as everyone inside was sat down and no one else could get in, there was honestly a queue about 10 rows back of people wanting to get in, I think a lot of people who wanted to go and see him just walked away when they saw the queue.

Also Annee I know this got brought up last year but the size of FR and Lock Up still need increasing! They got reduced in size majorly in 2009 for no reason that I understand and haven't been increased this year despite a lot of feedback saying they should. The FR get's jam packed mid-evening all the way through to the headliners and I reckon a lot more people would spend time there if it was bigger. Similar stages at festivals have been twice the size and often the festivals are less less capacity than Leeds. Same with Lock-Up, it's tiny for such a huge festival.

Sebanova


Either the tent needs increasing or there really needs to be a someone to tell the crowd to stand up for the bigger acts. I really wanted to see Stephen K Amos but couldn't get anywhere near the entrance as everyone inside was sat down and no one else could get in, there was honestly a queue about 10 rows back of people wanting to get in, I think a lot of people who wanted to go and see him just walked away when they saw the queue.

we just managed to get in but were trying to save a space for ed so it took him ages to try get through everyone. It's beacuse so many people lie down and have a nap. The compare did tell people to squash forward, some people did but alot of people didnt even bother. i agree that something needs to be done to the capacity or people need to be told to move, at the moment, if theres a comedian you want to see you have to get there about 2 acts before which is a bit cra. The comedians made people stand at sonisphere, it seemed to work.

thanks for your comments so far, keep them coming....

Yeah the size needs increasing for one, secondly i don't know who this was down to, but the midnight beast only had like a 15min to 20min long set, but i don't know if that was down to them

Aw I really enjoy being able to sit down and watch the comedy though.

I doubt if i'd spend as much time in there if we had to stand, it's a cool place to go relax and sit down and have something different to the bands on all the other stages. 

Increasing the size of the tent would be the obvious thing to do.

I don't think people should always stand for the comedy, but for the headliners they should definitely be asked

CallumM


Yeah the size needs increasing for one, secondly i don't know who this was down to, but the midnight beast only had like a 15min to 20min long set, but i don't know if that was down to them

They did a few sets at different times didnt they?

Hazel


The comedians made people stand at sonisphere, it seemed to work.

That was a bit stupid though, because the comedy tent wasn't that crowded when I was there, everyone could have sat down but because people were standing at the front you couldn't see if you wanted to sit further back

Agreed. The standing at Soni was pointless

A few years ago they had good speakers round the outside of the tent, if they had them this year then they were too quiet to be noticeable. Maybe a screen at the side would make things easier. There are large spaces at each side of the tent, they could easily accommodate the overspill when the tent was too busy. 

For all the smaller acts, there was enough space to sit. If people want to stand, they will. Probably best to ask the people standing to move to the back maybe so everyone can see and then anyone can sit or stand.

Screens/speakers outside the tent? In a similar way to the NME tent. I was happy last year to sit outside the tent and watch a film during the day, the main problem for me was I could barely hear it.

Also concerning FR tent, I went to see Marina & The Diamonds last year, and while I know she's not the tallest person, the stage was way too far down; even for trying to see a small person, having to jump just to see her head is stupid.

Had to struggle to get in the tent to see Doug Stanhope a couple of years ago, I personally found it annoying that everyone was sat down (and booing).
 
With people sat down getting in and the tent is a chore, people would rather stay and boo the acts they don't like than leave and find something else to do.
 
Leeds festival must be the only place in the world where Doug Stanhope gets booed but shouting 'Buttscratcher' is hilarious.