Leeds Festival 2024: Who are the names being suggested for secret sets at this year’s festival?

• With Leeds Festival 2024 only one week away, the discussion of secret sets begin.
• Among some of the rumours are a current pop superstar, a beloved UK indie act and an Australian pop-rock act.
• So who do Reddit think will be making an appearance at Bramham Park to perform a secret set?

Ah yes - the old “who is playing a secret set” at Leeds Festival rumours are starting to circulate a lot quicker now we’re one week removed from this year’s event. 

Some will recall seeing Foals play a surprise set at the 2015 event, while Queens of the Stone Age delighted fans during their secret set in 2017. Others will tell you about the calls across the campsites regarding “X” playing a secret set at “Y” at midnight. 

Which would make no sense owing that the main arena closes at a certain point; leading this fool to once believe that Limp Bizkit were playing on top of the half pipe outside what was originally known as the “Carling Tent.” 

Surprise surprise, they didn’t.

So with this year’s festival only one week away, who do Redditors on r/LeedsFestival think will be this year’s surprise guests at Bramham Park? As always with secret sets and rumours, take this information with a pinch of salt.

Or maybe you too will have to explain to festival security why you’ve donned a baseball cap backwards and are trying valiantly to re-enter the main arena past curfew. 

Who is rumoured to be performing a secret set at Leeds Festival 2024?

Chappell Roan

Alongside Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan is considered one of the leading lights of the pop music resurgence with her blend of pop, indie, and electronic music. Roan has been one of the names bandied around online, and owing to the fact she is about to start her UK tour in September, what’s so hard about arriving a week or two earlier to perform at one of the biggest festivals in Europe? 

Her next European tour date according to her website is set to take place on August 31 2024 in Berlin, with what some are calling an “ominous” gap towards the tail end of the month. Could that indicate a surprise set on one of the smaller stages at Leeds?

Courteeners

The endearing Manchester indie act are preparing to tour the United Kingdom from November in support of their new album, “Pink Cactus Cafe,” but given just how popular the band are with festival goers, could Liam Fray and company make a surprise appearance at Bramham Park?

The band have not been booked for any festivals around the same time as Leeds and Reading Festival, so there’s no concerns of a promoter not being happen if they do perform, and Manchester’s only a short jaunt from Leeds and vice versa - could be an anthemic surprise for those at Bramham Park.

Soft Play

Soft Play are another band that seem to have their name bandied about as a potential secret set at Leeds Festival; perhaps due to the fact that the duo have been a consistent presence during the festival even before their name change. 

But the issue with Soft Play performing a secret set at Leeds and Reading is their performance scheduled at Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival on August 25 2024. However, the trip between Reading and Portsmouth is only around 90 minutes - so in theory, they could perform Leeds on Friday, play Reading on Saturday and then finish off with their performance at Victorious on Sunday - if promoters allow it. 

Blossoms

Meanwhile Blossoms are performing their own festival of sorts, headlining the “Big Bank Holiday Weekend” in Wythenshawe Park on August 25 2024. That does allow for the Manchester natives to potentially perform a secret set on a Friday or Saturday at Leeds and Reading Festival.

But again, this entirely depends if the promoters involved in their own headline show would allow it; from experience working with bands, there is usually a clause where an artist is requested to forgo any gigs two weeks before or two weeks afterwards. Still - a secret set isn’t going to immediately stop people from buying tickets to their own show, which you still can.

Rise Against

The Chicago punk band are performing two dates in the United Kingdom in August, performing at the O2 Ritz in Manchester on August 20 2024 and then the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on August 21 2024.

They do have one more show in Europe before heading back to the United States, performing in Switzerland on August 23 2024 at the Riverside Festival, but their next date after that is on September 13 in Ottawa, Ontario. But looking at Saturday’s line up on the Festival Republic Stage and who is performing there on that date - could be a good shout.

Hockey Dad

The Australian surf-rock act are about to tour the United Kingdom from September 1 2024, with a date in Dublin shortly before their performance in Exeter. That means that they could easily come over two weeks before their planned tour and perform at Leeds and Reading Festival 2024. 

Have you heard any whispers through the grapevine who could make a surprise appearance at Leeds Festival 2024, or do you have a favourite secret set that occurred from yesteryear? Share your experiences and rumours below, or contact the writer directly.