THNKS FR TH MMRS FSTVL: the Breakdown
There is something undeniably ridiculous about a festival built entirely around cover sets.
On paper, it shouldn't work. Nostalgia festivals already dominate the alternative scene, and asking smaller bands to step into the shoes of some of pop-punk's most beloved names feels like a risky move. But THNKS FR TH MMRS Fest's first venture into Leeds in addition to their usual Bristol setup proved that sometimes the best ideas are the ones that fully embrace the chaos.
The concept was simple. Give rising bands the opportunity to pay tribute to the artists who shaped them while giving fans a chance to relive the soundtrack of their teenage years. The result was a celebration of a scene that refuses to die, delivered by musicians who grew up loving these songs just as much as the crowd did. The beauty of the festival was that this never felt like karaoke.
That was especially true away from the main stage. In the smaller Snug stage at the Hyde Park Book Club, which had a capacity of just 50 people, Unfinished Stories played as All Time Low, while Friday Night Lights took on The Offspring. With such a small room, both sets had an intimacy that made the concept feel even more effective. There was no barrier between band and audience, just a packed room of people reliving songs they had grown up with. It was a perfect example of how the festival could work just as well in an intimate setting as it did on the bigger stage.
Each band brought enough of their own personality to avoid becoming a tribute act while still respecting the material they were covering. It made for a day that felt less like a history lesson and more like watching one generation of alternative music pass the torch to the next.
First up was Wsdays at 7, taking on the impossible task of becoming Busted for the evening. Anyone who dismisses Busted as a cheesy pop band has clearly forgotten just how many absolute bangers the trio produced. The room transformed into a giant singalong as Wsdays at 7 blasted through a set packed with nostalgia, and honestly, that's exactly what a festival like this should be. The set captured the carefree, tongue-in-cheek energy that made Busted so successful in the first place. It wasn't about technical perfection. It was about hearing a room full of voices screaming every word while temporarily forgetting that most of us are old enough to have listened to these songs on a CD player the first time around.
Then came Stay Safe, performing as Good Charlotte. I'll admit my bias immediately. I already love Stay Safe, so they were always going to be one of my most anticipated sets of the evening. Thankfully, they didn't disappoint. Good Charlotte's music walks a fine line between teenage angst and arena-sized hooks, and Stay Safe managed to capture both. The attitude was there. The energy was there. More importantly, the songs never felt dated. There was a genuine affection behind the performance that elevated it beyond simply playing another band's catalogue. Every song felt deliberate, and the crowd responded accordingly.
If there was one thing the day continually reinforced, it's that the pop-punk community still has an incredible relationship with these songs. Two decades later, tracks that once soundtracked our awkward teenage years still inspire circle pits, crowd surfers and thousands of sore throats the following morning.
Then there was Daisy Graves. Covering Fall Out Boy is a dangerous game. Pete Wentz's lyricism, Patrick Stump's unmistakable vocals and a catalogue packed with some of the most defining songs of the 2000s make Fall Out Boy one of the hardest bands to replicate. Thankfully, Daisy Graves understood the assignment. Rather than attempting a carbon copy, they leaned into the theatrical side of Fall Out Boy's music. The set felt huge. The hooks landed exactly as they should, and suddenly it was impossible not to be transported back to the era of side fringes, MySpace profiles and questionable eyeliner choices.
By this point, nostalgia had fully taken over. The festival closed with Safeguard stepping into Neck Deep's shoes, and honestly, there couldn't have been a more fitting way to end the day. Neck Deep songs were practically designed for festival environments. Every chorus begs to be shouted back. Every breakdown demands movement. Safeguard delivered exactly what everyone needed from a headline set: energy.
The crowd somehow found another gear despite spending all evening bouncing between the 2 stages, and the atmosphere became beautifully chaotic. Arms wrapped around strangers. Drinks were thrown into the air. Everyone suddenly became sixteen again. Perhaps that's what made THNKS FR TH MMRS FSTVL so special.
This wasn't a festival chasing trends or trying to reinvent alternative music. It was a celebration of the records that shaped an entire generation and the younger artists keeping that spirit alive. For a first year in Leeds, it felt surprisingly polished, surprisingly ambitious and surprisingly emotional.
Who knew that watching one band pretend to be another could feel so authentic?
If this is what THNKS FR TH MMRS Fest plans to bring to Yorkshire every year, then consider this an open plea for a second edition. Because sometimes all we really want is to spend a day screaming songs we thought we'd outgrown, only to realise we never actually did.
