Leeds Festival back after year's absence to delight of fans, musicians and businesses

• Video report by Lisa Adlam

Leeds Festival 2021 has kicked off with a performance by Huddersfield band Flawes with a performance on the Radio 1 dance stage.

It was the band's first live performance since before the pandemic when the tour of their debut album was cancelled because of lockdown.

The band - made up of Freddie, JC and Huss - released their first album in January 2020.

The band said that performing at the festival was on their bucket list, having attended it several times when they were teenagers.

Speaking to ITV News they said: "We had a full year of gigging, festivals planned, we were heading out to America...and much like many other musicians our schedule was pulled and this is our return."

They added that it had been the longest break any of them had taken from live music and they were raring to perform at a place that meant so much to them.

The return of the festival has been welcomed local businesses who benefit from increased revenue.

Fat Frank's Camping Shop lost at least two hundred thousand pounds in revenue last year when festivals were cancelled, they described it as having their income turned off like a tap.

They said: "We may as well not bothered actually having a business 'cos obviously we do our click and collect service which is buying online to collect at the festival, with no festivals happening so our online business dried up. 

"We tried selling online for home delivery but again people weren't going anywhere so again there was no avenue for that so it literally went from being a really good business to literally nothing over two years."

• Video report by Adam Fowler

The three-day event at Bramham Park is one of the largest live events to have taken place since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Festival-goers will have to show either proof of two vaccinations (at least 14 days since the second jab); a negative lateral flow test taken the day of or before day of arrival or proof of natural immunity to be admitted to the festival.

There are concerns about Covid-19 at the festival following large numbers of cases linked to Tramlines in Sheffield and Boardmasters in Cornwall.

People will also be able to get their Covid-19 vaccine at the festival, as part of the UK's bid to get more young people vaccinated.

Barnsley band The Sherlocks told ITV News that they are performing a secret set at the festival tonight.

They won't be performing at Reading, just at Leeds, but they have no idea when or which stage they are going to be on.