LONDON--The ultimate battle between Britpop and metal was fought last weekend (8/26-8/28) in the bucolic grounds (complete with grazing sheep) of Temple Newsam Park, England as a line-up of over 200 bands played at the second annual Leeds Festival. With little crime (barring portable toilets being set alight early Tuesday morning), and lots of mud, 50,000 spike-haired teens and mobile phone-carrying, parka-wearing Gen Xers mixed amicably as they took in their favorite acts.

Britpop was still king as the Stereophonics [ tickets ], Pulp [ tickets ] and Oasis [ tickets ] headlined their respective days. However, it was obvious from the insane enthusiasm generated during sets by Limp Bizkit [ tickets ], Slipknot and Queens of the Stone Age that young metallers are establishing themselves in the court of mainstream British music.

Saturday

Saturday afternoon began with a Supersuckers set that remained powerless no matter how angrily they attacked their guitars, then a completely detestable set from pop duo Daphne & Celeste, which provoked traditional bottle throwing, as well as the hurling of umbrellas, sneakers and cries of "You are sh*t!" The party didn't officially start until Blink 182 took to the main stage and played faves like "What's My Name Again?" and "Dumpweed" punctuated with random interjections of "Wouldn't it be nice to have a b***job?" and "Are you guys having sex in those tents out there? Can we come and watch?"

The stupidity temporarily waned, yet the energy remained as Rage Against the Machine followed with the most empowering set of the day. Zack, Tom and the crew were still in a fighting mood after taking on the Democrats in California two weeks earlier. Their overwhelming anti-establishment vibe came through in "Bulls on Parade" and "Killing in the Name of."

Yet, the South Park mentality returned when the be-masked, muddy mechanic suit-wearing Slipknot took the stage. Slipknot has no talent, let alone morals. They play loud and over-use the Satan gimmick. But they don't give a flying f*** about what anyone thinks of them and this is what makes them worshipped by Britain's hordes of post-Manson era teens. Leeds nearly descended into near-chaos only twice this year, and the first time was during Slipknot's 55-minute set.

It was then left to Placebo and Stereophonics [ tickets ] to return peace to the main stage, and to Ian Brown to do likewise on the Radio 1 Evening Session Stage after the Utah Saints kicked over that nest. Although Placebo lead singer Brian Molko looked quite small and girly with his delicately done eye make-up and slight frame, the three piece's set was surprisingly strong as they played "Pure Morning" and "Every You Every Me."

Ian Brown’s performance was also surprisingly well received, considering that his popularity never reaching the heights it did when he was frontman of the Stone Roses. Shaking a tambourine, the Monkey King (as he is often referred to) glided through a set which included a cover of Michael Jackson’s "Billie Jean" and bananas thrown on stage.

Stereophonics were as solid, yet as boring, as always. Their show could have been the same one from the V99 festival as Kelly Jones stood lifelessly in front of his microphone and rarely made eye contact with the audience as he sang.

Sunday

Guitar bands got their revenge on Sunday. Gomez played a foot-stomping, horns-heavy set and the audience showed their appreciation by throwing an inflatable killer whale at them. A banner in the background which read "Feed My Bongos" summed up the band's contagious zany-ness. Meanwhile, over on the Evening Session Stage, Badly Drawn Boy, aka Damon Gough, won over fans by playing material from his debut album "The Hour of Bewilderbeast" and squirting photographers with a huge water rifle.

Yet, no matter how hard they tried, neither group could compare with the master of eccentricity, Beck. Donned in a pink shirt and red pants, Beck was like a funky, country-fangled version of David Bowie. He jumped and gyrated and hit every high-note and harmonica solo perfectly as he grooved his way through "Sexx Laws," "Nicotine and Gravy" and "Devil’s Haircut."

Many wouldn’t have been able to follow suit, but fortunately Pulp [ tickets ] could and did. Jarvis Cocker had his own special way of being weird as he stopped to ask the audience if they liked his sweater. A sentimental yet lively rendition of "Common People" was followed by new songs "Weeds" and "Sunrise," which proved that Pulp’s next album will be as strong and addictive as 1998’s "This Is Hardcore."

Monday

Monday was Oasis [ tickets ]’ day, no matter how tight anybody else played. If it had been any other band headlining, Limp Bizkit [ tickets ] would have topped them. Fred Durst knew how to work the crowd perfectly as he performed the Mission Impossible 2 theme song and a cover of House of Pain’s "Jump Around," and as barrels of confetti were blown at the audience. This was the only other time during the festival, besides Slipknot’s set, when the front-of-stage security guards looked nervous.

Foo Fighters also performed admirably as crowd-surfing reached its peak during "Break Out" and "Learn to Fly." And Primal Scream acted as a seductive appetizer for Oasis with its latest single "Accelerator" and hits including "Kowalski" and "Insect Royalty."

Oasis’ performance at Leeds, the last date on its tour, was like King Arthur’s test to pull the sword from the stone. Would they be pure of heart and complete the task or would they screw it up? Walking on stage as a unit, both Gallagher brothers were ready to prove to the festival's most massive crowd that they hadn’t lost it just yet.

Noel’s first move was to deny rumors in the press that the group was to announce its split on Tuesday (8/29). He casually said, "This isn’t the f***ing funeral" before Liam launched into a shaky version of "Go Let It Out," followed by a more confident rendition of "Supersonic." But it was Noel who inspired and impressed everyone, including Liam, with his first solo number "Acquiesce." The set included highly charged renditions of "Roll With It," "Cigarettes and Alcohol" and "Stand By Me," ending with a touching performance of "Live Forever" as fans were now convinced that Oasis would do just that. The best moments were saved for the encore, which included "Champagne Supernova" and "Rock N Roll Star;" Liam’s voice shockingly sounded as rich as it did five years ago.

And with Noel’s parting comments--"We'll meet again. We don't know where, we don't know when. But we'll meet again"--Oasis won this year’s battle of Britpop versus metal. However, with strong performances from the likes of Limp Bizkit and Slipknot, it’s obvious that the sports metallers will be back to put up an even tougher fight next year.