Which means that antiquated labels like, metal and indie are soooo last century.

Everyone is just a fan of music now. Genre, pigeon-holing, compartmentalisation is for idiots like, well - music reviewers like me.
And yet, and yet...

This year's Leeds festival had a strangely schizophrenic quality – both of it. Ahem.

Noise-gods Metallica and Rage Against the Machine were pitted as Friday and Saturday headliners, with The Killers a decidedly indier offering on Sunday.

The first two days of the fest originally lined up a tinnitus-inducing bill that also featured Queens of the Stone Age, Serj Tankian, Anti-Flag, Avenged Sevenfold and Slipknot on the main stage (though a broken ankle kept the latter masked crew from actually playing).

But riff refugees could find solace in the likes of Pete, The Wombats and The Cribs on the second stage.

As legions of black-clad kids trooped past their counterparts wearing Pete Doherty T-shirts heading in the opposite direction, it was almost as if there were two totally different events being staged in the same field in Leeds.

In fact, with acts on half a dozen stages simultaneously, including a comedy /spoken word tent, there was enough entertainment for a fistful of festivals.

There's so much on, it's impossible to get round even half the acts playing — but at least the good weather meant that getting round the half you could see, wasn't.

The threatened mud baths never materialised and more sun cream went on than rain macs.

What did rain down was the sweat drenching the frenzied pit of humanity that greeted the opening headliners.

Playing an old-school set, as well as two new songs from the new album out next week, the Metallica machine rolled across Bramham Park, crushing all before it.

Earlier, Feeder found themselves bumped up the bill because of Slipknot's misfortune and reminded us what a fine and under-rated songsmith Grant Nicholas is.

Other weekend highlights included an uplifting afternoon outing on the main stage from Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly and a jamtastic slice of Wellerisms from The Enemy.

In the alternative tent, former Black Flag frontman turned political raconteur Henry Rollins delivered a spoken word show that was by turns warm, honest, illuminating and hilarious.

But the highlight of the whole weekend was the blistering set by reformed agit-rockers Rage Against The Machine who hit the stage late, loud and to jaw-dropping effect.

The sheer passion and intensity of the band was as astonishing as Tom Morello's guitarwork.

The band were forced to stop mid-way through Bombtrack as the crowd crush threatened to get out of hand, but they picked up the song again without dropping a ferocious beat.

Killing In The Name might not be the most obvious song for bringing people close, but as Rage tore up the stage it felt as though ALL The Kids were finally united in a vocal display of teenage rebellion.

PHILFY PHIL