Reading Festival main stage (photo by Ben Smith)
Reading Festival, one half of Reading & Leeds Festival, proved once again why it is THE place to be over August Bank Holiday Weekend. The sold out weekend saw thousands of music fans gather to Richfield Avenue for three days of sun, sea (well the River Thames) and Shikari!
Despite Thursday’s silent disco closure, the evening went very smoothly and it wasn’t even that cold in the evening as people gathered round for a camp fire. Friday came around very soon and within no time at all BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens was introducing the main stage acts in front of the early crowd gathered within the front area of the standing area. There were more barriers this year for safety reasons which was a sensible idea as the sun started to shine down ready for the first act of the day on the main stage. That opening act was Camden’s Kawala who certainly grasped at the opportunity with lead singer Jim Higson pulling out all the stops to impress the fans coming down early to watch them. Jim was very open about being dyslexic in his set which led to the band name being spelt incorrect. The half hour set was a perfect way to start the festival for us as it was chilled, slick and professional for such a young band like themselves.
Next up was the brilliant I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (IDKHOW) all the way from Salt Lake City and these two lads certainly know how to put on a show. With songs such as Absinthe and Lights Go Down, lead vocalist and bassist Dallon Weekes and drummer Ryan Seaman started the set strong. Despite the duo only playing 8 songs, they finished on arguably their most famous song Choke which was just brilliant to see love finally. With shades of The Darkness mixed with Royal Blood, IDKHOW will certainly be going from strength to strength.
Up next on the main stage was Scottish legends Twin Atlantic with their long anticipated return to Reading Festival. Lead singer Sam McTrusty and the band started with of the band’s latest single No Sleep before played classics such as Hold On and Make a Beast of Myself. The Glaswegians then treated fans to a song premiere which was Volcano and which could set the scene for a new album potentially in the coming months. Twin Atlantic ended on Heart and Soul as the quartet smashed yet another festival appearance.
Self acclaimed weird guys from New York, Patent Pending performed at The Pit shortly after in what was a packed full day of awesome bands. Fronted by the ever energetic Joe Racosta, Patent Pending are one of those bands that you have to see at least once to experience the fun and energy that the five piece produce. With the likes of Hey Mario and Douchebag under their belt, the set was always going to have that upbeat feel to it. Joe has humorous stories about lawsuits with rapper Slick Rick as they began to perform Let It Burn which left to the packed tent to sing the chorus lyrics The Roof Is On Fire! The band also covered Cascadas’ Everytime We Touch which again was packed full of energy and atmosphere. Patent Pending also played latest single Punk Rock Songs and paid tribute to Nsync with some amazing dance moves during Anti-Everything. We caught up with Patent Pending’s Joe and you check out the interview below!
Charli XCX then performed on the main stage before Juice Wrld cancelled his main stage set due to his flight being delayed despite the packed out crowd waiting for near on ten minutes after he was due to play.
This then lead to You Me At Six coming on stage slightly early as the Surrey based quintuple outfit fronted by Josh Franceschi came on to a roaring crowd. Right from the start, the lads got the crowd pumped with Fast Forward as Josh got everyone on the floor then jump up when the chorus hit. There were plenty of mosh pits too as they continued with Lived a Lie and the brilliant Underdog. Take on the World then came on as plenty of fans on shoulders to experience this sweet song. You Me At Six then performed Bite My Tongue with no Oli Sykes however it was still as fierce. They finished on Room to Breathe which was a nice way to end their set and certainly showed how popular You Me At Six still is.
Former YouTube prankster Joji then performed a really chill set at the BBC Radio 1 stage. The lights were incredible and his Japanese origin was certainly showing with some amazing videos in the background. Joji performed Yeah Right and will he as the packed out tent just simply swayed and slow danced throughout the set. With a cover of You’ve Got a Friend in Me also on the cards, Joji performed Can’t Get Over You and also the brilliant Slow Dancing in the Dark which saw two versions – one with piano and with the original soundtrack. Fans chanted his name throughout the set as you could just tell that the set meant the world to him.
The Wombats then performed on the main stage as played classics such as Moving to New York as Another Sky performed as a secret at the BBC Introducing Stage respectively. Dappy also performed at the BBC Radio 1 Xtra Stage as he played the likes of No Regrets as Jay Knox was introducing the acts there all day and night. Royal Blood performed the likes of Lights Out, Little Monster and the brilliant Out of the Black as the two piece ruled the main stage before The 1975 arrived.
Headed by the brilliant Matty Healy who had several cigarettes throughout the band’s iconic set, the evening saw The 1975 debut People for the first time live which was an amazing way to kick start their 22 song set. Joined by backing dancers, Matty and the band continued with the likes of Give Yourself a Try, Love Me, The City before playing yet another live debut of Depth. Before this however Matty talked with a glass of wine as he spoke out about him kissing a man in Dubai and how the world needs to change and within no time the screens showed a beautiful rainbow flag as the band performed Loving Someone. fallingforyou, Girls then followed as they finished on I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes). Matty also done some slick dance moves on a treadmill throughout the set which was an added bonus to the headline act. However the set was not over as the lads came on for four more song which included the brilliant Chocolate and Sex.
So as the night finished we had just a little while to catch some pop punk legends that is Bowling For Soup, kindly recommended by Patent Pending earlier in the day. The set saw front man Jeret Reddick and the band perform an AC/DC cover Shoot to Thrill/Kickstart My Heart as well as a classic Fountain of Wayne cover of Stacey’s Mom which went down like a treat! The Texas based band also covered SR-71 with 1985 which was a real hit of theirs back in the day. Before that however they played their own hit Girls All the Bad Guys Want which was amazing to see and even was sped up to get the crowd even more energetic. So that was it for Saturday except the BBC Radio One Dance stage and of course the silent disco.
The sun was shining once again Saturday morning as Counterfeit and Alma both opened the main stage in front of a decent amount of crowd. Boston Manor provided so much energy and passion over on the BBC Radio One Stage as the Blackpool band started with Flowers in Your Dustbin and England’s Dreaming. Personally I haven’t seen so many crowd surfers in a set before as lead singer Henry Cox asked the crowd to do just that. Boston Manor also played latest sing Liquid as well as Halo which was a great way to end a sweaty set inside the tent.
While Slowthai then followed on the same stage and The Hunna played the main stage, it was time for Enter Shikari to play their third set of their weekend after playing twice at Leeds Festival the night before. This set was of course a secret set as they were announced on the BBC Introducing Stage for a very special acoustic show. So fans were getting ready to see Rou Reynolds and the lads a day early and it was a special moment on such a tiny stage. Shikari played Redshift which was amazing to see having not seen this live as of yet as Rou then greeted his fans with his classic saying ‘Greetings carbon based life forms’. Rou then played a riff which then resulted in a very toned down version of Arguing with the Thermometers. Constellations then followed as then a never played before chilled version of Stop the Clocks was performed. The St Albans based band then revealed that after Sunday it will be a record of five sets in one weekend, something at Reading and Leeds Festival you should be proud of. Live Outside was the last song on the acoustic set however it certainly had a twist as fans were split into two but it wasn’t for a wall of death. One side sang the lyrics of Oasis’ Wonderwall whereas the over side sang the chorus of Live Outside which actually worked out amazingly well and was very clever of the band!
Enter Shikari
After AJ Tracey, the brilliant 17 year old Billie Eilish came on to the stage with a mask and green highlights in her hair and looked made for Reading Festival. The stage was packed out as Billie began with bad guy and strange addiction. COPYCAT and wish you were gay then followed as you could tell Billie was just blown away with the support as she jokingly told the crowd to shut up. Joined by drummer Andrew Marshall and brother Finneas O’Connell, Billie continued to play bellyache and ocean eyes as asked fans to not use any phone for over three minutes with when the party’s over. Billie finished on bury a friend which was a perfect way to end such an exciting yet profession set from young Billie Eilish.
Blossoms took to the main stage later that evening as the five piece from Stockport really gave it everything as they began with the likes of At Most a Kiss and Cool Like You. Your Girlfriend and Blown Rose followed as lead singer Tom Ogden really sang those songs to perfection. A brilliant David Bowie cover of ‘Let’s Dance’ also featured as they finished on Charlemagne which led to the main co headliners of the Saturday.
Drummer Josh Dun and lead singer Tyler Joseph took to the stage a little late but their were soon plenty of roars as twenty one pilots returned to Reading Festival. The duo started with Jumpsuit as they continued with Heathens and The Hype. Lane Boy then followed as Tyler took his hat off as he meant business as they performed Holding on to You before wearing his iconic Blurryface hat for Stressed Out. Something special then occurred as twenty one pilots sang a classic festival song from Oasis titled ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ that sent fans wild. Ride and Cut My Lip followed before Morph as they performed a White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army interlude to go with it. It wouldn’t be a twenty one pilots gig without any jumping off things and that’s certainly what Josh done throughout as well as Tyler climbing the stage for the brilliant Car Radio. twenty one pilots finished on an oldie which was Trees and certainly brought back memories when I first saw them just under four years a go. As the duo took a bow, there were plenty of fireworks shortly after making it a memorable set.
Post Malone then joined not long after on the main stage as even more fans gathered to see the Texas based artist for the second year running. Austin Richard Post or what fans would call him Posty, performed Wow. and Over Now before playing Better Now. There was plenty of fire throughout the set also as he continued to play the likes of Psycho and Paranoid. An amazing acoustic version of Stay was also performed which really hit home to plenty of fans before he performed Too Young and Go Flex. There was plenty of pyro too as he then played White Iverson, a song Post claims what set everything off for him. Post Malone also mentioned Spider-Man: Far From Home and played Sunflower that featured in the new film. With rockstar, Post Malone smashed up his guitar in true fashion before finishing on Congratulations for all of his haters. Once again there were even more fireworks as Saturday came to an end.
On Saturday night we discovered we actually camped next to The Xcerts’ lead singer Murray Macleod and Rolo Tomassi’s drummer Al Pott who were both just gentleman and genuinely some of the nicest people in the music industry at this moment.
Yet another hot start for Sunday but for me the line up ahead looked once again incredible which just gave you that extra bit of energy to get through the day. Milk Teeth and brilliant Swmrs (featuring Joey Armstrong, son of Green Day’s Billie Joe) opened up the main stage both in superb style and certainly warmed up that crowd even more in the boiling heat. Mayday Parade then took to the stage as they played the likes of Jamie All Over and Jersey before performing The Killers’ cover Mr Brightside.
Doncaster’s Yungblud took to the main stage shortly after as he wore is rather daring négligée which summed this legend up to the tee. Yungblud shows such an example to fans that you can be who you want and that we should live in a world with no judgement. The Yorkshire artist started with 21st Century Liability and the brilliant I Love You, Will You Mary Me. Yungblud threw the podium before playing Anarchist and Loner in true rockstar style. He also played his new song Hope for the Underrated Youth which went down perfectly before a special surprise when Machine Gun Kelly joined him on stage for I Think I’m OKAY. Yungblud really looked overwhelmed from the support as finished on Machine Gun (F**k the NRA) which perfect considering the song before! Yungblud is certainly one of those artists who could easily headline the festival one day as goes from strength to strength this year.
Love Fame Tragedy were confirmed for the BBC Introducing Stage secret set as comedian Russell Kane played at the alternative stage who was just hilarious. It was that time however for Enter Shikari to play their second set of the weekend at Reading Festival and this time it was on the main stage. All four members were wearing smart matching suits as Rou had his dyed blue hair shining on to the crowd. The band promised fans it would be different and that it was they started with latest tracks Stop The Clocks before playing Sssnakepit and The Paddington Frisk, something that hasn’t been played live for a while. Rouble Rouser then followed as Rou continued with his amazing dancing as he threw his jacket off as he was starting to get hot. Juggernauts then was performed which really got the crowd jumping up and down before the Quickfire Round that included snippets of Sorry You’re Not A Winner, No Sleep Tonight, The Last Garrison and …Meltdown which was just insane to see. The top then came off for Rou as they finished their penultimate set of the weekend with the brilliant Live Outside.
Machine Gun Kelly then performed at the BBC Radio One Stage as he took his Hotel Diablo World tour to stage. MGK performed the likes of Candy as well as yet another version of I Think I’m OKAY with Yungblud who sang an England chant went he left. Bullet For My Valentine was the secret set at The Pit as they performed Don’t Need You and Your Betrayal. It was very packed as the welsh band played Scream Aim Fire and finished on Tears Don’t Fall / All My Life.
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes were insane before A Day To Remember took to the main stage to provide some pop punk/metalcore to the Reading crowd. The Florida based band fronted by Jeremy McKinnon started with 2nd Sucks before playing their catchy song Right Back at it Again. There were plenty of circle pits as the band revealed their Metallica style logo behind them. Paranoia and Sticks & Bricks after as the set started to get more heavy. A Day To Remember then announced that they want them to have a crowd surfer on top of a crowd surfer and gave it up to the security afterwards. While this was happened ADTR played Better Off This Way and Rescue Me, a song they released earlier this year with Marshmello. Have Faith in Me Play and the brilliant I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of? both followed before latest song Degenerates from their upcoming album You’re Welcome that was reveled last week. Jeremy and the band then performed All Signs Point to Lauderdale and All I Want that really brought back memories before the sweet If It Means a Lot to You that always gets emotional. The band finished on The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle and the their famous track The Downfall of Us All which was just a treat to see and hear the crowd sing the intro.
Next up was Enter Shikari for the third time in two days at The Pit and this set in particular was very special for fans as they played The Appeal & the Mindsweep I & II as well as Return to Energiser, Quelle Surprise and Slipshod. Rou Also confessed that even though the band hasn’t played Reading Festival for five years, he left at 3pm Sunday last year when he went as a fan. As Rou went into the crowd, he played the likes of Undercover Agents and Tribalism before the brilliant Arguing with Thermometers. There was white and blue confetti throughout the set along side some tissue which was great for fans to take home and remember this epic set. Rou also stuck up a flag on one of the main screens and covered it which was amazing to see as they played Live Outside for the third time in two days and likely the fifth time in three days!
Last but certainly not least was rock legends Foo Fighters as the Seattle six piece fronted by Dave Grohl took place on stage for their three hour set. Deservedly of their set time, the band started with The Pretender and straight away fans were treated with a classic of theirs. The Sky is a Neighborhood and Sunday Rain were all sung before a Grohl solo followed by the full band for My Hero. Foo Fighters then played a number of covers including Crazy Train, Good Times, Ziggy Stardust and Dragon Attack before playing Queen’s Under Pressure with drummer Taylor Hawkins singing and Grohl on drums like he did at Nirvada. Foo Fighters also played a slow version of Wheels as well Big Me. Also the legendary Rick Astley made a surprise appearance as the band played alongside him playing Never Gonna Give You Up! Best of You and a AC/DC cover Let There Be Rock followed before they finished on the brilliant Everlong. Fireworks once again went off as it signified the end of what could be a contender for Reading Festival’s best year yet.
To finish off the night, we finally attended the Red Camp silent disco which was a superb way of finishing one of the best weekends of ours lives.
Tickets for Reading Festival 2020 can be found here.
We offer our full condolences to the families that lost their loved ones at Reading & Leeds Festival this year. Until next year, stay safe.