READING & LEEDS FESTIVAL 2017 HOT PICKS PREVIEW

Aug 24, 2017
5 min read

We’ve come to the back nine, 2017’s festival season is almost over and with it the beautiful British summer *cue lengthy sighs*. It’s not all doom and gloom though is it! We all know what lies at the end of the summer season don’t we? Yep the notorious Reading & Leeds Festival glimmers on the horizon of summer's decline like a radiant glow of hope.

It’s one of the biggun’s on the summer calander for bands and fans alike, a heavyweight in the UK festival scene. Year in and year out they put on a display of breathtaking live music spanning across an impressively diverse pallet of styles and sounds. It’s a place of magic and wonder where you can discover emerging bands galore then only a few hours later bask in the glory of a colossal headline act. We’ve seen some of the world’s biggest bands play this stage across the years including Nirvana, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. For any music fan it’s a big must on the festival ticklist.

Given its rather overwhelming gargantuan presence, getting round to catch all the bands you want to see can be a little tricky. If you leave it to chance then you’re going home empty handed for sure. You don’t have to go full ‘40 year old bore fest’ and put together a full proof itinerary with time stamps and colour coding but a little attention to detail will serve you well on the muddy roads ahead. It can be a bloody nightmare knowing how to balance your time. Sure, you know the big bands you want see but there’s a world on untapped potential littering the festival’s smaller stages that offer you a moments of life-changing epiphanic proportion. It’s okay though sit back in your camp chair, crack a can of warm fosters and continue reading. We’ve got you covered with all the band tips and essential viewing you’ll need this weekend……

READING FRIDAY // LEEDS SATURDAY

Kasabian top the bill tonight, they’re no strangers to these stages having headlined only a few years ago. Their set promises huge sounds and gripping atmosphere, you’ll feel the floor beneath you vibrating and obvious no brainer. You’ve got Two Door Cinema club playing mainstage a few hours before the Leicestershire lads, also veterans to the festival having worked their way up from a mid-afternoon slot on the NME tent stage back in 2010. Essential viewing for those warms summer vibes and tipsy feels. Earlier in the day on the mainstage you have RATBOY and Judas! RATBOY is an artist firmly stapled in the public eye, with Jamie T esque flow and vibrant indie rock driven guitar it’ll be a set to watch for sure! Judas were last minute step ins on this stage last year and rose to the occasion astronomically. It’s only right that they be invited back for the same slot this year! GO WATCH.

If we go through all the bands individually then you’ll be sat reading this till Monday and miss all the bands in question SO we’re going to rattle through this like a bull in a china shop. You ready?

TOP PICKS: The Magic Gang in the NME Tent, Life and Freak in The Pit/ The Lock-Up, The Amazons and The Big Moon on the Festival Republic Stage, Touts on the BBC Introducing Stage and finally over in the Jack Rocks tent The Shimmer Band and Trampolene.

Now we need to just add here that the Jack Rocks w/ This Feeling tent is a different beast entirely! Here you have a collection of meticulously curated bands all bold and ballsy enough to take on the world. Seriously, if you listen to anything we say here today please let it be this. The talent on this tent is absolutely out of this world you won’t find a better opportunity to catch the UK’s best emerging bands all in one place. I can’t stress this enough take these tips with complete sincerity, I could bet my bottom dollar you’ll leave the weekend having discovered your new favourite band if you spend enough time in this tent!

MAIN STAGE: Kasabian, Two Door Cinema Club, Jimmy Eat World, Circa Waves, RATBOY, Deap Valley, Judas

NME TENT: Sub Focus (I know, not our style but awesome live), Declan McKenna, The Orwells, The Magic Gang

THE PIT/ THE LOCK-UP: Billy Talent, Arcane Roots, Freak, Life

FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE: Off Bloom, The Big Moon, Idles, The Amazons, Yonaka

JACK ROCKS: The Cosmics, White Room, The Assist, The Wholls, Paves, Heavy Suns, Broken Witt Rebels, The Shimmer Band, Trampolene, Mint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbqxNJ2W6G0

READING SATURDAY // LEEDS SUNDAY

Eminem is top of the class today, he played the festival back in 2013 and is back for more this year. He’s class, it’s nostalgic, probably worth seeing if that’s still your cup of tea but not an essential for us at TRW. If we’re totally honest the mainstage is pretty dead today! I would suggest getting yourself round to some of the smaller stages to catch some bands don’t waste your time with the big boy. If you’re adamant that you want some mainstage action today though the Korn, Honeyblood and The Pretty Reckless would be worth scoping out.

TOP PICKS: Cabbage and Sundara Karma in the NME Tent, Turbowolf in The Pit/ The Lock-Up, Black Honey and Superfood on the Festival Republic Stage, Cassia and Pale Waves on BBC Introducing Stage and finally Palm Honey, The Blinders and Baby Strange on the JACK ROCKS Stage (remember what we said…..)

MAIN STAGE: Eminem, Korn, At The Drive In, The Pretty Reckless, Moose Blood, Honeyblood

NME TENT: Everything Everything, Sundara Karma, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Marozets, Cabbage, INHEAVEN, Blaenavon

THE PIT/ THE LOCK-UP: Turbowolf, Vukovi, Tigercub, Dream State

FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE: The Black Lips, Japandroids, Shame, Black Honey, Superfood, Indigo Lo (formerly Dolomite Minor)

JACK ROCKS: Baby Strange, Sisteray, Vida, The Strawberries, The Sundowners, Strange Bones, Shambolics, Breed, False Heads , The Blinders, Blackwaters, Palm Honey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF0hBQ06C9k

READING SUNDAY // LEEDS FRIDAY

Brit-Rock powerhouses Muse grace us with their legendary status today. Now these guys definitely aren’t strangers to the world’s biggest stages. Expect a HUGE, professional performance with accompaniments of many props, lighting and visual effects to make the experience unforgettable. Hopefully they’ll bang out some older classics like Stockholm Syndrome, Hysteria, Bliss, Newborn….. we could go on and on. Rock and Roll badboy/ (arrogant prick) Liam Gallagher has recently gone solo. He cut ties with former bands and has come to terms with the fact that Noel won’t be extending an Oasis olive branch anytime soon. In light of this he has a NEW album ‘As You Were’ coming out. For all you nostalgia endorsed, cagoule wearing, 90’s headcases out there you’ll want to be front and centre for this it’s pretty much nailed on that ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ will be making an appearance.

Blossoms are a force to be reckoned with. Their transcendent pop-rock hybrid has infected the hearts and minds of the UK population over recent years with their debut self-titled album heading straight for number one! As our favourite Sheffield rockers would say… ‘GET ON YA’ DANCING SHOES’ for this one it’ll be a lovely environment to be involved in. Smiles and hip shakes all round.

TOP PICKS: HAIM and The Sherlocks in the NME Tent, Fizzy Blood in The Pit/ The Lock-Up, Otherkin on the Festival Republic Stage, The Pale White on the BBC Introducing Stage and finally Himalayas and Surge on JACK ROCKS Stage.