Of course, like the other festivals, all eyes were on the headliners. This year, there were festival favourites, Kasabian and Muse, and...erm...Eminem, who had previously headlined four years ago, in 2013. So, what did I think of them? and what about the other acts? Well...here we go.
Kasabian
Kasabian are known for being a great live band, and a festival favourite. Therefore, they were not going to disappoint. I have to admit, I am not a massive fan of Kasabian, yet you cannot deny that they put proper energy into their shows, which is what makes them a fan favourite at festivals.
A couple of months ago, Kasabian released their sixth studio album, For Crying Out Loud, so have they run out of steam? Have the fans got tired of them? Erm...it is quite the opposite. They delivered a great set from start to finish, from bringing out classics, such as Empire and Underdog, to performing newer tracks, including Bless This Acid House and You're in Love With A Psycho. Furthermore, as some extra special surprises, they did covers of Daft Punk's Around the World and Nirvana's All Apologies. In addition, they invited Noel Fielding onto the stage during Vlad the Impaler, dressed as...erm...Vlad the Impaler. In fact, it is Serge we have to thank for Noel hosting The Great British Bake Off (apparently).
Of course, no Kasabian set would be complete without their best selling single, Fire and this was their final song during their encore. With all these hits, special surprises and special guests, it is clear to see why Kasabian always have the audience at the palm of their hands during their shows.
Eminem
Unfortunately, Eminem did not allow his set to be filmed for the BBC. However, I still saw some clips of his set thanks to social media (Seriously, how did we ever cope without it?).
From the looks of it, he did his classic hits, including Without Me, Lose Yourself and of course, The Slim Shady. It seemed like he was well received and missed by fans. Apparently, he is going to release his album pretty soon so if you're an Eminem fan, I recommend you keep an eye out for that.
Muse
Whenever you hear the words Muse and festival together, we know already that the festival is going to be hugely popular. As always, they did not disappoint. Matt Bellamy was his usual eccentric self, wearing glasses that flashed the lyrics to Madness across the lenses and carrying a light up electric guitar. However, this set was extra special. Along with the usual culprits turning up on the set list, such as Hysteria, Uprising and Starlight, as well as newer song, Dig Down, they also had a special guest in the form of AC/DC's Brian Johnson, to perform Back in Black.
They finished their set with the ultimate Muse festival anthem, Knights of Cydonia, complete with elements of Once Upon A Time in the West's Man With a Harmonica. This song, along with the special guest and other classics meant that Muse were met with a positive reaction from fans and helped to prove why Muse are considered one of the best rock bands around.
Other highlights
So...apart from the headliners, what were the other highlights? Well...firstly, there was the special guest, Drake, who turned up to collaborate with Giggs on Giggs' song KMT. Also, someone actually managed to predict this on Twitter. Amazing!
Another highlight among festival crowd was the return of Liam Gallagher. Leading up to the release of his new album, the former Oasis frontman has been doing the festival rounds, previewing some new material, such as Wall of Glass and singing some Oasis classics, like Slide Away, Morning Glory and Wonderwall.
One highlight that I can never leave out is Blossoms. "But you always mention them!" I hear you yell but they are a good band. However, you have got a point. I do like them but their sets seem to always have the same songs on. This includes Honey Sweet, Getaway and songs that have quickly become classics, At Most a Kiss and Charlemagne. However, I'm still so pleased with how far they have come and I definitely see them headlining in the future.
As well as Blossoms, I can't forget about Bastille. However, again, I take issue with this. As much as I love Bastille, they seem to be always on a festival line up with the same setlist. Despite this, I still enjoyed watching them. Here's hoping they headline in a couple of years.
Of course, no festival would be complete without some secret sets and this year's Reading and Leeds secret sets came in the form of Wolf Alice and Queens of the Stone Age, with the latter last appearing as a headliner in 2014. Queens of the Stone Age have already released their new album, Villains, and Wolf Alice are due to follow their debut, My Love is cool, with their next album, Visions of a Life. Both bands were met with a huge response to their returns. Could they both return to the festival to headline in the future?
So...Reading and Leeds is now over for another year. Here's to next year's festival!
Em x
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