Reading and Leeds 2017 Rocked!

On the bank holiday weekend (25th-27th August) music fans came in their thousands to watch the world's best rock acts. Ok, there are some pop and grime acts but Reading and Leeds is first and foremost a rock festival.

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

Festivals are coming!

Hi everyone!
It seems like yesterday when, in 2016, to distract us from all the terrible goings on in the world (even before we had those Presidential election results), our beloved festivals were releasing their line ups. Now, we have the full line ups for Radio 1's Big Weekend, V Festival, Reading and Leeds and, of course, Glastonbury. Note that there is no T in the Park this year, due to Ospreys being on the site, as they are a protected bird species whose habitat would be disturbed if the festival went ahead.

So...what do I think of this year's line ups? Well, as you will see...it is mixed.

V Festival: 18th (if you include the Friday dance night)- 20th August.

Ok, so V Festival is more of a family friendly festival so fair enough that it is mainly a pop festival, with little variety. The headliners this year are Pink, who I hear is amazing live, and Jay-Z, and joining them include the likes of Ellie Goulding, James Arthur, Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, Craig David, Rudimental, as well as many others. What is interesting is that Clean Bandit are on the line up along with their collaborators, Jess Glynne and Sean Paul and Anne-Marie. Could they be performing together on Rather Be and Rock a Bye respectively?

However, for those of you who are less into your pop music, there are other acts out there. For those who are into grime, you have Stormzy. For those who like to reminisce with classic songs, you have Busted, Madness and Craig David. Finally, for those who like your dance music, you have Friday night to party with the likes of Annie Mac and Duke Dumont, as well as during the Saturday and Sunday, with Pete Tong and his Ibiza classics, and Sigma.

Overall, the V Festival line up this year is great for those who would want variety and/or looking for a small festival to try, before they go to any of the other festivals.

Radio 1's Big Weekend- 27th-28th May

Last year's line up was really good, as it had something for everyone, whether you were into indie music, pop music, hard core rock or grime. This year is ok. However, I have issues with it. I'm not saying the line up is terrible but it seems to be last year's line up but with a few alterations. Music artists who were there last year, and also this year include Biffy Clyro, Bastille, Stormzy and Blossoms (who to be fair have gone from the BBC Introducing Stage to the newly named Where it Begins stage). However, there are other artists who are going to get the crowds going, in the form of Rag 'n' Bone Man, fresh from his double Brit award win, Emeli Sande and Kings of Leon. There are also some big names who are set for huge comebacks on the bill, including Lana Del Ray, Kasabian and Haim.

Overall, similar to V Festival, the line up has something for everyone. The only thing is tickets have sold out but you will be able to live stream the performances on the Radio 1 website.

Reading and Leeds- 25th 27th August

I like to think that Reading and Leeds is the rock and hip-hop version of Glastonbury. This year's headliners are Kasabian, who are set to release their new album, For Crying Out Loud, on April 28th, Muse, who, if you saw my previous post, could be releasing new music, and...err...Eminem.

Despite the presence of Eminem and Wiley, Reading and Leeds still maintains its reputation as a rock/indie festival, with established acts, such as Two Door Cinema Club, Bastille, Blossoms and The Pretty Reckless, as well as newer bands, such as The Hunna and Cabbage. There is also the Radio 1 dance stage for those who prefer dance music rather than Rock music. This stage will feature the likes of  Fatboy Slim, Charli XCX and Becky Hill, as well as the spoof hip-hop group, Kurupt FM, who recently provided the official Comic Relief single with Ed Sheeran.

If you're looking for a festival full of rock and roll, hip-hop beats and a place to let loose and dance then this is the festival for you. If not...then it is probably best to avoid it.  It has not been confirmed yet but it is likely that the performances will be available to stream on the BBC Reading and Leeds website. Highlights are also likely to be shown on BBC 4.

Glastonbury- 21st- 25th June

Yep...I have saved the best 'til last. We had a few ideas about who would be at the most famous festival ever (apart from Coachella), due to artists confirming themselves, such as London Grammar, Nile Rodgers, with Chic, and Kris Kristofferson. But first, the speculation was focused on those all important headliners.

I have to be honest, apart from Radiohead, the headliners were kind of obvious. After months and months of speculation, the Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran were finally revealed to be the headliners, with the Foo Fighters receiving the warmest reception, due to the band cancelling in 2015 because Dave Grohl broke his leg. Ed Sheeran...not so much. Don't knock it until you've tried it people! I have heard great things about Ed Sheeran performing live and, after seeing a few bits of his concert documentary, Jumpers for Goalposts, I reckon he is more than capable of performing in front of a massive crowd.

But what about the rest of the line up? Well, it is really varied. Glastonbury has every act that would like. If you're into grime, you've got Stormzy, Dizzy Rascal and Kano. For those into rock, you have the likes of Royal Blood, Biffy Clyro, Kaiser Chiefs and, of course, Foo Fighters. Don't worry pop music fans...there is something for you too! To cater for those who love to bop to pop, we have Katy Perry, Lorde and Clean Bandit. Plus, there is always other types of entertainment that people can explore.

Overall, Glastonbury is always known to be a spectacular event, and whether you like the line up or not, there is always something happening. Unfortunately, like every year, Glastonbury tickets went like gold dust. However, like always, Glastonbury will be live streaming most of its live performances on the BBC Glastonbury website, and on the BBC Red Button.

Here's to a great summer of festivals!
Em
x