Reading and Leeds Festival

Reading Festival is one of the most iconic festivals in the UK and priced at over £100 per day ticket, festival goers expect to get their money’s worth.

So when this year’s festival, held just 40 miles from Swindon, saw global artists drenched in water, hit with sound issues and finishing sets early, it’s no surprise that some fans were disappointed.

One Renee Rapp superfan said she travelled from Finland to see her hero perform a 45-minute set on Sunday but was left “heartbroken and disappointed.”

The American singer had to restart due to a broken microphone and was then drenched in water twice when rainfall that had collected on the stage roof poured down onto the artist and her electrical equipment.

Rapp was forced to leave the stage after performing just three songs (only one uninterrupted) and later took to Instagram to give the middle finger to Reading Festival.

Others having a less-than-good day were Catfish and the Bottlemen who had to pause the set due to sound issues, while headliner Liam Gallagher finished a whole 15 minutes early.

Saturday was also plagued with sound quality issues on the main stage for Lana Del Rey who started late due to setup and had to ask if the audience could hear her, and Raye was possibly the only festival act I’ve been to where I thought ‘could you turn it up a bit?’

This weekend marks 25 years since Leeds joined Reading to form one of the UK’s biggest and most iconic music festivals. BBC News speaks to festival-goers and artists to explore its impact.

Taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, it became a two-site festival in 1999 with the addition of the north location. However, its origins in the south date back to the 1950s.

Since its introduction, Leeds has hosted an ever-evolving blend of some of the biggest rock, hip-hop and pop artists from around the world while also championing local talent.

Leeds Festival music fans have been left furious following the closure of two of its stages - including the legendary Radio 1 tent - for the rest of the weekend. Storm Lilian's wrath wreaked havoc in Yorkshire, making it unsafe for some of the stages to open at the Branham Park festival.

Hopeful attendees had been setting up camp but the storm's impact was so severe the Radio 1 tent and the Aux stage have been declared "lost". The Chevron stage was also shut but this will reopen today. The organisers expressed their deep regret but that "mother nature had played her part".

Despite the beautiful weather, there is undeniably a sense of fatigue around Richfield Avenue. With many having been onsite for 48 hours already, Reading Festival is struggling to wake up.

American country pop star Dasha does her best to raise the mood as she opens the Main Stage, but her singalong anthems – as pleasant as they are – merely keep a fatigued but crowd awake. Seb Lowe follows, receiving a similarly muted response, despite his best efforts.

But Kneecap won’t be denied. They may about to become movie stars, but the music still comes first and they take the stage – amid a tangible sense of anticipation – for the first BIG set of the day. As they have done so far all throughout 2024, the Irish trio rise to the challenge without even breaking sweat.

Tricolours and balaclavas pepper a by-now enthusiastic audience, which even an abandoned ‘Better Way To Live’ – the sample and video of Grian Chatten’s chorus skipping – fails to deflate. Mo Chara and Moglai Bap are consummate dual frontmen, orchestrating the crowd to create frequent mosh pits on demand. Moglai sets the tone early: “Do we have any English people here?” Cue boos. “Don’t be booing them, it’s not English people we hate. It’s the English government.”

Born crowd-pleasers – and knowing chunks of the set are unlikely to be broadcast – Kneecap take both the government and the BBC to task, the backdrop intermittently flashing: ‘The English government are complicit in a genocide. Free Palestine’ to rapturous applause.

The Prodigy have spoken to NME about their return to Reading & Leeds 2024 this weekend – their first time at the iconic festival since the passing of Keith Flint.

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Now, they’re back to play R&L for the sixth time – headlining the “groundbreaking” new stage, The Chevron.

With the festival about to kick off, the band’s Liam Howlett has shared his favourite memories from the August Bank Holiday bash, as well as telling us what the future holds for the Firestarters. Check out our full interview below.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/16528159

"Revellers at Leeds Festival have been warned to stay in their tents as the site has been battered by gales amid Storm Lilian.

Two stages "have been lost" amid drastic changes organisers have had to make due to the weather. Leeds Festival wrote on X: "We can see an end in sight to the high winds. We definitely won't be opening the arena at 11am, but we are targeting as soon as possible after that and we will update you further..."

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/2158823

Just came across this British post-punk group on YouTube. I love their energy. It looks like they released their debut EP last year. Hopefully we get more from them soon!

With just three weeks to go until the gates open, organisers have shared some “essential info” with festivalgoers, which highlights newly-banned items for 2023.

Disposable vapes are now not allowed onsite at Reading & Leeds. “They pollute the environment and incorrect disposal of these can be hazardous at waste centres,” the listing reads.

In addition, campfires and disposable BBQs are prohibited “anywhere at the festival, including the campsites”. Explaining the ban, organisers said: “This is to support the Air Quality Action Plan and in consideration of local impacts as set out in our Green Nation Charter.

Given (I believe) there's no mechanism for locals to get cheaper tickets, does anyone have any tips for grabbing cheaper day tickets? Wouldn't mind catching a fair few acts on Friday and Sunday, just not for £200+!

Anyone going to be there this year?