more to see and do at Reading and Leeds

A line-up of comedy, cabaret and one off performances has been announced for this year's Reading and Leeds Festivals, which take place at the twin sites of Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The Alternative Stage will be appearing at both sites, replacing the old Comedy Stage, and will feature a host of unique musical and multi media collaborations, top name comedy and cabaret and audience Q & A’s throughout the weekend.

There will be comedy across both sites from Simon Amstell, Dirty Sanchez, Ed Byrne, Tim Minchin and Luke Wright, as well as different acts at both Reading and Leeds, making each line-up entirely unique.

Both sites will be treated to a specially curated night courtesy of Trangressive Records, visiting Leeds on Friday and Reading on Saturday. Featuring audio visual sets from the Trangressive roster, including Battle, Jeremy Warmsley, Absentee, 3 Trapped Tigers, Noah And The Whale, Beans On Toast, Lucy And The Caterpillar and Mechnical Bride. These will all be one-off performances created specially for the festival.

Transgressive co-founders Toby and Tim said "Our nights at Reading and Leeds will be a snapshot of music in all its incarnations and forms – every act is different to the next, and attempting to do something unique and special. The video footage will see some familiar material aired, and some exclusive imagery / videos that aren’t quite so commonplace. We’re hoping to surprise, and delight, and also make you groove your arse off.”

Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies will also be involved in one-off performances. At Leeds, they will perform a set alongside Minor Threat live video footage from 1982 whilst at Reading, they be teaming up with various acts such as Blood Red Shoes, The Scare, Foals, The Young Knives and Lethal Bizzle.

As well as all that you can expect one off performances from Shitmat, Crazy Girl, and Dirty Sanchez.

A special production called Dream Of An Opium Eater will be making an appearance at Leeds on Thursday, featuring a unique collaboration between members of Killing Joke, Enslaved, Twin Zero, and Million Dead, performing a soundtrack of intense metal to accompany horror shorts.


Here is the full list of what you can expect to see at both sites:

At The Carling Weekend: Leeds Festival
Thursday 23rd August (EVENING)

Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies
Dream Of An Opium Eater
American Hardcore – fisrt UK screening of theclassic US punk film that documents the US underground punk scene from 1980 to 1986.

Friday 24th August

The NME Question and Answer Session – NME writers and a band (tba) will take part in an open discussion the audience.

Comedy:

BARRY & STUART, Magicians – The stars of Channel 4’s ’Magick’
SIMON AMSTELL – 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' host
RUSSELL KANE - A performer with the instincts of a “rabble rouser”
JIM JEFFRIES – Stand up comedian known for his 'Porn Idol' show.
ROGER MONKHOUSE – Described by the Evening Standard as “shaven-headed, topical, good, and nothing to do with Bob”.
HUGH LENNON – The world’s only canine hypnotist
TERRY CLEMENT - Psychedelic comedian who performs surreal comedy skits.
ANDREW BIRD – A great exponent of conversationalist comedy and a regular on the UK stand-up circuit.
COLE PARKER – "wonderful, upfront and hilarious”. (Evening Standard)
BEN HURLEY – Winner of New Zealand 's two biggest comedy awards

The Evening Entertainment

TRANGRESSIVE RECORDS PRESENT:

Exclusive Audio Visual Sets From

ABSENTEE / 3 TRAPPED TIGERS / BATTLE / NOAH & THE WHALE / EMMY THE GREAT / MECHANICAL BRIDE / LUCY & THE CATERPILLAR / JEREMY WARMSLEY / BEANS ON TOAST Plus Trangressive DJ’s and Videos.

Saturday 25th August

Climate Change Short Films and Q & A – a series of short films detailing the process of climate change plus an open discussion with a panel on the situation and how best to protect the planet.

Comedy:

TIM MINCHIN – A multi-instrumentalist who blends music into his brand of dark, comedic cabaret.
DAN ATKINSON – A stalwart of the stand-up world.
MICKEY DEE - “a world class talent" (The Independent)
AL PITCHER – Upbeat and unpredictable stand-up.
TOBY FOSTER – A regular on the UK stand-up circuit.
MATT BLAIZE – Fast talking East End comedian.
JASON ROUSE - Oddball comedy, devilishly crafted jokes and freak show theatrics.
LLOYD LANGFORD – A rapidly rising star on the UK comedy circuit.
PAUL TONKINSON – Comedian who appeared on Big Breakfast & The Sunday show.
STEVE GRIBBIN - Guitar based comic songs.

The Evening Entertainment:

Exclusive Audio Visual Sets from

DJ ELECTRIC LADY & LUNG / SHITMAT / LADYSCRAPER & EBOLA (see intro for more information) / THE RALFE BAND / CRAZY GIRL LIVE / BEENY ROYSTON & JADELL / TIM TEN YEN.

A mash up of Warp sounds and videos alongside Brighton’s finest noise pioneers all constructing unique sets for the festival crowd.

Sunday 26th August

Crazy Girl Shorts – Comic short films

Comedy:

LUKE WRIGHT - one the UK’s most successful stand-up poets.
TIM CLARE – Sharp comic poetry from the presenter of C4’s ‘How To Get A Book Deal’.
DEREK MEINS – An engaging mixture of songs and off the wall performance poetry.
CARL DONNELLY – One of the most exciting new comics climbing the comedy ladder.
ANDREW LAWRENCE – Dark musical comedy
CRAIG CAMPBELL – A unique ability to find humour in the mundane, coupled with his own natural eccentricity makes for truly inventive storytelling.
DAVE JOHNS - Comedian who has received rave reviews from the critics.
ED BYRNE – One of Britain’s best loved comedians and a master story teller.
MATT REED – A master joke teller
JUNIOR SIMPSON – One of the UK’s best loved stand-ups.
DAVE FULTON American comedian with a sense of irony
KEVIN BRIDGES – A “born stand up” according to the The Herald

The Evening Entertainment

TIM TEN YEN – A second set from the ‘Singing Salaryman’
THE YOUTUBE LOUNGE – using your favourite YOUTUBE clips, Irish film maker Eoghan Kidney creates a unique visual DJ set.
STARS UP YOUR ARSE KARAOKE – become your favourite star and entertain the crowd.

Cabaret and Comedy:

FANCY CHANCE COMEDIC CABARET / WARLORDS OF PEZ / MISS BEHAVE / THE FIRE TUSK PAIN PROOF CIRCUS with DJ GOLDIEROCKS.

An evening of burlesque, cabaret and comedy to close the stage. Warlords of Pez bring shlock horror metal music to entertain whilst Fancy Chance puts the grin into burlesque alongside Miss Behave.


At The Carling Weekend: Reading Festival
Friday 24th August

Climate Change Short Films and Q & A – a series of short films detailing the process of climate change plus an open discussion with a panel on the situation and how best to protect the planet.

Comedy:

PAUL TONKINSON – Comedian who appeared on Big Breakfast & The Sunday show.
KERRY GODLIMAN – One of the UK’s leading female comedians.
DAVE FULTON American comedian with a sense of irony
TIM MINCHIN – A multi-instrumentalist who blends music into his brand of dark, comedic cabaret.
WOODY BOP MUDDY’s - Record Graveyard allows you, the audience, to vote on whether records should be saved or sent to ‘Record Heaven’ via destruction in a manner of ingenious ways.
LLOYD LANGFORD - a rapidly rising star on the UK comedy circuit.
JASON ROUSE - Oddball comedy, devilishly crafted jokes and freak show theatrics.
MATT BLAIZE – Fast talking East End comedian.
ROB ROUSE - “a born clown, a latter-day Stan Laurel" says Time Out.
STEVE GRIBBIN - Guitar based comic songs.

The Evening Entertainment

Audio Visual sets from

YOUTHMOVIE SOUNDTRACK STRATEGIES / RALFE BAND / SHITMAT / CRAZY GIRL / BEENY ROYSTON & JADELL / WARLORDS OF PEZ / SOUND OFF DJ’s plus DJ Nic Gadget.

A mash up of Warp sounds and videos alongside Brighton’s finest noise pioneers all constructing unique sets for the festival crowd.

DIRTY SANCHEZ WORLD PREMIERE

Saturday 25th August

The NME Question and Answer Session – NME writers and a band tba will take part in an open discussion with the audience.

Comedy:

DEREK MEINS – An engaging mixture of songs and off the wall performance poetry.
BEANS ON TOAST – One man social commentator and his guitar.
ED BYRNE – One of Britain’s best loved comedians and a master story teller.
MATT REED – A master joke teller.
KEVIN BRIDGES – A rising star of UK comedy.
JOHN FOTHERGILL – Expect cocky insults and slick banter
HUGH LENNON – The world’s only canine hypnotist.
TERRY CLEMENT - A psychedelic comedian who performs surreal comedy skits.
JUNIOR SIMPSON – One of the UK’s best loved stand-ups.
ANDREW BIRD – A great exponent of conversationalist comedy and a regular on the UK stand-up circuit.
BEN HURLEY – Winner of New Zealand 's two biggest comedy awards

The Evening Entertainment

THE YOUTUBE LOUNGE – using your favourite YOUTUBE clips, Irish film maker Eoghan Kidney creates a unique visual DJ set.

TRANGRESSIVE RECORDS PRESENT Exclusive Audio Visual Sets From:
ABSENTEE / BATTLE / NOAH & THE WHALE & FAY SEA BUZZARD / MECHANICAL BRIDE / JEREMY WARMSLEY / BEANS ON TOAST Plus Trangressive DJ’s and Videos.

PUNK ROCK KARAOKE – pick your favourite punk song and belt it out.
THE FIRE TUSK PAINP ROOF CIRCUS – Lucifire and Dave Tusk entertain

Sunday 26th August

The Vox n Roll Music Quiz – your chance to test your music knowledge.
Crazy Girl Shorts - Comic short films

Comedy:

SIMON AMSTELL – Never Mind The Buzzcocks host.
HAL CRUTTENDON – One of the UK’s favourite stand-ups
BRIAN LAZERNICK – You know as much about him as we do.
SEAN COLLINS – Canadian Collins is a stand-up of great repute.
BARRY & STUART, Magicians – The stars of Channel 4’s Magick.
IAN COGNITO – One of the UK’s longest serving comedians.
RICKY GROVER – An “absolute knockout” according to The Guardian.
JOHN MALONEY – A regular at The Comedy Store and Jongleurs
MILTON JONES - A Sony Award winner and a well regarded name on the stand-up circuit.

Many acts have been confirmed for the Reading and Leeds festivals, including headliners Razorlight, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Smashing Pumpkins - click here for the line-up details for Reading, and here for Leeds.

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