Frank Turner

[strudders]

Agreed they do cover the type of bands sonishphere has but they can also do without them. The bread and butter is the indie/rock whatever you want to call them type bands and they will book the heavier music if its avialble but if its not they can sell the festival without it. I would still maintain that on a reading/leeds bill the majoirty of the bands are more likely to play at v than sonisphere or donwload. If you think about it most years the bulk of the main stage, nme tent and festival republic stage play v within a couple of years as long as they build up a suificient fanbase.

Edited May 4, 2009 by strudders

[Keva]

My opinion of Frank has changed after hearing one of his songs on a sky advert. Happy he's playing though but wasnt he confirmed ages ago?

[pink_triangle]

V will take what the masses wants and is most popular at the time. Reading/Leeds always book the best bands they can get irrespective of album sales.

[strudders]

Maybe im a bit cynical but i think album sales are very important to the reading/leeds organisers as well. You cant sell out a festival without the big selling bands and i dont think they would deny that they are a mainstream/commerical festival.

Edited May 4, 2009 by strudders

[RamonesRool]

What are his most popular songs? Doing a spotify list to get to know some bands

[kaosmark2]

Reading/Leeds always book the best bands they can get irrespective of album sales.

[strudders]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[inspectedinspector]

What are his most popular songs? Doing a spotify list to get to know some bands

[RamonesRool]

The Real Damage

A Decent Cup of Tea (a personal favourite)

Fathers Day

Wisdom Teeth (as above)

The Ballad of Me and My Friends

I Knew Prufrock Before he Got Famous

Love Ire & Song

Thatcher f**ked the Kids

Long Live the Queen

to get you started

[inspectedinspector]

Thanks a lot! Sounds much like an up to date Billy Bragg from what i've heard so far. Saw Billy Bragg at leeds one year and it was the highlight of the weekend so I'll make sure to catch this guy.

[RamonesRool]

Fancy returning the favour? This is slightly embarassing as I am well aware Billy Bragg has influenced many bands I listen to now, and have always meant to check him out. I think it's because of my young inexperienced life Where do I start? I use spotify too...

[kaosmark2]

Would you care to enlighten us on that piece of literary genius?

[strudders]

The festival clearly pays more attention to album sales than who is the 'best' band. Even ignoring the subjectivity of 'best', Reading/Leeds has become a pop festival. Look at the top 4 on the line-up, how many of them would be out of place at V?

How many of those acts are 'the best around'? Arguably Radiohead, but every single one of those is a safe, popular booking that will sell to the most number of people. Why have they booked Bloc Party AGAIN? Not because they're the greatest possible coup to the festival. But because their album sales are good and they guarantee ticket sales to the target audience.

Why did they book Rage and Metallica last year? Because they're popular. Because they have huge album sales. Because they knew they'd sell.

Reading/Leeds shares more of an audience with V than any other festival. Which is more similar? Download? Glasto? I'm sad that I'm saying this, but R/L is now a completely commercial pop festival with smatterrings of rock, as opposed to an alternative festival that catered to most genres.

[thomasowen]

The festival clearly pays more attention to album sales than who is the 'best' band. Even ignoring the subjectivity of 'best', Reading/Leeds has become a pop festival. Look at the top 4 on the line-up, how many of them would be out of place at V?

How many of those acts are 'the best around'? Arguably Radiohead, but every single one of those is a safe, popular booking that will sell to the most number of people. Why have they booked Bloc Party AGAIN? Not because they're the greatest possible coup to the festival. But because their album sales are good and they guarantee ticket sales to the target audience.

Why did they book Rage and Metallica last year? Because they're popular. Because they have huge album sales. Because they knew they'd sell.

Reading/Leeds shares more of an audience with V than any other festival. Which is more similar? Download? Glasto? I'm sad that I'm saying this, but R/L is now a completely commercial pop festival with smatterrings of rock, as opposed to an alternative festival that catered to most genres.

Edited May 4, 2009 by thomasowen

[dakyras]

While I don't disagree with some of your logic, Rage and Metallica are a niche band for a niche market, the same the Killers were last year. The fact we have the line up could have been diluted this year due to contract issues with Sonisphere is another issue all together. Reading/Leeds still books bands based on Commercial and historic president. Rage were a massive band but played nowhere else due to the fact it was part of there tour. So to say we will be seeing all the below in one festival is just wrong:

Will Young

The Noisettes

Lily Allen

Taylor Swift

Biffy Clyro

Daniel Merriweather

Natalie Imbruglia

Lemar

Alelsha Dixon

Katy Perry

Reading does book bands that V would not entertain for the simple reason its what people expect to see.

However you are bang on regarding Block party. I do not know how they have got that slot as they were dire last year.

[Explosions_In_The_Sky]

Why are people attempting to distinguish rock from pop? By it's very definition the composition of a rock and roll band has always denoted pop music. Even if you trace the roots of rock and roll back beyond the likes of Little Richard and Bill Haley through to the beat generation and Jazz your still witness this. In fact I'd argue you have to go right back to it's delta blues roots before you verge into the region of the 'unpopular'. Moreover, after 50s rock and roll you can take the idea of the popular rock and roll band forward through the eras of R & B, Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Glam, Heavy Metal, Punk, New Wave, early 90s alt rock, Brit Pop and the subsequent rehashes of the above we've had throughout the 00s.

What I'm trying to say is that to distinguish Kings of Leon or Rage Against The Machine from Natalie Imbruglia, Lily Allen or Lady Gaga is a fruitless exercise - it's all pop music. If you actually consider one of the most seminal musicologists on the subject of popular music, Theodor Adorno, all his defining traits of pop apply to all the music that is found at a mainstream festival. That it is to say standardization (namely in the 4/4 and the rule to produce a number of songs under 4 minutes for potential airplay) and the adherence to 'safe' emotional themes. In fact, I'd argue that the only act on the bill that eschews the musical form of pop music (and only briefly) is Radiohead, especially on Amnesiac.

So in truth, the bands in the lock up are just as poppy as the bands at the top of the main stage, and the acts at V Festival. Pop music isn't a culturally measured thing (ie by album sales or how many people turn up at a gig), it's instead a set of musical conventions. After all, it's only adherence to these conventions that allows a band/song to become 'popular' in the first place. Therefore, if Philip Glass was to release an album that went 2 x Platinum he still couldn't be considered 'popular' due to the makeup of his music. Likewise, The King Blues aren't considered a 'pop' band by many, however the style of music they play very much is a popular form.

Some people have very adolescent differences between 'rock' and 'pop', as if because they listen to metal, and their sister listens to Lady Gaga, there is a clear disparity. There isn't, you both listen to pop and the festivals merely tap into the many variations that exist of it to sell their product.

PS. Sorry for the OTT answer, I'm in cultural theory mode due to my exam revision

Edited May 5, 2009 by Explosions_In_The_Sky

[funkymp]

as opposed to an alternative festival that catered to most genres.

Edited May 5, 2009 by funkymp

[inspectedinspector]

Why are people attempting to distinguish rock from pop? By it's very definition the composition of a rock and roll band has always denoted pop music. Even if you trace the roots of rock and roll back beyond the likes of Little Richard and Bill Haley through to the beat generation and Jazz your still witness this. In fact I'd argue you have to go right back to it's delta blues roots before you verge into the region of the 'unpopular'. Moreover, after 50s rock and roll you can take the idea of the popular rock and roll band forward through the eras of R & B, Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Glam, Heavy Metal, Punk, New Wave, early 90s alt rock, Brit Pop and the subsequent rehashes of the above we've had throughout the 00s.

What I'm trying to say is that to distinguish Kings of Leon or Rage Against The Machine from Natalie Imbruglia, Lily Allen or Lady Gaga is a fruitless exercise - it's all pop music. If you actually consider one of the most seminal musicologists on the subject of popular music, Theodor Adorno, all his defining traits of pop apply to all the music that is found at a mainstream festival. That it is to say standardization (namely in the 4/4 and the rule to produce a number of songs under 4 minutes for potential airplay) and the adherence to 'safe' emotional themes. In fact, I'd argue that the only act on the bill that eschews the musical form of pop music (and only briefly) is Radiohead, especially on Amnesiac.

So in truth, the bands in the lock up are just as poppy as the bands at the top of the main stage, and the acts at V Festival. Pop music isn't a culturally measured thing (ie by album sales or how many people turn up at a gig), it's instead a set of musical conventions. After all, it's only adherence to these conventions that allows a band/song to become 'popular' in the first place. Therefore, if Philip Glass was to release an album that went 2 x Platinum he still couldn't be considered 'popular' due to the makeup of his music. Likewise, The King Blues aren't considered a 'pop' band by many, however the style of music they play very much is a popular form.

Some people have very adolescent differences between 'rock' and 'pop', as if because they listen to metal, and their sister listens to Lady Gaga, there is a clear disparity. There isn't, you both listen to pop and the festivals merely tap into the many variations that exist of it to sell their product.

PS. Sorry for the OTT answer, I'm in cultural theory mode due to my exam revision

Edited May 5, 2009 by inspectedinspector

[thomasowen]

Why are people attempting to distinguish rock from pop? By it's very definition the composition of a rock and roll band has always denoted pop music. Even if you trace the roots of rock and roll back beyond the likes of Little Richard and Bill Haley through to the beat generation and Jazz your still witness this. In fact I'd argue you have to go right back to it's delta blues roots before you verge into the region of the 'unpopular'. Moreover, after 50s rock and roll you can take the idea of the popular rock and roll band forward through the eras of R & B, Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Glam, Heavy Metal, Punk, New Wave, early 90s alt rock, Brit Pop and the subsequent rehashes of the above we've had throughout the 00s.

What I'm trying to say is that to distinguish Kings of Leon or Rage Against The Machine from Natalie Imbruglia, Lily Allen or Lady Gaga is a fruitless exercise - it's all pop music. If you actually consider one of the most seminal musicologists on the subject of popular music, Theodor Adorno, all his defining traits of pop apply to all the music that is found at a mainstream festival. That it is to say standardization (namely in the 4/4 and the rule to produce a number of songs under 4 minutes for potential airplay) and the adherence to 'safe' emotional themes. In fact, I'd argue that the only act on the bill that eschews the musical form of pop music (and only briefly) is Radiohead, especially on Amnesiac.

So in truth, the bands in the lock up are just as poppy as the bands at the top of the main stage, and the acts at V Festival. Pop music isn't a culturally measured thing (ie by album sales or how many people turn up at a gig), it's instead a set of musical conventions. After all, it's only adherence to these conventions that allows a band/song to become 'popular' in the first place. Therefore, if Philip Glass was to release an album that went 2 x Platinum he still couldn't be considered 'popular' due to the makeup of his music. Likewise, The King Blues aren't considered a 'pop' band by many, however the style of music they play very much is a popular form.

Some people have very adolescent differences between 'rock' and 'pop', as if because they listen to metal, and their sister listens to Lady Gaga, there is a clear disparity. There isn't, you both listen to pop and the festivals merely tap into the many variations that exist of it to sell their product.

PS. Sorry for the OTT answer, I'm in cultural theory mode due to my exam revision

[Explosions_In_The_Sky]

I think thats probably the most insane thing I've ever read on this forum. Good luck

Although I agree with the majority and can understand it, I think you can only apply that to a degree, surely? There are quite clearly audioable differences between the aforementioned Lady Gaga and Rage Against The Machine.

Btw, I've just been looking at the link from your sig; rate your music (never heard of it before) - seems a really cool idea...

Edited May 5, 2009 by Explosions_In_The_Sky

[micawber]

I think thats probably the most insane thing I've ever read on this forum. Good luck

Although I agree with the majority and can understand it, I think you can only apply that to a degree, surely? There are quite clearly audioable differences between the aforementioned Lady Gaga and Rage Against The Machine.

Btw, I've just been looking at the link from your sig; rate your music (never heard of it before) - seems a really cool idea...

[Explosions_In_The_Sky]

Please don't apologize, this is the most inteligent thing I've read on here for ages. you are absolutley right about what you say, it is very annoying when people (particuarly and unfotunatley from the metal community)use the term pop as an insult to describe a band they don't like without understanding what the term means.

To me pop music is as you described, music at roughly 3 minutes, with simple, emotional lyrical themes, played in a conventional time with conventional instruments. Pop and rock have always been inseperable but I do see a difference, at least in historical terms. Rock music basicly apeared in the mid 60s as a more intense form of pop and rock n roll. Rock was an atempt to take music back to it's blues origins. Some major differences include longer songs, the removal of the rhythm guitar and more emphasis on vocals.

I certainly wouldn't class Rage against the machine as popular though, their music breaks most pop conventions, e.g long songs, overtly political lyrics, no rhythem guitar etc.

Edited May 5, 2009 by Explosions_In_The_Sky

[thomasowen]

All those conventions define U2 and REM as well. Would you not consider them pop bands too?

Edited May 5, 2009 by thomasowen

[Explosions_In_The_Sky]

I wouldn't give U2 the honour of calling them pop or rock, just rubbish. They certainly follow both rock and pop conventions, their kind of a hybrid. I definatley see a difference between pop and rock, although I get that they all fall under the same umbrella at the end of the day. I would call R.E.M alternative pop (why isn't this term used more, it is certainly a better fit for most bands than indie)

Edited May 5, 2009 by Explosions_In_The_Sky

[thomasowen]

Haha a little harsh. Boy through to Achtung Baby are some of the most influential and accomplished popular rock albums ever crafted. Although I do agree that since then they have equally released the most bland as well..