Lineup 2016

[JSmurphy]

No. I am just a very negative person and I can't see festivals ever picking up again at all

Jeez, seems a bit OTT? I'm sure if R&L doesn't appeal to you there's hundreds of festivals across the globe that would.

[DGrant261]

I might be misunderstanding but that seems a bit contradictory to me, if they'd be poorly received when booked then everyone wouldn't be dreaming about them being booked?

I meant people on this thread dreaming of them. If say Weezer were booked this year the reaction on here and with quite a few 'enthusiasts' would be very positive. But with most of R&L's younger audience it would be negative, and websites like Vice would write articles moaning about how festivals are stuck in the past. Therefore it won't happen.

[dentalplan]

No. I am just a very negative person and I can't see festivals ever picking up again at all

They're doing fine? I see you're already going to different festivals so I don't see the problem.

Foals, Foos and Flo would do well with the R+L crowd. People are crying out for new headliners instead of tired old shit.

And no, I'm sure this won't go down well with people on here. But I honestly don't think the reaction to Muse headlining again would be positive. I don't think they'd be as popular with the younger audience Melvin wants who wouldn't really care that much for Muse I don't think and they wouldn't be as safe a bet for ticket sales as Foo Fighters.

I hate saying it but I think they'll just become one of the many great still active bands tht everyone dreams of getting at R&L each year only to be disappointed (Weezer/Placebo/Interpol etc.)

Muse have adapted their sound and approach so they can stay relevant to the mass audience so I don't know where you get that from.

I think Weezer could easily still be booked for R+L if they were touring Europe but they aren't. Interpol and Placebo had their time when they were popular with the R+L masses and now that's passed.

As an aside, I will never understand the moans about R+L not booking Placebo. They were booked nigh on every year in their prime and were helped heavily by R+L. They're now horrendously dated and not popular with the people that go to the festival and barely popular with anyone outside of the age group who liked them between 98-05 or whatever but they should still be booking them in the same high slots? No way.

[Matt42]

Considering how much the vaccines dropped within 2 years, I can see why foals may be looked at with doubt.

Howeve I do think foals will headline in 2016, seems to make sense!

[dentalplan]

Considering how much the vaccines dropped within 2 years, I can see why foals may be looked at with doubt.

Howeve I do think foals will headline in 2016, seems to make sense!

How much did they drop? Show me.

Edited March 28, 2015 by dentalplan

[JSmurphy]

I meant people on this thread dreaming of them. If say Weezer were booked this year the reaction on here and with quite a few 'enthusiasts' would be very positive. But with most of R&L's younger audience it would be negative, and websites like Vice would write articles moaning about how festivals are stuck in the past. Therefore it won't happen.

Muse aren't Weezer though, if it's an issue of relevancy to a 'young audience' I think Muse wouldn't be out of place - I'm sure there were plenty of young teenagers who grew up whilst Muse were releasing Absolution / Black Holes and Revelations etc. Even if some of their recent output hasn't been universally praised I can't see it being any more questionable or divisive than Foo's new stuff.

Edited March 28, 2015 by JSmurphy

[DGrant261]

They're doing fine? I see you're already going to different festivals so I don't see the problem.

Foals, Foos and Flo would do well with the R+L crowd. People are crying out for new headliners instead of tired old shit.

Muse have adapted their sound and approach so they can stay relevant to the mass audience so I don't know where you get that from.

I think Weezer could easily still be booked for R+L if they were touring Europe but they aren't. Interpol and Placebo had their time when they were popular with the R+L masses and now that's passed.

As an aside, I will never understand the moans about R+L not booking Placebo. They were booked nigh on every year in their prime and were helped heavily by R+L. They're now horrendously dated and not popular with the people that go to the festival and barely popular with anyone outside of the age group who liked them between 98-05 or whatever but they should still be booking them in the same high slots? No way.

The downward trend in quality will continue though I think. Just look at the quality of R&L from say 2009 to now. Can you no see it continuing to fall further and feature increasingly few good rock bands (As it was always a rock festival). And the same goes for T and V, and think we shouldn't be expecting them to be getting better year on year anymore.

To be honest I agree with most of that Placebo paragraph, although I would love to see them at Leeds. But nonetheless people on here still mention wanting to see them on the line ups when it's not gonna happen and I feel Muse are going that way. I don't think they're as successfully adapting to keep mainstream popularity as you are suggesting, their stock and popularity are both falling and I don't see any evidence to suggest the new stuff is winning over a newer young fan base.

[DGrant261]

I'm sure there were plenty of young teenagers who grew up whilst Muse were releasing Absolution / Black Holes and Revelations etc.

Absolution was 12 years a go. Someone turning 13 years would have been 1 on it's release

I'm not saying 13 year olds go to R&L but their peak will seem a lot further back to teenagers today than you are suggesting

[JSmurphy]

The downward trend in quality will continue though I think. Just look at the quality of R&L from say 2009 to now. Can you no see it continuing to fall further and feature increasingly few good rock bands (As it was always a rock festival). And the same goes for T and V, and think we shouldn't be expecting them to be getting better year on year anymore.

R&L used to be a Jazz festival. The downward trend in quality is subjective too. I'm gutted I was too young to go in the years RATM / The White Stripes headlined, not so gutted I missed headline sets from Razorlight, The Darkness and Franz Ferdinand. You've got to be cautious measuring the quality of previous bookings in hindsight. I happen to think this years got a lot going for it, sure I'm not elated with a lot of bookings / placements but I genuinely can't see a huge change in quality. Each day that passes I'm more excited to see Kendrick live, same with Libs.

[conroy17]

Muse are probably past their peak yes, but they could and would still very easily headline R&L and be for the most part well received.

[TenInchToenaiIs]

Muse could and probably will headline R and L as soon as they want to. They're still relevant with the crowd. They're just one of those bands people know

[oneoftherest]

People moaning about the subs and headliners being weak annoys me a bit tbh, cause subbing develops new headliners, I think its only really allowed if it is obviously weak I.e Jake Bugg

I'm biased cause I can't stand Jake Bugg.

Melvin has said in the past he always has high hopes for his sub's and hopes them to come back as headliners so subbing is a big step for artists at R+L and its who Melvin expects to be able to headline the festival one day, Paramore are a perfect example

[dentalplan]

At Muse's widely agreed 'artistic peak' they were doing academies and just touching on arenas. Recently they've been doing stadiums. Not really hard to see what's gone on and why they're still popular enough to headline.

Also this mope about R+L no longer booking these rock bands of ten or twenty years ago is something that every poster seems to go through. Some deny it, most accept it - and then they either just listen to new music and find a lot they like about the line up, or they move onto different festivals, or they do both like a lot of us still hanging around here.

[stevieg1993]

Mmm maybe jake bugg had quite abit of media coverage with radio 1, absolute radio, nme etc and sold out tours so suposse that's why he got bunked up the bill.dunno if he will die off in time or progress and headline. He comes across Marmite but I don't actually no anybody who would call a fan of his music but just casual listener.

[DGrant261]

Also this mope about R+L no longer booking these rock bands of ten or twenty years ago is something that every poster seems to go through. Some deny it, most accept it - and then they either just listen to new music and find a lot they like about the line up, or they move onto different festivals, or they do both like a lot of us still hanging around here.

It is more the fact that it has gone from being a line up filled with loads of great rock bands hitting their peak and appealing to a big crowd to not having to showing clear signs of moving away from rock music (In part yes because there isn't a plentiful a supply of bands anymore but also because of a changing demographic) and replacing it with some good stuff but mainly dance music shite (Rebel Sound/Duke Dumont etc.) and shit like Bastille that will unfortunately be remembered as the soundtrack to my generation that depresses me. If I wasn't 18 now and had been a kid when all the major UK/Europe festivals delivered outstanding line ups full of great rock music and could all sell out as a result then I'd find it much easier to accept these things 'changing with the times' than I do.

Edited March 28, 2015 by DGrant261

[Gucci Piggy]

If Muse tell Mevlin they want to play, he'll book them there and then. They're probably one of the 3 biggest current bands in the world, along with Foos and Coldplay.

They're the complete opposite of Weezer/Interpol. Most on here hate them, they're fucking monstrous sized, they've turned to shit recently and incorporated poppy elements into their sound to keep them relevant to young uns. The Resistance was probably their biggest album; Uprising and Madness will get better receptions than Uno and Hyper Music.

[Gucci Piggy]

It is more the fact that it has gone from being a line up filled with loads of great rock bands hitting their peak and appealing to a big crowd to not having to showing clear signs of moving away from rock music (In part yes because there isn't a plentiful a supply of bands anymore but also because of a changing demographic) and replacing it with some good stuff but mainly dance music shite (Rebel Sound/Duke Dumont etc.) and shit like Bastille that will unfortunately be remembered as the soundtrack to my generation that depresses me. If I wasn't 18 now and had been a kid when all the major UK/Europe festivals delivered outstanding line ups full of great rock music and could all sell out as a result then I'd find it much easier to accept these things 'changing with the times' than I do.

What are the likes of Royal Blood and BMTH, if they aren't rock bands hitting their peak? It's the same as it ever was, you just don't like the bands.

[Gucci Piggy]

They both booked Jessie J too.

He's got a very poor record at festivals. I kind of feel like he'd be more appreciated at R+L than other festivals but still can't see them going for it.

Yeah I thought his post was suggesting that if R&L wanted him they wouldn't be able to get him. I was just saying that if The Big Chill can get him then R&L probably can.

[TenInchToenaiIs]

If Muse tell Mevlin they want to play, he'll book them there and then. They're probably one of the 3 biggest current bands in the world, along with Foos and Coldplay.

They're the complete opposite of Weezer/Interpol. Most on here hate them, they're fucking monstrous sized, they've turned to shit recently and incorporated poppy elements into their sound to keep them relevant to young uns. The Resistance was probably their biggest album; Uprising and Madness will get better receptions than Uno and Hyper Music.

not totally opposite ayy

(new weezer album was still dope though)

[Matt42]

They're probably one of the 3 biggest current bands in the world, along with Foos and Coldplay

Hmm... you could probably argue - but yeah wherever Muse play in the world they'l be headlining so I can kinda understand that argument.

I'd probably put Mumford & Sons (bafflingly) in that top 3, they seem to be big across the whole world.

Idk the more i've thought about it, you're probably right.

I had a heavy night last night - apologies for the weird posts I'm not feeling good...

[Yellow_Fellow]

DGrant quick question what do you think about Royal Blood

[DGrant261]

What are the likes of Royal Blood and BMTH, if they aren't rock bands hitting their peak? It's the same as it ever was, you just don't like the bands.

True with those, but bands on an upward trajectory and genuinely large fan bases are few and far between. Just look at the NME headliners, this is the 1st time ever that this stage isn't headlined by at least one young indie band on the way up

[DGrant261]

DGrant quick question what do you think about Royal Blood

I like them, I think all they need is 1 big hit off their next album and I'd put them as headline sized. I know you'll probably think that contradicts everything else I've been saying all day, but to me they seem an anomaly, and I don't think there are enough Royal Blood's breaking through at the moment, defo not enough for R&L to be an exclusively guitar music festival anymore.

Edited March 28, 2015 by DGrant261

[Yellow_Fellow]

Right, cool, not gonna bother then

[dentalplan]

There are loads of Royal Bloods. It's just one of the worst ones was given the breakthrough and put on a path to stardom by Warner Bros.