Lineup 2016

[Chavmeisterdeluxe]

43 minutes ago, Odessa said:

 

Courteeners have gone really stale too, but the atmosphere there was great and they definitely warranted that slot (at Leeds, doubt they were anywhere near as well received down south).

From what I could tell (sat watching the screens) the crowd, whilst sizeable, gave precisely zero fucks until the last two songs at Reading.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Chavmeisterdeluxe

[Odessa]

29 minutes ago, Hart Attack said:

That awkward moment when you yell CUT MY LIFE INTO PIECES at people in the campsite, but they don't know what to sing back at you because that song came out before they were born and they've never heard it...

Tbf, I know the next line and I wouldn't sing back, and that's coming from someone who's got no voice from singing/shouting/being a tit all weekend. Papa Roach are terrible.

[BeddingatReading]

I may as well do my review of the bands (that I can remember!) - no hate please, just my opinion 

Friday

We were late so missed Frank Turner unfortunately, but he looked amazing on the telly.

Creeper (Pit) Very good way to start the weekend, did well to get the crowd going even so early in the day. 7/10

Nothing But Thieves (Main) My first time seeing them and I wasn't disappointed, the lead singer has one hell of a voice. 8/10. 

Lower than Atlantis (Main): Not their best performance and the young crowd didn't seem too into it, but like JSMurphy said, catchy songs that are always fun to sing along to. 6/10. 

The Sherlocks (Festival Republic) Very impressed with this young band. Crowd seemed well up for it and the band did them justice. 8/10. 

Disclosure (NME) I quite like the band, but I have to say that I was quite disappointed. Hard to distinguish when one song ended and another began, and I feel like they dragged out a lot of their songs (maybe because they don't have enough to fill a headline set). They didn't convince me that they deserved to be in the position they are, and we left early. 5/10. 

Twenty one Pilots (NME)  They put on a very energetic set. They know what sort of crowd they'd pull in (early teen girls) and they did what appealed to them. Fans irritated me a LOT and you could just not escape them, and for that reason I wouldn't see them again. 6/10

Oliver Heldens (Dance) Caught the first hour of his set and I was very impressed, got the crowd going, played a lot of well known songs and a very enjoyable set. My only venture into the dance tent over the weekend, and due to the crowd in there I wouldn't rush back, unless he or someone similar size was on,but based on his performance alone 8/10. 

Foals (Main): Caught the last 45 mins of their set. I'm not a massive fan but there's no denying that for the Foals fans out there, this would be everything you'd hope for and more. 8/10. 

Saturday

Sunset Sons (NME): One of my favourite new bands at the moment and sounded almost as perfect as they do on record. 8/10. 

Blossoms (NME) As above. Played a great set, sounded decent and did what they could to get the crowd involved, including dedicating a song to a girl in the front row. 8/10. 

Slaves (Main/Introducing): Good set also, although I guess you can't go wrong with smashing a few drums and shouting down a microphone (but I liked it!) did a decent acoustic set too 7/10. 

The Hunna (Festival Republic) One hell of a performance. Only discovered them a few weeks ago but based on their new album and this live performance I can see them on the main stage very very soon. 9/10. 

Jack Garrett (NME) Can't deny that what this man does is impressive, but once he's done one or two songs it's a bit same old same old. 7/10.

Red Hot Chilis(Main) Everything I expected from them. Played the big tunes, great solos, give a great live performance that the majority of newer bands these days just cannot replicate. 9/10. 

Sunday

State champs(Main) Nothing special. Probably not helped by the time and position they were on, probably would have suited the lockup more, nowhere near as good/popular as they think they are. 4/10. 

Modern Baseball (Lockup): Put on a great show in the pit and as with every band I saw in there, great crowd. They seemed to love what they do and it showed. 7/10. 

The Vaccines (Main): Some great singalongs and they had a good stage presence, the singer did what he could to get the most unlively crowd I saw of the weekend going. Based on the performance alone, 7/10. 

Fall out Boy (Main) I loved it, plenty going on (in fact maybe too much in hindsight)  they got the crowd involved, everyone seemed a lot more up for it compared to the band before, to me the performance they put on showed that they deserve to headline in their own right. 9/10. 

The Wombats (NME): Caught the last half of their set due to the clash with FOB and as always, they were brilliant. Catchy tunes that everyone seemed to know the words to, and you could just see that they loved doing what they do best. 9/10. 

The 1975 (NME) - To me, they were perfect. Okay, so the vocals weren't 100% but Matt isn't known for being the best singer, but they put on a great performance where everyone sang along and you couldn't even hear him over the crowd! He left saying that they will be back headlining the festival in the future and based on that performance I think it's hard to disagree. 10/10. 

 

Please no hate for my opinions, it is just that, an opinion. 

[devilman]

1 hour ago, Odessa said:

Tbf, I know the next line and I wouldn't sing back, and that's coming from someone who's got no voice from singing/shouting/being a tit all weekend. Papa Roach are terrible.

So when a person loving life and having a good time reaches out to you in an attempt to find a common bond and share good times, you are too self obsessed to join in? I remember when festivals were more about the people that went than the music. You probably shied away from people with the wrong fashion sense too huh?

[dentalplan]

I'd sing the rest of the whole damn song.

[Odessa]

8 minutes ago, devilman said:

So when a person loving life and having a good time reaches out to you in an attempt to find a common bond and share good times, you are too self obsessed to join in? I remember when festivals were more about the people that went than the music. You probably shied away from people with the wrong fashion sense too huh?

Nah mate just personally don't get any enjoyment from singing songs I don't like. I don't think that makes me self obsessed. 

[Mash011]

15 minutes ago, devilman said:

So when a person loving life and having a good time reaches out to you in an attempt to find a common bond and share good times, you are too self obsessed to join in? I remember when festivals were more about the people that went than the music. You probably shied away from people with the wrong fashion sense too huh?

Come on, this is like criticising people for not joining in the fucking dicks out for harambe chants.

[Foals/Disclosure]

I'll plagiarise BeddingatReading for the start line, as it was well put. -  My review of the bands (at Leeds) - no hate please, just my opinion.

FRIDAY

Black Foxxes (NME) – Went based on hearing one song, but found the set enjoyable 7/10

Basement (NME) – Crowd seemed up for it. Wasn’t really my sort of thing though, but seemed good in their own field of music 6/10

Spring King (NME) – Very good crowd early on in the day. Great set from the band too 9/10

The Vryll Society (FR) – Small-ish crowd who didn’t seem very into it. Very good performance from the band though 7/10

The Magic Gang (FR) – Didn’t expect too much from this indie band, however brought a large crowd, who appeared very into it 8/10

Ezra Furman (FR) – Again a big crowd in the FR tent at Leeds. Ezra delivered perfectly and could have done with a longer set. 9/10

The Vaccines (Main) – Lead singer did a good job, despite clearly being off his head. Alright crowd, good performance 8/10

Cage The Elephant (NME) – Very energetic set, playing the odd unexpected track. Set flowed really well and the crowd were up for it 9/10

The Wombats (NME) – Absolutely massive crowd, spilling way out of the tent. Fantastic set too 9/10

Biffy Clyro (Main) – Caught the last hour and seemed to be as good of a performance as in 2013 9/10

SATURDAY

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls (Main) – Frank made it seem like a real occasion and the combination of this, an exited crowd and an excellent performance made it one of the highlights of the weekend 10/10

Cabbage (Jack Rocks) – Amusing Mancunian band who gave a good first 20 minutes with a good crowd. Like a very energetic Fat White Family 8/10

CHVRCHES (Main) – Felt sorry for them, as the rain seemed to drive a lot of the crowd away. A good performance, though. 7/10

Foals (Main) – The best headline set I have have ever seen, with an excellent crowd, despite the rain 10/10

Pulled Apart By Horses (FR) – Very obviously a Leeds band who had a great crowd, some who were drawn into the tent by the rain 8/10

Maximo Park (FR) – Lead singer really got the large crowd going with his energy. Excellent performance 10/10

SUNDAY

Sundara Karma (Main) – Blissful early set from a band doing well to draw a good crowd on the main stage without an album for another five months 9/10

Whitney (NME) – Good performance, however 99.9% of the crowd were definitely there for Blossoms 6/10

Blossoms (NME) – Massive crowd for the slot they played, causing chaos. Great performance 9/10

The Courteeners (Main) – For a band with a struggling lead singer, the crowd was huge, despite mainly being c**ts looking for the nearest opportunity to set off a flare. 7/10

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (FR) – Best set of any festival I have been to, let alone this weekend. Excellent crowd 10/10

Imagine Dragons – Watched the last half hour queing for spring rolls. Seemed to put in a good, energetic performance 8/10

Two Door Cinema Club – Surprisingly good live band, who recognise that their debut album is their best album by a fair way 9/10

However, the highlight of the weekend was Fetty Wap not playing

[Gozpot]

Here we go...

Friday:

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes: Always fantastic, wasn't sure how they would fair on such a big open stage but they managed to bring their usual carnage to the Main Stage. 8/10.

Creeper: Very solid set, got the crowd going well, good setlist for fans with Black Cloud being played again. 7/10.

Nothing But Thieves: Have seen them before and they were brilliant, didn't really get the same feeling this time. 6/10.

Die Antwoord: Simply Crazy, didn't know what to expect from them live and i didn't leave dissapointed. 7/10.

Crossfaith: Simply fantastic, Crowd was fantastic and they even got out Benji from Skindred for a song. One of the sets of the weekend. 9/10.

Twenty One Pilots: Going in with very high expectations i was left a little dissapointed, which was not helped by struggling to hear anything but teenage fans. 6/10.

Foals: They came out with the confidence you expect to see of bands that have been headlining festivals for years, took it in their stride and proved they had earned their spot as headliners. 9/10.

 

Saturday:

Skindred: Never been dissapointed by them before and this was no different, got the crowd pumping in the early afternoon and playing Bieber over the speakers after saying the next song would be more satanic than Slipknot, Ozzy and Marilyn was brilliant. 8/10.

You Me At Six (Secret Set): The crowd was going crazy for the obvious reason of it being a secret set, the band went through a reasonable playlist of old hits and a couple new songs. Not amazing but good. 7/10.

Eagles Of Death Metal: Didn't play many of their hits and didn't really sound great either, they could have really done with Josh Homme. 5/10.

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra: Their first ever show and the band seemed to gel together like they had been playing together for years, all the songs sounded brilliant and i can't wait for the album. 8/10.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Didn't know any of their songs but they put on a good live show, fans were going absolutely crazy for it, not my type of music but a very strong set nonetheless. 8/10.

Imagine Dragons: Only caught the last 3/4 songs, really sounded like his voice was struggling to hit the higher notes, stage show felt no different to how it has for the previous 3 years. Was also apparently using backing tracks earlier in the set. 5/10.

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Was very anxious of how they would be, given their reputation but they were brilliant, setlist was fantastic and the crowd was loving it. 9/10.

Sunday:

State Champs: One of the rising stars of Pop Punk and they put on a show that showed why they are on the rise. 7/10.

Basement: They sounded really good, the crowd was really good only real complaint is that the security kept standing up in the way. 8/10.

Deaf Havana:  Had missed them 2 times in the last 3 years and i left after two songs, Tone-Deaf Havana would be quite apt. 4/10.

Beach Slang: Despite having a relatively small crowd they put on a good show, covering Just Like Heaven by The Cure was very well done. 7/10.

Modern Baseball: Not exceptional but still good. 6/10.

The Vaccines: Not a huge fan but i enjoyed myself, a good band to dance along to and seemed to know their first album was their most loved and adjusted the setlist accordingly. 7/10.

Fall Out Boy: Poor setlist for me, missed out a lot of their older hits and filled it with a majority of their newest stuff, the crowd only seemed to know and care about the new stuff, stage show was very good but they sounded mediocre. 6/10.

Biffy Fuckin' Clyro: Didn't know what they could do to top 2013 but they absolutely smashed it out of the park. The stage production was exceptional, they sounded perfect. Only complain was the lack of songs off their first three albums but at a festival i was exepecting no less. 57 was the highlight of the entire weekend. 10/10.

[Andre91]

Decent weekend at Leeds. Weather was shite for the most part so that was a bit of a downer. Saw some amazing sets over the course of the weekend though. 

Friday was probably my favourite day. State Champs started off with a good singalong and I met the singer afterwards near one of the bars so that was cool.

Basement sounded great and I'm looking forward to getting into them before the BMTH tour in November.

Coheed and Cambria were effortlessly brilliant as always, I just think that they aren't going to be appreciated at R&L like they should be. Absolutely phenomenal musicians, all of them.

Sleeping With Sirens were absolute shite. His voice is shameful live. Rubbish.

Five Finger Death Punch was a weird one. I'm not a fan of them but the crowd down the front were so into it. Not my cup of tea, nor will they ever fit in at R&L, but they sounded alright. Still a baffling booking to me. 

Modern Baseball rammed the tent. They were bloody brilliant. After being so excited for them last year and them pulling out, I was so ready for the singalong this time and they didn't disappoint. Highlight of the set for me was  Rock Bottom. 

Tha Vaccines were really fun and the sun was nice. I've always had a soft spot for them so I enjoyed it. 

Fall Out Boy were decent. I don't care for any of the new stuff, but went nuts for Hum Hallelujah and Saturday (even though it's now the second time they've played after 2013 and not a single other person I could see had any idea what Saturday was. People on the screens down the front didn't even have a clue! I'm sure I made up for it all by myself though  ) The fire dancers were a bit weird, though. 

BIFFY CLYRO. 11/10. Stunning as always. Awesome stage show, and great setlist. 9/15ths was a nice treat. The best consistently brilliant live band I've ever seen and after 2013 & 2016, how anyone can be dubious about them being festival headliners is beyond me. There is no doubt. They will continue to smash headline shows out of the park for years to come, I'm sure of it. 

 

Saturday started with Frank Carter putting on the performance of the festival. Just immense. That's how to be a frontman. Absolute carnage from start to finish. Would love to see him in a really dingy venue. 

Creeper were good. Not as good as they were on their last tour, but still good nonetheless. Crowd loved it. Misery is such a powerhouse of a song. Reduced me to tears. 

Lower Than Atlantis are so bland. Nothing about them stands out or perks any sort of interest. My mate asked me to describe what Die Antwoord would be like after and I said imagine being in the mood for ice cream but all there is to have is vanilla, but then someone brings you a bowl of mint chocolate chip covered in strawberry sauce with a flake and hundreds and thousands with a couple of ecstasy pills hidden in there, that's what Die Antwoord will be like after LTA. And it was  Die Antwoord were bloody brilliant. Crazy, crazy people playing crazy, crazy music. Entertaining from start to finish. 

Boy Better Know isn't really my thing but I enjoyed them from afar. Crowd was massive and was really into it. Really good to see this going down so well on the Main Stage. 

CHVRCHES were good, despite the rain. Nice singalong. 

Foals SMASHED their headline set. 10/10. Was really close to the front and the crowd was going nuts. Setlist was great and performance was even better. Never been a HUGE Foals fan, but I've come away with a lot more love for them. Definitely deserved that headline spot. 

Jack Ü was good fun. I was to the side but my friends in the middle said that it was chaos. 

 

Sunday was a bit of a crap day. Skindred were great. I'm not really a fan but they are a perfect festival band and are exceptional at what they do. Benji never fails to crack me up, either. 

PARKWAY DRIVE. Parkway Drive were the one and only band I was truly excited about seeing all weekend and that had been building day by day. Getting an alert on the app to say that they had pulled out was gutting. Really really disappointed by that, but with it apparently being due to a family issue, I totally understand. I was SO ready to pit, man. 

Slaves are crap. That's all I have to say. Never liked them anyway but after seeing Frank Carter put on a proper Punk show the day before, the "cor blimey Mary Poppins!" 'Punk' of Slaves was never going to do anything for me.

Eagles of Death Metal were mind numbingly dull for me. That front man did my head in. I genuinely just wished he would shut up and play more boring songs instead of rambling on between every song. 

Saw a little of the Courteeners, they went down a storm with the crowd because we were up North, obviously  the amount of flares was insane, never seen anything like it. 

Imagine Dragons were boring too, I thought. Crowd was really big and seemed to enjoy it though. 

RHCP was a nice, chilled ending to the weekend. Thought they were good, sounded good too but we're just a little boring. They don't talk to the crowd much, but at least they played a decent setlist. Nice end to the weekend. 

 

Overall, lineup wise, it was definitely the worst since I have been doing full weekend (2012). I really do hope next year brings a little more excitement. Top 5 for 2016 in order: Frank Carter, Biffy, Foals, Die Antwoord & Modern Baseball. 

Edited August 29, 2016 by Andre91

[Followill]

Great weekend at Leeds, real shame to see someone overdose, really think they should introduce the drugs testing booth thats been seen at other festivals as they are never going to curb the drug problem it seems so may as well make sure people are safer. The mud was punishing this weekend, really wish they'd of made as much as an effort to put things down at Glastonbury as it put me off seeing as many acts as I should of.

Friday:

Five Finger Death Punch: Quite well received, decent enough and funny to see the lead singer attempt to give a fan a baseball bat. How he expected security to allow that I have no idea. 6/10

The Vaccines: A lot better than when I saw them at Werchter last year but that was mostly due to the atmosphere, stilll not the solidest of performances 6/10.

Fall Out Boy: Great stage show, good setlist and just all around good fun. Deserving of the headline slot. 9/10

Biffy Clyro: As above, should have headlined there own night. Absolutely smashed it, would like to see them get two hours. Don't think the new album is anything special but the new songs went down well, on top form. 10/10

Saturday:

Boy Better Know: Banger after banger, they could have easily taken a bigger slot. Good to see Grime gaining some prominence through these guys. Was a nightmare to get into the arena for them. 9/10

CHVRCHES: Real shame the weather was so bad for them as this was them on there best form, but the crowd just wasn't up for it at all. 7/10

Foals: Smashed it, crowd was wild and a great setlist. Even the pouring rain couldn't fault this, although they seemed to get a smaller crowd for it. 9/10

Jack U: Tent was bouncing for them, just a real party and a great Saturday night headliner. Again another 9/10

Disclosure: Caught the back end of them and the atmosphere just seemed flat until Latch. Glad I chose Jack U, they seem to only really work indoors and when they bring lots of guests. 5/10

Sunday:

Skindred: Mental crowd for these guys, very engaging 8/10

You me at six secret set: Looked like good fun in the tent, was a nice surprise to see them there. 7/10

Slaves: Wasn't far into the crowd so can't say how the atmosphere was but sounded decent from what I saw. 7/10

Courteeners: Always thought they were overrated but they have the crowd in the palm of there hands, even if its due to the amount of pyro that gets let off it was a lot of fun. 8/10

Imagine Dragons: They need to rest before they come before they come back to festivals, just a tired overused festival act now for me. Only caught the first half but didn't feel I needed to see anymore. 5/10

Logic: Was great to finally see him, he's incredibly talented and created one of the friendliest best atmospheres I'd seen over the weekend. Wish he'd play songs from his old mixtapes as its far superior to his albums though. 7/10

RHCP: Can't understand the massive dislike from these, was expecting them to be really poor but they sounded fine and the atmosphere was great. Some of the newer songs weren't as lively and maybe they were a bit tiresome after two hours but the hour and 15 I caught made me want to see a full set. 8/10

Duke Dumont: Wouldnt be mistaken for thinking he was just any other DJ in a club but he was good early into his set, dropped off a bit towards the end. 6/10

Special shoutout to all the acts who cancelled, really think its more laziness from most of them rather than actual issues. Saw some huge sets though, the weather has killed me off.

 

Edited August 29, 2016 by Followill

[DirtyChorizo]

1. biffy clyro 10/10

2. Foals 9.5/10

3. king gizzard and the lizard wizard 9/10

4. frank carter 8/10

5. savages 8/10 (would be better but crowd was a bit shit for a lot of it)

6. RHCP 8/10

7. slaves 8/10

8. basement 7/10

9;  disclosure 7/10 (performed well but crowd was full of c**ts)

10. EODM 7/10

[OscarEB]

Did anyone else see Highly Suspect on NME and leave highly disappointed? Was one of the few bands that I was truly looking forward to, and were the only one that let me down (except Parkway, but that's understandable). Seen a lot of hate for RHCP, but tbh I had the time of my life, despite the guitar solos been below bar with the new guitarist. That been said, give it away was a fantastic end to a fantastic weekend, despite being covered in mud 

[FakeEmpire]

Had a fantastic weekend at Reading.  Great bands, great weather, didn't queue for the toilets at any stage, never more than 5 minutes for the bar - bar/toilets really trump Glastonbury at the moment.

Sum up of who I saw:

Friday

Dusk (BBC Introducing) - I used to watch the 11am band in FR to start the day but they got rid of those this year so I watched the opening acts on BBC Introducing instead.  Female-fronted electro pop group from Leeds, nothing particularly exciting but decent enough.  5/10

Frank Turner (Main) - Perfect opening set.  There were a lot of people there who didn't really seem to know many of the songs but, as always, the whole crowd were on side by the end of this energetic, hit-filled set.  10/10

Haelos (NME) - They're essentially a 90s version of The XX but I enjoyed them. Hadn't heard of them until they were added to the Reading poster.  7/10

Hinds (NME) - Due to Fetty Wap pulling out and the times moving, the crowd around me was full of a lot of idiots waiting for Mura Masa who were chanting "who are you", "mura masa", "get off" etc so I just partied a bit harder to make up for it.  Great set.  8/10

Lion Babe (Dance) - My schedule had changed a bit due to the NME times so I just went to this.  Dance tent is not the place for an act like this really, people aren't interested in engaging or facing the stage. Sound was a bit off, too much backing track for me but she was a great frontwoman.  4/10

Die Antwoord (Main) - This was such good fun. Huge crowd, so many people into it.  8/10

Boy Better Know (Main) - Great setlist, massive crowd - we can't be far off a grime headliner after this.  8/10

Chvrches (Main) - Crowd felt a bit sparse after the previous 2 acts but they've translated to outdoor stages much better than I had expected.  8/10

Crystal Castles (NME) - Missed the first 2 tracks due to the Chvrches crossover, smaller crowd than normal for them and 99% of people were waiting for Twenty One Pilots.  Time to rest this band, it just doesn't feel right without Alice.  4/10

Twenty One Pilots (NME) - I'm not a huge fan of these but thought I would give it a go and really enjoyed it.  Massive crowd.  7/10

Foals (Main) - They might not have had the 'hits' for a headliner crowd but they play like one of the best bands in the world.  Never disappointing.  Glastonbury headliner for album 5.  10/10

Saturday

Vexxes (BBC Introducing) - Not my thing at all  1/10

Sundara Karma (Main) - Sounding huge on the main sage and their debut album isn't even out until next year!  8/10

Sunset Sons (NME) - A bit Maroon 5 for my tastes but the crowd were up for it.  They did their thing well but it's just not for me.  3/10

Highly Suspect (NME) - A band I discovered from the Reading lineup and It was ace after a shaky start.  7/10

Whitney (NME) - Smallest NME crowd I saw that weekend but a great set from a lovely album.  8/10

Blossoms (NME) - Didn't go off as much as I expected it to.  Despite 2 weeks at #1, it felt like a lot of people didn't really know the album.  They were very good though.  7/10

Netsky (NME) - A few too many 'Woomph There It Is' types but fun enough  6/10

Anderson.Paak (1 Xtra) - Terrible sound in the tent but a great (albeit too short) set 9/10

Courteeners (Main) - Loved this.  They get a lot of stick for writing rather straight-forward indie songs but they do it well and the crowd were well up for it.  9/10

Krept & Konan (NME) - Did this for my girlfriend and it was terrible.  If it wasn't for Haim pulling out then I could have seen Nas in this slot which made it even more depressing.  2/10

Red Hot Chili Peppers (Main) - Hadn't seen them before and have read mixed things about them as a live band but this was really great.  I think the setlist was spot on, huge festival singalong all around me and easily the biggest headliner crowd of the weekend.  8/10

Sunday

Adore Repel (BBC Introducing) - OK but I was feeling half dead at this point.  4/10

Tibet (FR) - Solid if a bit generic.  5/10

Isaac Gracie (FR) - A bit  too James Bay maybe but great voice and did well to combat the soundbleed from the Main Stage.  6/10

Spring King (NME) - Ace, deserve to be bigger 9/10

The Vryll Society (FR) - Seemed good but didn't know their stuff before 7/10

Tonight Alive (NME) - Not my thing at all but thought they put on a great show and her voice Is really impressive 6/10

Half Moon Run (NME) - Some great songs but the live set up is a bit 'plodding along' 6/10

ASAP Rocky (Main) - Good setlist, good energy but should cut the miming of the singing (and also the live singing which was worse) 6/10

The Vaccines (Main) - Great setlist from a solid festival band but it seemed hard work to get the crowd on side.  Were people just waiting for Fall Out Boy?  8/10

Cage The Elephant (NME) - Smashed it, what a band.  They don't seem to do particularly well in the UK in terms of record sales or gig venue sizes but a huge crowd seemed to know so many of the songs across the 4 albums.  Possibly even better than when I last saw them at Reading.  9/10

The King Blues (FR) - 9/10

Biffy Clyro (Main) - Perfect again.  The crowd wasn't huge - probably largely due to them being up against The 1975 and Good Charlotte - but they delivered a set which showed they ARE festival headliners and they really need to be given the chance to headline other big UK festivals now.  10/10

 

 

[PastRecedes]

Really good weekend at Leeds. Although the mud was pretty tiring and soul destroying, it didn't put me off too much as I was with a great group of people and spirits were always high. Only disappointment was there was a lot of cancellations (for seemingly legitimate reasons) which was a bit upsetting but hey ho, what can you do. Never done one of these before even though I've been to Leeds the past 3 years. Anyway:

Thursday:

The Wytches: Dragged a few of my friends along to see these as I was really into their debut album. Turns out they didn't play any songs from said album, just new stuff. I only knew one song from the set, but the crowd was still well up for it and their new tunes seem to be sounding good. Just one song from their debut would have been nice though, even though the set was very short - 7/10

Friday:

Half Moon Run: Never listened to these before, only went because our friend wanted to see them and we planned to leave half way through for A$ASP, before we found out he cancelled. Lead singer has a really good voice though - 6/10

The Vaccines: Never actually listened to a Vaccines album in full, but of course I know all their big tunes. Put on a great show when I thought they might be a bit bland. The frontman was pretty funny and the crowd was well into it - 8/10

K.O.G. and the Zongo Brigade: These guys were playing as we walked past the Introducing stage on the way to the NME stage, and me and my friends were instantly hooked and decided to stay and miss the start of Cage the Elephant. Honestly one of the highlights of my weekend. Their music was so feel good, everyone was dancing and they drew a relatively big crowd considering no one seemed to actually know who they were. Me and my friends had a great time there. Experiences like that are highlights of festivals for me - when you find a band you know nothing about but still have a great time. Will definitely be checking these guys out - 10/10

Cage the Elephant: Similarly to The Vaccines, I've never listened to a Cage the Elephant album in full but I know their big tunes. The crowd was big and really into it, the front man put on a great show and I feel obliged to go listen to their music now. Great show - 9/10

The Wombats: Seen The Wombats numerous times now through a mix of their own shows and them supporting bands in the past. Only planned to see the start of their set so we could catch all of Biffy, but we were still really close and central. They put on a good show, but perhaps I've seen them so many times now that it didn't feel too special. There was a bit of crowd crush where we were standing too, a few people had to be lifted over the barrier - 7/10

Biffy Clyro: Second time seeing these guys, I was much more into them the first time I saw them in 2013 than I am now so it didn't feel as special but they still put on a really good show. Haven't listened to much of the new album, just the singles and I still don't really feel enticed to, but they are sounding better than ever live and the crowd loved it. Cool stage show too - 8/10

Saturday:

Die Antwoord: Awesome. Really cool stage show, the crowd loved it - 9/10

Boy Better Know: I knew there was a lot of hype around these and was worried there would be a load of c**ts in the crowd. Seemed fine where we were though, really close and central. There were good moshes, although some were opened up at the complete wrong times (at the end of songs etc.) so people didn't really know what they were doing. I can see R&L pushing these guys higher up in the bill in the future - 8/10

Chvches: Planned to watch all of their set but the rain was awful and my friends didn't really know them so I was easily convinced to go shelter in the NME tent instead. Still, saw the start and they seemed fine. Feel bad for them about the rain though, it must have vastly reduced their crowd size - 7/10

Crystal Castles: I'd say at least 60% of the crowd didn't have a clue who these guys were and were only there because of the rain. This meant the crowd was pretty dead, and the microphone seemed to be a bit dodgy too. I still thought they were decent though and put on a good show - 6/10

Foals: Never seen them live before, but my expectations were high as I'd never heard a bad word about their live performance. I wasn't wrong - brilliant set, crowd loved it, these guys deserve the headline spot - 9/10

Disclosure: Absolutely soaking a freezing by the start of their set, but we were really close and central, and the weather didn't seem to dampen anyones spirits. Saw these guys headline the NME tent in 2014 and thought they were great but suited better to the tent. Turns out they can rock the main stage too. Loved every minute of it, crowd seemed to love it too. Again, like foals, they deserve the headline spot - 9/10

Sunday:

Slaves: Seen these guys a fair few times now, and although musically it's similar every time, they seem to get funnier each time I see them. Put on a good show and crowd were into it. Ready for the new album though - just hope it's not exactly the same feel as their debut (which I'm doubtful about) - 7/10

Eagles of Death Metal: Literally know 1 song by these guys and they didn't play it. Crowd seemed to be dancing and enjoying it from the back where I was but I wasn't overly impressed - 5/10

Courteeners: Everyone my age seem to love these guys and I don't get it, they're really samey and Liam Fray proper annoys me. I hung around the back for these guys and tbf they did put on a good show. If I knew more songs it would have been a good sing along. The crowd obviously loved it and although the flares was predictable, it looked pretty incredible (although the smoke completely blocked the view of the main stage for a couple of minutes). Wouldn't like to see them any higher up the bill, mind - 7/10

Imagine Dragons: Again, seen these a few times now and getting a bit bored by them. Wanted to go see King Gizzard instead but we decided to stay so we could get a better spot for RHCP. However, crowd was loving it, really nice feel good factor as the sun was setting and a good singalong. They put on a good show - 8/10

RHCP: My all time favourite band as a kid. Literally the reason I play guitar and made so many of the friends I have now. Although nowadays I'm not as into them, they have a massive place in my heart and there was no way I would miss their show. I didn't expect it to be amazing, but it was good, they played some great tunes and the crowd was loving it. There was some absolute c**ts stood next to us, but I tried not to let them dampen my spirits. Lovely end to the weekend - 8/10

 

All in all, great weekend. Not planning on going to Leeds next year, I've been 3 years now throughout my college life and I'm off to uni this year, moving down south. Planning on trying out some other festivals instead, like Glastonbury if I can get tickets or Boomtown. This seemed like a great end to the festival for me and I was with such good company. I've loved the 3 years I've gone to Leeds, but now I'm ready to move on. It ended with a bang instead of me thinking 'nah, this isn't for me anymore' which I'm dead happy about.

Also, anyone know who was playing the Jack Rocks stage on Sunday around 11pm? We caught the end of their set after RHCP finished a bit early and whoever they were don't seem to correspond with the official lineup times. Pretty sure it wasn't Broken Witt Rebels. Anyway, they put on a good show to a tiny crowd. Cool new stage/area too!

[callum97]

Well I have nearly recovered from Reading 16, can I just say that the crowd is getting younger and younger each year, I am nearly 20 and I already feel too old for it. 70% are 16 year olds that can’t handle their alcohol, we camped in purple as we always do and I have to say it will probably be the last time we do because there were so many people being idiots. We are thinking of trying another festival now which is a shame. However, the music was great this year – much better than last year!

Friday

Frank Carter and the rattlesnakes 9/10: Wow, what a way to start a festival, got the crowd going with brilliant stage presence. I hate you was awesome at the end of the set. Look forward to seeing these guys again

Lower than Atlantis 7/10:  I have seen these guys many times, they aren’t as good at festivals they are much better at their headline gigs. But they still put on a good show, shame they crowd was so irritating. Got to meet them later on too

Die Antwoord 7/10: Just what I expected really, crowd was big which was good.

Crossfaith 9/10: absolutely incredible live, the crowd was mental and I loved every moment of it!

Disclosure 6.5/10: Left a little disappointed tbh, they would have been much better in the NME as they didn’t prove themselves as worthy headliners. The middle of the set was very dragged out and I found myself getting bored at points.

Foals 5/10: now I know most people on here will disagree, but I found them soooooo boring. Maybe it’s because I’m not much a fan anyway but apart from a few songs I found the rest very lifeless. Could of booked a better headliner imo.

 

Saturday:

Skindred 9/10: I love this band and this was the first time I saw them live and they did not disappoint, such great stage presence they really know how to get the crowd going! The Newport helicopter was brilliant.

You Me At Six (secret set) 9/10: managed to get quite close as I guessed this a few days before the festival, brilliant setlist, the new material sounds really good and they Josh sounded great! The crowd was buzzing as it was a secret set, looks like the will be back next year!

Imagine Dragons 6/10: love their first album, not keen on the new one, their show didn’t impress me in 2014 and it certainly was no better this year. His voice didn’t sound great either, I stayed for the whole set but didn’t wow me.

RHCP 8/10: I know a few songs here and there and I wasn’t expected much as personally I find a lot of their songs quite boring. They surprised me though, I loved the intro and the solos were great and I really enjoyed them even though I didn’t stay for the whole set.

 

Sunday (best day):

State Champs 8.5: The American version of neck deep, I’ve seen State champs a few times and I really like their music and they have definitely become a lot more recognised lately. They aren’t as big over here compared to the states but they put on a great show Derek sounded great and they were very grateful to be playing Reading Festival, I’m sure they will be playing higher up in years to come.

Coheed and Cambria 8/10:  The guy has an amazing voice, was very impressed with this band, the guitar solos were great too!

Sleeping with Sirens 8/10: Sounded better than they did in 2014, very energetic performance and full of catchy songs to sing along to, his voice still isn’t that great though.

Five Finger Death Punch 9.5/10: Absolutely smashed it! Been wanting to see this band for a while and their performance was awesome, Loads of fans turned up for this show and lots of people knew all the words. Great set list and also they seemed like genuinely nice people making sure no one got hurt and also giving out loads of stuff to their fans. I was so shocked that Reading booked these dude to the direction that they are going in but I’m not complaining as I love 5FDP and were one of my highlights!

ASAP rocky 4/10: I sat down for this one and watched from the side of the stage, I have never heard so much crap in my life! Shouting lyrics that aren’t even In time with the song, he sounded terrible and was terrible in my opinion. However, if you love ASAP then you will probably disagree haha.

Arcane roots 8/10: I think these guys are brilliant, I really like their songs, they put in so much energy! You can tell that Biffy inspired them a lot, hopefully a band to watch in the next few years!

Fall out boy 9/10: Stage show was absolutely brilliant, so much pyro! They sounded amazing, crowd were loving it! Even though they played too much new stuff they were great. It was odd because the crowd didn’t hardly know their older songs which personally I think are the better ones, still a great performance and proved themselves worthy headliners!

Biffy Clyro 11/10: Never seen them before and I have been wanting to for a long long time! Best headliner I have ever seen! Amazing setlist, it was good to see 9/15^th and 57 is always my favourite along with that golden rule. The definitely deserve to headline outright and I’m glad they got the hour and a half! They deserve a two hour slot really as it would have been good to hear different people, victory over the sun and god and satan. Glad they played ‘in the name of wee man’ brilliant track off their new album, stage was amazing so much energy goes into this band and the atmosphere was just incredible!

TOP 5

1.       Biffy

2.       Five Finger Death Punch

3.       Fall out boy

4.       Skindred

5.       Frank Carter

Overall I really enjoyed the music this year, saw some really good bands over the weekend! However The crowd that Reading is pulling in nowadays is becoming so irritating, the campsite was unbearable this year and I left on Sunday night for the first time this year. If I camp again I will go white I think but I will be tempted to go download next year.

[Andre91]

State Champs the American version of Neck Deep  

[thewayiam]

15 minutes ago, callum97 said:

State Champs 8.5: The American version of neck deep, I’ve seen State champs a few times and I really like their music and they have definitely become a lot more recognised lately. They aren’t as big over here compared to the states but they put on a great show Derek sounded great and they were very grateful to be playing Reading Festival, I’m sure they will be playing higher up in years to come.

They are a much better band than Neck Deep.

[callum97]

6 minutes ago, thewayiam said:

They are a much better band than Neck Deep.

I like them both for different reasons, I do find state champs to be more energetic and fun to watch!

[DirtyChorizo]

1 hour ago, callum97 said:

 

Foals 5/10

arguably the best performance of the weekend. awful judgement 

[callum97]

Just now, DirtyChorizo said:

arguably the best performance of the weekend. awful judgement 

It's really personal opinion, I get that most people love them they just weren't for me :/

 

[DirtyChorizo]

1 minute ago, callum97 said:

It's really personal opinion, I get that most people love them they just weren't for me :/

 

if you find flames going up for inhaler while the crowd goes fucking mental, yannis jumping into the crowd for WWD and a massive fucking mosh pit to two steps twice boring then sort yourself tbh

[callum97]

5 minutes ago, DirtyChorizo said:

if you find flames going up for inhaler while the crowd goes fucking mental, yannis jumping into the crowd for WWD and a massive fucking mosh pit to two steps twice boring then sort yourself tbh

everyone is allowed an opinion, just not my type of music.

[rivalschools.price]

2 minutes ago, DirtyChorizo said:

if you find flames going up for inhaler while the crowd goes fucking mental, yannis jumping into the crowd for WWD and a massive fucking mosh pit to two steps twice boring then sort yourself tbh

I have to defend callum97 here.

i can't comment myself as I'm not a fan as I only saw a tiny part of them as I was walking and queueing at the bar on the left hand side but many who I spoke to said they were boring.

Either way, callum97's point was that he found them boring, his opinion.

You only have to look at the differing opinions on RHCP to see that we all don't think the same on here, and I'm glad we don't.

[Andre91]

1 hour ago, thewayiam said:

They are a much better band than Neck Deep.

You're off your head, mate.