2023 Festival

[gfa]

54 minutes ago, Benj said:

That’s the point. People like him would’ve had slots that would’ve been appreciated in the old days as their was a wide demographic of attendees and more importantly actual slots you could put them in

obv the likes of him can’t play now as he’s not big on Tiktok and there is no where to fit him on the bill

Or maybe they could still squeeze him in on the main at 2:30pm

Festival is dead. Party in the cowfield is GO!

Aphex twin wouldn't have been booked for well over 10 years, he isn't just a cheap dance tent headliner - he costs £££

[charlierc]

11 hours ago, Chad888 said:

 

The difference for me personally, Muse aren't a huge household name. In 2017, I went to R&L at 26, I had never heard of Muse. My exposure to music at that point (that wasn't in nightclubs) had been the charts, 4music, MTV, Hollywood tv show playlists, Friday evening youth clubs, what people would have downloaded on to their phones playlist, Limewire.

I'd class myself in the 95% of music listeners who only knew the latest California rock like RHCP and Foos, or the British indie that charts like Arctics.

 

Muse are just an "old band" rather than legacy, which I'd define as one that the majority of people after their time would still turn up to see them because they're "legendary". And I'd class Foos and RHCP as legendary because they are one of the first bands 'normies' would say when asked to name Rock bands.

Interesting. I guess it depends on how exposed you are to certain acts for how long. This is different to me, who got into Muse around 2008/09 while still a teenager after hearing their songs on a couple of video games and liking what I heard, hence why I can see them as one who've been around the block a few times.

[Benj]

10 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Beabadoobee and Girl In Red who are big, popular artists? I would bet a good sum that they had more people attending their sets that Hollywood Undead and The Horrors in 2018. 
 

Just go to a different festival, mate. All you do is bash R&L over and over again so it’s clearly doing nothing for you. 

Exactly my point, two big  pop artists nothing in the past 2 years to appeal, to a more niche audience like you always got in the past!

You don't go any more either do you so why are you trying to defend it?!

Its clearly in no way as good a 'festival' as it was in 2019 whoever is booked and its utterly futile to try to suggest it is.

Its a shit show re- value to what it was.

I am now, after 26 Readings, going to another festival this year.  I have survived every single music trend over the past 1/4 of a century, seen Yungblud play twice but have not survived the culling of a 3rd of choice in who to see!

Ironically Im going has even less than Reading on musically but actually offers plenty of other things to do when no one you're interested in is on, as opposed to sit bored surrounded by other bored people with nothing else to do for hours on end!

For people who actually like music, its died as a festival. You can see from interest on here, on Twitter etc... no one is slightly interested anymore, no one is slightly excited as to who they might book, as we all know it will be nothing of any interest whatsoever. Just more chart jangles, TikTok memes and Mable smiling between songs as she catches her breath before starting to dance again.

Where Im going this year hasn't even released their lineup yet, this s what they had last year though, which is infintiely more interesting than Reading

[Benj]

Just now, gfa said:

Aphex twin wouldn't have been booked for well over 10 years, he isn't just a cheap dance tent headliner - he costs £££

Indeed, this is the problem, the competition means they cant get these people in any more. Niche festivals pay more money. Reading cant afford them, hence the shit show we now have with 20% less acts booked across the weekend.

How anyone can try to say its not significantly shitter than it was when you have 30% more choice of who to see at any one point is off their tits on ket already!

 

[charlierc]

I mean, I'm not gonna sit around demanding certain festivals should cater to my tastes forever and ever. The demographic for an event like this is always changing and chances are in 10-20 years time it'll be even more "WTF?" to my ears. But that's just how it is. The right support bill for Killers would've persuaded me to go for a day trip, but what they do have just isn't worth £100+ to my mind. But that's OK - I'll just do something else with my cash.

The second stage concept that is just replacing 2/3 stages and making the tickets more pricey for less music during a financial squeeze is crap. I can't deny that. But as far as the acts themselves go, there's a few in line with what I expected both with cross-generation appeal and newer appeal. That's what Reading's niche is meant to be isn't it? And if that new wave sees people find music through TikTok, so what? 

[Andre91]

1 hour ago, Benj said:

Exactly my point, two big  pop artists nothing in the past 2 years to appeal, to a more niche audience like you always got in the past!

You don't go any more either do you so why are you trying to defend it?!

Its clearly in no way as good a 'festival' as it was in 2019 whoever is booked and its utterly futile to try to suggest it is.

Its a shit show re- value to what it was.

I am now, after 26 Readings, going to another festival this year.  I have survived every single music trend over the past 1/4 of a century, seen Yungblud play twice but have not survived the culling of a 3rd of choice in who to see!

Ironically Im going has even less than Reading on musically but actually offers plenty of other things to do when no one you're interested in is on, as opposed to sit bored surrounded by other bored people with nothing else to do for hours on end!

For people who actually like music, its died as a festival. You can see from interest on here, on Twitter etc... no one is slightly interested anymore, no one is slightly excited as to who they might book, as we all know it will be nothing of any interest whatsoever. Just more chart jangles, TikTok memes and Mable smiling between songs as she catches her breath before starting to dance again.

Where Im going this year hasn't even released their lineup yet, this s what they had last year though, which is infintiely more interesting than Reading

Beabadoobee and girl in red are far from being pure pop artists. They’re essentially indie rock acts. 
 

You keep saying that R&L isn’t a festival anymore when it is. It’s genuinely silly to say otherwise. It’s not a festival you like. 

You also seem really put out that young people discover music through TikTok. It’s exactly what people were saying 20 years ago when everyone was download MP3s instead of buying CDs. 

I went last year for the full weekend and had a blast. I won’t be going for the weekend this year but could go for a day (Foals day). 
 

You haven’t stated your case well at all by posting a lineup that looks like an American Reading and Leeds. 
 

Just comes across as very ‘old man yells at cloud’ most of the time when you’re beating this same drum again and again. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Andre91

[Benj]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

I mean, I'm not gonna sit around demanding certain festivals should cater to my tastes forever and ever. The demographic for an event like this is always changing and chances are in 10-20 years time it'll be even more "WTF?" to my ears. But that's just how it is. The right support bill for Killers would've persuaded me to go for a day trip, but what they do have just isn't worth £100+ to my mind. But that's OK - I'll just do something else with my cash.

The second stage concept that is just replacing 2/3 stages and making the tickets more pricey for less music during a financial squeeze is crap. I can't deny that. But as far as the acts themselves go, there's a few in line with what I expected both with cross-generation appeal and newer appeal. That's what Reading's niche is meant to be isn't it? And if that new wave sees people find music through TikTok, so what? 

That’s the point, and have no real issue with the lineup itself, I’ve been through 25 years of the music changing. 

My complaint is not with who’s booked, it’s with the fact they’re no longer able to book a lot more of it

Its not even the festivals fault, they’re simply unable to fill the lienup anymore as there’s so much competition 

[Benj]

39 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

 

You keep saying that R&L isn’t a festival anymore when it is. It’s genuinely silly to say otherwise. It’s not a festival you like. 
 

I’m saying it’s not half the festival it used to be a couple of years ago

I literally crossed the Atlantic for it for the last 7 years, it was worth me doing that. Having giving the new layout 2 chances, it is no longer worth it.  

The music hasn’t changed much, there’s just a lot less of it. 

Anyone who’s went regularly pre 2021, knows that to be the case, it impossible to argue otherwise. They could have a lineup full of what I liked and it would still not be as good as a festival

It’s massively clear there’s far less interest in it as a musical event than there used to be, be it on here, on other socials… no one gives a fuck about the music any more, no bands are pumped to play it, it’s primarily now a big party in a field, as opposed to a music festival with a real heritage 

People can and will still have a great time for sure. It won’t be by seeing and discovering loads of new music though

You can still try and pretend it’s a good festival. It’s clearly not though. No one gives a fuck, this place is only kept alive by Chad and mine’s trolling.

it is still a festival just not as we know it

Enjoy your day running between the two main stages!

Edited January 19, 2023 by Benj

[Andre91]

Just now, Benj said:

I’m saying it’s not half the festival it used to be a couple of years ago

I literally crossed the Atlantic for it for the last 7 years, it was worth me doing that. Having giving the new layout 2 chances, it is no longer worth it.  

The music hasn’t changed much, there’s just a lot less of it. 

Anyone who’s went regularly pre 2021, knows that to be the case, it impossible to argue otherwise. They could have a lineup full of what I liked and it would still not be as good as a festival

It’s massively clear there’s far less interest in it as a musical event than there used to be, be it on here, on other socials… no one gives a fuck about the music any more, no bands are pumped to play it, it’s primarily now a big party in a field, as opposed to a music festival with a real heritage 

People can and will still have a great time for sure. It won’t be by seeing and discovering loads of new music though

You can still try and pretend it’s a good festival. It’s clearly not though. No one gives a fuck, this place is only kept alive by Chad and mines trolling.

Reading ‘festival’ is dead. The Party in the field lives on…for now

Keep yelling at that cloud, dude. 

[Benj]

1 minute ago, Andre91 said:

Keep yelling at that cloud, dude. 

Don’t worry I will. Otherwise this place will die too, given there is no actual interest in the festival or who may be added!

[gfa]

18 minutes ago, Benj said:

Don’t worry I will. Otherwise this place will die too, given there is no actual interest in the festival or who may be added!

https://glastonbury.seetickets.com/registration/register

come to the dark side

[Benj]

1 minute ago, gfa said:

https://glastonbury.seetickets.com/registration/register

come to the dark side

Been there done that (Once)

Too big!

The beauty of Reading was that you could be at any of the 4-5 stages in 4-5 mins, while stopping to get a beer. Have a whole day of music you were genuinely interested in seeing

It can take an hour to get from the Pyramid to the Other at busy times at Glastonbury. Before then tramping over to the park etc

While there’s waayyyy more to see, you can’t actually see that much of it 

if I lived in the UK I think I’d do Trees and Truck these days. I’d prob still do Reading tbf, just can’t justify spending over a thousand quid to do it

[Benj]

For the very few on here still going

Who are you realistically hoping to be added?

What ear worms are blowing up on TikTok?

[stanh]

1 hour ago, Benj said:

For the very few on here still going

Who are you realistically hoping to be added?

What ear worms are blowing up on TikTok?

An obvious choice I'd say is Raye, big on TikTok atm and proving to have already a successful year with her debut album coming soon, getting her first number 1 and supporting Lewis Capaldi on tour. In terms of other names I could see being added, d4vd, Rema and Mimi Webb seem like good shouts.

[Benj]

48 minutes ago, stanh said:

An obvious choice I'd say is Raye, big on TikTok atm and proving to have already a successful year with her debut album coming soon, getting her first number 1 and supporting Lewis Capaldi on tour. In terms of other names I could see being added, d4vd, Rema and Mimi Webb seem like good shouts.

No chance of her being big in 2022, can't ask google to play her on spotify without first selecting some other crap!

[Chad888]

14 hours ago, charlierc said:

Interesting. I guess it depends on how exposed you are to certain acts for how long. This is different to me, who got into Muse around 2008/09 while still a teenager after hearing their songs on a couple of video games and liking what I heard, hence why I can see them as one who've been around the block a few times.

I see Muse as another Royal Blood and BMTH, in 10-15 years we will have them headline and we will accept it because they have "always headlined" to the people going. But they've never really put out anything of specific note, and haven't been much of a notable band at any stage of people's lives.

Yungblud will be like The 1975 in 5 years, he will headline, people will jump around and enjoy it and say "what a headliner" but they will stop headlining when they stop being relevant.

I actually think if 21 Pilots have an absolute banger of an album next time, they will be a legacy headliner, that Stressed Out song was pretty much THE song for 2015, they're very close to being the next Imagine Dragons though.

There doesn't seem to be the next grunge garage rock headliners coming through, like we had Blink182, Greenday, or the next bop rock like RHCP. 

There definitely aren't bands coming through now that are like Foos - "omg Foos are headlining, I have to go!" "Why? What do they do?" "...I...don't know?" - that is pretty much everyone's response, they feel they have to see them but don't actually know why, because they've never done anything of note.

[Chad888]

10 hours ago, stanh said:

An obvious choice I'd say is Raye, big on TikTok atm and proving to have already a successful year with her debut album coming soon, getting her first number 1 and supporting Lewis Capaldi on tour. In terms of other names I could see being added, d4vd, Rema and Mimi Webb seem like good shouts.

Mimi Webb isn't going anywhere, she's no different to every other young 20s girl with a cute husky voice singing about boys pissing her off. 

See: Holly Humberstone, Griff, Joy Crooks, Nina Nesbitt, GAYLE.

Same as American pop girls - Ariane Grande, Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, Tate Mcrae, Demi Lovato, Camilla Cabello

Same as Raye and British Pop Dance - Charli XCX, Ella Henderson, Becky Hill, Mabel, Ella Eyre, Jess Glynne, Anne Marie

 

Rema is hitting the latest trend so think he will be there - that afro dance house music is huge right now, Burna Boy is leading that charge.

D4VD would kind of kill the vibe at any festival tbh so so slow and can not in any sense build energy.

[WhoOdyssey]

I can’t see Yungblud headlining in say, 15 years from now, but I really can see The 1975 being a “legacy” headliner by that point. 

[Benj]

1 hour ago, Chad888 said:

I see Muse as another Royal Blood and BMTH, in 10-15 years we will have them headline and we will accept it because they have "always headlined" to the people going. But they've never really put out anything of specific note, and haven't been much of a notable band at any stage of people's lives.

Gonna be tough for Royal Blood to headline as a legacy Headliner in 10-15 years as they’ve always headlined, when they’ve never headliner and are highly unlikely too now!

They’re already at the point that no one is interested in their new output and they’ll be perennial subs at best, even in a 6 headliner world

[charlierc]

On 1/20/2023 at 9:53 AM, Chad888 said:

I see Muse as another Royal Blood and BMTH, in 10-15 years we will have them headline and we will accept it because they have "always headlined" to the people going. But they've never really put out anything of specific note, and haven't been much of a notable band at any stage of people's lives.

Yungblud will be like The 1975 in 5 years, he will headline, people will jump around and enjoy it and say "what a headliner" but they will stop headlining when they stop being relevant.

I actually think if 21 Pilots have an absolute banger of an album next time, they will be a legacy headliner, that Stressed Out song was pretty much THE song for 2015, they're very close to being the next Imagine Dragons though.

There doesn't seem to be the next grunge garage rock headliners coming through, like we had Blink182, Greenday, or the next bop rock like RHCP. 

There definitely aren't bands coming through now that are like Foos - "omg Foos are headlining, I have to go!" "Why? What do they do?" "...I...don't know?" - that is pretty much everyone's response, they feel they have to see them but don't actually know why, because they've never done anything of note.

Royal Blood could be an MSW headliner imo but nearest to it was sub to 1975 in 2019 when they still had the single main stage format.

This quote of Muse being, "But they've never really put out anything of specific note, and haven't been much of a notable band at any stage of people's lives" - debatable. But it's all relative. Don't think they'd have exactly broken into the stadium rock bracket without having a few things to draw people to their shows.

But I'm aware that there's that nature of what do we do going forward given there seemed to be a drying up of the new rock bands coming through to headline slots during the 2010's in a way there was in the 90's and 00's, potentially leaving a deficit of these kinda sounds in the not-too-distant future. On the one hand its kinda harder terrain given rock bands seem to find it more difficult to get a breakthrough hit compared to, say, 15-20 years ago, but on the other, maybe it needs that one band with a big hit or two to break the wall down.

Edited January 21, 2023 by charlierc

[charlierc]

On 1/20/2023 at 11:39 AM, Benj said:

Gonna be tough for Royal Blood to headline as a legacy Headliner in 10-15 years as they’ve always headlined, when they’ve never headliner and are highly unlikely too now!

They’re already at the point that no one is interested in their new output and they’ll be perennial subs at best, even in a 6 headliner world

I think Royal Blood could be MSW head as said above - probably a similar level to Foals on that front. Crowd at Birmingham Arena when I went last year was big and a lot were happy with the stuff on Typhoons (which, imo, good as I think it's quite a strong album).

MSE might be beyond them, mind. Saying that, for all that they are a popular band to slag off (and I've done it before I think), Imagine Dragons have the hits to probably be in that slot yet still have to be second fiddle to Billie Eilish, so... who knows what it might take for a band to break through into that.

[D666N]

I'd give a left bollock for The 1975 to headline again. Such a sick set. If their set was just after BMTH's, that would have been a dream to be fair. 

[VCK]

The festival has always catered to what young people listen to. In the '90s it was grunge and Britpop. In the '00s it was indie and emo.

Now it's pop, trap and grime. And if/when rock music becomes popular among the younger crowd again (which there is absolutely a market for but the music press seems hellbent on convincing them that rock is old fashioned and uncool - but that's another discussion), you can bet the line-ups will be more guitar heavy.

Really TRNSMT should be taking advantage of R&L's move away from rock and establishing itself as the UK's premier rock festival. Instead of just booking safe indie type bands like they always do, they should pull out a Metallica or a Green Day or a RATM.

[gfa]

1 hour ago, VCK said:

The festival has always catered to what young people listen to. In the '90s it was grunge and Britpop. In the '00s it was indie and emo.

Now it's pop, trap and grime. And if/when rock music becomes popular among the younger crowd again (which there is absolutely a market for but the music press seems hellbent on convincing them that rock is old fashioned and uncool - but that's another discussion), you can bet the line-ups will be more guitar heavy.

Really TRNSMT should be taking advantage of R&L's move away from rock and establishing itself as the UK's premier rock festival. Instead of just booking safe indie type bands like they always do, they should pull out a Metallica or a Green Day or a RATM.

Who listens to trap 😂 very 2018

That last paragraph is an awful idea - you basically said in the second paragraph why TRNSMT won't book metallica etc and then in the third paragraph told them to do it anyway. Why would TRNSMT want to spend heaps on metallica when they sell out every year booking capaldi and co

[Benj]

1 hour ago, gfa said:

Who listens to trap 😂 very 2018

That last paragraph is an awful idea - you basically said in the second paragraph why TRNSMT won't book metallica etc and then in the third paragraph told them to do it anyway. Why would TRNSMT want to spend heaps on metallica when they sell out every year booking capaldi and co

Indeed, surely no one wants to be the UKs premier rock festival as no one would turn up!

Download has that niche sewn up for the big acts, while the smaller niche festivals, Slam Dunk, Trees etc hoover up all the smaller acts

Being in Scotland Transmt can exist it’s it own world and always sell well. Being in Scotland will also mean it’s never the UK’s premier anything, given it’s isolation