2023 Festival

[Andre91]

1 hour ago, Chad888 said:

Sam Fender is a generic man with a guitar that will be exclusive on BBC R2 by 2025.

I firmly believe he will be one of those acts that we will look back and say "oh yeah, he played didn't he".

Billie Eilish will be THE one for this year, and I firmly believe Capaldi too.

 

Last year, Dave showed he was a headlining artist, Arctic Monkeys were the draw, and 1975 put on a hell of a show.

 

I can't see that this this year to be honest. Last year I went with my pregnant wife, so we stayed relatively sober, listened to some acts then went back to bed. The baby will be 5m this year, so I wanted to go and have a blast while she's still in her 20s. Not with this line up.

I find it unsettling how much I am in full agreeance  with you. 

[gfa]

2 hours ago, Chad888 said:

Sam Fender is a generic man with a guitar that will be exclusive on BBC R2 by 2025.

I firmly believe he will be one of those acts that we will look back and say "oh yeah, he played didn't he".

Billie Eilish will be THE one for this year, and I firmly believe Capaldi too.

 

Last year, Dave showed he was a headlining artist, Arctic Monkeys were the draw, and 1975 put on a hell of a show.

 

I can't see that this this year to be honest. Last year I went with my pregnant wife, so we stayed relatively sober, listened to some acts then went back to bed. The baby will be 5m this year, so I wanted to go and have a blast while she's still in her 20s. Not with this line up.

Not gonna lie I can't see your point on this.

Killers, Billie and Sam Fender are 3 very solid headliners and would not look out of place as a trio with the old format.

People don't buy tickets based on whether the headliner will be on BBC R2 in 2 years time, theres clearly an issue but its definitely not the headliners.

[Benj]

1 hour ago, gfa said:

Not gonna lie I can't see your point on this.

Killers, Billie and Sam Fender are 3 very solid headliners and would not look out of place as a trio with the old format.

People don't buy tickets based on whether the headliner will be on BBC R2 in 2 years time, theres clearly an issue but it’s definitely not the headliners.

On paper they’re a decent batch for sure and had it been last year I think there would be far more hype.

 

Killers played 13 U.K. dates last year (some with Fender as support)

Eilish played 9 U.K. dates last year

Fender played 14 U.K. dates last year (not Inc Killers support)

None look to have any new music out pre September. There’s little to be excited about them playing like with AM and RATM last year
 

 

[gfa]

1 hour ago, Benj said:

On paper they’re a decent batch for sure and had it been last year I think there would be far more hype.

 

Killers played 13 U.K. dates last year (some with Fender as support)

Eilish played 9 U.K. dates last year

Fender played 14 U.K. dates last year (not Inc Killers support)

None look to have any new music out pre September. There’s little to be excited about them playing like with AM and RATM last year
 

 

Fair enough - although last bits confused me

Both RATM and AM hadn't done shows in the uk for a few years? the idea AM wasn't hyped is ridiculous lol

[Benj]

2 minutes ago, gfa said:

Fair enough - although last bits confused me

Both RATM and AM hadn't done shows in the uk for a few years? the idea AM wasn't hyped is ridiculous lol

Sorry I wasn’t clear.

There’s little to be exciting about them playing compared to RATM and AM last year, which were both big, unique deals.

Even Dave last year was a big deal. First proper, big, mainstream headline show.

This years are the exact reverse in regards to exposure

[gfa]

Just now, Benj said:

Sorry I wasn’t clear.

There’s little to be exciting about them playing compared to RATM and AM last year, which were both big, unique deals.

Even Dave last year was a big deal. First proper, big, mainstream headline show.

This years are the exact reverse in regards to exposure

Ah I see, agreed

[On The Blend]

10 hours ago, Benj said:

There’s little to be exciting about them playing compared to RATM and AM last year, which were both big, unique deals.

Is this something that the bookers even consider anymore? 

When RATM were announced I feel like almost everyone on here thought it was an incredible, exciting booking, but from what I recall it wasn't too well recieved by the core fanbase.

R&L isn't in the envelope-pushing live experiences business, they're in the teenage rite-of-passage business. 

[Chad888]

14 hours ago, gfa said:

Not gonna lie I can't see your point on this.

Killers, Billie and Sam Fender are 3 very solid headliners and would not look out of place as a trio with the old format.

People don't buy tickets based on whether the headliner will be on BBC R2 in 2 years time, theres clearly an issue but its definitely not the headliners.

Killers and Billie are solid headliners, internationally renowned. For the teenagers, Billie Eilish will be an "I was there" moment, and The Killers are a band that EVERY 90's kid crossing into their 30's will jump to see because it sums up their teenage years, and sends of their 20's with a bang. 

 

For everybody my age that cut their teeth going to sticky floor clubs and drinking £1.99 double vodka red bulls, before we had phones and cameras and worried about having to get a nice photo in an upmarket bar for Instagram likes, we spent the entire night singing along to Arctic Monkeys, The Streets, Fratellis, and we always finished the night pulling some cutie and ugly kissing to Mr. Brightside. To finish our 20's and enter the adult 30's to that track will be a defining moment for most of us.

 

Now Sam Fender on the other hand, I like him sure, I turn the radio up when he is on. He is a great guy and a role model to kids. But f**k me is he white bread. Family friendly, no edge, sure both albums went to 1, but so did Don Broco - he only sold 400,000 combined. Compare that to The 1975 who sold 600,000 on their first album alone. Or Dave who has sold 500,000. There is nothing memorable about him, or a draw with his music. It is old person friendly and doesn't have a demographic built up around it like AM, RATM etc.

 

[Benj]

3 hours ago, On The Blend said:

Is this something that the bookers even consider anymore? 

When RATM were announced I feel like almost everyone on here thought it was an incredible, exciting booking, but from what I recall it wasn't too well recieved by the core fanbase.

R&L isn't in the envelope-pushing live experiences business, they're in the teenage rite-of-passage business. 

A business model that doesn’t sell out festivals on its own it seems…

The whole teenager only thing is a massive fallacy. There’s actually a pretty diverse crowd at Reading when you’re not following the teenage herds about

You can see anecdotally on here that loads of regulars can’t be arsed with it this year. It would be interstign to know how many of the GCSE mob have opted for something different too

Guess we’ll all know come the end of August

 

[gfa]

3 hours ago, On The Blend said:

Is this something that the bookers even consider anymore? 

When RATM were announced I feel like almost everyone on here thought it was an incredible, exciting booking, but from what I recall it wasn't too well recieved by the core fanbase.

R&L isn't in the envelope-pushing live experiences business, they're in the teenage rite-of-passage business. 

I think they do consider them to an extent.

All 3 headliners its their only uk dates (fender only doing his newcastle and scottish shows - which may hurt Leeds but shoudn't have any real impact on Reading tbh)

3 hours ago, Chad888 said:

Killers and Billie are solid headliners, internationally renowned. For the teenagers, Billie Eilish will be an "I was there" moment, and The Killers are a band that EVERY 90's kid crossing into their 30's will jump to see because it sums up their teenage years, and sends of their 20's with a bang. 

 

For everybody my age that cut their teeth going to sticky floor clubs and drinking £1.99 double vodka red bulls, before we had phones and cameras and worried about having to get a nice photo in an upmarket bar for Instagram likes, we spent the entire night singing along to Arctic Monkeys, The Streets, Fratellis, and we always finished the night pulling some cutie and ugly kissing to Mr. Brightside. To finish our 20's and enter the adult 30's to that track will be a defining moment for most of us.

 

Now Sam Fender on the other hand, I like him sure, I turn the radio up when he is on. He is a great guy and a role model to kids. But f**k me is he white bread. Family friendly, no edge, sure both albums went to 1, but so did Don Broco - he only sold 400,000 combined. Compare that to The 1975 who sold 600,000 on their first album alone. Or Dave who has sold 500,000. There is nothing memorable about him, or a draw with his music. It is old person friendly and doesn't have a demographic built up around it like AM, RATM etc.

 

Killers are one of the most family friendly bands out there, they don't even have a swear in their lyrics ffs

Sam Fender is the new generation's second paragraph. He is the biggest indie act to come from this country for about 10 years. The demographic built up around him is there, it goes hand in hand with the AM crowd

The overtouring is the issue, not the headliners themselves (and the awful undercard) I think you just don't like Sam Fender - can't say i'm the biggest fan either but he is big.

Will be interesting to see which day sells out first if any lol

[Benj]

32 minutes ago, gfa said:

 

Will be interesting to see which day sells out first if any lol

What are people thinking?

I’d assume the Eilish day

The good weather at the mo and the start of the festival season should give them a bit of a bump.

I think Reading Reading Weekend will sell out eventually (simply because it always seems to) but maybe not Leeds

 

[On The Blend]

1 hour ago, Benj said:

The whole teenager only thing is a massive fallacy. There’s actually a pretty diverse crowd at Reading when you’re not following the teenage herds about

Can't speak to Reading, but a fair few of my friends (late 20s) went to Leeds last year and said they felt properly out of place. To the extent that they said they wouldn't consider going again because it was just too weird. 

[TKOCF]

One of the most left field bookings on this year’s lineup, Sleep Token, just sold out Wembley Arena in 10 mins. 

Maybe a bump to a main stage? Can’t see much overlap in the average R&L crowd and Sleep Token fans anyway.

[wro_lap]

Fender, Eilish and The Killers will all be brilliant shows. Foals are one of the best live bands in the country. It's the other two headliners that are real head scratchers

[thetime]

16 minutes ago, wro_lap said:

Fender, Eilish and The Killers will all be brilliant shows. Foals are one of the best live bands in the country. It's the other two headliners that are real head scratchers

Why are Imaging Dragons a head scratcher? They are one of the biggest bands in the world and headline pretty much every festival they play.

[On The Blend]

Honestly, all the headliners are solid picks. The issue is that the fest as a whole is more top-heavy than Frank Sidebottom. 

[gfa]

3 hours ago, Benj said:

What are people thinking?

I’d assume the Eilish day

The good weather at the mo and the start of the festival season should give them a bit of a bump.

I think Reading Reading Weekend will sell out eventually (simply because it always seems to) but maybe not Leeds

 

I'd have thought the Billie fans would all rush in at the start - surprised its not gone already

I think Sam Fender will sell a load of tickets due to FOMO when he does his Newcastle shows next weekend, so maybe him honestly?

Killers will defo sell out eventually at Reading

1 hour ago, TKOCF said:

One of the most left field bookings on this year’s lineup, Sleep Token, just sold out Wembley Arena in 10 mins. 

Maybe a bump to a main stage? Can’t see much overlap in the average R&L crowd and Sleep Token fans anyway.

will be half empty

Edited June 4, 2023 by gfa

[LazyDavid]

Sleep Token are at one of the few festivals this year where they'll have hardly any crowd, sad really

 

Contemplating the Sam Fender/Foals day still, might just wait until near the time

[stanh]

On 6/3/2023 at 10:41 PM, Benj said:

Even Dave last year was a big deal. First proper, big, mainstream headline show.

Agree with it being a big deal, but he had headlined Parklife on an exclusive the year before, which has a higher daily capacity than Leeds (not Reading though).

[gfa]

10 hours ago, stanh said:

Agree with it being a big deal, but he had headlined Parklife on an exclusive the year before, which has a higher daily capacity than Leeds (not Reading though).

Far less people would have been at the main stage for his slot though due to how many stages they have and the size of some of the other main ones

[stanh]

36 minutes ago, gfa said:

Far less people would have been at the main stage for his slot though due to how many stages they have and the size of some of the other main ones

He had by far the biggest headline crowd, can't find a direct photo, but from mates who went to other sets (I went Dave), they said they were nowhere near as busy, or crowd as compact, would say he had a bigger crowd than 50 Cent last year. At a rough guesstimate, I'd reckon at least 50K watching him.

 

[Benj]

1 hour ago, gfa said:

Far less people would have been at the main stage for his slot though due to how many stages they have and the size of some of the other main ones

Ahh Loads of stages and choice. Funny how they’ve managed to sell out their weekend tickets….

[gfa]

1 minute ago, Benj said:

Ahh Loads of stages and choice. Funny how they’ve managed to sell out their weekend tickets….

Its sold very poorly this year to be fair - most fests are struggling

[Benj]

49 minutes ago, gfa said:

Its sold very poorly this year to be fair - most fests are struggling

What’s the capacity?

40,000 or 80,000?

If 80, a supposedly lesser festival has smashed Leeds

Im sure there’s far more factors than just the lineup, they’re very different events, it certainly adds suggests that people like choice and find value in a larger more diverse lineup than just a load of ‘big names’ forced upon you

 

[stanh]

1 hour ago, gfa said:

Its sold very poorly this year to be fair - most fests are struggling

Not sure where you have got that from? It has sold really well this year. Weekend and Saturday tickets sold out, few Sunday left. Granted not as good or as fast as previous years, still not bad at all. 

7 minutes ago, Benj said:

What’s the capacity?

40,000 or 80,000?

If 80, a supposedly lesser festival has smashed Leeds

Courtenners the night before is around 40K, each day of Parklife is just over 80K.