2024 Festival

[andyrhodes24]

48 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

I did the same with Becky Hill in 2021 and to be fair to her, she’s a great performer and I didn’t dislike her set for that reason. I just think the music is shite. 

Yeah a totally relevant artist but there were plenty who were waiting at MSE with nothing better to do. With us setting up base there we sat through some right garbage this year

[RandomEnglishPerson]

On 9/5/2023 at 8:53 PM, gblock said:

Definitely - at Reading loads came running in after Baby Queen on MSE to get under the cover, they got quite a shock lol

Another reason to bring back the big tent, surely we’re due a rainy one soon

it was also the case in the Kenny Allstar set in the radio 1xtra tent, where I was in the tent you where continuously moving as the crowd was too big for the tent and people where trying to make larger mosh pits than possible

[Benj]

3 hours ago, andyrhodes24 said:

My group have absolutely zero interest in acts like Becky Hill but found ourselves watching her because there was no alternative. It happened so many times this year where we sat at the other main stage while there was no one on. Bring it back!

Becky Hill they had pretty much the exact same slot a couple of years back too

And they’re wondering why so many packed it in

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Benj said:

Becky Hill they had pretty much the exact same slot a couple of years back too

And they’re wondering why so many packed it in

Remember back in the day when Bloc Party played p much the same slot 3 years in a row.

[Crews1]

8 hours ago, Benj said:

Becky Hill they had pretty much the exact same slot a couple of years back too

And they’re wondering why so many packed it in

FWIW I thought she had one of the bigger crowds of the weekend

[gfa]

18 hours ago, Benj said:

Yup fascinating stuff.

The fact that they’ve even lost 22 year olds like GFA’s gang says it all.

Walking back on the 6 headliners will be a hard sell to those who didn’t go before who now pretty much universally agree it was better before.

I think they can still sell 6 headliners on a single main stage though. It’s not like half the crowd don’t camp at the big headliner in advance anyway. It will actually allow them to see both!

We're lost by the audience - its just full of kids (its not entirely but so many people i know will not see past that)

+ lack of late night, same acts every year etc

I'm happy to see Two Door for the 8th time or whatever but you need new bands undercard ala superstruct or interesting support to pull me in or cool headliners, i've seen basically everyone i'm interested in that could realistically do Reading these days.

At the end of the day we just realised theres so much more out there than Reading

16 hours ago, Chad888 said:

What they learned this year -

They sold the majority of tickets to the GCSE and A-level results kids. The kids who want to act like dickheads, get stupidly underage drunk, camp through acts to watch the latest rapper.

The marketshare they lost the most of was the University leavers who all want to drink in the sun with mates while theyre still young, and listen to good music - the dark fruits generation as we'd say here. What they are looking to do next year is to bring that back.

So I'm fully expecting acts like Courteeners, Fratellis, Wombats, Noel Gallagher, Kasabian to make appearances. 

They also need to move away from the international/American 'current' acts that don't give a sh*t - Jack Harlow, Maneskin, Lil Tjay, Polo G, JXDN etc. They let the festival down year on year.

Fully expect them to focus more on to British urban acts like your Central Cee, AJ Tracy, Digga D, J Hus, Fredo, Tion Wayne, Knucks. The idea is they can get the next Stormzy or Dave before they are headline status.

 

That's all I've heard, expect next year to be polarised between dark fruit indie, and UK urban.

The fratellis 😂

Edited September 7, 2023 by gfa

[Will b]

22 minutes ago, gfa said:

I'm happy to see Two Door for the 8th time or whatever but you need new bands undercard ala superstruct or interesting support to pull me in or cool headliners, i've seen basically everyone i'm interested in that could realistically do Reading these days.

I can’t remember who or what they were but someone in the 2023 thread gave the stats of returning artists from 2022 and 2021 and it was near enough 40-50% if I remember correctly. Personally the major hurdle this year was that despite wanting to see a lot of the logo acts (killers, billie, nbt, bicep etc) having been the 2 previous years, I’d seen most of the small name acts anyway so what’s the point. 
 

22 minutes ago, gfa said:

The fratellis 😂

Oh god 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Will b

[NorthernSoul52]

If we're sticking with the two main stage approach...

Reading Friday/Leeds Saturday: Travis Scott / Fred Again

Reading Saturday/Leeds Sunday: Blink-182 / Olivia Rodrigo

Reading Sunday/Leeds Friday: Liam Gallagher / Boygenius

[Benj]

3 hours ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

Remember back in the day when Bloc Party played p much the same slot 3 years in a row.

Yup, everyone bitched and moaned about it to

Luckily back then people had a second stage to go to on years 2 and 3 if they liked.  Options being - 2007- Biffy Clyro, 2008-Bullet for my Valentine, 2009 -AFI

A nice bit of counter programming for the time.

 

Becky Hill had 2021 - Bob Vylan (who I enjoyed, the tent was 1/4 full at best though)

2023 - Tom Odell, where it was so busy with people looking for an alternative to Becky Hill that they couldnt get in...

This is the problem. Putting something else on people WANT to see, in the correct environment for it

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Benj

[Benj]

2 hours ago, gfa said:

We're lost by the audience - its just full of kids (its not entirely but so many people i know will not see past that)

+ lack of late night, same acts every year etc

I'm happy to see Two Door for the 8th time or whatever but you need new bands undercard ala superstruct or interesting support to pull me in or cool headliners, i've seen basically everyone i'm interested in that could realistically do Reading these days.

At the end of the day we just realised theres so much more out there than Reading

The fratellis 😂

The late night is an interesting one, as it's something that never used to be offered and was never moaned about (on here at least) until 10 years or so back. I think its another big reflection of the change in audience from what was strictly alternative music fans, to a more mainstream/ dancey focussed group. 

If you're going to court them, you have to cater for them...

I think youre age group may be the most underserved by the festival now lineup wise, it does seem to either be ultra latest thing, prob more popular with partying teen types, or stayed dull same as same as stuff, year after year, as you say- 2 Door, Wombats, Nothing but thieves etc...etc....

I guess Sports Team, Easy Life come along (and then play again...) I think high tent spots vs the Becky Hills etc... is where they need to be and where they used to be though, so potential highlights arent all done by 4:30pm

 

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

If we're sticking with the two main stage approach...

Reading Friday/Leeds Saturday: Travis Scott / Fred Again

Reading Saturday/Leeds Sunday: Blink-182 / Olivia Rodrigo

Reading Sunday/Leeds Friday: Liam Gallagher / Boygenius

Doubt Boygenius will still be touring next year. O-Rod would be MSE too.

Olivia Rodrigo / Gerry Cinnamon

Travis Scott / Fred Again..

Blink-182 / Yungblud

[Chad888]

21 minutes ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

Doubt Boygenius will still be touring next year. O-Rod would be MSE too.

Olivia Rodrigo / Gerry Cinnamon

Travis Scott / Fred Again..

Blink-182 / Yungblud

Olivia Rodrigo mainstage east??

There is no way she is bigger than acts like Lizzo and Doja Cat who are all MSW size too. 

Glastobury last year she was playing at the same level as Idles, below Burna Boy and Megan The Stallion who headlined MSW.

Sure she has a new album with great hits on, but this she is nowhere near Billie Eilish size to get MSE.

She is probably Lorde size now, and Lorde was considered weak when headlining Boardmasters.

Edited September 7, 2023 by Chad888

[Benj]

Just now, Chad888 said:

Olivia Rodrigo mainstage east??

There is no way she is bigger than acts like Lizzo and Doja Cat who are all MSW size too. 

Glastobury last year she was playing at the same level as Idles, below Burna Boy and Megan The Stallion who headlined MSW.

Sure she has a new album with great hits on, but this she is nowhere near Billie Eilish size to get MSE.

At this moment, she'd be a solid MSW I reckon.

This time next year...

Its where the bookers earn their coin. Personally I reckon she'll be HUGE this time next year and they should be doing everything they can to secure her

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

Olivia Rodrigo mainstage east??

There is no way she is bigger than acts like Lizzo and Doja Cat who are all MSW size too. 

Glastobury last year she was playing at the same level as Idles, below Burna Boy and Megan The Stallion who headlined MSW.

Sure she has a new album with great hits on, but this she is nowhere near Billie Eilish size to get MSE.

She is probably Lorde size now, and Lorde was considered weak when headlining Boardmasters.

She is bigger than Lizzo by every metric, and I'd say bigger than Doja Cat too. FWIW Doja could also be MSE now I think.

Billie Eilish played 3rd Other Stage in 2019 after her first album and headlined the whole thing on her second. I can see O-Rod getting the exact same trajectory, which obviously makes her a MSE headliner with her second album.

To say she is the same size as Lorde is crazy.

Edited September 7, 2023 by SomeoneListeningIn

[Benj]

Would love Lorde at Reading too though!

Would be a decent MSW/ second "co-headliner" in any new world, although I suspect she would have zero draw with the kids (unlike Rodrigo who would be HUGE)

[Chad888]

13 minutes ago, Benj said:

At this moment, she'd be a solid MSW I reckon.

This time next year...

Its where the bookers earn their coin. Personally I reckon she'll be HUGE this time next year and they should be doing everything they can to secure her

She's literally just brought an album out and is touring that at the moment. She won't have a new one out next year, touring that too.

As it is, she has 7 singles (2 number 1's).

 

Efests always does this weird thing before a lineup is announced, where we convince ourselves that an act is going to be the main stage headliner/sub etc, and then constantly argue that they are insanely bigger than they actually are.

We did it with Yungblud and Aitch last year, AJ Tracy the year before, BMTH around 2018, Noel Gallagher and his flying birds in 2020. We thought Don Broco was a sub last year too.

I firmly believe Olivia Rodrigo is this years one of those. Sure she is getting good reconition but Lizzo has twice as many number 1's and 100x as much notoriety.

Olivia Rodrigo is a solid MSW headliner, she is about as much a draw as Halsey and Lewis Capaldi is, and they were MSW. Next album makes waves too? MSE, but her music is still teenbop break up songs.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Chad888 said:

She's literally just brought an album out and is touring that at the moment. She won't have a new one out next year, touring that too.

As it is, she has 7 singles (2 number 1's).

 

Efests always does this weird thing before a lineup is announced, where we convince ourselves that an act is going to be the main stage headliner/sub etc, and then constantly argue that they are insanely bigger than they actually are.

We did it with Yungblud and Aitch last year, AJ Tracy the year before, BMTH around 2018, Noel Gallagher and his flying birds in 2020. We thought Don Broco was a sub last year too.

I firmly believe Olivia Rodrigo is this years one of those. Sure she is getting good reconition but Lizzo has twice as many number 1's and 100x as much notoriety.

Olivia Rodrigo is a solid MSW headliner, she is about as much a draw as Halsey and Lewis Capaldi is, and they were MSW. Next album makes waves too? MSE, but her music is still teenbop break up songs.

The album literally hasn't come out yet and she literally isn't touring yet.

She has 3 number 1 singles. She's number 1 right now.

Lizzo literally doesn't have any number 1 singles. Are you purposely talking bollocks haha?

[Chad888]

2 minutes ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

The album literally hasn't come out yet and she literally isn't touring yet.

She has 3 number 1 singles. She's number 1 right now.

Lizzo literally doesn't have any number 1 singles. Are you purposely talking bollocks haha?

My mistake I read the US numbers for Lizzo. Plus we forget that charting means absolutly F all now, when i tunes, tidal, spotify numbers and youtube views count.

Lizzo is a name brand though. Every age has heard of her, and sung along to her music.

Olivia Rodrigo just sings about break-ups from teen boyfriends, she is not a crowd draw. At the moment she is a teen bopper. I like her sound, it is good, but we can't talk about the death of the festival becoming V-fest, and then recruit the latest Disney Channel teen.

Give her a few more years, let her get into adult alternative music like Miley is doing now, then give her that big name headliner spot. For now, she is an alternative.

Just like everybody convincing themselves, and then arguing that Youngblood was actually a headliner last year, we seem to be overhyping the situation a bit and not giving credit to FR for their actually decent headline acts.

[Benj]

9 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

She's literally just brought an album out and is touring that at the moment. She won't have a new one out next year, touring that too.

As it is, she has 7 singles (2 number 1's).

 

Efests always does this weird thing before a lineup is announced, where we convince ourselves that an act is going to be the main stage headliner/sub etc, and then constantly argue that they are insanely bigger than they actually are.

We did it with Yungblud and Aitch last year, AJ Tracy the year before, BMTH around 2018, Noel Gallagher and his flying birds in 2020. We thought Don Broco was a sub last year too.

I firmly believe Olivia Rodrigo is this years one of those. Sure she is getting good reconition but Lizzo has twice as many number 1's and 100x as much notoriety.

Olivia Rodrigo is a solid MSW headliner, she is about as much a draw as Halsey and Lewis Capaldi is, and they were MSW. Next album makes waves too? MSE, but her music is still teenbop break up songs.

Not having that people were saying Noel Gallagher could have headline reading in 2020!.

You may be right re Rodrigo, but saying she’s solid MSW but can’t be MSE 12 months time,  the day before her new, massively anticipated new album is released is a tad short sited

You could well be right, she could also be well out of Reading’s grasp for 2024 in a month or two’s time though

[Chad888]

10 minutes ago, Benj said:

Not having that people were saying Noel Gallagher could have headline reading in 2020!.

You may be right re Rodrigo, but saying she’s solid MSW but can’t be MSE 12 months time,  the day before her new, massively anticipated new album is released is a tad short sited

You could well be right, she could also be well out of Reading’s grasp for 2024 in a month or two’s time though

I may well be being short sighted, but at the moment she doesn't have a discography that will draw in every demographic, from the 16-year old leaver, to the 60-year old rockhead.

Her current playlist are teen girl breakup songs, no matter how catchy they actually are. Billie Eilish music on the other hand was very crowd pleasing. 

R&L being the festival they are will always try to book ahead of a trend, most of the time they smash it out the park, but then they also book a load of expected better in logo spots (MTS, Polo G, Trippie Red, Lil Tjay in recent years). 

Sure she is good, big singles, charts, a lot of plays, but she doesn't make music for the wider crowd yet. MSW for her.

[Benj]

11 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

I may well be being short sighted, but at the moment she doesn't have a discography that will draw in every demographic, from the 16-year old leaver, to the 60-year old rockhead.

Her current playlist are teen girl breakup songs, no matter how catchy they actually are. Billie Eilish music on the other hand was very crowd pleasing. 

R&L being the festival they are will always try to book ahead of a trend, most of the time they smash it out the park, but then they also book a load of expected better in logo spots (MTS, Polo G, Trippie Red, Lil Tjay in recent years). 

Sure she is good, big singles, charts, a lot of plays, but she doesn't make music for the wider crowd yet. MSW for her.

Some fair points

It is an act they’d probably want a Two Door or similar playing in the tent for…

At that point you have an exciting new star who is a huge draw to the main demographic at the festival, while the core audience, not into her, would have someone else they’d be happy to end their night at

The way it should be at a music festival 

[Guest]

Some of the posts on this forum are excruciating.

[On The Blend]

37 minutes ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

Some of the posts on this forum are excruciating.

Come on, that's half the fun!

[Benj]

Indeed, this place would be dead without all sorts of random ideas, thoughts and opinions being chucked about like confetti 🤣

[Chad888]

I'm looking at my prediction poster for last year and I got 8 out of 18 right, including Killers, 1975, Capaldi, Sam Fender as 4 of the 7 headliners we were given.