2024 Festival

[BenG92]

3 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

The entire Fred Again.. discussion is based on him to date.

He subbed the 2nd stage at Glastonbury at his careers highest point this year.

This was below Wizkid, Lana Del Rey, and QOTSA who are all MSW headliners.

It was alongside Central Cee who is MSE sub.

It was above Becky Hill and Chvrches who are both MSW subs.

We are all doing it again, bumping up acts to outright headliner based on what we like, and what people around us over expose us too. Plus the absolute defeatist British attitude of "the festival books sh*t anyway, this is the best we can get to headline. Fred Again, Avril Lavigne, Yungblud are this years 3".

If he played this year, he would sub the MSE. At his current trajectory, he will head the MSW.

They offered to swap Fred and Wiz, Fred wanted the sunset slot.

I was there, the Fred crowd was absolutely packed to the rafters, bigger than Lana Del Rey. We walked past Wizkid on the way to Four Tet and it was absolutely dead. 

[Chad888]

15 minutes ago, BenG92 said:

They offered to swap Fred and Wiz, Fred wanted the sunset slot.

I was there, the Fred crowd was absolutely packed to the rafters, bigger than Lana Del Rey. We walked past Wizkid on the way to Four Tet and it was absolutely dead. 

I didn't know that much, but it still confirms that he is the size of QOTSA and LDR who are all MSW headliners.

MSE headers are all Glastonbury head size too tbh. In recent years we've had in adjacent years - Arctic Monkeys, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Stormzy, Killers, Foo Fighters..

 

I concede that Fred Again.. will have an unreal set and a huge crowd, but he isn't at MSE headliner level. He may be in a few years. At the moment, he is where Fat Boy Slim was at that stage of his career.

 

The Rockafeller Skank, Gangster Trippin, Praise You, Right Here Right Now

No different to..

Turn on the Lights, Jungle, We've lost Dancing, Adore you

 

Every teen-20 something thinks the music them and their friends listen to is "the totally biggest artist at the moment". And that older people just don't get it. 

2 years ago a poster on here asked his teenage son who Polo G was, and his son said he was the biggest act on the lineup and he should be headlining over anyone else. A year with Dave, Arctic Monkeys, RATM.

 

And in terms of modern metrics -

Fatboy Slims first 6 singles sold more than any of Fred Again total combined .

Fred Again has 13.7m monthly listeners on Spotify.

Peggy Gou in the same genre has 15.8m. BMTH has 14m. Becky Hill has 16.9m. Disclosure 13.8m.

 

We talk about the poor sales this year, Fred Again being booked will not do anything for the legacy of the festival.

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Chad888

[BenG92]

Just now, Chad888 said:

I didn't know that much, but it still confirms that he is the size of QOTSA and LDR who are all MSW headliners.

MSE headers are all Glastonbury head size too tbh. In recent years we've had in adjacent years - Arctic Monkeys, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Stormzy, Killers, Foo Fighters..

I concede that Fred Again.. will have an unreal set and a huge crowd, but he isn't at MSE headliner level. He may be in a few years. At the moment, he is where Fat Boy Slim was at that stage of his career.

 

Where are you getting "Lana is a MSW headliner" when she's never played the festival? She sold out BST this year in minutes, 65,000 tickets including all the overpriced VIP stuff. QOTSA were due to play MSW in 2021 but pulled out and have now shifted over 100,000 this year and will headline Download. Glastonbury is a very different festival that people play for various reasons and everyone takes pay cuts.

Just seems a bit weird to say "The entire Fred Again.. discussion is based on him to date" and then quote previous bookings for other acts.

Fred sold out FIVE nights at Ally Pally back-to-back within minutes. 50,000 tickets. He's huge right now, easy MSE head, not even breaking a sweat. 

[Chad888]

12 minutes ago, BenG92 said:

Where are you getting "Lana is a MSW headliner" when she's never played the festival? She sold out BST this year in minutes, 65,000 tickets including all the overpriced VIP stuff. QOTSA were due to play MSW in 2021 but pulled out and have now shifted over 100,000 this year and will headline Download. Glastonbury is a very different festival that people play for various reasons and everyone takes pay cuts.

Just seems a bit weird to say "The entire Fred Again.. discussion is based on him to date" and then quote previous bookings for other acts.

Fred sold out FIVE nights at Ally Pally back-to-back within minutes. 50,000 tickets. He's huge right now, easy MSE head, not even breaking a sweat. 

There is a large difference between buying a £40 ticket (the price of 7 pints in a pub) to see a single artist plus supporting artists of the same genre, to paying £300 (45 hours work for a minimum wage worker - or 3 full weekends work) to see a bunch of acts you don't really care about and Fred, and having to live in a tent for a week.

 

We literally JUST had the same discussion about Avril Lavigne selling out 3 nights at Ally Pally and laughed the concept of her headlining MSW even.

 

He isn't huge right now. He is huge in what you are exposed to.

His genre of music is majority played by kids on Spotify, where his current status is less than Becky Hill, Peggy Gou, Disclosure. None of them would be talked about heading MSE. 

You're conflating what you enjoy, you're anecdotal evidence, what you hear played to size.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Chad888

[BenG92]

3 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

There is a large difference between buying a £40 ticket (the price of 7 pints in a pub) to see a single artist plus supporting artists of the same genre, to paying £300 (45 hours work for a minimum wage worker - or 3 full weekends work) to see a bunch of acts you don't really care about and Fred, and having to live in a tent for a week.

We literally JUST had the same discussion about Avril Lavigne selling out 3 nights at Ally Pally and laughed the concept of her headlining MSW even.

He isn't huge right now. He is huge in what you are exposed to.

His genre of music is majority played by kids on Spotify, where his current status is less than Becky Hill, Peggy Gou, Disclosure. None of them would be talked about heading MSE. 

You're conflating what you enjoy, you're anecdotal evidence, what you hear played to size.

Except the kids DO care about all the acts in the day. It's the moaning 30 year old rock boomers who hate the current Leeds undercard. That undercard plus Fred headline is an absolute slam dunk booking. 

It's odd that you're quoting Glasto placements one minute and then saying he's smaller than Becky Hill the next, who literally played one slot under him on the same stage on a different day this year. That's not an anecdote. Two slots if we factor in the proposed Wizkid swap.

Anyway, you won't change your mind, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. But if they manage to book Fred on MSW and a MSE headliner then they've struck gold and it'll be a sellout day. Only way I see it happening is that Fred himself wants another sunset slot.

[Benj]

d’oh double post

Edited November 17, 2023 by Benj

[Benj]

9 minutes ago, BenG92 said:

Except the kids DO care about all the acts in the day. It's the moaning 30 year old rock boomers who hate the current Leeds undercard. That undercard plus Fred headline is an absolute slam dunk booking. 

Have you been to the festival the last few years?

The arena is empty half the day. The kids come in in heard for 3-4 artists a day, leaving us boomers to bore the pants off the atmosphere, while DMAs etc play to 3/4 empty field of old farts

[NorthernSoul52]

Fred Again's sheer draw at Glastonbury and Ally Pally sales makes me think he's outright headliner material. Bolt on the fact he's in the general R+L demographic - something that, say, The Killers might not have been despite selling out the majority of a stadium tour one year prior - and it feels like it could well be a great zeitgeist booking.

[Benj]

1 minute ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Fred Again's sheer draw at Glastonbury and Ally Pally sales makes me think he's outright headliner material. Bolt on the fact he's in the general R+L demographic - something that, say, The Killers might not have been despite selling out the majority of a stadium tour one year prior - and it feels like it could well be a great zeitgeist booking.

Indeed deffo has that feel…

It would be the perfect tonic to Eminem and Blink if they are indeed the other two headliners.

I went to a fest in the US this year which had Killers/ Lamar/ Odesza headlining and the  Rock/ Rap/ Dance variation were great ways to end each night.

Two legendary acts and something truly for the kids would be a great set of headliners

[BenG92]

8 minutes ago, Benj said:

Have you been to the festival the last few years?

The arena is empty half the day. The kids come in in heard for 3-4 artists a day, leaving us boomers to bore the pants off the atmosphere, while DMAs etc play to 3/4 empty field of old farts

Right, but they do come out in droves for the right artists. Shouldn't have said "all the undercard" originally tbf, I mean the stuff none of us have heard of / go for. Fred on MSE would be a proper campout situation for the youth a la Monkeys 2022, with Wolf Alice playing to a field of bored teenagers sitting down on their phones. 

[NorthernSoul52]

5 minutes ago, Benj said:

Indeed deffo has that feel…

It would be the perfect tonic to Eminem and Blink if they are indeed the other two headliners.

I went to a fest in the US this year which had Killers/ Lamar/ Odesza headlining and the  Rock/ Rap/ Dance variation were great ways to end each night.

Two legendary acts and something truly for the kids would be a great set of headliners

Absolutely. Two heritage acts with major crossover appeal and one rising star who is on the cusp of dominance - or at least, dominance for a moment, no matter how short it is.

[Will b]

Like many artists we’ve discussed - Fred would be a strong MSW or a weaker MSE but could conceivably do both 

considering that the majority of r&l attendees are kids who stream stuff on Spotify, he’s the perfect booking - especially if the other 2 MSE headliners are blink and Eminem both of whom had their heyday arounf 10-20 years ago

42 minutes ago, Chad888 said:

 

His genre of music is majority played by kids on Spotify

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Will b

[Benj]

1 minute ago, BenG92 said:

Right, but they do come out in droves for the right artists. Shouldn't have said "all the undercard" originally tbf, I mean the stuff none of us have heard of / go for. Fred on MSE would be a proper campout situation for the youth a la Monkeys 2022, with Wolf Alice playing to a field of bored teenagers sitting down on their phones. 

Another sign they have nothing else worth seeing…

This boomer is all for it though, I’d even be tempted to come back with the current format if it was

Eminem-Blink-Fred

Paramore-CATB-Lana Del Rey

(if hoping for a decent FR headliner v Enimem)

Or at least I would’ve been until I remembered the depressing half empty arena at 4pm after the kids herd out

[NorthernSoul52]

Are we any closer to discovering if the twinned main stages are a thing of the past?

[Benj]

Just now, NorthernSoul52 said:

Are we any closer to discovering if the twinned main stages are a thing of the past?

Nope. 

It’s hard to see how they can bin the two main stages and fill a full lineup anywhere near the quality of how they used to, given the competition out there now.

Im just hoping for a larger, repurposed “dance tent” that’s even more agnostic that it’s been the last couple of years and the 1Xtra becomes a kind of more extreme FR with more out there ‘urban’ / rock music on it.

The dance tent can then be full on dance post 6pm

[NorthernSoul52]

I feel, having sung to two main stages, the genie is out of the bottle now, so to speak.

But we'll see what they can rock up with.

[Andre91]

2 hours ago, BenG92 said:

Where are you getting "Lana is a MSW headliner" when she's never played the festival? She sold out BST this year in minutes, 65,000 tickets including all the overpriced VIP stuff. QOTSA were due to play MSW in 2021 but pulled out and have now shifted over 100,000 this year and will headline Download. Glastonbury is a very different festival that people play for various reasons and everyone takes pay cuts.

Just seems a bit weird to say "The entire Fred Again.. discussion is based on him to date" and then quote previous bookings for other acts.

Fred sold out FIVE nights at Ally Pally back-to-back within minutes. 50,000 tickets. He's huge right now, easy MSE head, not even breaking a sweat. 

Agreed. 

[Andre91]

If Lana Del Rey hasn’t played the festival up to this point, she ain’t starting now. She is not an R&L act in any way, as evidenced by the fact she’s never been booked. Using her as a comparison point for size at R&L is completely irrelevant. 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Andre91

[Benj]

7 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

If Lana Del Rey hasn’t played the festival up to this point, she ain’t starting now. She is not an R&L act in any way, as evidenced by the fact she’s never been booked. Using her as a comparison point for size at R&L is completely irrelevant. 

Yup. Would be great but she isn’t Reading fayre in 2024 (or even previously to be fair) whatsoever. 

Headlining Lattitude (at arguably her recent peak post NFR) and other staging at Glastonbury make her a strongish MSW.

Aint gonna happen though

[NorthernSoul52]

I still find myself kind of shocked LDR shifted that BST date so fast. (It was a 50,000-capacity show, mind you, wasn't it?)

[gfa]

2 hours ago, Chad888 said:

I didn't know that much, but it still confirms that he is the size of QOTSA and LDR who are all MSW headliners.

MSE headers are all Glastonbury head size too tbh. In recent years we've had in adjacent years - Arctic Monkeys, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Stormzy, Killers, Foo Fighters..

 

I concede that Fred Again.. will have an unreal set and a huge crowd, but he isn't at MSE headliner level. He may be in a few years. At the moment, he is where Fat Boy Slim was at that stage of his career.

 

The Rockafeller Skank, Gangster Trippin, Praise You, Right Here Right Now

No different to..

Turn on the Lights, Jungle, We've lost Dancing, Adore you

 

Every teen-20 something thinks the music them and their friends listen to is "the totally biggest artist at the moment". And that older people just don't get it. 

2 years ago a poster on here asked his teenage son who Polo G was, and his son said he was the biggest act on the lineup and he should be headlining over anyone else. A year with Dave, Arctic Monkeys, RATM.

 

And in terms of modern metrics -

Fatboy Slims first 6 singles sold more than any of Fred Again total combined .

Fred Again has 13.7m monthly listeners on Spotify.

Peggy Gou in the same genre has 15.8m. BMTH has 14m. Becky Hill has 16.9m. Disclosure 13.8m.

 

We talk about the poor sales this year, Fred Again being booked will not do anything for the legacy of the festival.

 

What kind of modern metric is Fatboy slims singles 30 years ago when people actually bought music sold more than fred again's in 2023 - wow shocker

Lana Del Ray sold out BST instantly and did Other headline vs GNR who headlined the pyramid and couldn't sell their day out at similar prices.

Eminem / Blink / Fred Again would do well as a trio

[NorthernSoul52]

3 minutes ago, gfa said:

Eminem / Blink / Fred Again would do well as a trio

It's a neat cross-pollination. With the best will in the world, despite both being pretty big pulls, Sam Fender and The Killers probably share a lot of crossover. (The former supported the latter only the year before, for crying out loud.)

[Benj]

47 minutes ago, gfa said:

Eminem / Blink / Fred Again would do well as a trio

Bar having two old types, it’s exactly what Reading should be about in my eyes, properly popular, genre hopping stuff.

Now we just need a decent alternative programmed on another decent sized stage for people who don’t like the artists each night too 👍🏼

[gblock]

I think Fred Again would take the MSW spot, as with Glastonbury he seems content on being booked in slightly smaller slots than he could potentially be doing. That twilight slot as the darkness comes out would be perfect for a 75 minute Fred set - like Disclosure in 2021.

He is probably just about big enough to do MSE, but I think he won’t 

[Chad888]

Day runs:

Post Malone > Paramore > Idles > Little Simz > Avril Lavigne > Ice Spice

Blink 182 > Fred Again.. > Yungblud > The Wombats > Limp Bizkit > Pink Pantheress

Eminem > Catfish and the Bottlemen > Bombay Bicycle Club > Tate Mcrae > Lil Yachty > Griff