What To Expect From… Reading & Leeds Festival 2024

Main Stage

A quick scan between this year’s and the last couple of years’ posters will tell you that there’s been a few changes at Reading & Leeds. Beyond just the usual “it’s not like it used to be” moaning, too; these are one a fundamental, organisation level. One of the biggest is the return of a singular Main Stage, dropping the dual, alternating approach of the last couple of festivals for a reliable, centralised top bill. And thus, the vaunted ‘six headliners’ USP that’s still being wheeled out feels a little moot when, at both sites, there’s no rotation or alternation; on any given day, the hierarchy between ‘headliners’ remains the same.

It’s not a sterling system, to be fair, but the acts themselves can make up for it, if only by potentially sating the complaints of the oldheads with a higher quotient of older or ‘correct-sounding’ acts. Liam Gallagher on his own is already foolproof, even without the promise of a full run-through of Oasis’ Definitely Maybe on its 30th birthday. On a similar token, Catfish And The Bottlemen and Gerry Cinnamon are indie reliables with enormous pulling power, and the exact sound and style that’s regular clamoured for on these grounds. As for blink-182, they’re an established name riding an all-consuming nostalgia wave at the moment, though not without the prowess to still hold their space on pop-punk’s throne. And on a good day, you could probably factor Lana Del Rey among them, thanks to a vintage aesthetic to her baroque-pop and an artistry that demands more patience and attention.

But to round out the headliners, Fred again.. is the only one with a considerable bead on what’s ahead rather than what has been. Proper dance acts are few and far between in terms of entirely topping the bill, but as inarguably the biggest producer around right now with no signs of slowing down—and, for plenty of the target demographic, likely the most vaunted name of the six—his inclusion is probably the clearest distillation of the Reading & Leeds ethos. It’s always been about grabbing what’s popular right now, and having that side-by-side with a more evergreen contingent of styles and acts. For the Main Stage this year, it actually seems fairly dominated by the latter, but you can’t really ignore the presence of RAYE here and her forward-thinking take on mainstream pop, or Reneé Rapp as a multidisciplinary entertainer, or even Dasha as the representative for TikTok one-hit wonders.

But going back to the indie side and its overwhelming presence, it’s good to see the due diligence has been taken for some variety among that. Obviously you’ve still got your ones that land down the middle, or have proven themselves as easy hitters to fall among them—Two Door Cinema Club are the biggest of this year’s bunch, The K’s are the best, and Corella and The Luka State fill the rest out. That’s still fairly cut down though, and indicative of a diversity in approach that’s much-appreciated. Bleachers, The Last Dinner Party and Crawlers are purveyors of more sophisticated, higher-end fare; Fontaines D.C. and Courting fill the post-punk crossover niche; and Seb Lowe, as a genre-breeding all-rounder, falls in a category of his own.

As for the rest, it’s the usual Reading & Leeds bit-of-everything approach, though maybe even going a bit further than normal. You have to look no further than Spiritbox for that, a rare metal rep billed shockingly high, though with the waves they’ve been making (alongside the fact that they’re actually, y’know, good), it’s justified. Joining them on the rock front are fellow left-of-centrers Pendulum, though at least their metal / drum ‘n’ bass hybrid has left these particular boards well-trodden, as well as Neck Deep’s pop-punk and the newly-energised riff-rock of Dead Poet Society. Finally in hip-hop, your heavy-hitters are 21 Savage as one of trap’s most lauded and decorated names, and Kneecap, the Irish-language firebrands who’ve been cutting a healthy swathe through music as a whole this entire year, as one as the hottest and most vital breakouts in some time. By comparison, Bru-C and Zino Vinci…aren’t, but that’s variety for ya, right?

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The Chevron Stage

This is the biggest new inclusion to Reading & Leeds—a brand new stage, merging the rubrics of the departed Dance and Radio 1Xtra Stages, and situated as an open-air venue with cutting-edge design and technology as its primary selling point. At the time of writing, the only indication what that actually entails is the brief proof-of-concept video that came with its announcement, but it’s a cool idea just on principle. When this is the sort of music that’s a proven seller at these festivals now, it’s worth investing on it and capitalising to this extent. Obviously, the proof will be in the pudding in a couple of weeks, but the idea alone is incredibly solid.

Clearly there’s a lot of faith put into this, too, seeing as the lineup amassed seems meticulously crafted to blow the nonexistent roof off. For a start, The Prodigy can—and have—headlined this entire thing, so to have them on the maiden voyage of a venture like this is a little wild, just for the potential it has. Their live reputation is one thing, but as such a formative act in the development of British rave culture, the outward reach it had and the evolution that it continues to enjoy, this is already a stunner of a booking. You could make the same argument for Skrillex, as one of the defining names in electronic music of the 21st century who’s stuck around and metamorphosed to frankly startling degrees over time. Sonny Fodera, meanwhile, is the obvious third place, but his standing in house’s current mainstream is well-known enough to make a headline set feel warranted.

The rest of the bill is more in line with that side of things, prioritising the current tastemakers and charters in house and dance music, more so than its forebears could. Gone are the leftfield indie acts occupying the bottom slots of the Dance Stage; on the Chevron, there’s a lot more focus and a higher aim. As such, names like Nia Archives and Barry Can’t Swim are hardly surprising to see, given the profile they’ve built up in jungle and house respectively. Meanwhile, Kenya Grace is one of electronic music’s biggest stars to emerge this year, alongside the likes of Dom Dolla, Bou, Goddard. and Kenny Beats with their own phenomenally successful runs. They’re all joined by a small package of hip-hop, far less extensively explored than in the past, but a big appearance from Denzel Curry can make up for a lot. There’s also LeoStayTrill in that lane (left to fill even more space after a dropout from Digga D), but Curry is the biggest deal, invariably. He’s been one of the most vital, eruptive presences in hip-hop for years now, already with a killer Main Stage set under his belt from 2022. A combination of that and the wild advances in the live experience the Chevron proclaims could make this one for the ages.

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BBC Radio 1 Stage

It’s back! The absence of the Radio 1 Stage has been rather conspicuous over the last few years, in part due to how it was blown up to be the second Main Stage, when this was always the preferred setup. It’s a bit of a smaller space, but just the right size to house the mix of bigger names, rising buzz-providers and a generally broader variety. Looks like it’s back to what it used to be without a beat missed, too, given that the headlining cache of Beabadoobee, Jorja Smith and The Wombats is about as on-brand as it comes. With their respective roles of a bedroom-alt extraordinaire, an R&B star with unquestionable flexibility and momentum, and one of the indie staples of the late 2000s, that’s basically all your bases covered right there.

Well, alright, maybe not all of them. That, in a way, is the beauty of the Radio 1 Stage, as its role as the landing site for everything that can’t neatly be placed elsewhere is such a good thing to have. There’s indie and rock fare here that’s just suited to this environment better—Good Neighbours’ tight TikTok-indie; Bears In Trees’ twirling, exuberant emo-pop; Destroy Boys’ vintage-leaning punk; The Beaches’ breezy pop-rock; Wunderhorse’s wave-making post-punk; and a pair of indie-poppers in Swim School and New West for whom momentum is pretty much a sure thing. As for the singer-songwriters, many of them could be put in a similar boat, though for David Kushner and Teddy Swims, they represent a push into a pop with just enough alt cred that’s the upper end of that scale. For as much as Reading & Leeds has been embracing an unabashedly mainstream viewpoint lately, they seem to know the acts to pick that can test their ever-shifting rubric without destabilising it too much. It’s where an act like James Marriott might come in, enormous as a YouTuber and streamer but plowing a distinctly indie-pop furrow. Perhaps Jessie Murph feels a bit out-of-bounds (Jelly Roll and Koe Wetzel collaborators rarely set foot on these grounds), but she’s an evident outlier. The rest come with cleaner ties to bedroom-pop or a specific form of independent singer-songwriter work—Alfie Templeman; Zach Templar; Chinchilla; Felix Ames; all of them occupy that space.

Beyond all of them is the more scattered, omni-genre fare represented here. Ashnikko arrives as the biggest of them, in the intersection of hip-hop, pop and prerequisite alternative branding for this sort of thing. JESSE® is similar, as the emo-rap side-venture of The Neighbourhood’s Jesse Rutherford that isn’t all that great, but it’s another string to the bow, at least. For more on the hip-hop front, there’s Skrapz as (apparently) a returning golden goose within the UK scene, and Frozemode for one of the most exciting groups of genre-clashers currently being produced. For the other loose threads, there’s Artemas with his vaguely darkwave-ish TikTok-pop; Confidence Man’s sparkling, retro dance-pop; Overmono’s tactile breakbeat that’s seen them become one of the most hotly-tipped electronic acts around; girl-group R&B from Flo; genre-defying alt-pop from G Flip; and a shock of metalcore from Kid Brunswick.

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Festival Republic Stage

It’s almost seems odd that the Festival Republic Stage is one of the few constant carryovers to this year, given its own quantum state recently. It does appear to have found its footing now, though, with a day of rising indie talent, and two of contemporary rock and finger-on-the-pulse alternative fare. In the latter’s case, rock has a much stronger foothold compared to crossover hip-hop or emo-rap of previous outings. That side is still represented through Deijuvhs and Thxsomuch, but the focus is a lot clearer. The headliners seem to come from both angles—a second set of the weekend from Neck Deep as a bellwether of melody and punk vibrancy, and hoary post-punk from Viagra Boys to go careening in the opposite direction. Granted, there isn’t a lot of that, but heavier or less-friendly stuff can still be found, from Loathe’s post-metalcore that soars and bludgeons in equal measure, to Bad Nerves’ scuffed-to-bits garage-punk, to Big Special’s coal-black storytelling amid spoken-word post-punk.

As for the side of rock and punk with grander aspirations, the usual cross-section of what’s currently working—especially in the UK—is once again live. Kid Kapichi are the top recipients of that accolade, joined by charged-up punk from Dream Wife, Lambrini Girls and The Oozes, and yet another festival this year for Dead Pony’s slew of alt-rock anthems to stretch their legs. Joining them are Militarie Gun and their blissfully tuneful alt-punk; the snarled, ragged punk of Spiritual Cramp; The Scratch’s Celtic-folk-flecked hard rock; and Thus Love’s thundering garage-rock. For a mainstream bill, it’s surprisingly stacked in terms of genuine ferocity and determination bubbling up from independent scenes and movements. It’s a rarity to have it in such healthy supply, and does feel worth commending as an effort to recapture the spirit of the old Lock-Up Stage in terms of what’s on offer. And that doesn’t mean that the shiny-and-new can’t be here, but it’s nice to see that eased back a bit. The Amity Affliction’s waterlogged metalcore is rarely a draw at the best of times, but at least from Loveless and Yours Truly and their individual strains of forceful pop-rock, there’s something to gravitate to, even there.

By comparison, the indie side of the Festival Republic Stage is a less revelatory swing back to wanted equilibrium. This is very much in-keeping with the norm, right down to a headline performance from The Japanese House as an indie-pop act whose name is out there, but mightn’t be big enough to fully fill spaces elsewhere. Still, this run of acts often feels like the exact springboard needed to make it there. Looking at the rest of them, you’d easily believe that, with the likes of Rachel Chinouriri and her sturdy indie-pop; Hak Baker’s genre-agnostic rap; lush soul-pop from Matt Maltese; and Only The Poets’ stirring indie-pop looking for a direct line of sight to arena enormity.

Elsewhere, there’s another rock-solid crop of singer-songwriter and soloist talent, the most talked-about being The Vamps’ Bradley Simpson on his Harry Styles-esque reinvention to classic rock maestro. Alongside him, Arthur Hill is another representative of the online-creator-to-popstar pipeline, while Paris Paloma’s lush indie-pop and Mackenzy Mackay’s indie-hip-hop stylings bring similar wide-ranging potential. To cap it off, Kingfishr bring a dexterous indie-folk sound; Talk Show arrive as another post-punk name looking to break through; and underscores might just be one of the most fascinating acts at the entire festival, in a fusion of hyperpop, emo, pop-rock and terminally-online sensibilities that, compared to literally everything around it, is totally its own thing.

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BBC Introducing Stage

Compared to how it usually falls, there’s a lot of rock and alternative fare making its way onto this year’s BBC Introducing bill. Maybe it’s indicative of a changing tide allowing these acts more visibility; maybe it’s just the way things have landed. Either way, it’s encouraging to see artists who’ve already got a decent pocket of hype finding their way here, most notably Delilah Bon with a rap-rock style and attitude that’s already raked in plaudits aplenty. South Arcade’s dense, heavy pop-rock can fit a similar mould, and spinning off to fit the current wide alternative landscape, there’s the indie-electro-pop-rock clash of NOISY; the slight gothic snarl emboldening Venus Grrrls’ punk; and Cameron Hayes’ pounding alt-pop. Of course, the usual isn’t going totally amiss. There’s still the regular injection of indie from Michael Aldag and Soft Launch, and adjacent post-punk from Sun King and Welly. Meanwhile, Beren Olivia is the top pop exemplar, with that rolling into soul from IYAMAH and hip-hop from Jayahadadream. Finally, some additional rock comes in the jubilant jumps of Carsick, and the taut, addictive melodies of ARXX.

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Reading & Leeds takes place on 23rd-25th August at Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds. For more information, visit http://www.readingandleedsfestival.com.

Words by Luke Nuttall