Music
Preview: Reading and Leeds Festival 2015
There’s a whole lot going on at Reading and Leeds Festival this August bank holiday weekend, so we’ve broken the preview down stage by stage.
Get the ultimate lowdown on all things indie, rock, metal, punk, grime, dance, comedy and new music…
For those of you heading to Leeds, The Libertines headline Friday, Mumford & Sons Saturday and Metallica Sunday. Rock fans can’t miss The Gaslight Anthem‘s last ever set before they break for hiatus, Alexisonfire‘s long-awaited return, as well as Bring Me The Horizon‘s sub-headline slot; which guarantees to be a career highlight for the Sheffield mettalers. We’re also tipping Marmozets, Neck Deep and Lonely The Brave to blow away unsuspecting, early crowds. With Mumford & Sons making their headline debut, the best of indie-rock will be represented by Alt-J, Bastille, The Cribs and genre chameleons Royal Blood.
Across on the NME / BBC Radio 1 Stage, Swim Deep, Everything Everything, Peace, Circa Waves and Wolf Alice will be proving why they’ve been the soundtrack to summer. Meanwhile bands like Limp Bizkit, American Football and Don Broco provide the stage’s welcomed dose of rock. That said, New York’s hip-hop duo, Run The Jewels, are expected to pull in one of the biggest cross-genre crowds of the weekend.
Three days of dance will make this Radio 1 tent the hotspot for more than just glow sticks. Hannah Wants, DJ Fresh, Charli XCX and Wilkinson are our top picks, all before Boy Better Know blows the roof off the tent.
Metal, punk and hardcore will reside in the Lock Up and The Pit tent, with Single Mothers, Beartooth, Refused, While She Sleeps, The Bronx, Atreyu and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes marked for the most explosive sets of the weekend. Don’t miss the best of (newish) British bands in The One Hundred, Moose Blood, Turbowolf, Black Foxxes and As It Is.
Eliza and The Bear, Saint Raymond, Lucy Rose, Sunset Sons, Jack Garratt and Manchester Orchestra will have us rushing to the front of the Festival Republic stage. The draw of headliners Django Django, The Wombats and Frank Turner speak for themselves, but don’t miss newbies Hunck when they open on Saturday at Reading!
BBC Radio 1xtra have pulled out all the stops for 2015: Azealia Banks, Krept & Konan, Stormzy, Lethal Bizzle and Tempa T are our pick of the very packed bill.
Get your new music fix from the likes of Clean Cut Kid, Viola Beach, Area 52, Georgia, Childcare, The Jacques and Ducking Punches.
Comedians Seann Walsh, Daniel Sloss, Joel Dommett, Russell Kane, Sara Pascoe and Luisa Omielan will have the Alternative Stage in stitches ALL weekend. Factor in a Transgressive Takeover – featuring DJ sets from Peace, Palma Violets, Huw Stephens and more – and film screenings – including Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck and Eden – and there isn’t a reason not to stop by this stage at least once.
Reading and Leeds Festival 2015 takes place between 28 – 30 August, check availability now at Ticketmaster.co.uk/reading-leeds-festival.
