Music

jessicabridgeman / 1 March 2016

Why Biffy Clyro are an A* headliner choice for Reading and Leeds 2016

We need to talk about Reading and Leeds Festival 2016…

The iconic, two-site festival has been mixing up its line-up for a good few years now, and their latest announcement is no exception.

Biffy Clyro and Fall Out Boy will join Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foals and Disclosure to headline this summer’s event, taking place across the August Bank Holiday weekend (26 – 28 August).

It’s been a pleasure to watch both Biffy Clyro and Fall Out Boy ‘crack the mainstream’, climb the venue ranks, experiment with their sound and find a nook that’s hard for any music fan to argue with. They do what they do, and they do it well.

For us, Biffy Clyro are the next generation headliners we’ve been longing for. They’ve succeeded at Sonisphere and they did a marvellous job of opening for Metallica at Download. At Reading and Leeds though, Biffy can really revel in the best of their back catalogue. If their new song debuted on NYE is anything to go by, they’ve got a whole bag of new riffs to hold up the heavy side of their set. While Bubbles, Many Of Honour and Biblical stand to be truly euphoric on the main stage at night.

“This year really is a big one for Reading and Leeds,” said festival organiser Melvin Benn. “Five headliners across three days – it’s a first for us and the UK festival scene.

“We’re always looking to give Reading and Leeds fans something new and this year isn’t going to disappoint. Biffy Clyro and Fall Out Boy are going to be incredible.”

There’s no denying rock, metal, hardcore and punk still have seriouse prominence at Reading and Leeds, with the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Five Finger Death Punch, Asking Alexandra, State Champs, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, Eagles of Death Metal, Crossfaith, Creeper, Parkway Drive and Asking Alexandra propping up the bill. As well as causing mayhem on The Pit stage, plenty of riff-lords will be taking to the main stage at this year’s festival too.

But while metal and rock are riff, this is a certified indie festival in equal measure, not to mention a dance weekender and a place for the most popular drum and bass, dubstep and folk artists to merge as one.

With Foals heading up Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds, they lead a whole load of mainstream indie talent. The 1975, Jack Garratt, Chvrches, Courteeners, Imagine Dragons, Sundara Karma and Rat Boy are all booked and ready to make history.

Then there’s A$AP Rocky, Boy Better Know, Fetty Wap, Hannah Wants, G-Eazy, Krept & Konan, Mistajam and Raleigh Ritchie to prove that, well, anything goes at Reading and Leeds in 2016.

For us though, it’s the presence of bands like Twenty One Pilots, Die Antwoord, The King Blues and Nothing But Thieves that bring the whole thing together. It’s hard to argue with these artists at any festival, really. Whether their crossing the boarders of punk, rock, rave, rap and ska, they embody the cross-genre embodiment of Reading and Leeds.

Which acts are you most excited for at Reading and Leeds 2016? Let us know @TicketmasterUK. 

Book tickets for Reading and Leeds Festival 2016, taking place between 24 – 28 August, now at Ticketmaster.co.uk.