Festival preview: Reading

by Laila Hassani

Reading gets ready to rock once more...

"It is always the perfect middle-ground for those who find Glastonbury too hippy-dippy and Donnington too hardcore metal."

Reading/Leeds Festival
When: Friday 22 August - Sunday 24 August
Where: Richfield Avenue, Reading / Bramham Park, Leeds
Official site: www.readingfestival.com
Past New Noise coverage
2007
Click here for line up details

Reading is one of the most enduring festivals in the UK - with the Northern leg starting about 8 years ago up in Leeds - and it is always the perfect middle-ground for those who find Glastonbury too hippy-dippy and Donnington too hardcore metal. Back in '72 it was headlined by The Faces and featured ELO and Status Quo on the bill; since then every indie/rock/metal band worth their salt have played at some point.

It's been the place to head for the August Bank Holiday weekend; NN remembers the hilarious Daphne & Celeste performance back in 2000, Foo Fighers' singalongs in 2002 and 2005, watching Muse in the ridiculous pissing rain, Lostprophets causing absolute mayhem in the one of the tents. And that's just off the top of our head...

This year promises to be another corker too - just for the first UK Rage Against The Machine appearance since 2000. Then there's The Killers headlining the Saturday night (or Sunday if you are up north), Gallows taking on the Lock Up stage after their second mega year in a row and The Last Shadow Puppets on the Radio 1 stage. If that doesn't sound exciting enough, NN can't wait for Alexisonfire on the main stage (woo!) and newcomer emo tykes You Meet At Six, PLUS Kids In Glass Houses, Thrice, Black Kids, Biffy Clyro, We Are Scientists, The Ting Tings and oh-so-many more! And this year sees the third year of the Love Not Riots campaign after the mayhem and destruction of the Leeds site in 2006. A Good Cause.

See you down the front. No bottle-throwing, mind...
Saoirse said on July 21st 2008 [report abuse]

You-Me-At-Six = NO THANKYOU. They will be out of their depth at reading. Looking forward to Goldfinger, All Time Low and Dropkick Murphys!

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