RETURN OF READING AND LEEDS PROVES GUITAR MUSIC ISN’T DEAD

Following a two year hiatus, the iconic festival returned to the sister sites of Little John’s Farm and Bramham Park. Boasting a weekend of non-stop music, sunshine, and criminally overpriced cheesy chips, all that was missing was the line-up’s female power.

Friday at Reading saw the likes of Sports Team, Nova Twins and Wargasm taking to the stage, but it was Essex-born rock band Nothing But Thieves who first kicked things off on Main Stage West. Sea Girls played later that afternoon, delivering indie-rock tunes that could well see them propelled to headliner status in a few years. Declan McKenna followed suit, with crowds singing along to ‘Brazil’ and spreading out the pits for ‘British Bombs’.

That evening, while Mabel lit up Main Stage East, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes took over the Festival Republic tent for a last minute set of mosh pits and crowd surfing. All eyes then turned west for Sam Fender, once a seventeen-year-old ‘punter’ at Leeds, now playing for a packed-out arena. It was Catfish and the Bottlemen who filled the weekend’s first headline slot, performing with ease for their adoring crowd of fans. Stormzy was to follow, bringing his usual energy to the highly-anticipated, pyro-infused show.

Saturday afternoon started out on a high with rock legends You Me At Six, drawing in a slightly older but no less rowdy audience for music old and new. Then came just enough time for a boozy lunch before Sigrid’s set, followed by the explosive Slowthai, while Becky Hill and Beabadoobee also brought in the crowds.

A ‘quick’ food break - that actually turned out to be a forty minute queue for mac’n’cheese - took us into the evening, when The Wombats proved themselves as festival favourites. The rise of TikTok over lockdown brought particular attention to their hits ‘Kill the Director’ and ‘Greek Tragedy’, creating a natural crescendo for their massive set. Northern Irish Two Door Cinema Club then played before Post Malone’s headliner, bringing indie anthems to celebrate the sundown. 

We crashed into Sunday with a set from The Hunna, bringing insane energy that promises big things from their UK tour this November. Later on, Jake Bugg returned to Reading with another secret performance, attracting crowds that spilled way beyond the confines of the Festival Republic tent.

As Wolf Alice and Neck Deep triumphed, Yungblud brought characteristic excitement - and a giant inflatable duck - to Main Stage West. Having crammed in an appearance at Manchester Pride between the two festivals, his set featured a digital Machine Gun Kelly (who was stranded in America) for their collaboration on ‘I Think I’m Okay’, before rounding off with a huge mosh pit on the final chorus of ‘Machine Gun’.

Reading veterans Biffy Clyro took to the stage later as Sunday’s first headliner, putting on a mesmerising show complete with high beams and fireworks. Their closing song, ‘Machines’, took on a whole new meaning with the lyric “I've forgotten how good it could be to feel alive”, now belted out heartily by the post-pandemic crowd who seemed to be remembering just how good it really was. 

The Festival Republic tent’s final performance was from Girl in Red, who delivered an intimate and emotional show with surprising energy, finishing just in time to catch the final bars of Liam Gallagher’s ‘Wonderwall’. 

As much as the return of Reading and Leeds felt triumphant, the male-dominated lineup was hard to ignore. Criticisms were raised as soon as it was announced last year, particularly over the fact that the headliners - doubled from three slots to six - failed to include a single female artist. It isn’t a one-off problem for the festival: in 2014, Paramore became the first (and only) female-led band to top the bill in over twenty years, while just 12% of 2019’s bookings went to female artists. 

Reading and Leeds certainly contributed to the spirit of celebration and togetherness overarching this year’s festival season. Our only hope is that, next year, they don’t contribute to the industry’s gaping gender imbalance again.