READING FESTIVAL brings five huge headliners to Richfield Avenue for 2016 edition.

There is only one place to visit during August Bank Holiday Weekend in the UK, and it is Reading and Leeds Festival.

Five immense headlining acts: Foals, Disclosure, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fall Out Boy and Biffy Clyro made the biggest line-up to date. What’s more, this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival saw 170,000 attendees across Richfield Avenue and Bramham Park. With numbers like these I really don’t know what they’ll come up with for the next year.

A lot of incredible bands, artists and comedians took to many stages across the festival site while DJs began to warm up the crowds on Thursday evening.

Reflecting on the weekend, Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn says:

I knew 2016 was going to be a great year for Reading and Leeds, with five headliners over three days and sold out crowds. I’m so proud of the line-up and the fact we’re still giving fans the best music line up. I was blown away by Fall Out Boy’s set and it was great having Biffy Clyro back at the festivals, closing Reading with an incredible stage production last night. Red Hot Chili Peppers delivered a set even more impressive than their previous in 2007. Disclosure co-headlined alongside Foals; a band who have risen through the Reading and Leeds ranks and proved they truly belong on the Main Stage, that performance was a long time coming. Thank you to everyone who made this weekend one to remember, I look forward to seeing you again in 2017.

The BBC Introducing Stage is probably the richest mine of musical talent and when at R&L you simply have to stop by a few times to see future headliners. It’s no secret that many artists who have graced this stage have, very often, been promoted to much bigger stages, the Main Stage including. I’m pretty positive this trend will continue.

This year we saw Blossoms and Clean Cut Kid returning with secret shows to pay their respects. Moreover, if your timing was right you could catch the raucous Slaves literally leaving the Main Stage to jump on the BBC Introducing one. The latter was more messy and more insane, just what you would have expected from the duo.

One of my favourite upcoming bands, High Tyde, delivered a lively and energetic performance playing some of their biggest hits, like Dark Love, alongside their latest infectious tune, Speak, which is the first cut to be taken from the band’s fourth EP, Real.

I must admit that judging by the amount of people who showed up to watch the Brighton four-piece and loud singalongs, they’re certainly one of those who will land, sooner or later, on a respectively bigger stage.

The group has announced a UK headline tour for this autumn so make sure to add a few dates to your diary.

HAUS are the band who will be joining High Tyde on the above mentioned tour. Their version of rock-pop with electronic influences in the mix and distinctive vocals will make you keep clicking Replay. Go check out the brilliant tracks Haze, Blinded and the latest offering from the group, Two Minds! See for yourself and thank me later.

 

The NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage completely rammed for Blossoms… No chance of getting through. No wonder. Having scored No. 1 with debut album has to have a few perks. I’m just hoping to see more creativity in their future sets.

Kent-born singer-songwriter Will Joseph Cook was another great artist who shook the Festival Republic Stage. Spinning the tracks Take Me Dancing, Beach and Girls Like Me he surely set a few hip sways in motion here and there whilst…

INHEAVEN saw a formation of a proper mosh pit. All thanks to the songs Baby’s Alright, Bitter Town and All There Is amongst many other.

LANY, the band who have been on my playlist relentlessly for the last couple of years. Not getting rid of them anytime soon.

Having presented an array of their dreamy alt-pop thoroughly and bringing some Californian sun rays along, the Nashville-via-LA-via-NY trio surely lightened up gloomy day.

The upbeat rhythms, catchy synths with a little bit of 80s vibe, and eternal summer are constantly hailing from their music. That quintessence of LANY‘s sound is emphasised by tracks such as WHERE THE HELL ARE MY FRIENDS and yea, babe, no way, taken from their recent kinda EP.

The band showcase emotionally charged minimalism within their music what beautifully translates into their stage presence. They will make you feel like each song was written just for you and that you’re the only person in the room when they play, especially when you listen to their most famous and mostly beloved single ILYSB.

The Magic Gang are the future of the music world I’m totally ok with. Their infectious indie hooks have scattered across the country, and beyond, with no intention of leaving anytime soon. Plus, their fast growing fan base is one of the craziest I have seen so far. There is no The Magic Gang‘s show if there’s no mosh pit, a lot of crowdsurfing or simply smashing the barriers. This show was no exception.

The Brighton’s quartet was playing a 3 pm set but it felt like the whole festival was theirs. Their powerfully catchy tunes She Doesn’t See, Feeling Better and Jasmine, taken from the band’s EP (Jan 2016), and some of their earlier stuff like 2015’s Alright alongside the recent single All This Way create a fresh and energetic blend filling up any room (or a tent in this case) they’re playing in.

You might want to jump on board, if you haven’t already, because this band are destined for greater things.

The Magic Gang have recently signed with Warner Bros Records.

The Pit and The Lock Up Stage was a totally separate world serving heavier sounds and a pop-punk blend. Saturday was all about You Me At Six who played a secret show but Sunday was all about these guys.

It’s been quite a journey for Waterparks. First, dropping everything and leaving their old lives behind just because Good Charlotte said so (FYI I would definitely do the same) and now announcing the release of their debut album Double Dare on Nov 4th. With already three EPs in their arsenal, the unmissable charm and wit, and many devoted fans they are clearly ones to watch in the near future. But believe me, they can talk! I mean, like really TALK. Awsten Knight, the frontman of the band, can’t stop talking. Not like it’s a bad thing. At least, he keeps it very entertaining in-between songs.

The Houston-based trio is all about heavy riffs and dynamic drums, high-reaching vocals and youthful honesty of the lyrics, strong charisma and hypnotising stage presence. The energy living in the tracks Silver (Airplane Conversations 2012), Crave, Mad All The Time and No Capes, all taken from the band’s latest Cluster EP (Jan 2016) utterly translates into the live format what results in more and more people falling in love with them.

I’m A Natural Blue finished off the set leaving me with a strong desire to want to dye my hair. Again. Worth to add, the band could count on Mikey Way stepping in for Geoff Wigington (guitar), who broke his hand a few weeks ago.

Waterparks have just unveiled the first cut from their highly-anticipated record, Stupid For You, so make sure to have a listen!

The Main Stage successfully delivered a wide range of performances. From the special guest, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls who played the opening set making his 10th appearance in a row, to Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes who, on the other hand, were scoring their debut, to electro-pop kings and queen Chvrches. Moreover, Courteeners beautifully warmed up the crowd and definitely landed on the list of my favourites alongside…

 The Main Stage saw also a tribute to Viola Beach and their manager Craig Tarry who died in a car crash in Sweden earlier this year. The tragedy which shook the entire music world.

After a few different festivals it was time for Reading and Leeds to pay their tribute. A display of a couple of video clips from the band’s BBC Introducing session along the live version of the track Boys That Sing appeared on the screens leaving all of us with a reflection on life’s fragility. The painful gesture but surely a much needed one.

Although I have a strong affection for Red Hot Chili Peppers, the band who stole my heart on Saturday night were Imagine Dragons. The wonderful arrangement of the tracks I Bet My Life, Demons and Radioactive amongst many others, and the whole stage production made a perfect composition which simply lightened up the entire festival site. I might add as well that the frontman of the group, Dan Reynolds, stage dived so many times that I totally lost count.

As for the band, they described the experience as “One of the best festivals in the world. Nothing compares to Reading and Leeds Festival”. I can’t argue with that statement.

There they were. The band who probably have got respectively the same amount of followers as the people who hate them over the years. Nevertheless, they are one of the greatest bands who have ever graced the planet Earth.

What’s more, Red Hot Chili Peppers surely know how to advertise themselves. It was long before their set when an airplane appeared on the sky making a circle above our heads with a following tour sign. Pretty good move. Have you got your tickets yet?

Having been on the music scene for more than three decades certainly gives you a vast array of repertoire. It is also a challenge to, not just play, but to headline Reading and Leeds Festival for the fourth time.

Red Hot Chili Peppers will always appear to me as something new and something old at the same time. The unbelievable energy and the timeless spirit which will never cease to exist. This band will go when the entire world does.

The L.A. four-piece have the power to make new material sound like an all time fan favourites. This is why when the crowd was singing the lyrics of the lead single, Dark Necessities, off of their new album The Getaway (Jun 2016), the show seemed just like a meeting with an old pal. However, the funky and groovy rhythms of the opener Can’t Stop or the tracks Scar Tissue and Dani California were the ones the audience was waiting for.

Accompanied by the dazzling sets of lights and circular screens with flashing images throughout the entire set, Red Hot Chili Peppers finished off with the song Give It Away delivering a performance which will long live in our memory.

Also, Flea saying that he would “vomit on everyone” after going on a ride in the amusement park was kind of a highlight.

Fall Out Boy were literally on fire as they co-headlined the Main Stage on Sunday night. Having opened with the song The Phoenix and the following Sugar, We’re Goin Down, and the team of pyro-dancers worth to add, they delivered an abundant performance. The one their fans have been waiting for a long time.

The mix of the four-piece’s Save Rock and Roll (2013) and American Beauty/American Psycho (2015) repertoire played a dominant role on the setlist. The crowd warmly embraced the title tracks alongside the songs Irresistible, The Kids Aren’t Alright and Uma Thurman singing the lyrics back at the band whilst the tune Fourth of July was accompanied by the display of firework sequences.

Fall Out Boy are one of those bands who can proudly say they have got a strong connection with their fan base and it certainly shows. A few band-theme flags waving above the audience, the loud cheers during the favourite anthemic hits Dance, Dance and Thnks fr th Mmrs and Pete Wentz‘s stage diving when finishing off with the tracks Centuries and My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up), and those are just a few.

However, for the people who weren’t very familiar with the American quartet’s music or were seeing them for very first time, the set might have appeared a little bit monotonous and repetitive. But for the fans, including myself, Fall Out Boy‘s show was one of my favourite gig experiences.

The mighty Biffy Clyro were the ones to shut down this year’s Reading Festival. Returning to the festival field after a three-year break and the release of their seventh studio album Ellipsis, the Scottish legends proved they were still full of surprises.

Opening with hard hitting riffs of the lead track of their last record, Wolves Of Winter, and the stroboscope of lights they started a wave of massive rock anthems. Confidently presenting the new material the trio played brutally honest  Friends and Enemies, Howl and the beautiful song Re-arrange, which was described as the band’s R&B attempt by Ben Johnston (the drummer) himself who has stated in the past that for a band with three albums of angular distorted music it’s brave for us to go down that kind of pop-ier path.

The stage production was one of the best I had seen. Each song had its own light instalment with the giant built-in ramps on different height levels, the structures of cubes spinning images round, dancing lasers and flaring screens. That was an extremely spectacular show. It’s amazing how only three men can make such a mess.

The tracks Mountains and Bubbles (Only Revolutions 2009) went down as a treat while Biblical and Black Chandelier, taken from Biffy Clyro‘s 2013 album Opposites, formed an enormous echo of voices heard, most likely, across the entire Reading.

However, the moment when 60,000 voices were singing every word of the outstanding single Many Of Horror was probably one of the most moving moments in my life. Not to mention the band’s. Simon Neil could only say: That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve heard in my life.

The track Stingin’ Belle and the explosion of fireworks were saved for the grand finale and I believe there are only three (or six in this case) words accurate for my little finale here..

Mon the Biff! Mon the Reading!