Benj

Yop, more Guradianny Lattitudey than Chavvy IOWy really Trying to channel the Chad888 vibes to generate some engagement 😆

Can see him doing a couple of big o2 shows or similar, as per GFA though, I don’t think his audience are festival going types, those who’d got to R&L anyway. IOW perhaps?

I always said, as part of my 2 main stage whining, that one of the issues it would cause them long term is that as line ups aged they’d look worse than prior ones with more stages. It’s simple maths. Less acts will clearly mean less acts that make it big in future. There was also a heightened chance they’d miss out on the next Eilish or Post Malone You look back at 2021 now and who’s properly popped from that? Jack Harlow maybe? Humberston next biggest shout? Otherwise I can’t see many acts at all that would play much higher, with actual excitement and it’s hard to see many growing at this point 2022 looks similar. There’s not much there you can see getting much bigger. A few acts have moved from FR to low main but that’s about it I think as much is probably caused by how music is consumed now too, people get less big in the main, people have big songs vs big catalogues. Im not sure it will ever come close when you look at lineups as a whole. It doesn’t mean you won’t see a lot of great music or have a great time though

The only problem being it’s not 2044 2004 was also THE worst Reading festival I’ve been to out of 25 (and I went to two Two Main Stage Festivals) Even if 5 or 6 bands go on to become massive, it doesn’t stop it necessarily being shite today… esp as today you can easily listen to all those bands lower down and determine that you don’t like them right now… That said, I’ve not yet and looking forward to doing so, I’ll no doubt find a couple of crackers

Yup....... DEAD ANNOUNCEMENT Thats our lot too... Anyone rushing to get tickets off that? ...Nope So much promise that they let go Given that no other ticket category bar Saturday has shifted to the point theyre trying to charge people more, Im guessing now we should be assuming the same kind of attendance as last year on the other days? Or can people see any of the listed artists blowing up?

think I may recognise 4 🤣 well this will deffo get the tickets flying…

experince over the last few years has suggested that the longer you wait the worse the announcement seems to get

This is not the case. Every day in 2019 had 9 acts every day in 2018 had 9 acts etc etc…

Yet more shrinkflation if so …and they’ll still be scratching their heads as to why no one is paying £350 to go Leeds They’ll be opening the gates at 2pm by 2026

They deffo hadn’t yesterday 🤣 just my luck …or maybe I didn’t click far enough Impressive then, esp if it’s the two nights, although it will no doubt dent Reading demand, it certainly very much proves remaining relevance.

Yup, without a doubt and that’s without transport and spending money… This is the problem though if they’re going to charge those prices, they need to target wider demographics, esp those with more disposable income. You can’t produce a lineup for kids and then charge prices kids can not afford…

3 years ago… They’ll do fine, I suspect there will be many, many kids that don’t give the slightest of f**ks though, I reckon Raye will get a bigger crowd Just noticed they’ve not managed to sell out 10,000 tickets at Cardiff Castle…

They didn’t all stay last time, there was a huge migration out on the Sunday Are a load of under 20s really still into CATBM too? Again my anecdotal is limited to 3 16-20 year olds (2 of which have been to reading, indeed one left on the Sunday 2021 pre Gallagher) but they couldn’t be less interested…

I’d assume the Fred Lana day will be by far the busiest at the main stage at both sites The Gallagher, CATBM day will be interesting to see. With it being Sunday, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of the kids eff off early that day, the alternatives for anyone under 20 are pretty slim post 21 Savage. (This is with the assumption they’re not all mad into Skrillex)

The younger market is no longer selling out the festival though and they seem to have turned off a lot of the older crowd over the, thankfully shortlived, 2 main stage era, with no one else to see why Willow Smith, Mimi Webb etc are on.... It would be interesting if they could encourage those people back with blatant nostalgia grabs, given its clearly something that sells so well now. Its obvious a richer demographic more likely to spend more on-site too, so FR must be desperate to court them back, having lost them to the smaller festivals etc...

Yup. FR headliner almost seems like the best spot, maybe just about R1 tent headliner? I guess this is why they’re not booked…they’re not a mainstream staple, yet can prob still earn a fair bit more elsewhere than it would be cost effected for Reading to put them in a slot that would provide value to the lineup

I think they could both be back, in The Libertines case obv not as headliners (3rd top at best?) but I think both bands are worth more to other festivals so may never be made an attractive offer that seems them there.

The question is (or at least the one I want answered) is why did they die so quickly, to never be allowed a return… Maybe it’s as simple as the alternative scene back then was a lot more about being ‘alternative’, as was the festival Reading was a properly alternative event 90s to 2003-05ish, it wasn’t the thing ALL leavers went to. Being popular was not alternative. It wasn’t cool, no one going to Reading would suddenly be seen dead listening to Travis, once their mum was singing along to “Why does it always rain on me”, no one wanted to be associated with them. These days the festival is mainstream and acts becoming mainstream does not kill their appeal to the audience. How many acts who’ve headlined (as in MSE not sub heads), in the last 10 years do we think would never be booked at the festival again?

That’s the thing they’re all back now, even the likes of Shed 7, Echobelly, Sleeper, Cast… The Courteeners equivalents of the time, 2-3 massive numbers that were indie club stalwarts, amongst a general sea of dross, have had new records out in the last 3-4 years and Reading hasn’t come close to touching them. They were cast out by the new generation Ultimately I think the ‘indie’ scene has just not changed since the mid to late 00s. It’s not been THE scene like Britpop was in the late 90s. Arctic Monkeys turned up, set the standard and nothing new or better has come along to kill off the likes of Courteeners etc. They’ve not been cast out and there has been nothing new to replace them. ‘Dark Fruits’ has become its own thing, a niche, throw back sub genre that in and of itself has only produced one bona fide new star (Although harsh perhaps to pigeon hole Fender like that) that I can think of. …oh and Catfish I guess, if they can be classed as a bona fide star. They’re the perfect example of endless chances I guess. Suede, Travis, Stereophonics all headlined in the late 90s /early 2000s for the first time and never played the festival again. Same for Franz Ferdinand and Razorlight in the mid 00s All bands that were relatively new (on 3rd, 4th LPs at most), suddenly gone and easily replaced by the festival. I guess they’d kill for a similar carousel of replaceable talent these days

My question isn’t so much why they’re not playing today. That is obvious (although I think with the nostalgia boom, 2-3 could help sales to the older types) My question is why these bands were all dropped like a stone within 5 years of their peak, while Courteeners are still there 15 years past theirs I think maybe The Strokes are the answer, they turned up and completely changed the indie scene over night. All these droney, post Britpop efforts suddenly sounded like the old farts and completely ignored by the next generation… Of 2000-2005ish era, it’s only really Kasabian and Stroked from the Indie scene who have survived really, to the point they could still just about headline. As discussed Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Razorlight all came and went, while the following gen, Courteeners, Wombats etc… have managed to have some proper longevity… Killers are another I’ve obv forgotten about in all this rambling!

The ones I quoted all headlined. That was the point…

Same gen as Foo Fighters, Muse, Blink, Gallagher, Green Day etc… ‘Rock’ bands of that era are still about. ‘Indie’ bands of that era are banned (other than maybe Blur/ Oasis and members Is guess) Even Coldplay were clearly persona non grata at Reading post 2002-3 Manics played for a bit post hype but also obv binned Placebo hung about for a bit but even as a heavier act have not played in an age

Meant Manics, Suede, Travis etc…. Bands that once headlined but have been discarded, despite still making decent records and still being good live. Two Door, Wombats, Courteeners etc have never left, despite never being as big as them. They just avoided becoming unhip somehow

A lot of them pre-date 2014 though… I wonder how The Cinnamons would’ve faired vs Gerry Cinnamon, with the same exact songs/ production, given how he was initially marketed

It’s interesting Reading have not got involved in bringing back any of the nostalgia acts, esp if they’re looking to re-establish a more dedicated, returning crowd