Lineup 2018

[RarerThanDandyB]

Just now, SomeoneListeningIn said:

Why would they make the new V fest more like R&L than R&L is this year.

RandL may have changed demographic and the new V may be more Rock and Indie. Just a thought as I do not see why Foo Fighters would only do a couple of Stadiums. Like there is a chance. 

[dentalplan]

Just now, RarerThanDandyB said:

RandL may have changed demographic and the new V may be more Rock and Indie. Just a thought as I do not see why Foo Fighters would only do a couple of Stadiums. Like there is a chance. 

It's not a bad suggestion, in all honesty. They have a site and some sort of infrastructure, and V as it had been failed so they could well shake things up. However, I think the party line is that it's gonna be dance and pop again so unless it's changed dramatically since then, I'm not expecting as much.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

They should just not bother at all with FOB. No other festival over here does. Are they really going to be a big ticket seller? I doubt it seeing how they couldn’t sell out their arena tour. Have their last couple of albums bought in legions of new fans? No, because they’ve both been widely panned. Older fans know not to bother going to see them as they only pepper their sets with a few older songs in amongst all of the shite they’ve put out lately. 

Oh yeah I completely agree, I can't understand why they've been booked again. But had they been billed as subs rather than coheadliners in 2016 it would have at least made it a tiny bit more forgivable for them to headline this year instead of it looking like they've repeated the same headliner from 2 years ago. Obviously it's hard to say, but I really feel like this will be the last ever time FOB play R&L... certainly (hopefully) last time they'll headline anyway.

8 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

It's just keeping bands happy by way of marketing them as such. Why does it matter so much? Just pretend Panic at the Disco aren't a headliner as you've done with FOB in 2016 if it improves the line up.

Yeah I know you can just ignore it, but I think it makes the headline spot look less prestigious/weaker when they start glorifying subs as coheadliners. It also means they can justify weaker subs in general, because if they're a strong sub they might just bill them as a coheadliner instead. It's not a massive deal, but I don't get the logic behind it. I know it probably keeps bands happy, but it's not like Panic could have got a better deal headlining another festival in the UK this year - subbing at R&L is likely the best gig they're gonna get.

 

Edited February 14, 2018 by SomeoneListeningIn

[thewayiam]

16 minutes ago, SomeoneListeningIn said:

There's absolutely no doubt that FOB is a shite headliner, but I think FR kinda shot themselves in the foot by billing them as coheadliners with Biffy in 16. They weren't really proper headliners - they had a shorter set than Biffy and didn't close either site. They were a glorified sub, same as Panic will be this year. I guess they billed them as coheadliners because Biffy were only returning after three years which seemed too short... kinda ironic now.

So technically they've been bumped up from a sub to a headliner. Really they should be coheadlining, and I can't understand why they haven't booked Royal Blood instead/to cohadline with them.

I understand that Panic 'coheadlining' may be down to a technicality of originally being booked as second main stage headliners, but they do need to stop with this shite glorified sub thing. The Strokes/Pulp, QOTSA/Paramore & Foals/Disclosure all made sense/were justifiable coheadliners. But it looks stupid in the case of Biffy/FOB & Kendrick/Panic!. Not only the year it happens, but for the future too - FOB headlining this year would have been more forgivable if they were just billed as subs rather than coheadliners in 2016.

Foals/Disclosure was not a justifiable co-headline deal. Reading got trouser massively pulled down by Glastonbury that year.

I don't think the Kendrick day will sell as well as people think it will.

[Guest]

Just now, thewayiam said:

Foals/Disclosure was not a justifiable co-headline deal. Reading got trouser massively pulled down by Glastonbury that year.

Do you not bore yourself trying to justify this.

[MIchael_scarn]

26 minutes ago, KVShinedown said:

I really want to know what dirt Courteeners have on FR. It's the only thing that explains them getting booked 4 times in the last 6 years 

I have genuinely seen people say 'the only positive of this lineup is that courteeners are a step closer to headlining'. So, I would blame their fans who view them as the best thing to come out of Manchester ever as well as FR.

[kev1664]

Just now, MIchael_scarn said:

I have genuinely seen people say 'the only positive of this lineup is that courteeners are a step closer to headlining'. So, I would blame their fans who view them as the best thing to come out of Manchester ever as well as FR.

They're a guaranteed ticket shifter for Leeds. It's smart booking from FR. I can see a co-headline in 2020. With courteeners headlining Leeds.

[dentalplan]

Just now, SomeoneListeningIn said:

Yeah I know you can just ignore it, but I think it makes the headline spot look less prestigious/weaker when they start glorifying subs as coheadliners. It also means they can justify weaker subs in general, because if they're a strong sub they might just bill them as a coheadliner instead. It's not a massive deal, but I don't get the logic behind it. I know it probably keeps bands happy, but it's not like Panic could have got a better deal headlining another festival in the UK this year - subbing at R&L is likely the best gig they're gonna get.

 

Why does it matter to you if the headliners are less prestigious though? The festival is a product, not an extension of fans' identities. The obsession with how bad coheadliners make the festival look is the strangest thing about R+L fans. Like over on the Mad Cool boards, people don't moan about how Jack White isn't as big as Arctic Monkeys and isn't headlining rival festivals. If you buy this product, you will see this band and that band; what tag they wear doesn't matter.

It affects things of course when there's a band who would normally play for longer, or that you would rather finish the night with. But Fall Out Boy in 2016 didn't take any time off Biffy or force them into the light, and Panic probably won't affect Kendrick's set this year either so it's not even a problem at surface level.

The genuine problem is Fall Out Boy and Kings of Leon being booked at all.

[Takyon]

23 minutes ago, RarerThanDandyB said:

What if the new V Festival goes back to rock and indie and AM are playing hence why they are not UK exclusive, same with Foo Fighters, chose to play that instead? Could be playing that. Like TRNSMT, a very strong first lineup? Just had a thought I would share...

Would seem a bit odd that FR would hamstring its flagship event in R&L and piss off a significant part of its core demographic by diverting indie bands away and into zombie V. 

Edited February 14, 2018 by Takyon

[dentalplan]

Just now, Takyon said:

Would seem a bit odd that FR would hamstring its flagship event in R&L and piss off a significant part of its core demographic by directing indie bands away and into zombie V. 

Well, we're thinking that it's just down to one site (I forget which one) so beefing up R+L with the most popular music and making the one-site festival catered towards a niche (let's face it, it is at this point) isn't such a bad move. Don't think it'll happen but still.

[Ollie26]

19 hours ago, Bisque said:

Sum 41 are terrible live

I very much disagree

[Mattymooz]

24 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

Well, we're thinking that it's just down to one site (I forget which one) so beefing up R+L with the most popular music and making the one-site festival catered towards a niche (let's face it, it is at this point) isn't such a bad move. Don't think it'll happen but still.

Rumour was it was down to just the essex site but I believe Melvin has said since it would be both still(?)

[SCG95]

Can anyone recall the price of day tickets from previous years or have an idea on what they'll be for this year?

[wairey]

I feel like there's some sort of irony in this choice of cover in the Live Lounge : https://youtu.be/fZB-ptAnoQc

[dentalplan]

11 minutes ago, Mattymooz said:

Rumour was it was down to just the essex site but I believe Melvin has said since it would be both still(?)

That rumour came about since it was announced by Melvin but God knows what will actually happen.

4 minutes ago, SCG95 said:

Can anyone recall the price of day tickets from previous years or have an idea on what they'll be for this year?

£65+fees+delivery last year. Will be about the same, give or take a few quid.

Edited February 14, 2018 by dentalplan

[Mattymooz]

1 minute ago, wairey said:

I feel like there's some sort of irony in this choice of cover in the Live Lounge : https://youtu.be/fZB-ptAnoQc

Damn, every time I hear that song I just wanna listen to the CHVRCHES cover, by far the best version of that song imo

[Capes]

Lets face it, people moaning about the R&L line up is nothing new. 

It usually doesn't seem to matter though cos there are enough people (myself included) who go every year regardless and enough new groms willing to go to make it worth their while. 

This year does seem to be a major backlash though, with the mainstream media picking up on it.

I wonder if FR have finally managed to fuck it completely. Perhaps it's a cost saving experiment in a year with less competition? 

Personally, unless there are big improvements, I can't see myself going. Hopefully enough people will do the same and FR will learn a lesson. 

More likely is it will be a resounding sell out success - as usual - and we'll get Ed Sheeran headlining next year.

p.s. The whole 2 main stage thing has to a load of bs. The Reading site is already cramped enough as it is with the railway one side and the river the other. Not to mention the constant complaints from the local residents. I can't see how it was ever even considered. 

[bigcharlie65]

Why does the Scottish have everyone this summer|?

[JayBeeis]

2 minutes ago, bigcharlie65 said:

Why does the Scottish have everyone this summer|?

I think you mean half of Europe, not just Scotland 

[Matt42]

Trnsmt is probably quite appealing to bands. It’s like a Scottish BST. Can probably get a decent pay check from it too.

bands and acts seem more interested in these sort of gigs in the UK at the moment. Festivals now seem to be the places collecting bands that cant quite pull off their own independent show

[Matt42]

Also Foo Fighters doing Glastonbury, gigs at Olympic Park and not doing reading again after 6 years speaks volumes. They probably won’t be touring next year either.

not really that surprising about AM. The only time they’ve done reading fresh in an album cycle was for humbug and that was poorly received. Also their last UK date was reading they wouldn’t come back at reading

[Festy01]

1 hour ago, Ollie26 said:

I very much disagree

I agree with your disagree

[VCK]

1 hour ago, dentalplan said:

It's not a bad suggestion, in all honesty. They have a site and some sort of infrastructure, and V as it had been failed so they could well shake things up. However, I think the party line is that it's gonna be dance and pop again so unless it's changed dramatically since then, I'm not expecting as much.

In the 90s and 2000s V line ups were not too dissimilar to Reading and Leeds, just with a few more "commercial friendly" acts thrown in. They had Radiohead and Morrissey headline one year, and have also had acts like Sonic Youth, Pixies, and QOTSA play in the past. It seemed to get a lot of leftover acts from Reading and Leeds the previous year. It's only been a fairly recent thing that it's been pure mainstream pop.

It'd be great if it did come back this year, and they outdid Reading and Leeds. Would answer a lot of questions if the headliners were Foo Fighters and Arctic Monkeys too.

[WishYouWereHere]

Been reading this forum from the start really, was just curious to wether London Grammar would fit the festivals demographic or not?

[dentalplan]

13 minutes ago, VCK said:

In the 90s and 2000s V line ups were not too dissimilar to Reading and Leeds, just with a few more "commercial friendly" acts thrown in. They had Radiohead and Morrissey headline one year, and have also had acts like Sonic Youth, Pixies, and QOTSA play in the past. It seemed to get a lot of leftover acts from Reading and Leeds the previous year. It's only been a fairly recent thing that it's been pure mainstream pop.

It'd be great if it did come back this year, and they outdid Reading and Leeds. Would answer a lot of questions if the headliners were Foo Fighters and Arctic Monkeys too.

They wouldn't have Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters to head up a smaller event. Maybe if they just had Foo Fighters but they'd be better off splitting between if they could get both, and by the looks of Kings of Leon they couldn't even get one.

7 minutes ago, WishYouWereHere said:

Been reading this forum from the start really, was just curious to wether London Grammar would fit the festivals demographic or not?

Probably would nowadays. Exclusive at Bestival though.