Benj
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Posts posted by Benj
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32 minutes ago, Chad888 said:
Lacking big names on the undercard TODAY.
I think in 20 years people will be looking at this lineup and say how stacked it was, because 10 or so names have headlined and others are big well known names that would shift tickets in 2044.
Back in 2004 you had Razlorlight 7th down, The Streets 5th down, Bloc Party opening R1 stage, Alexisonfire on their Pit stage, and Kaiser Chiefs on the introducing stage.
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
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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?
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1 hour ago, Andre91 said:
Kid Kapichi, Bears In Trees and DJ Semtex are the only people I know from that 😂
I saw DJ Semtex YEARS ago supporting Dizzee Rascal.
think I may recognise 4 🤣well this will deffo get the tickets flying…
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1 minute ago, Logan1996 said:
May be early doors to think about it , but based on last few years surely we should be expecting announcement this month/near future
experince over the last few years has suggested that the longer you wait the worse the announcement seems to get -
22 minutes ago, Andre91 said:
It isn’t. The Main Stage didn’t routinely have 9 acts on for years before it went to two Main Stages. It used to be 9 each day in 2010/11 but pretty soon after that it was always 8, with the exception being the day Billie Eilish was moved to the Main Stage in 2019.
This is not the case.
Every day in 2019 had 9 acts
every day in 2018 had 9 acts
etc etc…
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13 hours ago, Andre91 said:
The Story So Far to play the R1 Stage at some point that day because I can’t see the Main Stage having 9 acts.
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
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33 minutes ago, Sam Y said:
Just checked and they've sold out the two dates
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.
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52 minutes ago, gfa said:
TBH I think the lineup is 100% there
the issue is the price. my first one it was £250 ish now its close to £400. obviously a lot of people get the money from parents but its got to the point where its a lot to even ask off parents, especially when everyone is holding back on spending.
for the young people with saturday jobs etc its like a whole months wage basically. they need to find a way to reign in the cost, its more than Glastonbury this year even!! (probably for the first time ever?)
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…
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4 hours ago, Andre91 said:
The only evidence I have to go off of is when I camped at Leeds 2021, we were surrounded by two different groups of around fifteen to twenty 17 and 18 year olds and every single one of them was excited for Catfish. Catfish also had the biggest crowd I’ve seen at MSW that year too, so yeah, I would say that a lot of 20 and unders are going to be wanting to see them this year.
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…
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38 minutes ago, Andre91 said:
The kids will be staying for Catfish and LG (especially LG). There’s no doubting that. He’s some sort of higher being in their eyes.
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…
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29 minutes ago, glastorome said:
I haven't been to Leeds since 2019 but the Sunday run of Fred-Lana-Raye was too good to pass up, it'll be interesting to see how full it is on the Sunday as I think that top three will be a big pull for all ages, Im 42.
If the Chevron stage is a success that will pull in a different crowd to previous years, in previous years there was no where on the R&L lineup for the likes of The Prodigy to play. We'll be seeing Goddard on that stage on the Sunday to see what that stage is like.
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)
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1 hour ago, glastorome said:
Leeds has always tried to cater to a younger market, this year feels like a rebrand though after the 2 main stage experiment.
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...
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2 minutes ago, gfa said:
Foos and RHCP fit way better with the audience though - sure they bring their own fans in just like RHCP and Foos do, but theres a lot less crossover i'd say
3rd top is generous honestly - their own shows are really not big and they headline very small fests nowadays (hence probably can't agree a slot)
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
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29 minutes ago, Andre91 said:
Totally skipped over The Libertines. I don’t think they’ll ever return either.
Metallica could be booked at any time still, I think. Ubiquitously huge band like Foos and RHCP who will always bring in the punters.
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.
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1 hour ago, gfa said:
3 messages to get through so bare with on this one! There's far too much to reply to so will just reply to some key bits
Those acts all maintained their headline status here and abroad, feel like the indie ones never did e.g. Manics. Some indie acts as you said have maintained it - although a lot of the big ones parted ways which didn't help. By not having headliners together it makes it harder to hold onto the audience perhaps.
Blur Pulp Stone Roses all have been sparse since 2000 as far as the pre 00s ones go. Most of the 00s ones are
The Strokes couldn't headline - not the main slot anyway. Kasabian couldn't either - not post-Tom
I think r.e. courteeneers it probably helps their biggest song is aimed directly at about a good 20% Reading's core audience, 19 year olds. Sure it doesn't do all the work - but its a song that will never cease to be relevant, just like how people want AM to play their early stuff about nights out in sheffield etc
Its strange acts like Franz and Razorlight never returned. Oversight really - I guess its cheaper to get acts that are 'blowing up' - something which happens much quicker now maybe?
Razorlight not so much but an act like Franz who have a bit more going on i.e. acclaim etc (bloc party also come to mind) have more choices and a lot of fests are after them. Franz could play almost any mid-large festival in the uk and wouldn't look out of place i think
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?
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2 hours ago, CharlotteB said:
They'll have their time again. Everything seems to come back round for better or worse 😂
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
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34 minutes ago, gfa said:
Those rock bands you stated are headliners though - headliners of all genres stick around e.g. Eminem too
Acts below headliner level are less solidified and therefore come and go i guess, sure theres no manics but its not like theres really lower main stage older rock acts that stick around either
Kids know Green Day Gallagher etc as they are big names who are headliners and therefore still on the radio a bit etc - very few in comparison know Manics or Placebo, more niche acts (still not very niche but niche enough that very few in the core reading age bracket care)
A lot more of them will know about the courteeners than manics/placebo - thats for sure!
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!
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23 minutes ago, gfa said:
Those rock bands you stated are headliners though - headliners of all genres stick around e.g. Eminem too
Acts below headliner level are less solidified and therefore come and go i guess, sure theres no manics but its not like theres really lower main stage older rock acts that stick around either
Kids know Green Day Gallagher etc as they are big names who are headliners and therefore still on the radio a bit etc - very few in comparison know Manics or Placebo, more niche acts (still not very niche but niche enough that very few in the core reading age bracket care)
A lot more of them will know about the courteeners than manics/placebo - thats for sure!
The ones I quoted all headlined. That was the point…
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24 minutes ago, gfa said:
those acts are about 15 years older than the three in the second sentence
I doubt TDCC wombats courteeners will be playing in 15 years
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
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5 hours ago, gfa said:
Not sure who your counting as nostalgia acts but theres often a few - two door this year for example
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
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2 hours ago, WhoOdyssey said:
The mainstage is pretty band-heavy in fairness, taking up 15/22 slots - not quite "dead" yet!
I know what you mean though, they're definitely less prevalent outside the indie world. A fun fact is that Gerry Cinnamon actually started out in a band called The Cinnamons:
Their guitarist is his main producer now.
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
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4 hours ago, glastorome said:
The one the baffles me to this day is The Wombats, not a clue how they've managed to stay relevant.
Franz is a weird one, brilliant live at their peak but just a bit to weird to stay the course. Shed Seven had numerous farewell tours, remember in the early 2000's they had one, yet here they are this year with a number 1 album going on a tour later this year.
I think the Butlins weekenders and festivals like Tramlines, which I've done for the past 3 years, which is heavy on older bands and then have new and old indie bands headline have rekindled peoples love for those bands, and given them a new audience.
I saw James for the first time at Tramlines in 2022 and they were incredible, but the bands of the weekend were The Vaccines and Kasabian on the saturday night, Bloc Party were the band of the weekend for me last year.
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
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1 hour ago, gfa said:
New bands stopped coming through nearly as much more than anything - so people stuck more with what already exists.
People are more than happy to go for new indie acts as they come through - see the 1975 or Sam Fender, but medium sized newer one and smaller ones seem to struggle to reach critical mass perhaps
“Bands” as a whole are pretty much dead now, it’s far easier to market an individual in the social media world
Fender would have deffo been a band back in the day, it’s amazing how many “solo” acts feature on the lineup now compared to back in the day
…just 2 out of 30 acts in 2008 were marketed as solo artists
20 out of 39 in 2023…
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59 minutes ago, glastorome said:
I love a bit of Nostalgia. I havent got many gigs booked this year as I've got a couple of family holidays planned. As well as Leeds for the day I'm off to see Liam in June, Def Maybe is my favorite Oasis album and I missed Knebworth as I already had things booked for my 40th. My other gig is Ocean Colour Scene in my hometown in August, they were the first band I ever saw when I was 15 years old. That being said I've got two friends coming to Leeds this year to see Fred Again who have never been to a festival before.
I think kids being into Courteeners Liam etc is because they have songs that are massive, Not Nineteen Forever gets played at every indie night I've ever been to since the song came out.
It’s interesting that Courteeners, Kooks etc have managed to maintain a reasonably credible and ongoing live demand, while so many of those bands for our youth OCS, Shed Seven, Suede, Manics, Travis etc… were all cast adrift, despite many of them being much bigger and better than acts from the 00s that still manage to get a gig.
There was definitely a shift at some point, where kids didn’t chuck away bands when they lost their cool/ initial interest.
I think the cut off was pretty much over night too, it’s mad to think Franz Ferdinand have been completley abandoned in the UK as a credible act while the Courteeners are being touted as a potential big name at Reading by some.
Reckon it was around 2006-2007 things changed
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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