2024 Festival

[Andre91]

I like the idea of the dance tent making way for a revamped NME/R1 tent, with some dance acts still playing on it (someone like Andy C could easily headline it) but I don’t really see how they could have two Main Stages and a revamped NME/R1 stage. There’s not enough acts to go around, surely. 

[Andre91]

Also, let’s try and keep this much interaction in this thread up over the course of the year. It’s been lovely having so many people post again over the last few days. 

[nathanh]

4 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Also, let’s try and keep this much interaction in this thread up over the course of the year. It’s been lovely having so many people post again over the last few days. 

Totally agree with you on this one, this is why I love this time of year on here

[thatTFBguy]

Blink with some dark fruits indie underneath - Two Door, Wombats, Vaccines etc - would sell me a day ticket that's for sure.

Also, my gut feeling is the 2 main stage will stick around. And the stage changes will instead be a reworked dance/FR tent or something. Hope to be wrong. 

[CG31]

17 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

Also, let’s try and keep this much interaction in this thread up over the course of the year. It’s been lovely having so many people post again over the last few days. 

It’s nice to be back, I’ve always loved this page but as I wasn’t originally attending this year I thought I’d take away my extreme MCR/Tame Impala sh*t posting

[Benj]

38 minutes ago, Will b said:

I wonder if they’d then chuck some dance acts on the r1extra stage? I know it’s not the main draw to reading but the big acts dimension Andy c etc get big crowds, while some of the rap acts get like 20 people.
Also what would become of LS23? Would Leeds get dance acts and reading not?

Reckon the 1xtra may go now too, it’s original purpose was to help boost that type of music by giving it a platform, in which it has thoroughly succeeded

The equivalent today would be to give young, heavy guitar bands a platform. Perhaps they could call it ‘The pit’ 

[CG31]

Was just discussing with my dad about a revamped R1/NME. Surely that’s just too many artists. That’s 3 relatively large headliners a day, alongside 3 well known subs. That’s too much 

[nathanh]

The only thing not selling me on the idea of the 2 Main stages happening as well as replacing the Dance for a R1 Style Tent is would there be enough acts and would it not cost R&L too much money for them to deem worth it?

As much as people debate on here how badly this year sold and a desperate attempt is needed to restrategise as somebody was there I don't think it was that many fewer people than I originally thought it might be. So with that being said would Festival Republic really want to spend more to change a format proven to work for 2 years just because of 1 unsold out year?

[NoBuses]

45 minutes ago, 19liam75 said:

 

Had a quick chat with Melvin on Sunday in the main arena at Reading and he told me the artist had headlined in the past 10 years. I’m going to go with Blink, seems plausible that when they announced the reunion, festival republic would’ve been quick to getting them booked

Paramore mate

[nathanh]

11 minutes ago, NoBuses said:

Paramore mate

I would love for it to be Paramores turn to headline again and their schedule with Taylors tour works the only thing against it is the comment Melvin made during the NME article when they were mentioned

[Benj]

45 minutes ago, 19liam75 said:

 

Had a quick chat with Melvin on Sunday in the main arena at Reading and he told me the artist had headlined in the past 10 years. I’m going to go with Blink, seems plausible that when they announced the reunion, festival republic would’ve been quick to getting them booked

The simplest bet would be to go back to the old format

2 BIG headliners and a day with two MSW types co headling

AJ Tracey, Wolf Alice types in the tent?

 

Main - Blink - Post Malone - Rodrigo/ QOTSA (co-head)

Tent - AJ Tracey - Wolf Alice - Bicep

(not a prediction just rough sizes)

I think the main problem would be filling the undercard.  They could perhaps book 1-2 less a day give more established acts longer slots.

Seems daft having Don Broco play 35 mins when they could do a crowd pleasing hour. They will obv be subs in the tent in the great new (old) world mind

[nathanh]

I think its a really fun conversation to be having on here the prospect of major change again at the festival but instead watch it be them getting rid of all genre specific tents similarly to the fate of The Pit in favour of genre less tents so that acts can be booked in tents suitable for their size and not the fact the tents are named "Dance" or "1Xtra"

[Tom Connolly]

my (completely uninformed) guess is that they change MSW into a second stage - keep it outdoors but change the way it looks, call it something new and the acts headlining it are acts we would have seen headline R1 pre-covid 

[Will b]

50 minutes ago, CG31 said:

That’s 3 relatively large headliners a day, alongside 3 well known subs. That’s too much 

Unless you put the Becky hills / Declan McKennas / wet legs in the big tent, and bump up some acts on the main stages that could be passed off as logo-worthy eg don broco / easy life 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Will b

[Andre91]

Here it goes… 

MAIN: Post Malone / Two Door Cinema Club / boygenius / Tom Grennan / Yung Gravy / Bleachers / The Reytons / The Murder Capital 

R1: IDLES / beabadoobee 

 

MAIN: Travis Scott / Ice Spice / Rex Orange County / PinkPantheress / M Huncho / scarlxrd / Sundara Karma / Chloe Moriondo

R1: The Wombats / girl in red 

 

MAIN: Blink-182 / YUNGBLUD / Pendulum / Denzel Curry / Soft Play / The Story So Far / Wargasm / Cassyette 

R1: Andy C (special closing set) / Headie One 

[Benj]

4 minutes ago, Tom Connolly said:

my (completely uninformed) guess is that they change MSW into a second stage - keep it outdoors but change the way it looks, call it something new and the acts headlining it are acts we would have seen headline R1 pre-covid 

Getting it indoors is the key thing for me. You need that different environment, it’s why the current format is so boring for me, it’s all too samey

[she bangs the drums]

53 minutes ago, Benj said:

Reckon the 1xtra may go now too, it’s original purpose was to help boost that type of music by giving it a platform, in which it has thoroughly succeeded

The equivalent today would be to give young, heavy guitar bands a platform. Perhaps they could call it ‘The pit’ 

Spot on, the 1 Xtra stuff is now main stage material. Could easily have a rock and indie tent and keep many people happy.

Bands like Turnstile, Murder Capital, Wunderhorse, Cassyette, Cancer Bars, Bronx 

[Tom Connolly]

9 minutes ago, Benj said:

Getting it indoors is the key thing for me. You need that different environment, it’s why the current format is so boring for me, it’s all too samey

couldn’t agree more. r1 tent’s atmosphere was second to none when it was bouncing. i remember brockhampton in 2018 was absolutely ridiculous. 

[Andre91]

11 minutes ago, Tom Connolly said:

couldn’t agree more. r1 tent’s atmosphere was second to none when it was bouncing. i remember brockhampton in 2018 was absolutely ridiculous. 

I’ve seen some amazing sets in there over the years, with Limp Bizkit being the best. That tent was golden. 

[Jonathan Jonathan]

I think the tent helped atmosphere significantly. Based on watching someone like Rina Sawyama online looked a bit unexciting in broad daylight but would have benefitted from the added production the darkness of the tent allows. Similarly heard Bicep was a bit flaccid live outside based on a friend’s word, despite them being a massive Bicep fans

 

Though maybe I’m wrong because I wasn’t there.

Edited August 29, 2023 by Jonathan Jonathan

[Dukey]

Saw some belting secret sets in the tent too - Bmth, Queens, Foals were all insane 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Dukey

[nathanh]

27 minutes ago, Jonathan Jonathan said:

 

I think the tent helped atmosphere significantly. Based on watching someone like Rina Sawyama online looked a bit unexciting in broad daylight but would have benefitted from the added production the darkness of the tent allows.

 

Fully agree with that coming from someone who watched and enjoyed her set, Rina had a devoted but small crowd and a decent production but put it in the tent, that would of made the experience 100x better

[gblock]

1 hour ago, CG31 said:

Was just discussing with my dad about a revamped R1/NME. Surely that’s just too many artists. That’s 3 relatively large headliners a day, alongside 3 well known subs. That’s too much 

If they gave the MSE/W acts longer sets in the afternoon with slightly longer gaps, and then bumped a few over to headline a revamped NME tent, they could get away with it at little to no extra cost… maybe?
Bicep, NBT, and Loyle Carner could’ve headlined an NME stage this year for example. Then the undercard could be filled relatively cheaply, with a few names bumped up from the FR stage too (e.g. Tom Odell, Soft Play). It would be weaker than the original NME tent ofc with 2 main stages to book as well.

[SemiSweetV2]

2 hours ago, nathanh said:

I would love for it to be Paramores turn to headline again and their schedule with Taylors tour works the only thing against it is the comment Melvin made during the NME article when they were mentioned

Paramore could be the one band he threw out that the interviewer got right. He'd still lose a lot of money by getting the rest of them wrong.

Holding Absence need to be there next year. The new album is brilliant, as is practically their whole output. Feel like with songs like False Dawn, Afterlife, Beyond Belief, Like A Shadow and Monochrome they've got some HUGE hooks. Could easily headline FR or do YMA6 slot this year....

[andyrhodes24]

Half my problem with the current setup at Leeds is that it’s not worth the effort wading though the MSW crowd to get to the smaller stages, especially if the FR lineup isn’t particularly strong. The tent is like nothing else though and would persuade me to walk through the traffic.

As mentioned, if they’re putting dance, pop and rap on the main stages it makes little sense to keep these going as they are while neglecting rock and indie so much.