2025 R&L Festival

[gfa]

They filled in for QOTSA in 2022, eventually they will do the secondary headliner slot again

They are not very big with younger people though vs your catfishs, gerrys etc so can't see R&L rushing back to them particularly soon

[FeverDream]

Biffy are a weird one. They’re still an arena band and as Andre91 said they probably will continue to be an arena band. They haven’t ever done a run of the smaller Superstruct festivals (other than Victorious, which I’d class as mid size given 65k capacity) nor do I think they will any time soon. Now a regular Download headliner, have and will probably do TRNSMT and Isle of Wight again. By that logic they should be in contention for the second “headliner”, if that will even exist next year. But as GFA says they’re no Gerry or Catfish for the youth. I still think they can fit the R&L vibe if they’re billed appropriately. Stick them on a day topped by Foo Fighters and I think they can just about get away with it.

[gfa]

2 hours ago, FeverDream said:

Biffy are a weird one. They’re still an arena band and as Andre91 said they probably will continue to be an arena band. They haven’t ever done a run of the smaller Superstruct festivals (other than Victorious, which I’d class as mid size given 65k capacity) nor do I think they will any time soon. Now a regular Download headliner, have and will probably do TRNSMT and Isle of Wight again. By that logic they should be in contention for the second “headliner”, if that will even exist next year. But as GFA says they’re no Gerry or Catfish for the youth. I still think they can fit the R&L vibe if they’re billed appropriately. Stick them on a day topped by Foo Fighters and I think they can just about get away with it.

They can definitely get away with it size wise - they are the correct size - its not even 'getting away with it'!

Just can't see them being close to the first choice at present.

[FeverDream]

1 hour ago, gfa said:

They can definitely get away with it size wise - they are the correct size - its not even 'getting away with it'!

Just can't see them being close to the first choice at present.

Agree they won’t be first choice (shame as they’re my no.1 band). I think their crowd size at Leeds in 2022 will speak for why that is. Admittedly this photo was at the end of their set and the thinned out front section is probably something all MSW headliners struggled with.

[RedJosh]

4 hours ago, FeverDream said:

Biffy are a weird one. They’re still an arena band and as Andre91 said they probably will continue to be an arena band. They haven’t ever done a run of the smaller Superstruct festivals (other than Victorious, which I’d class as mid size given 65k capacity) nor do I think they will any time soon. Now a regular Download headliner, have and will probably do TRNSMT and Isle of Wight again. By that logic they should be in contention for the second “headliner”, if that will even exist next year. But as GFA says they’re no Gerry or Catfish for the youth. I still think they can fit the R&L vibe if they’re billed appropriately. Stick them on a day topped by Foo Fighters and I think they can just about get away with it.

I don't think that you can say 65,000 is a medium festival to be honest. While it isn't the size of the big 3 Glasto which is it's own beast along with Download and R+L, it is on the next rung down at 65,000-70,000 with Creamfields, IOW and Boomtown.

Surely anything over 60,000 is considered a large festival?

I think it would be fair to say that Victorious isn't as prestigious as R+L or Download (and obviously Glasto), though. Obviously it's not.

[Andre91]

1 hour ago, FeverDream said:

Agree they won’t be first choice (shame as they’re my no.1 band). I think their crowd size at Leeds in 2022 will speak for why that is. Admittedly this photo was at the end of their set and the thinned out front section is probably something all MSW headliners struggled with.

They weren’t originally on the lineup in 2021, though. They were a late addition so people wouldn’t have been able to get day tickets for them etc. They’re still able to shift upwards of 100,000 tickets on tour in their sleep. Whilst I agree, I doubt they’d be one of the first names suggested when booking headliners, I think they’re an outright headliner still. They will flit between Download, R&L & IOW every few years forever, I think.
 

Also I agree twitch Victorious being a major - 65k is really big.  

[FeverDream]

25 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

They weren’t originally on the lineup in 2021, though. They were a late addition so people wouldn’t have been able to get day tickets for them etc.

1 hour ago, RedJosh said:

I don't think that you can say 65,000 is a medium festival to be honest. While it isn't the size of the big 3 Glasto which is it's own beast along with Download and R+L, it is on the next rung down at 65,000-70,000 with Creamfields, IOW and Boomtown.

Ah yeah actually both a very good point. Will stop digging myself into a hole 🤣 if they’re ever rebooked they’ll smash it as they always do, no doubt 

[gfa]

Victorious is a weird one though as tickets are significantly cheaper - aren't day tickets like £60?

They clearly pay nowhere near as much as Reading for their headliners

Boardmasters is more in contention i think

[charlierc]

8 hours ago, gfa said:

Boardmasters is more in contention i think

Certainly, as that's been able to book Florence and Kings of Leon to go down there, you'd imagine that they've got the funds to bring Biffy Clyro.

[FeverDream]

On 2/27/2024 at 10:14 AM, gfa said:

Victorious is a weird one though as tickets are significantly cheaper - aren't day tickets like £60?

They clearly pay nowhere near as much as Reading for their headliners

Boardmasters is more in contention i think

£60 for a day ticket is a bargain! Swear I saw some Reading day tickets on Ticketmaster for £120 recently..

Edited February 28 by FeverDream

[gfa]

2 hours ago, FeverDream said:

£60 for a day ticket is a bargain! Swear I saw some Reading day tickets on Ticketmaster for £120 recently..

It went up to £175 or something absurd for Fred/Lana before selling out

[RedJosh]

25 minutes ago, gfa said:

It went up to £175 or something absurd for Fred/Lana before selling out

It was £195 for Reading... Early Bird weekend tickets were what £225 or £240?

[andyrhodes24]

Hoping for a couple of Foo Fighters, MCR, BMTH or MGK. Olivia Rodrigo would be a superb pick too.

Looking forward to next year reverting to traditional size main stage subs rather than “six headliners” and FR hoping we don’t notice.

Edited March 1 by andyrhodes24

[gfa]

22 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

Hoping for a couple of Foo Fighters, MCR, BMTH or MGK. Olivia Rodrigo would be a superb pick too.

Looking forward to next year reverting to traditional size main stage subs rather than “six headliners” and FR hoping we don’t notice.

shows how varied the festival is that in my mind varies from would watch them but defo not buying a ticket for them (foos / rodrigo) to i'd rather blackout in portaloo at the silent disco (MGK and BMTH)

[Benj]

31 minutes ago, gfa said:

shows how varied the festival is that in my mind varies from would watch them but defo not buying a ticket for them (foos / rodrigo) to i'd rather blackout in portaloo at the silent disco (MGK and BMTH)

…and shows the importance of having a proper second stage to offer an alternative to what’s programmed on main…

#BIGTENT

[charlierc]

On 2/28/2024 at 12:57 PM, gfa said:

It went up to £175 or something absurd for Fred/Lana before selling out

 

On 2/28/2024 at 1:36 PM, RedJosh said:

It was £195 for Reading... Early Bird weekend tickets were what £225 or £240?

I'd need a lot of acts one day to contemplate paying that.

It's indeed similar to why I saw a £125+ price for day tickets to Green Day at Isle of Wight and decided it's a no from me.

[gfa]

14 hours ago, charlierc said:

 

I'd need a lot of acts one day to contemplate paying that.

It's indeed similar to why I saw a £125+ price for day tickets to Green Day at Isle of Wight and decided it's a no from me.

Day tickets at IOW are a whole different thing - only really for people on the island tbh because of the cost of the ferry when the fest is on. easily approaching £100pp

[charlierc]

10 minutes ago, gfa said:

Day tickets at IOW are a whole different thing - only really for people on the island tbh because of the cost of the ferry when the fest is on. easily approaching £100pp

Yeah that didn't help either.

[FestivalJamie]

Is Olivia Rodrigo really in the mix? Is she not too big for Reading/Leeds?

[Benj]

22 minutes ago, FestivalJamie said:

Is Olivia Rodrigo really in the mix? Is she not too big for Reading/Leeds?

Probably. At least in it being worth them spending the money

The festival no longer really has the ‘alternative’ cachet it once did to actually help career wise. Although if it did it would probably negate her actually being booked…

[FestivalJamie]

1 minute ago, Benj said:

Probably. At least in it being worth them spending the money

The festival no longer really has the ‘alternative’ cachet it once did to actually help career wise. Although if it did it would probably negate her actually being booked…

If R&L gets any of: Rodrigo/ Lorde/ Paramore next year as headliners, then I would go for the first time in about 8 years. If Dua Lipa ends up being the female headliner then I probably won't bother, and I think she's the most likely one.

[Alex Winstone]

Young Fathers on the chevron?

[northernangel]

17 hours ago, FestivalJamie said:

Is Olivia Rodrigo really in the mix? Is she not too big for Reading/Leeds?

She's not too big 

17 hours ago, FestivalJamie said:

If R&L gets any of: Rodrigo/ Lorde/ Paramore next year as headliners, then I would go for the first time in about 8 years. If Dua Lipa ends up being the female headliner then I probably won't bother, and I think she's the most likely one.

I've just listened to Paramore's new song, Thick Skull I believe. What happened to that band.

None of those would entice me,  even if Rod isn't at Glastonbury I'm not really invested to pay that much. 

[FeverDream]

1 hour ago, northernangel said:

I've just listened to Paramore's new song, Thick Skull I believe. What happened to that band.

In Paramore’s defence, whilst their latest album is quite sonically different from anything they’ve done before, it is absolutely cracking and I’d love to see them at Leeds next year.

[northernangel]

1 minute ago, FeverDream said:

In Paramore’s defence, whilst their latest album is quite sonically different from anything they’ve done before, it is absolutely cracking and I’d love to see them at Leeds next year.

There isn't really a defence this, I'm not a fan at all really of This is why, they are a band that have moved one well for me personally. Just means while I think it's dud, I'm kinda just beyond Paramore now. Even when I listen some of the original stuff it's not got the same hit anymore. They were of today's kids generation because they were before my generation. But it's been 11 to 15 years since I would say they've done something worthy for me so when I was between 22 and 26 which figures.

I would be a bit surprised if Paramore headlined Reading next year, they've got the perfect gap to this year and that album will be in it's 3rd year.