Sunday 21 August 2016

Reading & Leeds 2016 | My Recommendations.


In the UK we two MAJOR festivals. Ok, maybe technically it's three. Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds. (Reading and Leeds kinda counts as one though.)

Every August bank holiday weekend sets the scene for the latter. Set over the course of three days the festival is two parts- Reading and Leeds, hence the name. The line up alternates between the two cities (it's not as complicated as it sounds, non-brits!) 

Since it's one of the biggest and most well known music festivals I decided to add to my festival recommendations list.
So let's go!




Yep, we're starting with the big guns.
I'm not even going to say why you need to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers live. You just need to.
Trust me.

For Fans Of: Nirvana, Foo Fighters, The Offspring.
Find Them At Reading: Main Stage on Saturday 
Find Them At Leeds: Main Stage On Sunday.




Formed in '96, Good Charlotte were one of the first alternative bands I got into, and have been a main source of inspiration within the pop punk community since then. 
Although these guys have changed their sound quite a bit within the last 20 years, they've still remained true to their punk roots and know how to put on a great show.

For Fans Of: Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, New Found Glory.
Find Them At Reading: Lock Up Stage on Sunday.
Find Them At Leeds: Lock Up Stage on Friday.




I've talked about Sunset Sons quite a few times now, but honestly, these guys are perfect for Summer festivals.
The Aussie-Brit band have had slots at over 20 festivals so far, sold out a UK tour in the Spring, and won over thousands of new fans every night from supporting Imagine Dragons on an arena tour.
Their feel-good beachy vibes make for a great soundtrack to any festival.
Read more about them here!

For Fans Of: Imagine Dragons, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Jack Johnson
Find Them At Reading: NME Stage on Saturday.
Find Them At Leeds: NME Stage on Sunday.




SWMRS are about as punk as 2016 is going to get. 
Originally called Emily's Army, SWMRS hail in from Oakland, California, and play garage rock/ punk. Their music is angsty, complex and bold putting a unique spin on the punk genre. 
I don't even know how I found out about these guys but I'm damn glad I did. Their latest album came out a few months back, and, let's be real, there's not a bad song on there.
Michigan Daily summed SWMRS up perfectly so I'll let them do them do the talking.
"My message to you: listen to SWMRS. Love SWMRS or at the very least pretend to love them because at the rate they're going they could very easily be next Nirvana meets Green Day meets something more tropical and you're going to want to say you knew them as rookies."

For Fans Of: Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Green Day, The Front Bottoms, Joyce Manor
Find Them At Reading: The Pit on Friday.
Find Them At Leeds: The Pit on Saturday.




I'm pretty sure we all know The 1975 by  now. If you don't, then you've obviously been living under a rock for the past few years.
I discovered these Manchester lads about 7 years ago, and I've been in love ever since. 
I won't go into too much detail, as I'm sure everyone knows who they are by now.  I've seen them live a number of times and each time has been perfect.
Just go and see them live. You won't be disappointed.

For Fans Of: The Neighbourhood, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Artic Monkeys, Swim Deep.
Find Them At Reading: NME Stage on Sunday.
Find Them At Leeds: NME Stage on Friday.




If you're into 90's alternative-rock bands who trigger intense feelings of nostalgia, then Third Eye Blind is the band for you.
With a 20+ year career and five studio albums on their back, the band has a driving energy with enthralling lyrics and a knack for picking sunshine out of moody tunes.
These guys may be older than a lot of the other musicians playing R+L, but very few can create the unique sound as well as Third Eye Blind.

For Fans Of: Matchbox Twenty, Lit, The Goo Goo Dolls.
Find Them At Reading: Festival Republic Stage on Sunday.
Find Them At Leeds: Festival Republic Stage on Friday.




Fall Out Boy were pretty much the poster boys for emo ten years ago. Fast Forward to 2016, they've evolved into an ambitious, almost complicated pop-punk band. Although, they've merged so many genres together in recent years, I'm not sure FOB fall under the pop-punk category anymore.
Read a little more about my love for Fall Out Boy here.

For Fans Of: Panic! At The Disco, Paramore, All Time Low, Green Day.
Find Them At Reading: Main Stage on Sunday.
Find Them At Leeds: Main Stage on Friday.




In the past couple of years, I've fallen completely in love with Citizen. They have a melodic, emo sound mixed in with grunge and hardcore elements. The music is  haunting and aggressive, the lyrics- heartbreaking and down right gut wrenching. 
Citizen are almost flawless, but I like the fact that there's an near scratchiness to their music. These boys have immense potential.

For Fans Of: Balance and Composure, Title Fight, Basement, Turnover, The Story So Far.
Find Them At Reading: The Pit on Friday.
Find Them At Leeds: The Pit on Saturday.




How do I explain Twenty One Pilots
Tyler Joseph and Josh Dunn are the mastermen behind this madness. Jumping genres at an incredibly dizzying rate, the duo are known for writing lyrics so gut wrenching they're almost uneasy to listen to. But it's nessacery. 
Everyone wants to be famous, to have hundreds of likes on instagram, to be the perfect, photo shopped version of a person. Society shames us for not be perfect. We all have our own demons and trials to overcome. Twenty One Pilots aren't perfect nor are they trying to be.
Listen to Twenty One Pilots. They're music is important.

For Fans Of: Fall Out Boy, AWOLNation, Melanie Martinez.
Find Them At Reading: NME Stage on Friday
Find Them At Leeds: NME Stage on Saturday.




I'm sure you'll sick of hearing me talk about how in love I am with State Champs. But I am. And if you don't know, go here. You'll find out soon enough.
Also. they're playing the main stage so I currently feel like a proud parent.

For Fans Of: All Time Low, Neck Deep, The Story So Far, The Wonder Years.
Find Them At Reading: Main Stage on Sunday
Find Them At Leeds: Main Stage on Friday.




More Recommendations? Tonight Alive, Trash Boat, Waterparks, Basement, The Beach Slang, Blossoms, Cage The Elephant, CHVRCHES, Deaf Havana, Crystal Castles, Imagine Dragons, Milk Teeth, Nothing But Thieves, ROAM, G-Eazy.

There's so many good bands and artists playing this year it was hard to narrow it down but I hoped you like my recommendations.
Are any of you going to Reading or Leeds?
Who do you plan on seeing? 
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Listening to: Watching The OC.

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