The end of the summer. The beginning of your lives
August Bank Holiday weekend, Bramham Park, Leeds , Little John's Farm Richfield Avenue, Reading. Three days of bands and artists take to the Reading and Leeds Festival stages.
2023 was a real celebration of guitar music, especially in the headliners. Foals, Sam Fender, The 1975 and The Killers all headlined the festival this year. We had returning favourites in The 1975, a new headliner in Sam Fender and adopted Brits all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada are welcome at any festival in the UK.
Foals set was overshadowed a little by Sam Fender taking to the stage after them, but they put in a stellar performance and firmly cemented themselves as one of Britain's best live bands.
The band are bringing an end to their best tour to date, the album they are touring was made for the festival circuit. a real party record, much groovier than anything we have heard from Foals before. Foals aren't a band who will forget the classics though, the set featured some old ones debut album-era hits ‘Red Socks Pugie’ and ‘Olympic Airwaves’ are given a festival run out alongside, classics like 'My Number' and 'Two Steps Twice. The band played a Friday night set for the ages.
Even having time for a little pet talk There’s a future headliner out there watching this – you’ll be up here in 5, 10, 15, 20 years where we are now.” Reading and Leeds is a formative affair, it's the first festival for many of the young audience and you cannot help but be inspired by Foals and there journey to headlining.
Foals played:
‘Wake Me Up’
‘Mountain at My Gates’
‘Olympic Airways’
‘2001’
‘Summer Sky’
‘My Number’
‘2am’
‘In Degrees’
‘Spanish Sahara’
‘Red Socks Pugie’
‘Milk & Black Spiders’
‘The Runner’
‘Inhaler’
‘Black Bull’
‘What Went Down’
‘Two Steps, Twice’
Following one of Britain's best live bands is a difficult fete, but if there is anyone who can do it. It's Sam Fender, a hero for the every man.
It has already been quite the year for Sam, having supported his hero Bruce Springsteen and playing two sold out dates at St James Park, the home of his beloved Newcastle United. A first headline slot was inevitable for Sam and safe to say he smashed it. We have been waiting for this as fans, and we were not disappointed.
This is a set for the ages, a headline set that will be remembered for a very very long time. 'Seventeen Going Under' was a huge album for Sam and this performance was him seeing just how important it was. Festivals in general are special affairs for those in the audience, this was important because the audience can see themselves in Sam and the lads on stage. Sam was once that punter in the crowd.
These songs matter too, from 'Dead Boys' which see's Sam introduce it as a song about my hometown… a drinking town, with a fishing problem.' Through to 'The Borders' and 'The Dying Light' these are songs that resonate with the kids in the audience. It talks about things that the audience are facing but also gives those members of the audience a hope. They too could be stood on that stage, he needed to headline. He belongs on these stages, Glastonbury is next you'd like to think.
Sam and the boys from Shields may just be the voices of this generation.
Sam Fender played:
‘The Kitchen’
‘Will We Talk?’
‘Getting Started’
‘Dead Boys’
‘Mantra’
‘The Borders’
‘Spice’
‘Howdon Aldi Death Queue’
‘Get You Down’
‘Spit of You’
‘Alright’
‘That Sound’
‘The Dying Light’
‘Saturday’
‘Seventeen Going Under’
‘Hypersonic Missiles’
Day two at Reading and Day three at Leeds saw two huge bands take to the stage.
The 1975 were up for first, and just like they were in 2022, they were drafted in late as the super subs. This time to replace Lewis Capaldi.
It seemed the perfect opportunity for the band to have a little fun. Why not celebrate the tenth anniversary of their self titled debut album. Celebrate they do, playing the album in order to a sea of adoring fans, due to the nature of the internet. The album is as popular now as it was in 2013, an album that soundtracks what is like to be a teenager, the perfect time to play live is at the festival that is a rite of passage for teenagers in the UK. It's meant to be a nostalgia trip and they don't dare mess with the formula.
Although many of the audience would have been toddlers when the record was released, social media, streaming and older siblings have passed down these classic songs to the next generation. The songs carry the weight though, they are good songs in fact they are very good songs. 'Chocolate' 'Sex' 'Robbers' and 'Menswear' sound as good if not even better than they did in 2013.
Once the album had been played in full, the band dipped into the eclectic back catalogue and played the hits including four songs of their latest effort 'Being Funny in a Foreign Language' this was more than a cash grab, it was a celebration of the album, the band and the festival.
The 1975 played
‘The City’
‘M.O.N.E.Y.’
‘Chocolate’
‘Sex’
‘Talk!’
‘Heart Out’
‘Settle Down’
‘Robbers’
‘Girls’
‘She Way Out’
‘Menswear’
‘Pressure’‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’
‘Happiness’
‘I’m In Love With You’
‘Oh Caroline’
‘If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)’
‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’
‘About You’
Following from Matty Healy and the boys were adopted Brits, The Killers.
The Killers will always get a good reception in the UK and this time around it was no different. Brandon Flowers in enigmatic front man, a sort of Indie Elvis. It's a set that see's a band at their very best, Flowers has the crowd in the palm of his hand. It's easy to forget that The Killers are brought to you "by way of the Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada" as they always seem at home in the UK.
These songs have become more than just songs, they are hymns, chants for the British audience. It's a set full of them. 'When You're Young' was the third song in, 'Somebody Told Me' and 'Spaceman' hit with frantic pace, they are built for these types of environments. The Killers don't take themselves too seriously and this is shown when the band open up the stage for a member of the audience.
'Ozzy From Bath' is invited up on stage to play with the band. Drumming along to 'For Reason's Unknown' and he plays a blinder, the lad is a very good drummer and he had the whole field rooting for him. One of the highlights of the weekend.
After giving Ozzy his moment in the sun, the band don't let up.
'Read My Mind' 'Runaways' and 'All These Things That I've Done' are played to the adoring audience. These songs are timeless and are met with praise by the Reading faithful, The Killers are adored in the UK. These songs have become part of the furniture, sorry Nevada, they are ours.
'Mr Brightside' ends the show a fitting end that see's thousands of people chant, jump, dance and mosh to the unofficial British national anthem, a fitting end to two days of brilliant guitar music. Sometimes 'Glamorous Indie Rock n Roll' cannot be beaten.
The Killers played:
‘My Own Soul’s Warning’
‘Enterlude’
‘When You Were Young’
‘Jenny Was a Friend of Mine’
‘Smile Like You Mean It’
‘Shot at the Night’
‘Running Towards A Place’
‘Somebody Told Me’
‘Spaceman’
‘For Reasons Unknown’
‘Your Side of Town’
‘Runaways’
‘Read My Mind’
‘Caution’
‘All These Things That I’ve Done’
‘The Man’
‘Human’
‘Mr. Brightside’
So there's a run through of 'What Went Down' as the UK Festival season comes to an end, we saw four headline sets for the ages, a look to the future, a man with the world at his feet, a nod to the past with an album that sounds as good ten years later, and The Killers took us to Church complete with there hymns.
Festivals are a vital part of the musical landscape in the UK. What Yannis said from Foals is true, these places can help birth the next generation of musicians. After these four sets it is hard not to be inspired. You don't need to be anything special, Sam Fender got to the top writing anthems for me and you, Foals grafted to get there. It can be done by any of us.
It also showed that the youth still have a voice, and that music really really matters. It might be the end of the summer, but for many this festival will start them on a new journey.
Thank you for reading x