Reading & Leeds: Ones to watch

It’s that time almost that time of year again where the tents get packed away as the U.K. festival season comes to a close. We turn our attention to one of the last major names to take place this summer – Reading & Leeds see’s out the season providing one of the biggest weekends of the festival calendar. It’s another year with a stacked lineup and we’re taking a look at some of the ones to watch across 3 days of incredible talent.

The alternative scene is heavily represented across the weekend bringing in some of the biggest names in the scene while also adding in some of the best newcomers. On that note, Oxfords South Arcade take to the stage for their first Reading & Leeds appearance headlining the BBC Introducing Stage. The 4 piece have quickly boosted their popularity following the success of their single ‘Danger’ after it reached over a million streams. The band have taken to the road with the likes of As Everything Unfolds and Rory while selling out their last two headline tours and their upcoming ‘I Was Here First’ tour, set to hit the smaller venues in September. They have also unleashed two back to back hard hitting singles ‘Stone Cold Summer’ and recently ‘How 2 Get Away With Murder’. This will be the prime chance to catch them in a small festival space as the way these guys are moving, the bigger stage awaits.

Sticking with headline slots, Delilah Bon brings her mischievous hip hop and hard hitting nu-metal to the R&L site as she closes out the BBC Introducing Stage on Friday in Leeds and Sunday at Reading. She has quickly risen to be one of the boldest voices in the rock scene – her empowering lyrics act as a powerful voice for all women, non-binary & the LGBTQ+ community. With her new album ‘Evil Hate Filled Female’ set for release in early September, these slots are the best chance to air out new material and give fans a healthy taste of what’s to come weather they are new or old and also set sights on her biggest headline tour to date as she hits the road across Europe and the U.K. from late September till November.

From festival newcomers, to veterans. Neck Deep are upping the game this weekend with two sets in one day, their main stage appearance will see a usual Neck Deep performance filled with the new and classic before headlining the Festival Republic stage to bring out the old school hits you never usually hear live. The good news for the pop punk faithful is the headline slot finishes right on time for the Blink headline performance.

On that note, Blink 182 headlining this years festival is a big booking based on the fact it’s the first U.K. festival appearance since the the release of ‘One More Time’ and the return of Tom Delonge after almost a decade away brings that extra special feel to what this set will be. They really are a band who need no introduction, the years of experience spanning over 30 years assures anyone going to this set that they are in for something special.

Following the recent drop of their third studio album ‘Toxic’, Aussie’s Yours Truly find themselves back in the U.K. ready to bring their fun filled pop punk sound to the festival scene before a small run of headline shows. The band have gone from strength to strength in the last few years and this weekend comes as a perfect time to help celebrate the release of their new album that comes in hard. The emotional connection forged through their heartfelt songs, lyrics and appreciation for their fans brings out a special type of energy within their live shows.

Flying the saltire for Scotland we have one of the most exciting bands in the country right now, Dead Pony. This year has seen the release of their debut album and hit new heights across the U.K. and Europe while racking up record numbers for streams of each release. Their live show is always filled with high energy and explosive intensity and having them in a tent will really add to the experience. Expect a huge dose of Scottish fire.

One of the biggest bands to come out of the heavy music scene over the past few years Spiritbox will be taking to the main stage on Friday in Reading and Saturday in Leeds. The band, who have recently been supporting Nu-Metal kings Korn are bringing their mix of crushing riffs and ethereal vocals to the masses in what will most likely be the heaviest set that stage will see all weekend.

From one superb heavy act to another, Loathe, who have also supported Korn alongside Spiritbox, are back at Reading and Leeds this year as they get set to tear up the Festival Republic stage on Saturday (Reading) and Sunday (Leeds). Having toured extensively in the US and Europe this year, it’s nice to have them back on home soil to deliver their unique brand of heavy music, expect pits and sing-a-longs galore.

The lineup is stacked with an array of talent spanning over 5 stages and is set to close off festival season in an iconic way.