Top 10 Favourite Reading Sets

There’s a lot of brilliant things about Reading Festival (and Leeds as well obviously), and due to this a lot of people choose to go because of the experience. For me, there was that factor, but I was also extremely excited about seeing a selection of my favourite bands and check out some new ones.

  1. The set that blew me away the most was The Orwells at Festival Republic. The band had so much energy and really went all out and this made the crowd so much livelier as well, and the short set was filled to the brim with energetic songs off both their albums Remember When and Disgraceland. The crowd was brilliant and a particular highlight of that set was lead singer Mario climbing up the lighting rig.
  2. Then of course I loved Arctic Monkeys at Main Stage, but I won’t talk about this set for too long since I’m pretty sure most people who went to Reading or Leeds went to this set. Whilst the set wasn’t majorly different to their set at Finsbury Park or many other recent gigs, they did include My Propellor and When The Sun Goes Down, which made me extremely happy and I think they are songs which should be played live far more often. 
  3. Another set I absolutely adored was Happyness at BBC Introducing. Whilst the crowd was pretty small and chill, I thought the band played really well and are definitely one to watch out for in the next few months. I saw them support Drowners at the Borderline on 20th August, and made it a must to see them again at Reading. With quirky and random song lyrics and a Teenage Fanclub-esque vibe about them, they’re definitely one of my favourite new bands.
  4. Another set I really enjoyed was The Wytches at NME Stage. I’d heard of the Wytches but never really listened to them, but my friend who didn’t go to Reading or Leeds told me to check them out if I was able to, since she really likes them and said they’re really cool live. And since the Wytches’ set was pretty early on, I was able to go down and watch them with absolutely no idea what it would be like. They were really really awesome and had so much energy and I was honestly blown away and would love to see them again.
  5. I also really loved Cage The Elephant at NME Stage. They were so full of energy and I want to see them again so bad because they honestly blew me away with their set. Playing a mix of songs off their various albums, all of which went down a hit with the crowd, Cage The Elephant really smashed it at Reading.
  6. Another favourite of mine from Reading Festival was Drowners at Festival Republic. I’d seen them literally only a few days before at the Borderline and at Rough Trade in February and they were really fantastic both times so I had to see them again at Reading. They were really energetic and fun to watch and they came out at the end to meet people which was cool as well. I’m probably a bit biased since they’re one of my favourite bands, but they were definitely one of my favourites at Reading.
  7. I also really enjoyed Palma Violets at Festival Republic. The crowd was so lively and the band absolutely smashed it and I’d definitely love to see them again sometime soon with a longer set because I honestly did not want their Reading set to end.
  8. Another set I really loved was Temples at NME Stage. I’d seen Temples at Rough Trade in February and they were awesome so I was desperate to see them again and my friends are all big fans as well. The atmosphere was so cool and they played such a great set and it was definitely one of my Reading highlights.
  9. I also really loved The Kooks at NME Stage. I used to really like the Kooks a few years ago, and then I kind of went off them and I haven’t really been interested in their newer stuff, but after seeing them at Reading I’m definitely much more fond of them and their new stuff. Their set involved a mix of things from their new album, their first album Inside In Inside Out and then a song off Junk Of The Heart. 
  10. Lastly, I really enjoyed Royal Blood at NME Stage. After seeing them at Finsbury Park I was desperate to catch their set and I’m so glad I did because they really blew me away and it was amazing how big the crowd was and how quickly they’re fan base has grown from when I saw them at Finsbury. Their album just came out as well and I’m definitely going to get it and I hope I can see them again soon.

Other highlights from the weekend that didn’t make my top ten include Warpaint, Drenge, Peace, and the small amount of Catfish and the Bottlemen‘s set that I caught.