READING & LEEDS 2023 – ACTS NOT TO MISS (LEEDS FRIDAY / READING SUNDAY)
READING & LEEDS 2023 – ACTS NOT TO MISS (LEEDS FRIDAY / READING SUNDAY)
MAIN STAGE EAST
YOUR HEADLINER…. BILLIE EILISH
21-year-old Billie Eilish remains one of the most treasured singer-songwriters of her generation. Writing and releasing music both observational and reflective on her own life experiences and society – something all the greatest songwriters have done before her. Billie Eilish released her highly anticipated album ‘Happier Than Ever’ on Darkroom/Interscope/Polydor Records last summer to critical acclaim globally, and immediately topped the album charts in both the UK and US as well as seventeen other countries worldwide. She then embarked on a world tour, which included headline slots at Glastonbury and Coachella and six nights at the O2 Arena in London – her concert film recorded over these shows, Billie Eilish Live At The O2, is nominated at the upcoming 65th GRAMMY® Awards for Best Music Film. Alongside ‘Nobody Like U’ (from Turning Red) with her brother FINNEAS also receiving a nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media, Billie Eilish’s total number of GRAMMY® nominations now tallies eighteen. At the 64th GRAMMY® Awards, Billie Eilish was nominated for seven Grammys for Happier Than Ever, including Album, Record and Song of the Year. Earlier this year, Billie Eilish surprised fans with Guitar Songs: two songs, the previously heard and much loved ‘TV’, and a brand-new track titled ‘The 30th.’ ‘TV’ closes with live vocals from her audience, recorded in Manchester’s twenty-one thousand capacity AO Arena.
STEVE LACY
DECLAN MCKENNA
Back in early 2020, British musician Declan McKenna was psyching himself up to release his dazzling second album, Zeros. It was a bold statement of a record, packing punches and wisdom in equal measure. But then March arrived and Declan (like the rest of us) was stuck at home, stewing on what should have been. He needn’t have worried though, throwing caution to the wind just few months later, Zeros was released to near faultless acclaim pitting him in a heated chart battle for the top spot with The Rolling Stones. Zeros was pipped by Mick & co on the final day, but really it was the record itself that left the lasting impression.
RINA SAWAYAMA
Rina Sawayama is a Japanese-British musician, model and actor who started her solo music career after graduating from Cambridge University in 2012. Rina rapidly attracted the attention of press around her early releases which saw her included in the Dazed100 list and grace the covers of Clash Magazine and Sunday Times Style. In April 2020 she released her debut album “SAWAYAMA” via independent label Dirty Hit which was applauded by critics across the globe and has led her to be featured on the covers of Billboard, NME, King Kong, Time Out, DIY and Crash Magazine as well as garnering support from Vogue, BBC, CNN and VICE. In 2021 Rina was nominated for BRITs Rising Star and later that year she was also named as one of TIME Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders. In recent years Rina has collaborated with the likes of Elton John, Charli XCX, Pabllo Vittar, Bloodpop, Shamir and more. Alongside her music career she has also modelled for Balmain, MAC, Versace, Skull Candy, Mercedes Benz Fashion and GCDS.
MAIN STAGE WEST
YOUR HEADLINER… IMAGINE DRAGONS
Imagine Dragons have been tirelessly filling stadiums, crafting cloud-rattling anthems, and breaking records at every opportunity. Fronted by the effortlessly talented Dan Reynolds, the diamond-certified GRAMMY Award winning Las Vegas quartet occupy rarified air as one of the biggest bands in the world, now set to headline Reading & Leeds for the first time ever. Counting tens of millions of album sales and over 110 billion total streams, they stand out as the only band in history to earn four RIAA Diamond singles and a multitude of multi-platinum singles in Radioactive, Believer, Demons and Thunder. With the release of their first double-album opus Mercury - Acts 1 & 2 they've collaborated with everyone from Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa to Avicii and film composer Hans Zimmer.
BECKY HILL
DON BROCO
Always unique, and forever pushing boundaries, Don Broco are never ones to follow the trend and the new album Amazing Things is very aptly named. It’s yet another genre-bending masterpiece with electro, rock, pop, metal and more all wrapped up in their own unique blend, bringing to mind the likes of Deftones, Beastie Boys, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit amongst others… but simultaneously sounding like nobody else on earth.
LIL TJAY
Before Lil Tjay – an NYC-born 21-year-old – became an internet heartthrob with streams in the multi-millions, he was just a kid from the Bronx. Since then, he has performed at some of the most notable music festivals including Rolling Loud, HARD Summer and Day N Vegas, and boasts collaborations with a handful of prominent musicians such as YG, Pop Smoke, Tory Lanez & 6LACK. In fact, Lil Tjay released his ground-breaking single “Calling My Phone” which topped multiple streaming charts. He then followed up the viral track with his highly anticipated sophomore album Destined 2 Win in April, which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. TJay survived a near-fatal shooting in 2022 and is back with a vengeance, with plans to have 2023 be a huge year filled with new music.
THE SNUTS
The Snuts, hailing from West Lothian in Scotland used their emphatic live reputation to build a strong fan base across the UK and beyond in their formative years. Their debut album “W.L.” stormed the charts in 2021 to beat Demi Lovato in a tense chart battle to number 1, making them the first Scottish band in 14 years to release a debut number-1 album.
They released their follow-up album Burn The Empire to rave reviews in September 2022. Produced by collaborators Detonate and Clarence Coffee Jr (Due Lipa, Years & Years), the album, which claimed another Top 3, for the band, continues their evolution both sonically and lyrically (“A fearless evolution” **** NME)
A voice for the next generation lead singer Jack Cochrane attacks subjects affecting the youth of today, addressing corrupt corporations and politicians, as well as the lethal effects of poverty across Britain and its impact on society.
Infectious, euphoric, heartfelt and packed to the brim with hooks, Burn The Empire is the work of a band living in the moment, with an eye to the future. Armed with a chart-topping album and an arsenal of adoring fans up and down the country, these four lads from Whitburn, West Lothian, are well on their way to being one of the most vital bands of recent years
HOT MILK
Power punks, Hot Milk, have announced their second EP, ‘I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD” via Music For Nations.
It follows the success of the band’s first EP, 2019’s ‘Are You Feeling Alive?’, a fizzy collection of gutsy emo-pop which established them as one of the most exciting new bands in the UK. Their 2019 was a whirlwind year that saw them tour with Foo Fighters, Deaf Havana and You Me At Six, as well as playing some of the UK’s biggest festival stages.
BBC RADIO 1’S DANCE STAGE
METRIX
If any genre can claim a gravitation towards the futuristic and technological, it’s drum & bass. From its earliest incarnations the music was about forward-thinking musicians pushing the envelope of what was technologically possible. At a young age Metrik found himself pulled into D&B’s magnetism, drawn in by its clinical precision and emotive compositions.
Within this world he discovered a deep resonance with the pairing of man and machine. A marriage of man-made instruments manipulated by samplers, computers and effects plugins; overlaid with synthetic noises comprised of ones and zeros. That resonance gave him an unshakeable conviction and set the course for the rest of his life, taking him from setting up an online radio station in his bedroom to performing on the world’s biggest festival stages.
It’s a story that many present day producers can identify with, but when an artist’s debut single becomes a bona fide classic, topping the download charts and clearing record store shelves, you know they’ve got something special. That’s what happened when Metrik dropped ‘Your World’, an instant hit which saw support from the likes of Pendulum, Bad Company and Viper Recording’s founder Futurebound. A slew of incredible tracks were then released including his second big hit, the Annie Mac and Zane Lowe supported ‘Technicolour’ and timeless anthem ‘Freefall’ featuring Reija Lee which racked up over 4 million plays.
JOESEF
Joesef is a young soul with an old soul who’s mastered new soul.
Since shining through on the BBC’s Sound of 2020 poll only nine months after his first ever gig, the Scottish singer-songwriter has released a brace of #fire singles and EPs, broke his pandemic-induced gigging furlough with a magical woodland performance at last summer’s Latitude, toured with his band and Mercury Prize winner (and long-term supporter) Arlo Parks, and performed a sold-out Friday night at Barrowlands.
“That was just fucking mad!” he marvels of his rapturous homecoming. “The whole gig I was like, what the hell is going on? It was just so loud. It was a Glasgow crowd, so I expected that, but it was mental – I couldn’t even hear myself, especially during Comedown – a quiet song that people sing the loudest – and The Sun Is Up Forever. And I got to take my mum backstage, so that was special. Playing shows and live music are the most important thing to me. Other things in life come and go, but you can always remember an amazing show – and that was the most amazing yet.”
FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE
LOVEJOY
The only indie rock band with a double kick drum. Led by frontman Wilbur Soot, Joe Goldsmith on lead guitar, Ash Kabosu on bass, and
Mark Boardman on drums.
TV GIRL
On the surface, TV Girl is a sunny, throwback splash of ‘60s French pop and southern California soul. Yet, under that shiny veneer lays a dark heart, beating with sharp wit and cynical alienation, and the music is all the more alluring for it. TV Girl, composed of Brad Petering, Jason Wyman, and Wyatt Harmon, was formed in 2010 by Petering as an outlet to blend the love of Spector-esque girl-group pop with an emerging interest in hip-hop.
In 2014, TV Girl unveiled their first full-length, the critically acclaimed French Exit. The album keeps true to the TV Girl charm with a bevy of electronic samplings infused throughout light and airy guitars, whirring organs, and ethereal vocals. However, this record is not all summer nostalgia, and there are plenty of times where French Exit reads like disaffected fiction. The moody characters in these songs are fueled by revenge as often as love, underpinned by desperation and a deep yearning to connect.
Now, some odd years after its release, French Exit has become a cult-favorite of love-scorned teens and adults alike. To celebrate the occasion, the band will perform French Exit in its entirety and with a full band for the very first time.
VISTAS
Scottish band Vistas consists of vocalist Prentice Robertson, guitarist Dylan Rush and bassist Jamie Law – they’ve made their name gigging tirelessly across the UK, with word of mouth praise of their chaotic, life-affirming show travelling far and wide.
COIN
TOM ODELL
Tom Odell has never fit the picture people have of him. “There’s been a perception of my music as a ‘major-label creation’,” says the singer-songwriter with a roll of his eyes. In his early career, perhaps because he arrived on the scene armed with a Brits Critics’ Choice Award, an instantly ubiquitous single (‘Another Love’) and a major label deal, critics doubted his authenticity – as if his knack for a good hook was somehow a mark against him. Even last year’s excoriating, beat-driven album Monsters – on which he pushed boundaries, experimented with new sounds, and opened up about his struggles with crippling anxiety – was dismissed by some as an attempt to stay relevant. “I don’t care if people don’t like my music, but anyone who
was like, ‘It’s a major-label creation,’ I’d be like you have no idea how hard I worked on it.’” says Odell. What’s more, no one ever seemed to know where to put him. “Alternative people think I’m pop, and pop people think I’m alternative…”
THE ROYSTON CLUB
BBC RADIO 1XTRA STAGE
K-TRAP
K-Trap rose to rap prominence due to his unorthodox flow, finesse and mystery which all remain at the heart of his artistry and sound. Emerging onto the scene in 2017 with ‘David Blaine’, Trap’s consistent stream of releases resulted in co-signs from the likes of Stormzy, Giggs, and Fredo (to name a few) and earned him a permanent spot in the UK music scene’s hall of fame. Since establishing his own label and independence, Trap has been unstoppable from his critically acclaimed, ‘Trapo’ project late last year, to his Top 20 mixtape this year, ‘Joints 2’ featuring long-term friend and collaborator, Blade Brown. Most recently, Trap has collaborated with streetwear brand, Hoodrich on a limited range of clothes, further cementing his position as an influential, cultural icon.
LOST GIRL
Lost Girl, 23 from Reading UK, began to find her way when she started making music. Raised on a melting pot of music instead of burdening friends and family with her troubles, she’d turn to her pen and pad, making sense of her thoughts and feelings, by scribbling them into hooks and verses – the process became her therapy.
While she was on track to be the first in her family to go to university, Lost Girl took a year out to focus on music. After a year of juggling her part-time job and writing hundreds of songs, she tattooed “Lost Girl” across her hands as a commitment to music, and eventually quit her day job when she wasn’t given the time off to attend a meeting with Island Records.
CLIIMATE LIVE: BUS STAGE
UNIVITED
Uninvited’s released ‘Behind The Black Door”, “Diet Cigarette” and “Tomboy”. Before winning the Live Lounge competition, Uninvited saw an outpouring of support from BBC Introducing Scotland, Punktastic, Distorted Sound, When The Horn Blows, LOCK Magazine, Uber Rock, Tenement TV and others from their debut and follow-up singles. Their debut single “Tomboy” is an important landmark for Uninvited who became aware that they themselves could be the change they wanted to see, writing music that pushes the LGBTQ+ conversation into the male-dominated rock atmosphere – a multidimensional reclamation of their early queer experiences in a shimmering pop-rock package.
Shortly after the release of “Behind The Black Door”, the band claimed the top spot ahead of 4,000 other entries winning the opportunity of a lifetime to perform in the world famous Radio 1 Live Lounge, joining the likes of Oasis, Miley Cyrus and Stormzy in the Live Lounge history books. Uninvited were selected as the winners by Introducing alumni artists Alfie Templeman, Mabel, Mahalia and Tom Grennan and Radio 1 DJ’s Rickie Haywood-Williams, Melvin Odoom, Charlie Hedges, Jack Saunders and Gemma Bradley after their submission of ‘Behind The Black Door’ was shortlisted by the BBC Music Introducing’s extensive network of local and regional shows. Since winning the competition the band propelled from obscurity and since played, Reading & Leeds Festival, 2000 Trees and Belladrum. Main support for The Blinders, Crawlers UK tour in November 22’ and most recently in Feb 23’ they opened for Nova Twins on their UK tour and are set to release their debut EP via Lab Records later in the year.
Uninvited are Taylor-Ray Dillon (she/her), Gillian Dhlakama (they/them), Bex Young (they/them) and Fiorenza Cocozza (she/her).
NIGHTBUS
Late Night Music.
Nightbus are a three piece band formed in Manchester, UK in 2022.
They make an eclectic range of music, with inspiration being drawn from post punk, alternative and electronica.
FOXGLOVE
Foxglove are a euphoric pop band from Manchester with many musical influences shaping their sound, From 80’s synth pop to early 00’s guitar ballads, dance and garage, they also take on a shoegaze blare and team it with bouncing melodies with Abi’s powerhouse vocals and Ryan’s synthesiser-like guitar. As a group Foxglove love experimenting when writing music, aiming to encourage euphoric feelings that are always implemented within the music and aesthetic; no two of our songs will sound the same.
Photo credits: @samcorphotos
BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING STAGE
FRIDAY
Day 1 will see MATILDA MAN headline the stage with sets from Viddy, Grandmas House, TS Lagga, Pritt, Admt Twist, The GOA Express and Beaux playing sets during the day. Worth checking out the new talent on this stage during the day.,