Reading And Leeds Review
After first seeing the line-up for the Reading and Leeds festivals in England this year it is safe to say I was disheartened. With headliners such as the Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stoneage, and Bombay Bicycle Club last year, 2015’s guest list didn’t seem to meet the mark. Furthermore, there was a surprising lack of female talent across the stages, as only 10 of the approx. total of 94 musical acts had at least one female band member. For these reasons, I decided not to splash out on the full weekend. I, instead, went for a One Day Ticket on Sunday the 30th –an obvious choice for indie music lovers. My pessimism was certainly proven wrong.
1.
Wolf Alice 4/5
This North
London four-piece tore through the predominantly male line up in the NME / BBC
Radio One Tent. The band, headed by glittery frontwoman and alternative icon
Ellie Rowsell, succeded Circa Waves and successfully kept the energy of the
crowd with favourites from their recent release My Love Is Cool [1]
such as ‘You’re A Germ’ and ‘Giant Peach’. In spite of occasional technical
difficulties, mischievous Ellie continued to sing without her guitar, but instead,
riding the back of bassist Theo Ellis. Fans of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Black
Honey would love their twisted alternative sound.
2.
Foals 5/5
A welcome
surprise on the NME / BBC Radio One Stage, Foals (an English indie rock band
from Oxford) killed their ‘secret set’ warranting nothing lower than a 5/5 rating.
The 5 men are recognised as one of the top UK live acts, having won the 2013 Q
Award for Best Live Act and being nominated
(twice!) for the NME Award for Best Live Act. After hearing soon-to-be indie
anthems like ‘My Number’ and ‘Mountain at my Gates’ it would be wrong of anyone
to say they do not live up to this expectation. Their lively set peaked when the
building drum beats of album title track ‘What Went Down’ converted any
drifters into Foals fans for sure.
3.
DMA’S 3.5/5
DMA’s, An under-the-radar
Sydney three-piece, made quite an impression on the small stage of the Festival
Republic tent. A stage, which was home to many other lesser-known indie and
alternative artists such as Walking on Cars and Darlia (both highly
recommended). Lyrically, the band are there and simply waiting for their fan base
to grow. Consequently, the only downside to their performance was the intimate crowd. DMA’S played a largely
acoustic set, climaxing at their most popular hit ‘Your Low’, a stand-out tune
from their gentle, melodic, alt-rock, self-titled album[2].
4.
Rat Boy 4/5
Self-proclaimed
Essex boy Jordan Cardy a.k.a Rat Boy is another deserved of much more fame. His
hard to hate, recent releases ‘Sign On’ and ‘Fake I.D’ pumped some much needed
energy into the Festival Republic tent and will undoubtedly bring him the
success he deserves. Rat Boy’s genre is new to the indie scene, not quite able
to be classified as rap but something of the sort. His clever, witty and
relatable lyrics were chanted back to him by his growing die-hard fans who knew
more than just the singles. A personal favourite ‘Sportswear’ is a must listen,
and to my surprise, sounded exactly the same live as it does through my
headphones despite the extensive mixing process the majority of Rat Boy’s songs
go through. Overall, the most underrated live act of all that I saw at Leeds
Festival 2015.
[1] My Love Is
Cool by Wolf Alice available to purchase now. Definitely check it out!
[2]
DMA’s by DMA’s can be found on Spotify Free –alongside all other named tracks
and artists.