Reading & Leeds Preview PART 1

So we are starting to wind down festival season in 2015. There aren’t any real big ones left right? WRONG. Who could ever forget the biggest party of the Summer, Reading & Leeds Festival? This year the line up is, as ever, brilliantly varied and full of absolute treats. Metal, Punk and Heavy Rock has taken a renewed chokehold over the festival with the top two stages featuring an array of top acts alongside the expected Lock Up/The Pit Stage. Because there is so much we’ve split this preview in to two. Here you will find a rundown of some of the top acts to see across the top two stages, with Part Two being an extensive run down of the frankly spectacular bill down in The Pit/Lock Up.

Bands To Watch

If you look at the line up poster you cannot help but be drawn to the huge logo for the mighty Metallica. The band have not headlined this particular festival since way back in 2008, so even with them being in the UK probably every year since, this is set to be a special show. The band are working away on a new album at the moment (feel like we’ve been typing that for a while) and historically they’ve used Reading & Leeds to showcase a new track or two. Expect the Metallica fans to arrive in their numbers on the Saturday with the band due to play a set, we can already safely say will be full of absolute classics. The biggest Metal band of all time ruling over one of the biggest festivals of all time, the perfect match.



Whilst in recent years it perhaps hasn’t been as daunting as in Metallica’s early days, playing that slot immediately preceding them is a hell of an opportunity. This year at Reading & Leeds this falls with a band who in recent years have shown a rise which has become one of the biggest stories in all of music, that band is Bring Me The Horizon. Since the release of Sempiternal in particular, BMTH have ended up shedding a lot of the doubt and criticism hanging over their heads and have matured into one of the biggest names in heavy music at the moment. If you look back to the last time Metallica played Reading & Leeds festival in 2008, Bring Me The Horizon opened the Main Stage for them that year and frankly didn’t make the greatest impression. You fast forward to 2013 and it felt like they were able to redeem themselves which they did in a huge way. Now we are heading towards the 2015 event and BMTH are well and truly on the brink of taking that last step into headlining territory. Expect the performance of the weekend.



Immediately preceding these guys as well (what a day right?!) are another band you can safely categorise under ‘rising stars’. Royal Blood seem to have been on an absolute rampage through the Music Industry at the moment, and much like BMTH, even at still such an early stage in their careers we’re probably looking at future headliners. Also gracing the Main Stage this year are the returning Alexisonfire. Fans of the band were at fever pitch when rumblings began to surface that the band were heading for a return and what a way to do it with Reading & Leeds as part of their tour!



Yet another band who quickly became one of the most exciting new bands to emerge in Heavy Music recently are The Marmozets. It truly is testament to their talent and their determination that they’ve been granted a Main Stage slot. Their reputation live is strong so expect these to come out all guns blazing. Equal to this, what a fantastic achievement for Feed The Rhino that they themselves have made it on to the Main Stage. You’d be hard pressed to find a harder working band on the touring circuit at the moment as this band seem to plough through tour after tour after tour. They are an absolute powerhouse live, an experience we at Room Thirteen have been lucky enough to witness on many occasions, and seem to adapt to every situation so will be very interesting seeing them open up the Main Stage.

So who else is opening the Main Stage this year? Well on the other two days we’ve got Mariachi El Bronx and Baby Metal. If you’ve never heard of either of these it is difficult to know where to start, just be sure that when they do play there will be a mix of joy, confusion, hatred and love on the faces of everyone watching. And we’ve been through all those without even mentioning Pop Punk masters All Time Low and Neck Deep, Alternative Rock Band Drenge, Punk outfit Against Me! and American rockers The Gaslight Anthem all of which will also be gracing the Main Stage this year. Told you the line up was stacked this year!



So that’s Main Stage covered, what else have we got going on? Well Friday night sees Limp Bizkit headline the NME tent in what is set to be one of the most raucous sets of the weekend. Endlessly fun live. Joining them on this stage across the weekend we’ve got the likes of rising Brits Don Broco, American Football who will no doubt bring hoards of their cult following, Alternative band Wolf Alice and the critically acclaimed Twin Atlantic. So again, PLENTY to get your teeth stuck in to!




Top Picks

Ok so we’re a Metal/Punk/Rock Webzine, but in the spirit of the diversity shown across this year’s Reading & Leeds line up we’ve picked a top three from each stage (yes even the Dance tent!). Check these out before you go or even just when you’re there, you may just discover something new!

Main Stage: Metallica, Bring Me The Horizon, Feed The Rhino
NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage: Limp Bizkit, Run The Jewels, Deadmau5
The Pit/Lock Up Stage: Gojira, Ghost, Turbowolf
BBC Radio1 Dance Stage: Boy Better Know, Wilkinson Live, Blonde Live
Festival Republic Stage: Frank Turner, Seether, Manchester Orchestra
BBC Radio1 Xtra Stage: Lethal Bizzle, Tempa T, Flatbush Zombies
BBC Introducing Stage: Hyena, Return To Rome, Clean Cut Kid

We can hear you shouting at the screen asking why on earth we’re not talking about The Pit/Lock Up Stage. Don’t worry the line up down there is so packed that’ll all be coming in Part Two!!

Don’t forget there are still tickets available for this year’s festival! Check out both the official Reading and Leeds Festival websites for all remaining ticket packages, you’ll need to be quick!