While She Sleeps
Kicking off the main stage on Friday morning is never an easy task, being the first act many people will be seeing for what they hope will be one of the best weekends of their lives. This slot has gone to bands like Tool in 1993 and Young Guns in 2010, and this year it's the turn of the Sheffield metallers. Something of a big thing on the circuit, While She Sleeps have been steadily churning out tour after tour, in support of their 'This is The Six' debut album. Charting at a respectable number 27, While She Sleeps have been gaining a reputation as one of the best live bands cutting their teeth at the moment. Combining metalcore breakdowns with passionate lyrics and delivery from their frontman, Loz Taylor, While She Sleeps are one of the quickest rising metal bands in the UK.
The Pretty Reckless
Founded as a side project by Taylor Momsen (of Gossip Girl fame) in 2009, The Pretty Reckless, have been pretty quiet in the UK recently, but a performance at Reading festival will serve as a reminder to who they are. Tagged as a 'heavier' Paramore, and backed up with a debut album and 2 EPs to their name, and an unannounced but heavily anticipated second album, The Pretty Reckless will attempt to show why they should be taken seriously. With tunes like Make Me Wanna Die & Miss Nothing, this band are one of the dark horses to steal the attention of the more established acts over the weekend.
Editor's note: The Pretty Reckless have now pulled out of Reading & Leeds!
Skindred
Self styled as 'Ragga-Metal', Newport's Skindred bring the Newport Helicopter to Reading's Main Stage. Benji Webbe's band of merry men bring a unique sound to proceedings mixing heavy riffs and grooves with Webbe's reggae like vocals. This is a band who deserve to be so much bigger than they actually are so to finally see them on the Main Stage is something that they deserve, this being their 15th year as a band. A favourite at Download, the Newport Helicopter is about to land at Reading. Are you ready?
New Found Glory
New Found Glory are back once again! After releasing a Ramones covers EP this year, NFG are back to smash the stage with their own personal brand of pop punk. Having been around for many years now, NFG are being heralded as being 'God Fathers' of their scene, alongside alumni like blink-182 and Green Day. With songs like, My Friends Over You & Kiss You, NFG will get the crowd bouncing like no tomorrow. Breezy, easy to listen to, and perfect to chill out with a beer to, NFG are dependable to put on a show when you need it, and may seem like an odd booking in the position they're in, but they will be impressive none the less.
Bring Me the Horizon
Another Sheffield native metal band, Bring Me the Horizon return to the main stage once again, on the back of their most successful album yet. Sempiternal charted at number 3 in it's debut week, their highest charting release to date. Having traded their guitarist, Jona Weinhofen for Jordan Fish, BMTH have taken an electronic turn in their music. Sempiternal is a gamechanging album for a stagnant metal genre, and all the traditionalists who hate on BMTH, need to get a grip. Metal is a changing genre and adding the keyboards & synths takes heavy to a whole new meaning. BMTH have been taking over the airwaves, and now they're here for Reading. Critically acclaimed as a live act, BMTH have the world in front of them, and Reading could be the first step to world domination.
Frank Turner
Having headlined pretty much every non arena venue going in this country, Frank Turner has played over 1000 shows. From supporting Green Day at Wembley Stadium, to headlining, a sold-out Wembley Arena himself, and even playing the Olympic Stadium as the warmup act for the opening ceremony. Frank has grown organically, going from playing pubs and dives to playing academies & theatres. Frank has played many many times at Reading over the years but he returns to the Main Stage as a bona fide draw. Playing a combination of folk, punk and acoustic music, Frank Turner and his backing band, The Sleeping Souls have become a highly tuned live act, always giving every ounce of sweat that he can, Frank Turner will leave it all on stage, with singalongs galore. Reading is in for a treat.
Deftones
Sacramento's alternative metal sons, Deftones are another favourite for Reading crowds. Following the death of their original bassist, Chi Cheng (R.I.P), Deftones return to the UK for the first time since this tragic event. Mixing many different styles of rock, alternative and metal music, the band have been at times dubbed, the 'Radiohead of metal', of their complex tastes and mixes that they create. In 2012, Deftones released Koi No Yokan (Japanese for Premonition of Love) another classic album in an already extensive back catalogue. With a reputation for being a fantastic live band, with classic songs like My Own Summer, Minerva & Rocket Skates, Deftones are one of the most anticipated bands on the lineup.
System of a Down
Having last appeared at Reading in 2003, System of a Down return on their reunion shows. Having gone on hiatus in 2006 till 2010 (in which time Serj Tankian did appear at Reading Festival a couple of times) this favourite of many rock fans, have returned to play live shows, much like Rage Against The Machine did. Having headlined Download 2 years ago, they return to Reading 10 years after they last played. With classic songs like Fuck the System, Chop Suey!, & Toxicity, System are one of the most anticipated bands on the lineup. Many fans have been waiting for years to see them and now is the chance, with a rep for being an incendiary live band, they're going to provide the perfect warm up to the main event.
Green Day
I've already written a small piece on Green Day but here I can fully explain why they're as big as they are. In 1994, after Kurt Cobain's death, the music world was on a downer. The publicly appointed leader of the Grunge movement was dead, and no one was willing to step up to the plate. In 1994, Green Day released Dookie, and were able to rewrite pop culture seemingly overnight, washing away all the darkness and despair that Grunge brought with it, and filling the airwaves with songs about getting high and masturbation. 10 years later, in 2004, America was in turmoil. Being led by George Bush, many members of the public were disheartened and unable to see a way out. A month after headlining Reading for the first time, Green Day released American Idiot, an album that took aim squarely at the Bush regime and blasted it in every way possible. Green Day went supernova and managed to sell out 2 nights at the Milton Keynes Bowl, and saw American Idiot hit number 1 in 19 different countries.
Green Day are now in an upper echelon of musicians. They are a band who can be called upon to headline most festivals in the world, and who have the ability to make every fan, no matter where they are in the arena, field, or stadium, feel as if they are playing to only them. Put them in Wembley Stadium, Shepherd's Bush Empire, the 02 Arena or any venue in the world, Green Day will put on a 5* show without even sweating. They are THAT good. Not just that, they have SO many tunes that it's hard to pick a favourite. American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Holiday, Basket Case, 21 Guns, When I Come Around, Minority... The list goes on and on and on...
In Tre Cool, you have one of the most underrated drummers in the world. In Mike Dirnt, you have a cool, calm and collected, and most importantly dependent bass player, who locks in with the grooves seamlessly. And then you have the ringmaster of a frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong. Regularly being complimented as the best frontman in the world for the last 10 years, Armstrong is the key between the crowd and the band. He does what he wants, but he always times it so it has the ultimate impact.
Green Day are a juggernaut, and on the back of the UNO, DOS, TRE trilogy, Green Day are back. Last year they played the most known 'secret' set of all time at Reading, but having seen the hysteria they can incite on the NME stage, I can tell you that this year's set will be one of the most must see moments in Reading history. Green Day are back and they are returning to their spiritual home. Green Day will round off the first day's action in spectacular fashion and will set the bar very highly for Eminem & Biffy Clyro to try to hit.
It will be a moment of Green Day being able to say to the other headliners: 'Follow that'.
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