Hallelujah! Sunshine has blessed Reading Festival for the second day of rock, pop and everything in-between.
Starting off our day, Californian quartet Russo energetically open up the BBC Introducing stage with their enigmatic blend of pop and rock. Recent single ‘Lonely’ is a prowling introduction to the band who are shaping up to be the No Doubt for the millennial generation.
Time for something a little different now, as Mike Shinoda takes to the main stage and pleases fans from all sides of his career. “Who is here for the Fort Minor stuff?! Solo stuff?!”, he shouts before tentatively whispering “any Linkin Park fans in the house?” sending the crowd into the biggest cheer so far today. He doesn’t disappoint, performing an acoustic rendition of ‘In The End’, before launching into a tear-jerking speech about former bandmate Chester Bennington.
Now to witness the self-proclaimed “best boyband on the planet” Brockhampton, and by the size and reaction of the crowd, they’re not far wrong. Bouncing around stage like *Nsync on speed, they keep checking everyone is okay as fan after crying fan is pulled over the front barrier from being crushed. After struggling to get in the tent and barely being able to hear the sound system over a rioting crowd of fans, we’re sure that Brockhampton are set for world domination. But as they say themselves, “No disrespect to One Direction”.
Who knew Sum 41 still had it in them to kill the main stage at Reading? They haven’t played here in 15 years, but you can tell they’re hungry to upkeep their royalty status as Deryck bounds around the huge Main Stage as if it’s his own pop-punk playground. Opening with ‘The Hell Song’, then launching straight into ‘Motivation’, the crowd is a satisfying mix of young and old. To top it all off, they grace us with a one of the most beautiful moments in modern rock history, by bringing Mike Shinoda back on stage to perform a cover of Linkin Park’s ‘Faint'. They didn’t have to bless us this way, but they just did.
Glam rock sextet HMLTD splice their way through the Festival Republic tent as mid-afternoon approaches. The band have been building a solid reputation outside of their famous London shows and they treat Reading to a few new tracks like ‘Death Drive’ alongside undoubtable crowd pleasers ‘To The Door’ and ‘Music!’. Their set is cut short for unexplained reasons but it only leaves the hardcore contingency of fans in the mosh pit hungry for more.
Moving from a genre bending theatrical act to a cookie-cutter pop salvation, Dua Lipa takes to the Main Stage. You couldn’t ask for a more perfect Saturday afternoon set than upbeat, sugary pop accompanied by blazing sunshine and a hearty slice of girl power. ‘New Rules’ gets everyone of all genders screaming about boyfriends better left in the past, as she holds a stronger stage presence than usual. Maybe Dua Lipa is set for a headline slot in the future?
Pharrell. With N.E.R.D. It’s like the early 2000s, but better – because this time they’ve brought Brockhampton on stage. The hip-hop kings of longevity meet modern day hip-hop pioneers. Finishing with ‘Lapdance’ and ‘Lemon’, two tunes impossible not to dance to, they leave the crowd riled up and ready for Panic! At The Disco.
More than just a band, despite being only one man, Brendon Urie is more of an all-inclusive theatre show. With the combined vocal skills of Freddie Mercury and Mariah Carey (ish), he showcases his entire vocal range of nearly five octaves over the course of the show. It’s everything you could want from a co-headliner; backflips, falsetto, fireworks, hip thrusting and an entire crowd rendition of ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’. Playing a large selection of songs from the new album, he strikes the perfect balance between crowd pleasing and self-indulging, not needing excessive production but commanding the stage and the crowd with his oozing charisma and charm. Who needs a band anyway? Brendon Urie’s one-man show is here to stay.
Speaking of one-man shows, the moment is finally here and the crowd’s excitement is uncontainable. Kendrick Lamar, one of the biggest and most sought-after artists on the planet right now, is about to take the Main Stage. Poor Papa Roach, who have a clashing set over at The Pit stage. Appearing on stage in a relatively understated fashion, he lets his presence speak for itself, and sets the tone for the rest of the set. From ‘DNA’ to ‘King Kunta, and ‘Swimming Pools’ to ‘LOYALTY’, his performance underwhelms. Perhaps due to the sound system, as Reading Main Stage is infamous for. It just feels like there’s an element (no pun intended) to the music missing. His performance is lacklustre compared to the hype and previous performances. Feeling deflated and disappointed, we decide to trade Kendrick for Papa Roach. Yep, you heard that right.
A far cry from the atmosphere at the Main Stage, The Pit is rammed so full you can barely see the stage from the outside. The tent is raining with condensation from the sweaty crowd as Jacoby Shaddix passionately screams quintessential songs like ‘Getting Away With Murder’ and ‘Last Resort’ like it’s the first time he’s ever performed them. There’s a reason Papa Roach are so resilient within their genre, with their combination of vigour, emotion and empathy for the “reject kids”, their music stands the test of time for the outcasts, generation after generation.
