In a flash, festival season 2024 is nearly over – but don’t chuck your tents back in the shed yet. Reading & Leeds – the customary summer curtain-closer – is back with a star-studded line-up set to descend on the twin sites over the Bank Holiday weekend. Its six headliners embody the essence of the festival, celebrating the past and present of rock, pop, indie and dance – from man of the moment Fred Again.. through to pop-punk godfathers Blink-182, pop-noir icon Lana Del Rey and rock royalty Liam Gallagher.
Expect plenty of surprises – especially with the introduction of the game-changing new Chevron stage, and the festival’s smaller stages continuing to platform the headliners of tomorrow
Last year, Team NME caught then-future Cover stars Fat Dog kicking up a storm on the Festival Republic Stage, and also witnessed The Last Dinner Party – who return to the main stage this year – in the midst of their magnificent ascent towards mainstream stardom.
Who can expect to lay claim to the future at R+L this year? We’ve whipped up 12 key names to add to your Reading & Leeds itinerary. From rock noiseniks through to lush, summery pop stars in-waiting, here are the new and rising acts you can’t afford to miss year.
Alessi Rose
Who: The Derbyshire Olivia Rodrigo
Why they’re perfect for R+L: Simultaneously candid and witty, Alessi Rose‘s hyper-relatable brand of pop is red-hot in 2024 – look no further than the likes of Nieve Ella and Caity Baser. Expect her army of fans (‘delulu girls’) to descend on the BBC Introducing Stage – and don’t be surprised if it’s doubled in size by the end of her set.
Key track: ‘Crush!’
Where to catch them: BBC Introducing Stage. Reading: Sunday, 3.40pm Leeds: Friday, 3.40pm
Dead Pony
Who: Fiery Scottish rockers inspired by Mad Max
Why they’re perfect for R+L: Dead Pony are the type of band who incite mosh pits, for mosh pits’ sake. Taking inspiration from film and TV, their debut album ‘Ignore This’ is an instruction – a dare – and an impossible one, when you consider the sheer size of the riffs. Having toured at length with Twin Atlantic and Kid Kapichi, their live show is quickly discovering its cutting edge.
Key track: ‘MK Nothing’
Where to catch them: Festival Republic Stage. Reading: Saturday, 1:15pm Leeds: Sunday, 12:50pm
Deijuvhs
Who: Nu-metal revivalist personally approved by Limp Bizkit
Why they’re perfect for R+L: Fusing nu-metal with trap and hip-hop, Deijuvhs (pronounced day-you-VHS) puts his fresh twist on the heavy music that is rooted into the fields of Reading & Leeds. Wearing the Deftones influence on his sleeve, the east Londoner is primed to bulldoze out of the underground scene – armed with a boisterous, fearless live show.
Key track: ‘Seraphim’
Where to catch them: Festival Republic Stage. Reading: Saturday, 5:25pm Leeds: Sunday, 5pm
Ellur
Who: Neat indie-pop by way of West Yorkshire
Why they’re perfect for R+L: It’s no wonder that Reading & Leeds is Ellur’s “favourite favourite festival”, when you can hear two of last year’s headliners (The Killers, Sam Fender) emanating through her sound. Following indie’s most reliable recipe – guitar, snare, synth, bangers – her sound is majestically taking shape with each new release, with her debut EP ‘God Help Me Out’ due out in early 2025.
Key track: ‘Moments’
Where to catch them: BBC Introducing Stage. Reading: Friday, 3:40pm Leeds: Saturday, 3:40pm
Goddard.
Who: Producer behind viral 2022 hit ‘Messy In Heaven’ with Venbee
Why they’re perfect for R+L: One of the key new names spearheading the drum ‘n’ bass meets pop movement, the Northamptonshire DJ/producer has been honing his live set across the globe. Dance music at R&L has its long-term home secured in the form of Chevron Stage, and Goddard. already has enough hits to match the occasion: look no further than ‘Messy In Heaven’ and ‘Green Light.’
Key track: ‘Messy In Heaven’
Where to catch them: Chevron Stage. Reading: Saturday, 4:25pm Leeds: Sunday, 4pm
Lambrini Girls
Who: Buzzy Brighton punk duo leading the fight for change
Why they’re perfect for R+L: In-your-face and bombastic by design, you can expect Lambrini Girls‘ Phoebe Lunny to spend most of the gig in the crowd. Their loose, jagged brand of punk continues to call out the abuse, transphobia and misogyny that’s plagued their local scene and beyond for far too long. Their fight for safer, inclusive spaces is one worth rallying behind.
Key track: ‘God’s Country’
Where to catch them: Festival Republic Stage. Reading: Friday, 2:50pm Leeds: Saturday, 2:40pm
NOISY
Who: ‘Dance music you can mosh to’ – in their words
Why they’re perfect for R+L: Get ready to meet your favourite new band, that sounds nothing like a band. Born from the ashes of their former indie band High Tyde, NOISY comfortably coexist in both the rave and the mosh pit, effortlessly mashing up drum‘n’bass, jungle and rock‘n’roll beats. After curating their own regular club night and performing at Download Festival, they’ll feel back on home turf in the Reading & Leeds fields. It’s gonna get wild.
Key track: ‘All Of U’
Where to catch them: BBC Introducing Stage. Reading: Saturday, 6:25pm Leeds: Sunday, 6:25pm
Paris Paloma
Who: Spellbinding songwriter behind viral hit ‘Labour’
Why they’re perfect for R+L: Since ‘Labour’ took over the internet last year, Paris Paloma has backed up her viral hit (150million Spotify streams – and counting) with a flurry of poignant, fervent songs – blending folk, pop and art-rock sound paletes. Set to release her full-length debut the week after R&L, prepare to be transfixed by her angelic, otherworldly voice – one that will soon find her in the same league as Florence Welch or Romy.
Key track: ‘Labour’
Where to catch them: Festival Republic Stage. Reading: Sunday, 1:40pm Leeds: Friday, 1:40pm
Soft Launch
Who: Mysterious Irish indie starlets with a fan in Declan McKenna
Why they’re perfect for R+L: “This is not a band, it’s just a soft launch” – a statement getting less and less true, each day that it hangs around in their Instagram bio. Before any one of their three arty, fluorescent singles were released, sold-out London shows led to whispers of the next truly great indie band. The Last Dinner Party, Fat Dog – could Soft Launch be next in line for greatness? Don’t wait around to find out.
Key track: ‘Cartwheels’
Where to catch them: BBC Introducing Stage. Reading: Friday, 7:20pm Leeds: Saturday, 7:20pm
Spiritual Cramp
Who: This generation’s successor to The Hives
Why they’re perfect for R+L: A key part of the recent melodic wave of West Coast hardcore, San Franciscan six-piece Spiritual Cramp weave between wistful indie and bright, rapid-fire punk. Having already toured the UK with their Californian buddies Militarie Gun, their first UK festival shows will just be the start of many memorable trips in their invasion from across the pond. Jump kicks at the ready.
Key track: ‘Better Off This Way’
Where to catch them: Festival Republic Stage. Reading: Friday, 1:50pm Leeds: Saturday, 1:45pm
Surya Sen
Who: NME 100 graduate flying the flag for South Asian electronic culture
Why they’re perfect for R+L: Raised in north London with Bengali heritage, Surya Sen pours both sides of his identity into his music, whether it’s profound, bilingual hip-hop (‘Buccho Ni Ba Bhai (Grindin’)’) or UK garage (‘Do That’). Rapper, producer and collaborator extraordinaire, this pioneer is ready to seize the momentum behind electronic music in 2024.
Key track: ‘Earn It’
Where to catch them: BBC Introducing Stage. Reading: Sunday, 2:45pm Leeds Friday, 2:45pm
Swim School
Who: Dreamy indieheads building a strong cult following
Why they’re perfect for R+L: Swim School might just be the ideal mid-afternoon guitar band every festival needs – armed with a mighty crowd-pleaser from the EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack (‘Bored’) for good measure. But the Edinburgh trio won’t be hanging around there for long, with their steadily growing cult fanbase and catalogue of bangers undoubtedly set to see the band to follow their indie heroes and steadily make their way through to the top of line-up in years to come.
Key track: ‘Bored’
Where to catch them: BBC Radio 1 Stage. Reading: Saturday, 1:15pm Leeds: Sunday, 1:05pm
Reading & Leeds will return for the August Bank Holiday weekend. Tickets are on sale now here for Reading and here for Leeds.