God, we love Reading Festival.
After all, why wouldn’t we? It’s the UK’s premier extravaganza of all things alternative music for a reason. The line-up boasts more superstars than a BRITs afterparty, and we challenge even the most hard-nosed reveler not to lose their minds when The Killers burst into the opening strains of Mr. Brightside.
And the entire thing takes place in the centre of Reading, within walking distance of a Greggs. Seriously, what’s not to love?
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And who knows? If you turn up early in the day, you might even stumble across a future superstar.
With more than a handful of acts in the festival’s history having first been booked to play halfway down the bill on the third stage and then gone on to headline the entire shabang, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that a mid-afternoon slot at Reading is a bona fide rite of passage for any self-respecting future festival headliner.
Sam Fender, Imagine Dragons, and Billie Eilish – who drew the largest crowd in the festival’s history to her mid-afternoon Main Stage slot in 2019 – are amongst the acts who are returning to headline this year’s bash after previously popping up lower down the bill. So, who knows who might give you that same ‘I was there before they blew up! Honest!’ story in years to come?
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But unfortunately, dear reader, we don’t have a crystal ball. If we did, not only would we be telling you exactly which acts would be blowing up in the immediate aftermath of Reading 2023 – but we’d also be doing it from a yacht.
Still, that’s not such a bad thing. It just means that we’ve got to use our infinite wisdom and impeccable taste to provide you with a list of the acts you unequivocally, absolutely cannot afford to miss at this year’s Berkshire weekender.
Acts like these, for instance.
Loyle Carner
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Yard Act
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Bicep
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Becky Hill
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The Killers
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Sam Fender
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Arlo Parks
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Nothing But Thieves
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