Platform recently attended the conference and launch party for Reading and Leeds to get the low down on the UK’s favourite festival. When quizzed about the line up, festival organiser Melvin Benn told us: “I think the interesting thing about the line up this year is incredibly accessible. I think last year with a band like Rage Against The Machine and Metallica, they were huge, huge bands but much less accessible than Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon and Radiohead. That’s essentially it. I think it may well be the best ever actually. I think it's a truly awesome line up in all honesty.”
“Good evening everybody and welcome to the cockpit for the launch of the Leeds and Reading Festival: The world's ultimate rock n' roll weekend.”
“A big thankyou to the BBC Introducing stage, which returns to the festival after a very triumphant first year. The precursor to the BBC introducing stage was the BBC unsigned stage, which we started here in Leeds, and brilliantly it became the host to many many up and coming bands and many more shall be appearing this year. BBC Introducing has become so important to young bands. At Reading and Leeds the BBC do it differently to anywhere else. Wherever they take the BBC Introducing stage, the BBC choose the bands themselves; but not only that they continue to work with partners to create the ultimate line up. They continue to work with Raw Talent, they continue to work with Sandman and they continue to work with Future Sounds; we're delighted to have them back and delighted to see them continuing the partnerships we established in Leeds to develop local talent.”
“There will be a Guitar Hero promotional stage this year after it's success at Reading last year. I'm sure that none of you here would do such a thing, but believe me if you haven't been, that the performances are amazing; they're as good as the main stage! It's absolutely fantastic.”
“This year we're pushing for as many people as possible to use public transport and trains. Many of you might not remember, but last year the gridlock in Leeds was just incredible. I have been told by the Council that I have mave to make a new travel plan and I have indeed done that so I hope that the impact on Leeds will be significantly less than last year.”
“Now to the line up, that's all that anyone really cares about. People will sit for hours in traffic to see the best line up in the world and the best line up in the world will be here in Leeds this year, I can guarantee you. Currently in the studio working on their third album The Arctic Monkeys shall be making their first public appearance in the UK since December 2007 and provide another monumental performance as they did in 2005 when they played to what seemed like an entire festival in a tented stage intended for just 500 people. Probably only about 1000 people saw them but there are 70,000 people in Leeds who claimed to have saw them that year. The expectation around them was just incredible. They came back just a year later and played second headliner to Muse, but this year they shall be headliners in their own right.”
“Supporting them on the Friday are a band that in truth I never really thought I'd see at Reading/Leeds again. It was back in 2004 when I attempted the impossible of trying to fit the production rig of two of the most production intense bands that you could possibly attempt to find and still hope that they would be finished by 11 o'clock at night. For those of you who were there you'll remember that the final band to play finished just before 1 o'clock after The Prodigy, who shall be supporting the Arctic Monkeys on the Friday finished around 10.30. I hasten to add that Guns N Roses definitely aren't playing. Prodigy shows are just the ultimate in absolute mayhem. I've seen The Prodigy so many times and they never fail to deliver; it's just an incredible show. If anyone can warm the crowd up for The Arctic Monkeys then believe me The Prodigy will.”
“Also on that day we have Newcastle's finest Maximo Park who have gone from mere contenders to one of the UK's most established acts. Then Manchester's finest, which to be fair is one hell of a contest, but in the eye's of the Old Trafford faithful, Manchester's finest in definitely Ian Brown (the crowd swoon and say whooo in approval); the face and voice of a generation, Ian will be a very special guest on the main stage that night. Also, The Courteeners, Enter Shikari and the incredible Eages Of Death Metal will also play the stage that day.”
“On the NME/Radio 1 stage that day, co-headliners will be the award winning Glasvegas and with the blues voice to die for, Beth Ditto and Gossip. Also on the NME/Radio 1 stage across the course of the weekend will be Jamie T, a Californian four-piece with one of the most loyal fanbases in the business, AFI, the Chiswick trio who have rocketed to the top of everybody's playlist this year White Lies, the Stephenage four-piece who somehow managed to bring a little bit of Rio De Janeiro to Brixton Academy for the NME Awards show this year – the ever emerging Friendly Fires, The Maccabees, Gallows, Gaslight Anthem, and the amazing Florence And The Machine. I saw Florence at the NME Awards when she sung an amazing version of Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds which was an incredible performance. It really blew me away and I have to say it was miles better than the original. I really am as you can guess by my age, an Elvis fan. There are many, many more acts to announce, I can't tell you how many more but across this, The Lock Up Stage and all other stages across the upcoming weeks and months.”
“Back to the main stage, on the Saturday. A band with an awesome live reputation, Brand New who have made a niche for themselves with their hard edged pop sound, Vampire Weekend will also play, their debut album was really a highlight of last year. Yeah Yeah Yeahs are also back (nods of approval from the crowd) and really just incredible live, I can't wait to see them on stage. Preceeding the Saturday night headliners are the band who unquestionably, if you look at the websites, the forums, they could easily be the fan's favourite, they win that award every single year, is Bloc Party ('again?' members of the audience ask). With an incredible reputation for never sitting on their laurels they will engross and entertain the massive crowd that will be gathered for them and for Saturday night's headliners, Radiohead (the audience all join in a chorus of 'ooooooh'). Long, long before the Leeds festival was born, Radiohead played Reading festival in 1994 and year after year we've wandered if they'd wanna come back and neither party had never really overpushed it, and we knew they'd want to play at some point and this year they said they wanted to play and quite frankly it is just a treat beyond belief. There a band that's got credibility at it's core with popularity to go with it and really it would just be amazing to see Radiohead play.”
“Finally onto the Sunday, again this is just a taster of the day on the Mainstage. I will start with one of the UK's biggest and most worldwide acts Funeral For A Friend. Then Deftones; Chino Marino's extreme voice is part of what sets Deftones apart and they will really be a highlight of the weekend. Following them, we have a band who rose to emminance as an Emo band, the incredibly popular Chicago four-piece that are Fallout Boy. In addition, a band with 13 years of performances, 5 studio albums and a host of festival appearances during that time, Placebo have earned their place in rock n' roll history. Energised by a new drummer, a new record deal and a new albu, this is a band that really will exceed the massive reputation that travels with them. The penultimate act on the Sunday are certainly no strangers to the Leeds Festival. Their last performance at Leeds was two years ago on the Festival Republic stage when for the best part of 60 seconds, a new act performing to a very modest crowd in a 500 capacity tent, convinced the crowd that Hooks For Hands were a new band but it didn't take long before the entire crowd at Leeds festival had heard and were leaping over the barriers to see The Kaiser Chiefs. They won't need to leap over the barriers this year. The Chiefs are as good as a fourth headliner here at Leeds, As for the headliners, that stole the show in 2007 around about 8pm at night they just showed up and played, that's what they do, there's no fanfare about them. They stepped a little way up as the Friday night headliner at Glastonbury last year, and then went on to fill arena after arena. Now they take another step to what will undoubtedly lead to world domination. I'm delighted to announce that Kings Of Leon will be closing on the Sunday night at Leeds festival.”
“So then, get your tickets quickly as they will sell out quickly this year, and I will of course see you in August at Branham Park. Thankyou”
We then caught up with organiser Melvin Benn for a quick few more words.
Usually with Leeds/Reading, Festival Republic seem to adopt the formula of having a hard rock act headline on the Friday. Is there a reason you've abandoned that this year or has there never been a formula?
No there's never been a formula, it's just the way it's worked out. There'll be the same amount of rock acts they'll just be spread across more days.
It's the best line up I've seen since 2005, would you agree with that?
I think it may well be the best ever actually. I think it's a truly awesome line up in all honesty.
Better than 1994?
LOL! Crikey, 1994 was good, but I think the interesting thing about the line up this year is incredibly accessible. I think last year with a band like Rage Against The Machine and Metallica, they were huge, huge bands but much less accessible than Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon and Radiohead. That’s essentially it.
On a personal level, how would you describe the legacy of Leeds/Reading and Festival Republic?
We haven’t got a legacy yet because one leaves a legacy when one dies. We’re still alive and kicking and it will be a long time before we need to be judged on a legacy. We’ve got a great history you know, Leeds and Reading festival, Festival Republic we produce great festivals with great bands, that’s what we do.
Andrew Trendell
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