News

Lock Up Stage and Dance Stage Line Ups Announced For Reading And Leeds Festivals

• 25th May 2010

Festival Republic have announced details of the line up for one of the most popular stages at the READING AND LEEDS FESTIVAL. The Lock Up Stage showcases two days of the hottest names in rock music and will be headlined this year by ALKALINE TRIO and BAD RELIGION. It then turns into the Dance Stage for one day where ROOTS MANUVA and MAGNETIC MAN will co-headline.

THE KING BLUES are the last name to be confirmed for the Main Stage and they join our headliners, GUNS N’ ROSES, ARCADE FIRE and BLINK 182. Full details of all the new names are below.

There are still lots more names to be announced including the full line up for the Festival Republic Stage, BBC Introducing Stage and the Alternative Stage.

The READING AND LEEDS FESTIVAL is held on 27th – 29th August 2010 at Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds. Tickets for this event are now sold out.

ON THE MAIN STAGE
Sunday 29th August at Reading Festival / Saturday 28th August at Leeds Festival

One of the UK punk underground’s best loved bands and a formidable live proposition to boot, THE KING BLUES are unafraid to mix up dub bass lines, doo-wop a cappella songs, ska rhythms, Lonnie Donegan-styled skiffle, British folk and gritty poetry. Theirs is a stripped-down, hot-wired sound where ukuleles, acoustic guitars and melodicas feature heavily. It is punk music as it was intended – engaging, forward-thinking, all-encompassing. We welcome them to the 2010 Reading and Leeds Festival.

NME/RADIO 1 STAGE
Saturday 28th August at Reading Festival / Friday 27th August at Leeds Festival

A strenuous touring schedule over the last few years have ensured KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES have honed a killer live show and are bound to convert even more fans at this year’s festival. The Welsh five piece blend rock, punk and pop to ensure they are all over the airwaves as well as the rock press.

HADOUKEN! return to this year’s Reading and Leeds Festivals in support of their new album ‘For The Masses’, the follow up to 2008’s ‘Music For An Accelerated Culture’, their 100,000 selling debut. Described by many as Britain’s most forward thinking and dynamic young band, Hadouken! have built a reputation for their thrilling live shows. With a dedicated fan base, expect a big crowd down the front for these sets. It seems Britain’s next great dance-rock band have arrived.

You don’t get more gangsta than 3OH!3 – Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte – two natives of Boulder, Colorado who have been packing clubs and liberating libidos with their trademark blend of dirty synths and even dirtier come-ons. 2009 saw them whipping the UK masses into a gang-sign-throwing, finger-licking frenzy and their return to the UK with new album ‘Streets of Gold’ will get the tents rocking at Reading and Leeds.

With an aptitude for heartbreaking duets and sun-kissed, wall of sound harmonies, Southampton’s BAND OF SKULLS released their debut long player ‘Baby Darling Doll Face Honey’ to great acclaim last year prompting NME to salivate thus; “…killer tunes…a catchy combo of filthy riffs and Kills-esque boy/girl vocals.” Success also looks to be beckoning on the other side of the Atlantic where in recent months has seen the band contribute to the ‘Twilight: New Moon’ and ‘Whip It’ (Drew Barrymore) film soundtracks.

The onset of 2010 saw Manchester based EVERYTHING EVERYTHING on the feted BBC Sound poll shortlist nominations primarily on the back of their brilliant ‘My Kz Ur Bf’ single which installed the quartet as definite ‘ones to watch’. Recent weeks has seen the band hone their impressive live show whilst notching up countless mileage on the NME Radar tour with Darwin Deez and Hurts. Don’t miss them at this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival.

Sheffield based ROLO TOMASSI were named after a fictional character in LA Confidential, but their success in the last few years has been all too real. Their unique brand of mathcore (mixed with punk jazz and experimental rock) has seen them travel all over the world and their second album ‘Cosmology’ is due this spring.

Sunday 29th August at Reading Festival / Saturday 28th August at Leeds Festival

Electro-pop band MIIKE SNOW consists of American songwriter Andrew Wyatt and Swedish producers Christian Karlsson and Pontus Windberg. Whilst you may not recognise Karlsson and Pontus by their full names, you will have heard of their work as production duo Bloodshy & Avant. The duo has written and produced for Madonna, Ms Dynamite and Kylie Minogue and claimed a Grammy Award for their work on Britney Spears ‘Toxic’. Founded in 2007, Miike Snow brought the talents of the three together and their eponymous debut album was released in 2009 to much critical acclaim.

Formed at Cardiff University back in 2006 and numbering seven, LOS CAMPESINOS! quickly found a home at the small but perfectly formed Wichita Recordings. Nurtured lovingly the band have built an extraordinary live reputation with shows here and throughout Europe and 2010 has recently been witness to the band’s second full album ‘Romance Is Boring’. Be enthralled when they take to the stage at this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival.

Having whipped up a storm over the past year with the superlatives to prove it, LA’s LOCAL NATIVES return to these shores. The band’s debut ‘Gorilla Manor’ hit the groove running late 2009 and this year has already seen sold out shows at London’s Heaven and Shepherd’s Bush Empire. With an incredible eleven shows at this year’s SXSW festival, Local Natives are not shy of work and have earned a formidable reputation on the live circuit.

Since being hit on by the media whilst still unsigned GOLDHEART ASSEMBLY have certainly had an eventful past 12 months or so. This six-piece have played to an ever growing band of followers including packing out venues in London. The band are proud owners of their first album in the shape of ‘Wolves And Thieves’ which combines breezy West Coast guitar melodies, harmonies and comes with enough hooks and charm to justify the acclaim as “one the brightest stars of 2010”.

THE LOCK UP / DANCE STAGE
Friday 27th August at Reading Festival / Sunday 29th August at Leeds Festival

Headlining the Lock Up Stage are legendary US trio ALKALINE TRIO. Coming on the back of their new album ‘This Addiction’, which received the best reviews of their career and smashed into the US charts at No. 11, the band are at the height of their powers and are sure to play unmissable shows at Reading and Leeds this year.

As one of the longest standing bands still proudly waving the flag for New York Hardcore, SICK OF IT ALL have made their mark as one of the cornerstones of NYHC, proving that heart, hard work and dedication to hardcore is about more than just the music and image, it’s a way of life. With new album ‘Based On A True Story’ out now the band are always festival favourites.

Florida punks AGAINST ME will no doubt be playing tracks from their new Butch Vig produced album ‘White Crosses’ as well as previous classics; taking things even more metal HATEBREED will stir up the moshpit for sure. Livening up things before them are seven piece ska heroes STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO, who will follow the melodic hardcore sounds of STRIKE ANYWHERE. Long Island quartet THIS IS HELL are revered by anyone who has ever been a fan of hardcore and are known for their energetic gigs. Celebrating their 10th anniversary STATIC THOUGHT are at the height of their game and will take to the stage after self proclaimed ‘femme fatale punk rock’ band CIVET. THE SKINTS offer up their unique brand of reggae-punk fronted by the multi-instrumentalist Marcia Richards; don’t miss CRAZY ARM whose debut album ‘Born To Ruin’ garnered amazing reviews for the Devon quartet. Opening the day are BLOOD OR WHISKEY from Dublin who mix traditional Irish music and punk rock and are sure to wake everybody up.

Saturday 28th August at Reading Festival / Friday 27th August at Leeds Festival

Celebrating an incredible 30th Anniversary in 2010, Los Angeles punk rock pioneers BAD RELIGION come to Reading and Leeds as part of their celebrations. Since their formation they have become synonymous with intelligent and provocative West Coast punk music and are considered one of the most influential and important bands in the genre. With their 15th studio album set for release in the autumn they show no sign of slowing down and continue to inspire and influence many bands along the way.

When THE GET UP KIDS got back together in 2008 to tour after a three year break they didn’t expect to start recording again, but as things went so well they recorded an EP which was released this spring and will release their first album in 6 years before the end of 2010. The Kansas five-piece have influenced many in their time, but the originals are always the best and this is sure to be a must-see show.

CANCER BATS bring hardcore from Toronto, Canada and have collected fans over the last five years due to a relentless worldwide touring schedule. Bringing a smile to faces are ZEBRAHEAD who are sure to play a few tracks from 2009’s ‘Panty Raid’ covers album as well as their own ska/hip-hop rock. The album ‘I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone’ by CRIME IN STEREO was described as ‘conveying aggression and energy’ for their post-hardcore sound. RX BANDITS describe their songs as for ‘dancing-singing-rocking out-freaking out-banging your head-bustin out-trippin out-completelylosingyourshit-dancing-laughing-living’ – excellent! Californian quartet TRASH TALK bring a modern hardcore sound to the festival, they follow PAINT IT BLACK whose latest release ‘New Lexicon’ is “gritty, thunderous and ugly” as it should be. New Epitaph Records punk signings OFF WITH THEIR HEAD come to the festival for the first time and openers MORAL DILEMMA will energise the tent with their ska/punk sound.

Sunday 29th August at Reading Festival / Saturday 28th August at Leeds Festival

ROOTS MANUVA is recognised as one of the UK’s brightest hip-hop talents and will co-headline this year’s Dance Stage. His 2001 album ‘Run Come Save Me’ was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize and spawned the single ‘Witness (1 Hope)’, which was voted the greatest UK hip-hop tune of all time by readers of Hip-Hop Connection. Encompassing dub, ragga, funk and hip-hop into his sound, Roots Manuva has opened doors and influenced a whole new generation of UK rappers. Be sure to catch this legendary artist at this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival.

MAGNETIC MAN is the supergroup formed by dubstep pioneers Skream, Benga and Artwork. Rising out of the early ‘00s underground, they spent the early part of the decade co-building the dark, bassy genre now known as dubstep. In 2010, the three DJ’s, producers and friends have now moved onto bigger and better things, namely blowing up clubs and festivals worldwide. With their debut album due later this year, these very special co-headline shows will be unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Before Roots Manuva takes to the stage, local hero (to Leeds anyway) DJ RUSKO will be spinning his upbeat dubstep tunes, with drum and bass superstar SUB FOCUS (who has spent Spring 2010 on tour with Pendulum) DJ-ing before Magnetic Man. Having worked with the coolest names in music over the last few years METRONOMY bring their own dance-tastic electro sound to the festival. Kieran Hebden aka FOUR TET is the only person who could possibly challenge him for the eclectic list of collaborators, he will bring his mix of hip hop, electronica, techno, jazz, and folk music with live instrumentation to the Dance Stage. Philadelphia hip-hop-pop duo CHIDDY BANG’s debut album is eagerly anticipated for later this year as is their appearance here. One writer described HOLY FUCK as “(they) play the sort of id-gripping dance rock that’s best experienced in person” and latest album ‘Latin’ has received killer reviews. California’s HEALTH make experimental electronic noise rock, and JAPANESE POP STARS (from Ireland –obviously) recently won the Best Live Act accolade at the Irish Dance Music Awards so definitely one not to miss. LIGHTS is a lady from Canada who describes her music as “A nervous sheep stradling a rocket to bring a daisy to a wolf in stilleto’s waiting lonely on the moon” – we think it’s cracking pop music which will start the day on the Dance Stage beautifully.