Reading & Leeds Festival returns this week (August 21-24) with new headliners taking the stage.
In addition to UK rock juggernaut Bring Me The Horizon, this year sees the rise of new headliners including Travis Scott, Hozier and Chappell Roan.
It marks a rapid rise for Roan in particular who has only played several UK shows to date, the biggest being a run of three nights at O2 Academy Brixton in 2024. The US star, who recently scored a second UK No.1 with The Subway, has had a busy summer on the European festival circuit.
Reading & Leeds festival booker Jon Mac said: “Chappell Roan is an act that we've been watching for a long time and been trying to get on the festival, and she's already proven her status as an outright festival headliner. So it’s great to have her.”
He added: “Travis Scott has worked his way up the festival and Bring Me The Horizon have got a 20-year history with our festival. Hozier played in 2014 for the first time at the show. So it's brilliant to honour all of these acts again.”
Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, said: “Reading & Leeds never stands still. We’re always listening to the audience and thinking of how to deliver the value and experiences that they demand.
“To have a weekend with historic headline moments like Chappell Roan, alongside emerging talent and influential voices, I am proud of R&L’s continued development and I can’t wait to see fans embracing it all.”
Chappell Roan’s already proven her status as an outright festival headliner
Jon Mac
This summer, Reading & Leeds is adding a new underground electronic stage at both sites and boosting its late-night offering for those who want to dance into the early hours. It follows the launch of the award-winning Chevron Stage and The Aux.
While Reading & Leeds has a pedigree as a rock festival, Mac stressed that the event is much broader in terms of its appeal.
“Public Enemy played very early on in the festival’s existence, so there's always been a large amount of variety,” he said. “But the plethora of new music and genres is so exciting, so to be able to give that platform to artists like Fred Again.. is a great honour.”
This weekend’s edition follows a triumphant 2024 event that secured Reading & Leeds the Music Week Awards Festival trophy.
“We were absolutely delighted to be honored by the industry we work in,” said Mac. “I think it's an acknowledgement from the artists and the managers and the labels for what we do.”
PHOTO: Ragan Henderson
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