The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events both happen on the bank holiday weekend in August (on Friday, Saturday, Sunday), and share the same bill (occasionally with one or two exceptions). The festival's origins date back to the Beaulieu Jazz Festival (1956-1961) which became the National Jazz Festival in 1961 (then The National Jazz and Blues Festival in 1963) and settled in Reading in 1971. In 1999 a second leg was added at Leeds.
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The following is a list of acts that have played at the festival.
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Parkway Drive had pulled out of Leeds due to 'family issues', this meant that Skindred played for a full hour while a new band called Judas played the rest of the time slot. A$AP Rocky pulled out of Leeds festival at the last possible moment due to travel problems. He was however capable to perform at Reading. Fetty Wap was due to play on the NME stage, but had to pull out from doctors orders due to a severe ear infection. HAIM were supposed to play on the NME stage but cancelled their european tour to focus on finishing their second album. G-Eazy who was one of the headliners for the Radio 1Xtra stage pulled out of the festival for unforeseen circumstances, and was replaced by Wiley. Travis Scott was also a headliner for the Radio 1Xtra stage, cancelled all remaining UK tour shows also due to unforeseen circumstances, he was replaced by Stormzy.
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Tyler the Creator had originally been booked to play on the NME Stage, but was forced to cancel these shows after being refused entry into the United Kingdom. Modern Baseball had planned to play the Lock Up Stage, but withdrew the week before the festival due to the lead singer's decision to focus on tackling his depression. Mastodon had originally been booked to headline the Pit stage, but pulled out when they cancelled their European tour, citing a 'personal family matter.' It was later revealed that this was due to bassist Troy Sanders' wife being diagnosed with breast cancer.
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2012
The initial line-up announcements for the festivals were made on 12 March 2012 - with the tickets made available for purchase shortly afterwards.
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2011
The line-up for the Reading and Leeds 2011 festivals was announced on 21 March 2011, and tickets were made available thereafter.
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Weekend tickets cost £192.50 before booking fees. Pulp headlined over The Strokes at the Leeds Festival. Mouthwash pulled out due to the split up of the band, they were replaced by Fighting Fiction. The Twilight Singers pulled out and were replaced by Young Legionnaire. OFWGKTA pulled out of the Leeds Festival due to the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, but still performed at the Reading Festival. Jane's Addiction were due to headline the NME/Radio 1 Stage but cancelled both their appearances at the last minute - after arriving at the Reading site - due to frontman Perry Farrell falling ill. Rise Against played a secret acoustic set on the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading after their mainstage slot.
2010
The line-up for the Reading and Leeds 2010 festivals was announced on 29 March 2010, and tickets were made available thereafter.
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The Alternative Stage
Comedy: Doug Stanhope, Tim Minchin, Brendon Burns, Jack Whitehall, Junior Simpson, Sarah Millican, Tom Stade, Hugh Lennon, MC Matt Read, MC Martin Bigpig, Steve Gribbin, Kevin Bridges, Holly Walsh, Stephen Grant, Markus Birdman, Stuckey & Murray, Jessica Delfino, Dan Nightingale, Gary Delaney, Mark Olver, Daniel Townes, MC Dave Twentyman, Joey Page, Doc Brown, Jamie Kilstein, Joe Bor, Tomb.
Spoken Word: Aidan Moffat, The PeteBox, Kate Tempest, Mik Artistik, John Berkavitch
Debate: ID Instigate Debate
Late Night Entertainment: Smash N' Grab, Swap-A-Rama, Transgressive Records
Film: Le Donk screening plus Q&A session with Mark Herbert and special guests from the film, 3D Night Of The Living Dead, This Is Spinal Tap, Anvil! The Story of Anvil.
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2008
The line-up for the Reading and Leeds 2008 festivals was announced on 31 March 2008, and tickets were made available thereafter.
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Kaiser Chiefs played a secret slot on the Carling Stage at the Leeds leg of the event under the pseudonym of 'Hooks for Hands'. Peeping Tom were due to perform on the dance stage, but pulled out. +44 also dropped out.
A weekend ticket cost £145 (plus a maximum of £7 booking fee).
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Shortly after the first line-up announcement, Feeder and Yeah Yeah Yeahs switched days, meaning that Yeah Yeah Yeahs would play Reading on Friday and Leeds on Saturday, and that Feeder would play Reading on Saturday and Leeds on Sunday. Audioslave pulled out of their slot due to the band being busy recording new material, The Shins pulled out for undisclosed reasons, and From First to Last pulled out due to the then lead singer (Sonny Moore) needing throat surgery, Paramore had to pull out because their singer (Hayley Williams) had throat problems and were replaced by Sonic Boom Six lower in the bill. Story of the Year and Bleeding Through also pulled out for undisclosed reasons. Flogging Molly played twice at both festivals, once in the punk tent and once on the main stage. Tickets were £135 for a weekend ticket and £60 for a day ticket.
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2005 saw My Chemical Romance play both Reading and Leeds on the same day, in an alteration from the original schedule, due to the MTV Video Music Awards. The Transplants were originally booked to play the festivals but pulled out in mid-August due to illness. Jimmy Eat World also pulled out due to other commitments. Other drop outs include Willy Mason, Simple Plan and Fall Out Boy (also due to the VMAs). A weekend ticket cost £125, a day ticket £60.
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On the Radio 1 Stage, the Super Furry Animals headlined on the Leeds Saturday, with Graham Coxon second. This order was reversed when the bands played the Reading Friday. New Found Glory pulled out a few weeks before the festival. A weekend ticket cost £105, a day ticket £45.
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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played as a replacement for The White Stripes, who pulled out after Jack White was in a car crash with his then-girlfriend, Renée Zellweger. Although they played second on the Main Stage, it was billed as with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, reflecting their smaller status. Jay-Z also pulled out, with The Darkness moving further up the bill to replace him. The Libertines were without Pete Doherty, who was at that time estranged from the band; he also missed their 2004 appearance. Other drop outs included Courtney Love, Lostprophets and Godsmack. A weekend ticket cost £95, a day ticket £40.
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Guns N' Roses played only in Leeds as they had a prior touring commitment in London on the day of the Reading event. In Reading they were replaced by Raging Speedhorn who appeared much lower on the bill. A weekend ticket cost £90, a day ticket was £39. Reel Big Fish pulled out of Leeds for undisclosed reasons. Antipop Consortium cancelled their Dance Stage appearance after they disbanded earlier that month. Feeder were invited by Melvin Benn to headline the main stage on the first day at Reading and the second day at Leeds. They later turned this down, as they did not want to play such a high-profile slot so soon after the death of their drummer Jon Lee in January of that year. As a result, Feeder would instead headline the Radio 1 Evening Session Stage.
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This was the year that the Concrete Jungle Stage made its debut. Weekend tickets cost £80, day tickets £35. The Strokes were moved from the Radio One stage to the Main Stage.
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Weekend tickets cost £80, day tickets £35.
Rage Against the Machine played their last UK gig at Reading before their break-up. They played their last gig three weeks later.
Originally booked play on the mainstage Eminem had to pull out a few weeks prior due to legal reasons in America.
Elastica pulled out of their Leeds appearance.
Carling Premier Stage
Liberty 37 (unknown position)
Also Included: Big Leaves, Black Box Recorder, Cha Cha Cohen, Chicks, Cube, Cyclefly, Dark Star, Dawn Of The Replicants, Experimental Pop Band, The Jellys, Jims Super Stereo World, Liberty 37, Linoleum, Llama Farmers, Medal, Mercedes, The Motorhomes, Muse, Peeps Into Fairyland, Quasi, Rico, The Rocking Horses, Rosita, Seafood, Silt, Sonia Fariq, Stroke, Venni, The Webb Brothers, Witness
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Weekend tickets cost £80, day tickets £30.
Orgy were originally due to open the Main Stage Reading Sunday/Leeds Monday, but pulled out days before the event. Lit filled in their spot.
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Weekend tickets cost £75, day tickets £30. Curve were originally due to play the Melody Maker stage on the Sunday but were replaced by Theaudience at short notice.
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Weekend tickets cost £70, day tickets £30.
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Weekend tickets cost £60
Despite being billed as headliners on the Friday night, Rage Against the Machine played their set before The Prodigy
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Soundgarden were due to play but cancelled when Chris Cornell was diagnosed with polyps on his vocal cords.
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Weekend tickets cost £35.00.
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Weekend tickets cost £32.50.
1985
No festival held this year
1984
The 1984 Festival was cancelled when the Conservative Party took control of Reading Borough Council. The announced line-up was due to be:
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Thompson Twins, Midnight Oil, Outlaws, The Marshall Tucker Band and Alex Harvey Band were originally scheduled to play but cancelled. Stan Webb's Chicken Shack pulled out due to illness and were replaced at short notice by Atomic Rooster.
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Angel City withdrew and were replaced by Grand Prix, Q-Tips also pulled out, being replaced by White Spirit. Gary Moore's G-Force were also originally scheduled to play but cancelled. Headboys (replaced by Quartz) and Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz (replaced by Slade) were also cancellations, while The Pencils pulled out at the last minute when all of their equipment was stolen the night before.
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Thin Lizzy were originally scheduled to headline the Saturday but cancelled. After the Fire and The Ramones were also originally scheduled to play but cancelled.
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Frankie Miller, Widowmaker, Racing Cars, Blue, Tiger, and Hand Reef all made appearances, but their place on the lineup is unclear.
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In 1971 the Festival moved to its permanent home at Little John's Farm on the south bank of the River Thames in Reading, a venue it has remained at ever since (with the exception of two years in the 1980s when the Festival was banned by the Conservative Party controlled Reading Borough Council).
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The 1970 Festival was a four-day event for the only time in its history, with a South of England Local Talent session in the main arena on the Thursday evening. A 'Village' stage was added on Saturday and Sunday running from later afternoon to mid-evening.
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The Pink Floyd pulled out on Saturday evening due to singer/guitarist Syd Barrett's health problems and were replaced by The Nice. The Nice also acted as backing band for P P Arnold.
A second "Marquee" stage was added on Saturday and Sunday evenings. Four bands played sets each night, three of which also appeared on the main stage on the same day.
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The Festival moved to the larger Windsor Racecourse venue in 1966 after five years at Richmond Athletic Ground.
Cream were billed as 'Eric Clapton - Jack Bruce - Ginger Baker' as the band were still unnamed when promotional posters & advertising were printed.
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The Festival expanded to three days with the addition of a rhythm & blues themed Friday evening session. The Sunday afternoon session featured the fourteen best jazz bands from a National Amateur Jazz Contest chosen from regional contests held nationwide.
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The third NJF Festival saw the first non-Jazz acts appear, notably the Rolling Stones and Long John Baldry on the Sunday afternoon.
The Sunday afternoon session featured the final heats of the National Amateur Jazz Contest featuring twelve jazz bands chosen from semi-finals held across Britain.
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The above 1961 acts are listed in alphabetical order not running order.
1956-1961
The NJF's predecessor was the Beaulieu Jazz Festival held at Beaulieu in Hampshire. 1956 and 1957 were one-day events and 1958 to 1961 were two-day weekenders (the 1958 Beaulieu Jazz Festival is widely considered to be Britain's first proper multi-day pop festival). Acts appearing included the following (though this an incomplete list for 1956-60):
1961 - Saturday: Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra with Anita O'Day; Joe Harriott Quintet; Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra with Hans Koller; Tubby Hayes Quartet; The Downbeat Big Band; Chris Barber's Jazz Band with Ottilie Patterson and Jimmy Cotton.
Sunday: Kenny Ball's Jazzmen; Terry Lightfoot and his New Orleans Jazzmen plus Jimmy Cotton; Mick Mulligan and his Band with George Melly; Bob Wallis and his Storyville Jazzmen; Bruce Turner's Band; Dick Charlesworth and his City Gents with Jackie Lynn; Fairweather-Brown Allstars; Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra with Anita O'Day; Allan Ganley-Keith Christie Jazzmakers; Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra with Hans Koller; The Vic Ash - Harry Klein Jazz Five; Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra.
1960 - Mr. Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band; Ian Menzies and The Clyde Valley Stompers; Memphis Slim; The Jazz Five, with Vic Ash; Harry Klein; Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra; Elaine Delmar; The Ronnie Scott Quintet, with Victor Feldman; The Dill Jones Trio; Little Brother Montgomery.
1959 - Ken Sykora, Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra, with Cleo Laine; Humphrey Lyttelton and his Band; The Avon Cities Jazz Band.
1958 - Alex Welsh and his Dixielanders
1957 -
1956 - Avon City Jazz Band