And the party had to end at some stage unfortunately. But let’s take a look at just how much of a bang Reading 2013 ended in.
The trio of brothers from Bath The Family Rain looked impossibly cool up on stage at the Festival Republic tent playing their blues influenced rock n’ roll that gets people in the mood for the day ahead. Tense, raw and exciting, The Family Rain are sure to be playing much bigger stages than this one in years to come.
AlunaGeorge brought their fresh take on UK Dance to the NME/Radio 1 tent getting people to move their bodies in all directions. Cool, innovative and funky, Aluna Francis certainly looked the part in her designer urban gear. Despite the debut album, ‘Body Music’, having only been out since the last week of July, the crowd are already singing the deeper cuts off the album at the top of their lungs. Still, the highlights have to be those impossibly catchy singles such as Attracting Flies. How can you not sing along to that addictive hook?
The three Haim sisters from LA were as fun-loving as ever and told the crowd how stoked they were to end their summer run of festivals at Reading. The girls already have already mountains of hype thrust upon them but they prove yet again that the hype is not unjust in their case. Singles such as Falling and Forever receive mass sing alongs and their stellar cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well shows that these three know how to have fun.
Perhaps the hottest dance act of the last year Disclosure deliver a frantic, fast-paced set to a packed-out NME/Radio 1 tent. The duo are kind and gravious and even tell the audience how the first festival they ever came to was in fact Reading. Guest stars that are brought out certainly evoke applause such as Sam Smith to finish the set with their bouncy collaboration Latch, and Aluna Francis to join the boys for their smash-hit single White Noise If the two can keep pumping out singles of this high quality, this will undoubtedly not be the last audience they make party at the festival.
Controversial, witty and quick to make you react, Azealia Banks strutted on stage with her long-weave and brightly coloured costume, set to impress. You can see by the smile on her face and her undeniable swagger, she knows that she’s good at what she does. She tells the audience “Now you guys, I got into a lot of trouble for releasing this next song. But y’all know I get into trouble no matter what the f**k I do!” before launching into her version of Harlem Shake which clearly gets people moving. Alas, it’s the finale when she drops 212 that really brings the best out of her, and people shouting those infamous six words of a chorus back at her might just be the loudest response I’d heard all weekend.
Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro ended the weekend with flares, fireworks and all the other show-stoppers in the book; a guitar was even put up in flames at the end. But behind all the fun stuff to end a bang with the weekend it’s clear that Biffy Clyro have made an emotional connection to audiences across the country, if not the world, through their songs. And that’s what makes a true headlining act.