READING Festival returns to town this month, bringing some of the biggest performers in the world alongside more than 100,000 attendees.
This year’s iteration will see headline slots from the likes of Blink 182, Liam Gallagher, Lana Del Ray, Pendulum, 21 Savage, Skrillex, The Prodigy, and Jorja Smith.
The festival is also hosting some more eclectic and esoteric performers; here are our top picks of returning acts at Reading and Leeds 2024.
Two Door Cinema Club
Northern Irish indie trio Two Door Cinema Club are among the stalwarts returning to the event, having climbed the billing since their breakout album Tourist History in 2010, when they first performed at the festival.
A subsequent appearance in 2012 saw them jump from being one of the early acts on the NME/Radio 1 stage to being second on the bill, leading into Justice on the Sunday.
By the time they returned in 2016, they were headlining the same stage on Saturday night, before graduating to a 7pm slot on the main stage the following year– just behind Bastille and Kasabian.
They were tipped to return to the main stage alongside Migos in 2020, though global events would transpire that the festival didn’t go ahead, performing instead the following year.
Now, with five studio albums under their belt, the trio is tipped to return once again, bringing sunny, riff-laden indie anthems to the main stage on Friday.
Most will be familiar with smash hits What You Know and the irresistible Undercover Martyn, but the band’s sound has evolved into increasingly interesting iterations in the years since.
Particular highlights include Wonderful life, which harks back to the sound that shot the band to fame in the early 2010s, and Millions, which embraces the funk and disco elements that have increasingly defined their sound, both from 2022’s Keep On Smiling.
The band’s 2019 album False Alarm was also filled with urgent, danceable disco and glittering guitar, such as highlights So Many People, Satellite, and their moodier work with Open Mike Eagle, Nice to See You.
The Japanese House
Another returning favourite is The Japanese House, who is making her first appearance at the festival since 2019.
The Japanese House brings shimmering, introspective indie pop, doused in dream-pop influences and sewn through with earnest but assured songwriting.
After getting her start in 2012 following an introduction to Matt Healy, frontman of recurring Reading attendees The 1975.
While her debut EP, Pools to Bathe In, was more straightforwardly synth-pop, The Japanese House has continued to develop, citing influences such as Blondie, and Bon Iver.
Last year saw the release of her sophomore album, In the End it Always Does, which peaked at number 29 on the UK album charts, followed by a Sessions EP which explored some of the album’s tracks in a more stripped-back style.
This year also saw her latest single, titled ‘:)’, released as well as an Ivor Novello Best Song Award nomination for lyrics and music.
Particular highlights include Saw You in a Dream, We Talk All the Time, and You Seemed So Happy.
Denzel Curry
Denzel Curry is also among the names returning this year, following his appearance in 2022.
Curry brings sizzling hip-hop and resplendent rap, having grown to become one of the giants of the genre since his his solo debut in 2013 while still in high school.
This year’s appearance will follow hot on the heels of his latest release, King of the Mischievous South, Vol. 2, which dropped last month.
Highlights of Curry’s include his work on DJ Khalil’s Elevate, summer smash hit Tokyo Drifting with fellow R&L alumni Glass Animals, and Take_It_Back_v2, featuring Kenny Beats.
Aflie Templeman
Aflie Templeman is back at the farm for 2024, bringing his energetic, infectious brand of indie dance.
Since making his debut in 2018, Templeman has re-defined the interplay between indie pop and R&B, branching into even more experimental influences in his latest album, this year’s Radiosoul.
Recent work also includes work with music icon Nile Rodgers on Just A Dance, mixing his signature sound with funk influences, falsetto vocals, and acidic guitar riffs.
Templeman has quickly become a summer festival staple, having performed at Glastonbury, Truck Festival, Radio 1’s Big Weekend, and Neighbourhood Festival.
Highlights include Just A Dance, Drag, and Happiness in Liquid Form.
We will have more of our festival picks with the up-and-coming acts in Ones to Watch later in the week!
