BEREN OLIVIA was among the artists selected for the BBC Introducing line up at this year’s festival, which showcases up and coming artists to give them vital experience playing festival crowds.
Olivia brings a cut-glass yet breathy vocal performance full of assured riffs and off-the-cuff motifs, all wrapped up in em
Particular highlights included Read My Mind, which is moody and emotionally-charged (“How do you tell somebody that you don’t love them any more”) yet catchy and danceable.
Speaking after her set, she said of performing at the festival: “It was so fun – this was the first festival I ever went to so the fact that I’m playing here it feels really full circle.
“My imposter syndrome keeps kicking in, but as soon as you have your in ear monitors in, you just go, and it’s so much fun.
“It was also the first time we played some of the new sons on our new EP, so the band was just loving it.
On Reading Festival itself, she said: “This is so many people’s first festival, and driving here, seeing people shirtless with fanny packs – I was one of them not so long ago.
“Everyone is here to have a good time, and it’s a young, fun crowd which is always ready to go- that’s just Reading to me.”
As for the future, she said: “I’ll be joining Jodie Bryant at Discover Live, which we’ll be headlining in October.
And we have a few more dates coming up later that month too.”
Beren Olivia is performing at Discover Live at The Grace, Islington, on Wednesday, October 2.
Full details of upcoming shows are available via: berenolivia.com
