SUNDAY saw the third and final day of offerings from Reading Festival 2024.
Among the first to perform was Alfie Templeman, whose polite and unassuming demeanour immediately gave way to his danceable, riff-laden opening song, Vultures, before dropping into the sultry Eyes Wide Shut.
The song invokes Scissor Sisters in the vocal style and featured a surprising and impressive kazoo solo from Templeman.
He also showcased his commendable vocal talent in his soaring falsettos and climb-down melodies in the infectious 3D Feelings before bringing things down a notch for the chilled-out Film Scene Daydream.
This led into the low-key Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody, then into Hello Lonely, providing the perfectly relaxed but resplendent set for a hangover-riddled early Sunday afternoon set, closed with the anthemic Happiness In Liquid Form
Hot on Templeman’s heels were Good Neighbours, bringing electing, sunny, indie power-pop.
The band radiates an optimism which rang through their jubilant set, full of sun-bleached songs laced with anthemic shout-along vocals reminiscent of Circa Waves.
The band also played two new tracks, Blue and Weekend Boys, one of the songs on their upcoming EP due later this summer.
The set closed with a triple-whammy of highlights in Somebody, Home, and Daisies.
Over on BBC Introducing, Alessi Rose brought pop-punk laced with melodic, and even country, influences, married with Rose’s energetic and occasionally laconic vocal style.
She performed a fresh take on the song Pink Pony Club, by Chappell Roan, followed by original track Crush, and closed the set with Eat Me Alive.
While Danny Howard brought spine-shaking drum and bass to the Chevron Stage, Renee Rapp brought bright, indulgent dance to the main stage.
Rapp’s set was plagued with interruptions, however, with technical difficulties causing a pause in the middle of the set, which was then curtailed altogether.
Attendees were informed that difficulties caused by Storm Lillian meant that Renee Rapp would not be returning to the stage.
After a stage reset, Pendulum appeared in full splendour, flooding the entire arena with entrancing drum and bass mixed with abrasive techno and grungy guitar, running through some of the greatest hits of the band’s more than 20-year history.
Elsewhere, Good Neighbours made a return as they took up the secret set slot over on BBC Introducing, as Arthur Hill took to the Festival Republic Stage
Hill brings infectious indie dance which is eminently understated yet impossible to resist.
Among the particular highlights was his cover of Murder On The Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis Bextor, which closed the show with a jubilant crescendo.
He was followed by Only The Poets, who made their triumphant return to their home festival with a barrage of cheers and “URs.”
From the off, Only The Poets showed that not a second of time has been wasted perfecting not only their sound, but also their arresting stage presence.
Their set was confident, and rightly so, as they have continually honed their songwriting and stagecraft.
The band performed with an easy approachability and a disarmingly earnest outlook, mirroring their reflective, introspective output and polished sound.
Meanwhile over at the Chevron Stage, Dom Dolla brought a fiery set full of club and dub classics, pumping bass, and pyrotechnics for the discerning raver, all the while accompanied by the stage’s unique visuals.
Tove Lo made a surprise appearance for a cover of her song High (All the Time), and a collaboration on a song called Pain.
While the weather threatened to turn again, Catfish and the Bottlemen burst onto the Main Stage to kick their set off with a performance of Longshot,
After a brash introduction, it became clear something was not quite right with Catfish and the Bottlemen as they performed Kathleen, leading to the band taking a short break while issues were resolved
The band returned shortly and resumed their set, and by the time the emotive Seven had rolled around, the band were on top form once again.
After they wrapped their set up, a countdown appeared on the Main Stage screen, beginning at 2024.
When the timer reached 1994, Liam Gallagher appeared in a flurry of anticipation and wasted no time in kicking into Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.
It quickly confirmed that Gallagher would be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe, as had been teased by the appearance of special edition merch across the festival site, with a number of songs from the album.
Gallagher played an incredibly rare set full of exclusively Oasis songs rather than his solo material, including Shaker Maker, Digsy’s Dinner, Slide Away, and (It’s Good) To Be Free, as well as an electrifying rendition of Half The World Away.
Gallagher’s characteristically laid-back approach was fully present, even in the face of immense crowd reaction and the rarity of the performance, as he was flanked by less characteristic inflatable flamingos.
Gallagher closed the set with little fanfare outside of the emotive performance of Live Forever, followed by I Am The Walrus.
