ON SUNDAY morning, Reading Festival began its third and final day, kicking off proceedings with some home-grown talent.
Songer has been one to watch for a long time, and when we caught up with him last week, he said that performing on the main stage was something of a dream come true.
But the Wokingham lad could not have looked more at home on the Main Stage- and it’s a confidence that is well-earned.
He proved not only that he deserves his billing, but that it was a shrewd choice, setting a very high bar right off the bat on the final day of the festival.
After a very tight set, Songer signed off, thanking the audience, thanking the band, and paying homage to his family.
Meanwhile over on Festival Republic, Balu Brigada were bringing the sunny vibes as the heat of the day really began to set in.
Their set kicked off with an easy charm, layering shimmery, glittering guitar over a laid-back vocal, replete with swelling choruses and synthy flourishes.
Despite the summery beginnings, the band began to bare their teeth, breaking out into eminently danceable fare which devolved into more psychedelic, acidic rock riffs,
They closed out with a more funk-infused Spun Gold.
After an airtight set of hard rock from Waterparks on Main Stage, indie darlings Sea Girls took to the stage, immediately kicking into fan favourites like Violet, Too Much Fun, and Do You Really Wanna Know.
As the set continued, the baking heat of the sun saw some relief – however temporary – of a breeze, cooling festival goers who were in it for the long haul.
As Sea Girls concluded, a wave of anticipation reverberated through the festival site, inducing a mass exodus to the BBC Introducing stage- The Amazons had been announced as the day’s secret set.
It comes 10 years after their first BBC Introducing play in 2015, and 15 years after the first iteration of the band played the festival in 2010.
They kicked off with a searing rendition of smash hit Black Magic, and in just 20 short minutes showed just how stratospheric they have become in the intervening years.
It’s difficult to know whether a secret set brings more pressure or less– either way, not a bit of it showed in The Amazons’ consummate set.
If anything, it served to prove that the band is Main Stage material, and that a secret set on BBC Intro is well worth the surprise.
They were swiftly followed by an act right at the beginning of their journey, Niki Kini,
whose set marked an incredible debut.
Not only was it her first appearance at Reading, but her first ever festival slot.
Kini’s supreme confidence made her set charming and endearing, but was backed with a well-honed vocal talent which shone through at every turn.
While her set began with some of her more down-beat, earnest tracks, a heartfelt and impressive rendition of Britney Spears’ Toxic then saw her break out into some of her upbeat, danceable songs.
After an energised performance of All Things Nice, she closed her set with one of her smash hits- the immaculately infectious Watch Your Back.
For a debut festival booking, Niki Kini proved that hers will be a name to watch in years to come.
Amyl and the Sniffers were hot on her tail, taking no prisoners with their acidic, abrasive brand of punk rock over on the Main Stage.
At times, they rivalled the Dead Kennedys in their balls-to-the-wall irreverence and breakneck tempo.
Despite this, the band were effortlessly charming–not least because of lead vocalists’s ebullient, effervescent stage presence.
Meanwhile over at Festival Repulic, Good Kid were bringing effervescent indie rock with shimmering guitar and infectious hooks, delivered with a sunny disposition and breathless pace.
A confident set saw the band flanked by a giant inflatable robot head, bringing an undeniable energy, which was suffused with an incandescent gold as the sun set.
The band were swiftly followed by Nieve Ella, who’s incredible energy was almost unmatched across the day.
Beginning the set with Anything, Ella quickly followed up with a trio of emotive, introspective tracks in Things We Say, Sweet Nothings, and His Sofa.
These quickly gave way, however, to anthemic hits like Car Park and Lucky Girl before closing out with Ganni Top (She Gets What She Needs).
Nieve Ella radiated confidence and assurance–all well earned as the set effortlessly proved her prowess and energy.
Elsewhere Sammy Virjii proved to be an elemental force on the Chevron stage as the sunset stretched into lingering twilight–as if the festival itself didn’t want to end.
Virjii’s impeccable eye for infectious dance was relentless, leaving no space whatsoever for so much as a blink of a break and allowing revellers to squeeze the very last drops of he weekend out of the set ahead of this headline act, Travis Scott.
Despite rumblings of dissent among his fans, and fears of a repeat of his set at Leeds the previous day–which had been cut short–he was soon on the Main Stage in a flurry of flames.
In a mammoth 25-song set including some of his most monolithic tracks like Sicko Mode, goosebumps, and HIGHEST IN THE ROOM, Travis Scott closed out the Main Stage, and the festival as a whole, with aplomb.
