Reading Festival is one of the UK’s longest running music events. What was first a jazz festival in 1961 has now become a staple in the music calendar for a variety of artists and bands. It has moved on from its original roots as a jazz festival and having embraced rock as its main genre in the 1980s, it is now no longer a genre-specific festival, with a wide appeal to young audiences.
The festival has grown year on year since its acquisition by the Mean Fiddler Group in 1989. A second site at Leeds was added in 1999 and as festival demands have grown multiple stages have also been added to accommodate a variety of music genres on display.
A fantastic feature of the festival has been the “BBC Introducing” stage which has showcased the latest up-and-coming talent for eighteen years. Curated by the BBC, the stage has helped birth some of the UK’s biggest acts, while Charli XCX, Raye, Dave and Florence + The Machine – who previously played the event’s BBC Introducing stage – are among the headliners at this year’s Reading Festival.
Despite this, Festival Republic recently announced that neither Reading nor Leeds festival will feature a BBC Introducing Stage. As a replacement for smaller artists, the festival has announced a new Canopy Stage, dedicated to upcoming talent, although the stage will be curated by the festival rather than the BBC. While a promising alternative, it has faced criticism from some. Only the Poets singer Tommy Longhurst said it was “sad news” for young musicians, particularly as it is so hard already for those starting out. Time will tell how the Canopy Stage will compare in its success and legacy to its predecessor in championing independent artists, but in the meantime we want to shout out to some smaller festivals that are dedicated to supporting upcoming and alternative artists and bands!
Cultural curation has always been influenced by a broad range of taste, but as the music industry becomes ever more focused on profit, and the process of curation becomes less independent, these festivals help to keep the independent music spirit alive:
End of the Road Festival, which focuses on independent rock and folk, host their Next Wave Contest for upcoming artists to perform on stage. Watch the winners and lots of other acts on 3rd-6th September in Salisbury.
The Green Man Festival is an independent music, science and arts festival held annually in mid-August in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Green Man has evolved into a 25,000 capacity week long event, showcasing predominantly live music.
Radar Festival is dedicated to contemporary and progressive music at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. Catch this on 31st July to 2nd August.
The Long Road Festival in Leicestershire has multiple stages dedicated to showcasing new country artists and songwriters on 27-30th August. It also has a Homegrown Talent Contest every year to give start-up acts a chance to perform on stage in front of a festival audience and industry professionals!
