Kasabian headline Reading, The Cure top bill at Leeds
- Published
Kasabian played a hit-laden set to close Saturday at the Reading Festival.
They performed for more than an hour-and-a-half including tracks from all four of their albums including singles Days Are Forgotten, Shoot The Runner and Club Foot.
At one point, guitarist Serge Pizzorno took on vocal duties to perform a cover of Praise You by Fatboy Slim and Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime.
Lead singer Tom Meighan described headling the show as an "honour".
"It's the history of it. All the bands here are amazing bands.
"For a rock concert this is probably the best you can get in the UK. "
He also dedicated a track to his three-month-old daughter Mimi.
Cure and Paramore in Leeds
In Leeds, The Cure headlined the main stage with a two-and-a-half hour set.
Their set list included Just Like Heaven, Lullaby and Friday I'm In Love.
Paramore preceded them with lead singer Hayley Williams acknowledging the band in sporting a Cure T-shirt.
Later she tweeted: "Watching the Cure right now, I could die happily.
"They are playing my favourite Cure song since I was 14, High."
Surprise gig
At Reading, Green Day opened the NME / Radio 1 stage with their surprise hour-long set.
They previewed some material from their upcoming triple album, which will be released in three parts over the course of six months.
Other bands on the main stage at Leeds across Saturday included You Me At Six and Bombay Bicycle Club.
The Maccabees headlined the NME / Radio 1 stage with songs from their 2012 release Give In To The Wild.
Before them, LA indie pop band Foster The People led a mass singalong of their hit Pumped Up Kicks, complete with giant blow up dolls on stage and cannons shooting ticker tape.
Homecoming
Alt-J, who formed whilst studying together at Leeds University in 2007, drew a large crowd at the Festival Republic stage in the afternoon.
"It feels amazing to be back, driving through Yorkshire, it feels like home," said keyboard player Gus Unger-Hamilton.
At Reading, Saturday also saw performances from The Vaccines, Santigold, Twin Atlantic, At the Drive-In and Florence + and the Machine, who performed during the only heavy rainfall of the day.
On Sunday, Kasabian take their turn to headline Leeds, while the Foo Fighters take to the stage in Reading.
See pictures and video from the festivals at the BBC Reading and Leeds website.
Huw Stephens will be presenting the early afternoon show on Radio 1 between 1-4pm from Reading Festival on Sunday. BBC Three will also be showing live performances through the weekend and there will be more on the red button.
- Published25 August 2012
- Published25 August 2012
- Published24 August 2012