In four years Slaves have gone from BBC introducing to the main stage at Reading and Leeds festival

Back in 2013, Slaves were a little known band playing the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds festival.

This weekend, they are four slots below headliners, Red Hot Chilli Peppers on the main stage.

"It's like a massive, massive pay off," says singer and drummer Issac Holman.

"This has lived up to the first year we played, really intense and special, not to put down any other year though," adds guitarist Laurie Vincent.

See Slaves Instagram picture of playing Reading Festival on the main stage

"We had something to prove again because it is sort of like 'are you good enough to play the festival?' and then 'can you fill the main stage?' and I am pretty happy that we did."

Read Imagine Dragons tweet about Slaves performance at Reading Festival

Back in early 2012 Slaves put their music to the BBC introducing upload system.

From there they started to get airplay from BBC Introducing in Kent and were then picked to play that stage at Reading and Leeds festivals.

This weekend, they returned to the Introducing stage on the Reading site for a surprise gig.

Watch Slaves play the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds festivals in 2013

"I felt like an athlete at the Olympics," says Laurie of their main stage billing.

"It took us four years to get there, everyone is talking to you all day about how you are feeling and then it felt like doing the Introducing stage was like a glory lap, we just went out there and had fun."

See Newsbeat's tweet of Slaves talking their Reading slot

Like many musicians, for Slaves, Reading and Leeds was the first festival they ever went to.

"That is why it was so special for us," says Isaac.

"I used to watch Gaslight Anthem every year because they would play every year," Laurie tells us.

"Yesterday I got to meet Brian Fallon (lead singer of Gaslight Anthem) and I told him he's one of my biggest heroes, I just had to tell him.

"We were backstage behind the main stage, I remember being at the festival five years ago and Slaves didn't exist, watching his band."

Good to know Laurie can fan girl as well as the rest of us.

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