As we gear up for this year’s Reading & Leeds Festival, it’s a good time to reminisce on what the event once was – with unbelievable line-ups from the main stage right down to the tents
If there’s one thing you can’t guarantee each year for the August bank holiday it’s the sunshine but you can be sure to see the Reading & Leeds Festival take over the country for yet another year.
In all 54 years of the festival’s history, it’s covered some huge ground when it comes to unbelievable artists and bands, but as audiences begin to seem more disheartened by the line-ups, we’re reminded of the legendary sets of the past.
This year’s headline acts set to take the stage August 21 to 24 include Hozier, Chappell Roan, Bring Me The Horizon, Limp Bizkit, Travis Scott and D-Block Europe. The festival introduced the idea of double headliners back in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since, aiming to give music fans more bang for their buck.
However, what audiences truly desire is a standout line-up similar to those from the festival’s early days. The main stage has been played by some of the world’s biggest names, and when it became a dual festival in 1999, you could see them all for as little as £80 for a weekend ticket, according to BBC News.
1992
What a line-up this year was – The Wonderstuff, The Public Enemy and Nirvana, in what is believed to be their last ever UK performance. Playing that weekend were also Nick Cave, The Manic Street Preachers in their debut performance at the festival, The Charlatans and PJ Harvey.
The 1992 festival saw a thunderstorm on the Saturday evening which completely drenched the site, leaving festival-goers in ankle-deep mud. The extreme weather also resulted in the comedy tent being blown away entirely.
1996
When you talk about legendary line-ups, this one has gone down in history. With headline slots on the main stage from American rap metal band Rage Against The Machine, followed by Black Grape on the Saturday and a British indie staple band, The Stone Roses, closing the festival on the Sunday.
Further down the lineup, ticket holders had the chance to see performances from The Prodigy, Sonic Youth, Billy Bragg and Weezer. Fans were able to see all of these stars for less than £100 for an entire weekend ticket.
1999
This year saw the festival take on its dual locations, with one up north and one down south, for the first time, changing from just Reading Festival to Reading & Leeds Festival, and it had a stellar line-up to make it even more desirable. Headlining on the Friday were The Charlatans, followed by Britpop legends Blur, and closing the festival on the Sunday was The Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
2000
Following in the footsteps of Blur, the year 2000 saw Oasis take the headline slot as the Gallagher brothers took the stage for the first and only time at the festival, although they would both go on to perform there as solo artists. What’s more interesting about this line-up is that the artists playing earlier on in the day went on to become huge headliners in their own right.
While the headliners were made up of Stereophonics, Pulp and Oasis, the bands and artists playing before them included Foo Fighters, Slipknot, Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit. Meanwhile, other stages saw Queens Of The Stone Age, Muse and Black Eyed Peas play.
2003
As the festival went on, it began to branch out into other genres, shifting sometimes away from rock and towards rap, hip-hop and pop acts. But this year saw a heavy rock lineup, with the likes of Metallica and Linkin Park and then softened by Blur on the Sunday.
Although the festival saw the likes of Jay-Z play, before he was big enough to headline, Sum 41 and The Libertines – it was a year for punk and rock bands. Good Charlotte, The Darkness, and Primal Scream were all bands that took to the stage that weekend.
2009
2009 was the indie line-up of all line-ups, as Kings of Leon played on Friday, followed by Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead. Adding to the indie vibes of the 2000s era were Kaiser Chiefs, Vampire Weekend, The Courteeners, Florence and The Machine and Jamie T.
As the music charts have changed, so has the Reading & Leeds line-up, as they continue to try and move with the times. Some of the biggest modern-day stars to have played in more recent years include Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Lana Del Rey. Although, as the festival grew in both size, now having a combined capacity of 180,000 people, it grew in price, with a weekend ticket now costing campers £325.