Words: Kathryn Edwards  //  Photos: Abbi Draper-Scott

Lambrini Girls

Lambrini Girls’ punk-fuelled chaos cuts through the afternoon heat like they’re personally offended by the concept of daytime performances. The crowd’s still finding its feet – half are wearing sunglasses that probably cost more than most people’s tents, while the other half look like they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards. But there’s something properly infectious about Lambrini Girls’ complete lack of filter that gets people paying attention despite themselves. They tear through their set with the kind of unhinged energy that suggests they’ve been mainlining caffeine since Thursday morning, with their snarling vocals and guitars sounding like they’ve been stored in a shed for six months. A lad near the barrier shouts “this is proper mental!” before attempting what can generously be described as dancing. Their whole performance feels like controlled chaos, with the emphasis very much on the chaos bit. By the time they’re done, Saturday’s got its pulse back and people are starting to remember why they’re here.

Mouth Culture

Mouth Culture slides in next with that indie-electronic blend that’s fast becoming their signature, and it’s exactly what everyone needs after whatever just happened to their eardrums. Their sound hits that perfect festival sweet spot between accessible and interesting – getting heads nodding without requiring anyone to fully engage their brain just yet. The crowd’s building nicely now, that familiar festival momentum starting to kick in as people shake off their morning demons and remember that yes, they did actually come here to see live music rather than just drink overpriced lager in a field. There’s something almost therapeutic about Mouth Culture’s performance, like musical paracetamol for the collective headache that is Saturday afternoon at Reading. A group of mates near the mixing desk attempt some sort of coordinated dance that looks like interpretive semaphore, and somehow it works perfectly with the music.

Oversize

Oversize brings the energy up another proper level, and this is where Saturday actually starts feeling like Saturday. Their set’s got that perfect festival combination of tunes you might know and ones you absolutely should, building crowd participation without exhausting the collective energies of the crowd (need to save that for Limp Bizzy and BMTH later). The pit opens up properly for the first time today – nothing too serious yet, just enough movement to get blood flowing and remind everyone that their bodies still function after last night’s carnage. It’s the kind of performance that bridges the gap between “struggling to exist” and “ready to lose my mind”, and they nail it perfectly. A girl near the sound desk is attempting some sort of interpretive dance that looks like she’s directing traffic, but somehow it works with the music.

Enter Shikari

Enter Shikari bound onto the stage in the early evening and instantly remind everyone why they’ve been festival royalty for nearly two decades. The crowd response is immediate and massive – this isn’t just watching a band; this is celebrating with old mates who happen to be really good at making noise. Rou Reynolds and the boys open with “The Dreamer’s Hotel” and the field transforms into something approaching religious experience. The moment everyone’s been waiting for arrives when they launch into “Sorry You’re Not a Winner” – everyone absolutely loses their minds, the pit becomes a living, breathing thing, all controlled chaos and shared euphoria that spreads like wildfire through the crowd. You can practically feel the ground shaking under thousands of pairs of feet as bodies fly in all directions with the precision that only comes from years of Shikari worship. The surprise comes mid-set – a live remix of “Sssnakepit” that sends the electronic kids absolutely mental, all glitchy beats and unexpected drops that somehow work perfectly in a festival setting. But the real moment comes when Rou delivers a moving speech about Palestine, calling for a ceasefire with the kind of genuine passion that cuts through all the festival chaos and reminds everyone that music can actually matter. The crowd’s response is immediate and heartfelt – this is why Shikari have always been more than just a band. They close with “A Kiss for the Whole World”, and the resulting singalong feels like 50,000 people actually believing in something together. Some of us might be blinking back a few tears.

Bilmuri

Bilmuri arrives with the kind of metalcore energy that sorts the committed from the casual in about thirty seconds flat. Their blend of crushing breakdowns and unexpectedly catchy hooks creates this beautiful chaos in the crowd – half are trying to start proper circle pits while the other half are desperately attempting to sing along to choruses they’ve never heard before but somehow feel like they should know. It’s controlled mayhem with just enough melody to keep everyone on board, the kind of performance that makes you immediately want to go home and explore their entire back catalogue. A bloke in a bucket hat keeps shouting “this is class!” at increasingly inappropriate moments, becoming an unofficial hype man that the band clearly appreciates. By the time they’re done, even the confused have been converted, and the field has properly warmed up for what’s coming next.

Limp Bizkit

Fred Durst and co. arrive just before 8pm, and they pull one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. The field transforms into something approaching religious fervour. The genius stroke comes before they even appear – “Roll with It” blasts out while the screens show an AI-generated picture of Oasis smiling with thumbs up, captioned “Oasis when they hear Limp Bizkit”. The crowd has got the giggles before Fred Durst even shows up. Throughout the set, the screens continue the theme of AI-generated images of various celebs giving approving reactions, including Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Travis Scott with Justin Bieber; even Oli Sykes looks chuffed. It’s utterly stupid and ridiculous, and the crowd’s eating it up. When Fred finally emerges like a prophet of nu-metal resurrection, they launch straight into “Break Stuff” and the response is seismic. The pit becomes an ocean of bodies, while the back of the field turns into the world’s largest karaoke session. Mid-set magic happens when they bring fan Brooke on stage for “Full Nelson”, and she absolutely kills it – a proper goosebump moment when someone who’s clearly been dreaming of this gets to live it in front of 50,000 people. “My Way” gets the full singalong treatment that could probably be heard in Slough, while “My Generation” proves that some songs are just built for festival fields. This is Limp Bizkit at their absolute peak powers, combining nostalgia with genuine innovation in the most brilliantly stupid way possible.

Bring Me The Horizon

Back in the day, a metal band headlining at Reading & Leeds was nothing out of the ordinary. In 2025, having three back-to-back metal acts closing out the main stage on Saturday feels really quite special. BMTH close the night with the kind of production that makes everything else look like a school assembly. The Sheffield quintet deliver a mind-blowing spectacular that justifies every headline slot they’ve ever been given. The whole thing starts with video-game style clips on the massive screens, building anticipation like a movie trailer, before a virtual Cortana-esque assistant appears to scan the audience – real dystopian sci-fi vibes that gets everyone buzzing before a note’s even been played. When they finally launch into “Darkside”, the stage erupts in flames and pyrotechnics, and the crowd response suggests this was always inevitable. “Happy Song” follows immediately, and the irony of 50,000 people screaming about depression with massive grins on their faces isn’t lost on anyone. The pit becomes a sea of bodies during the heavier moments, while the back of the field turns into one giant therapy session disguised as a singalong. Woven in between songs are impressive on-screen interactive graphics that flit between the crowd and the band (they have a BUDGET for this) and a couple of chat breaks – a memorable example of this being Oli Sykes berating the “pits at Limp Bizkit” for being “fucking wank”, and instructing us to “PUSH IT BAAAAAACK”.

The set covers their entire evolution perfectly – “Kingslayer” showcases their more recent electronic direction, getting the whole field bouncing with its massive hooks and crushing breakdowns. “Can You Feel My Heart” creates one of those perfect festival moments where strangers become temporary family, with arms around shoulders and voices hoarse but determined. Whilst they don’t play anything older than a couple of tracks from 2013’s Sempiternal, which makes sense given the direction they’re going in – they’re hardly going to whip out “Pray For Plagues” (if only…) – the tracklist still spans over 12 years of musical evolution. There really is something for (almost, bar the teenagers leaving the main stage as soon as they realised that this was, at least once, a metal band) everyone here. The encore arrives with “Throne”, and Palestinian flags fly from the stage in a moment of solidarity that mirrors Shikari’s earlier statement, proving that this festival is about more than just music. The whole field sings every word back with the kind of passion and atmosphere that is difficult to put into words. They close with fireworks, confetti, enough pyro to make those close to the front fear for the safety of their eyebrows, and the kind of euphoric chaos that makes people immediately start planning their return next year, having delivered a headline performance that perfectly balances spectacle with genuine emotion.

Saturday night winds down with that perfect festival exhaustion, the kind where your whole body aches but your brain won’t stop replaying the best moments. From early afternoon punk chaos to BMTH’s closing spectacular, the day proved that Reading’s still got the blueprint for how festivals should work. Tomorrow’s going to hurt, but tonight was worth every aching muscle and every penny spent on overpriced pints. The walk back to the campsite is a parade of weary festival-goers, all buzzing with that post-gig high that makes everything feel possible.

Words: Kate Allvey.  Images: Penny Bennett

Bambie Thug

Wreathed in black latex tentacles, the Irish vocalist opens the second day of Download with seductive, evil ‘ouija pop’. They’re like a possessed Lady Gaga, spilling musical ink on ‘Last Summer (I Know What You Did)’, and if you had guessed that a sexy bin man costume would feature somewhere over the weekend, you’d be proven right during hypnotic new track ‘Trash Will Take Itself Out’. But the magic happens in their almost un-backed cover of the Cranberries ‘Zombie’; flanked by flags of the oppressed held in silence, it’s clear that’s there’s so much more to Bambie Thug than nudity and Eurovision.

Florence Black

As the first act of the day to fall victim to the curse of a shortened set due to apocalyptic weather conditions, we sadly don’t get much of the welsh act’s bass-heavy hard rock sound, but the five songs we receive are as dark as their name. Tristan Thomas’ heartfelt wail makes the cliched metal horns he conjures up feel necessary throughout their Pearl Jam influenced set, and ‘Sun And Moon’ slips down as easily as a scotch at midnight. We’re left simultaneously frustrated and grateful for the brief snippet we did get to see. 

Bleed From Within

The faithful brave an extra half an hour wait in the downpour for the Scottish metallers, but ‘Sovereign’s essential burst of brutality makes the discomfort worth it. We needed something heavier and tougher, richer in ferocious guitar to bolster our spirits, and we got it and then some. ’Stand Down’ sends a connection flooding through the crowd all the way to the back, and vocalist Scott Kennedy grins at our response. Closing with a heartwarming and fan-pleasing rendition of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’, they’re joined by Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan who’ve been filming onsite.

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes

The frontman knows both how to construct a belting setlist and how to rock a fuzzy pink cardigan, and the huge crowd response to ‘Kitty Sucker’ shows just how comfortable he’s become in his rock n roll status. The lounger tracks which featured heavily on his last tour are thrown out in favour of the rangers which showcase Carter at his best like ‘Devil Inside Me’, though strategically placed slower tracks move us. “What it takes to be a main stage band? Confidence, power, kindness and love,” he lists before the impassioned ‘Brambles’s slinky beat booms out. Sadly, this makes a small boy in the audience cry, and Carter pauses the song to console him (“Little man’s tired… I don’t blame him, I’m tired too!”). ‘My Town’ hits heavier live, with tons more electro to console even the most weary, leaving us both in awe of the Rattlesnakes’ sound and energised to continue.

Babymetal

Handmade t-shirts and fervent hype surrounded the Japanese girl group, but their hyper-energetic routines angered whichever deity controls the weather in Derbyshire. After only one song, a look of panic flashed across leader Su-Metal’s face as she received a message in her earpiece, and the dreaded ‘we are pausing the show briefly’ message displayed onscreen as the weather turned biblical. However, the ladies are nothing if not consummate professionals, and as soon as it was safe to do so, ‘METALI!!’ proved that they are the holographic dressed superheroes that we need to push through the day. ‘RATATATA’ is an absolute banger live and the closest we would come to seeing Electric Callboy this weekend. It felt like as soon as Babymetal appeared, they were gone.

Enter Shikari

There’s a reason Enter Shikari sold out stadiums across Europe earlier this year. Glitching between poetry, dance grooving, eighties vibes and nineties optimism, they perfectly capture the escapism of the weekend. ‘Giant Pacific Octopus (I Don’t Know You Any More)’ is melancholy and bold, opening a thoughtful pit that embraces the message of the song. Frontman Rou Reynolds paces like a caged tiger; “This was the first festival that ever allowed us to play, back in 2006” he yells before turning the bass up to absolute limits for ‘goldfish’s intense drops after dreamlike soft bridges that weigh heavy with longing. Enter Shikari lean into the drum n bass end of their sound for shows like this because it absolutely works for huge crowds, and ‘Sorry, You’re Not a Winner’ playfully extends the electro side of the band like an outstretched hand, inviting us to dance. 

  While She Sleeps

“I’ve been here before, I’ve been stood where you is,” pants Loz Taylor between songs, and it’s the solidarity and empathy between While She Sleeps and their fans which make them such a great live act. With neon guitars blaring on opener ‘RAINBOWS’, they’re the perfect transition to the evening after Enter Shikari. “We did not come here to fuck about,” says Taylor sternly, and he’s determined to cram every minute allotted for his band with  vital honesty and the kind of songs that create slamming all the way up to the top of the hill. ‘SELF HELL’ burns with rage and mutual frustration to provoke a massive, bouncing response that we yell back to the band mid air. 

The Offspring

One of the oldest bands on the bill, the Offspring have been known to let their tendency towards bad puns and novelty skits get in the way of their sound. Not so today. Noodles, Dexter and friends plot a tight course, barely deviating from faultless punk and proving that they are so much more than the guys who asked us why we were still unemployed. New song ‘Make It All Right’ is a burst of summer fun that bodes very well for their upcoming album, and ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright’s eulogy to the loss of childhood dreams captures just the right balance of poignancy and thrashing. ‘Hit That’ sparks conga lines and even the most hardened types chant out the melody while coloured balloons bounce like weightless marbles over the pit.

Billy Talent

The spiky Canadians put out seriously classy proto-emo from the get-go with ‘Devil in a Midnight Mass’ dropping bombs of distortion amid Benjamin Kowalewicz’s trademark steel wire vocals. Their potent dark energy is the antidote to the Offspring’s jollier hits we hear spilling over from the Apex stage. ’This Suffering’ is like a midnight hedge maze, it’s tone providing a taut atmosphere that cracks before ‘I Beg To Differ (This Will Get Better)’s brightening guitar. Kowalewicz theatrically emotes, aware he’s got a dedicated audience in the palm of his hand during the derelict loveliness of ‘Rusted From The Rain’, and Billy Talent’s set has to be a highlight of the weekend for pretty much everyone who rushed over to the Avalanche stage.

Fall Out Boy

It’s deceptively easy to get to the front for Fall Out Boy’s chronologically curated set, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t the star attractions of the day, if not the whole weekend. The Teenage remembrances and sizzling solos of ‘Grand Theft Autumn’ give way to fireworks and picture frames as, word perfect, we sing along to ‘Sugar, We’re Going Down’, our inconveniences fading away. ‘Dance Dance’ tugs on our sense of nostalgia, but with a slight roughness and friction to dispel the gloss of memory and shake us in the present. Pete Wentz shreds like we never remembered him being able to, smiling broadly between frequent costume changes. “I want you to sing till your lungs give out,” he calls, and we nearly do to the perfect showmanship and bass drops of ‘This Ain’t A Scene, It’s an Arms Race’.

If there was a prize for ‘maximum spectacle achieved in an hour at Download’, Fall Out Boy would take the gold. ‘My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark’ sees guitars re-made into flamethrowers at the centre of walls of pyromania, and the troupe of sinister cheerleaders onstage for ‘Uma Thurman’ signals the start of a clear ramping up of the effects on the songs without cult-favourite status. It’s not just all shock and awe, though. Wentz helps a couple with their gender revel via waterproof envelope and declares they should name their baby ‘Download’. After ten years away from Donington, Fall Out Boy wanted to ‘make the biggest art project we could fucking make’, and they made it happen in a huge way.

Click the below image for the full ‘Download Festival – Saturday’ gallery

“For the next one and a half hours, the world outside ceases to exist,” declares Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds, and he’s absolutely right. The band have sacrificed the rock half of their sound for full, speaker-busting drum n bass, and a full arena party erupts before the fevered bass of ‘…Meltdown’ has even reached its peak. Our mental barriers shattered, we dance to the late night fuzz of ‘Live Outside’ as drones whirr overhead, blurring the lines between authentic and projected. ‘Giant Pacific Octopus’ throws us through into fractal leaps and drops with a pervasive drum pip to guide us, and the sound of heart monitors drive the degenerated drum breakdown of ‘Anaesthetist’. Reynolds beats his chest emphatically. “Shall we put this sound system through its paces right now?” His rhetorical question is answered by brutally pounding bass. 

As well as leading euphoric bangers, Reynolds gives voice to his barely hidden rage at the state of the world. He silences us briefly to use his platform to discuss the ongoing conflict in Gaza without grandstanding or hyperbole.  “Our country is very complicit in this atrocity,” he says plainly, panting between words. “I just hope to God there is a Gaza and Palestine left when this nightmare ends.”

We barely have time to let his message sink in before the spine-bending bass intro to ‘Goldfish~’ drops. Two pensioners in fishing gear jump with their arms round each other as  a group of sequinned teens beside them twirl their glow sticks: while we don’t have the space to ponder his words philosophically, their message of unity has sunk in. 

Holding an acoustic guitar and perched high above the crowd on a block animated to look like a cartoon building, Reynolds introduces “old school classic” ‘the pressure’s on’. “I’m gonna add completely unnecessary pauses to create a dramatic effect and manipulate your emotions,” he tells us. His plan works immediately, and his guitar tones entwines with our aching hearts. Cameras spin onto us, displaying ten thousand hands clutched to chests.

While we’re distracted by ‘Gap In The Fence’, the rest of the band decamp to a second tiny stage by the sound desk. “Did you see what we did there?” Bassist Chris Batten is amused at his own cheap trick, and by our astonishment as our senses are divided between two stages. Then Reynolds is in the crowd, running between hugs, his coat open over his bare chest, belting out ‘The Sights’. Crew members trot awkwardly on either side of him and he’s wailing as he runs, sometimes hidden under a flood of adoring fans, sometime draped and swinging from barriers, but never static and never missing a beat. Light on his feet, he floats and twirls, buoyed up by our chanted melodies.

We’re rapt as Reynolds mounts his mental soapbox again. “This song is about feeling comfortable in your own skin; wanting to feel comfortable loving those you love. It’s all very simple, it doesn’t need to be complex, but the government and vast swathes of our media like to keep us divided. The enemy is the neoliberal narcissists in power. Let’s keep the fingers pointed at them,” he calls as he introduces Sam Ryder as guest vocalist on ‘satellites* *’. The band keep it minimal and celestial with the bass taking the load. We’re a playful tidal wave as rainbows light the stream of confetti that floods down from above and lingers in the air as we knock back the soft candy shot of ‘{The Dreamer’s Hotel}’. We launch ourselves onto the nearest shoulders to create a multi-layered city of pits to take over the arena floor. 

An answerphone message calls us back for the encore. ‘Sorry, You’re Not A Winner’ encapsulates Enter Shikari in one move: half pure rock song, perhaps the only one in the setlist, and part old school reproduction of the Pendulum remix. We’re all part of one huge, messy, abstract party that refuses to slow down. ‘A Kiss For The Whole World x’ is the perfect swan song to the night’s message of positivity and unity, as well as our last chance to swim in the glorious energy the band have created. Birdsong and a typed thank you note play us out.

Three lads in matching Carhartt ask an elderly rave veteran in a feather boa to take their photo. She obliges and they fist bump her, laughing together. Enter Shikari may have aimed to put on a simple show to finish the UK leg of their tour, but what they created was a mashup of rock and electronic, positive and political, personal and universal, that captured and embraced a sense of modern hope and, very briefly, made the world a much better place. 

KATE ALLVEY

Words: Aaron Jackson [AJ] and Yasmin Brown [YB]  Images: Penny Bennett

ZAND

Let’s get the cliche out of the way – it’s no mean feat to open a festival. However, this feels particularly pertinent after experiencing alt-pop wildcard ZAND’s performance on the Rock Scene Stage. Before the clock had even struck midday, demonic laughter echoed through the flush of summer sunshine as the Blackpool-born, self-proclaimed “ugly popstar” brashly rattled through their bass-drenched hits. Unflinchingly confrontational in everything they do, ZAND’s set was delivered with unbridled conviction. Regrettably, fans had to do without ‘Slut Money’ as Slam Dunk cut the slot short. Regardless of the abrupt ending, ZAND had kicked the day off with a boldness which stood unrivalled for the remainder of the festival. [AJ]

VUKOVI

Next up on the Rock Scene Stage were Scottish duo VUKOVI. Fresh off the back of receiving their first Heavy Music Award the night before for Best Production on their latest effort ‘NULA’, the spring in their step was plain to see. Vocalist Janine Shillstone swept across the stage, working the audience with vocals that fluctuated from delicate to intensely powerful at the flick of a switch. Meanwhile, Hamish Reilly relished the points in their set in which he had a licence to take the crowd to riff city with his guitar. New cut ‘I EXIST’ boasted a particularly impressive breakdown that was executed with aplomb. Provoking motion in and amongst the spectators, VUKOVI more than played their part in wiping away any cobwebs that might have gathered in those pesky queues. [AJ]

Movements

Relative to some of the veterans on this year’s bill, Movements have earned a calibre of adulation from their audience that much older artists still pursue. Of course, the highlights came in the singalong moments, with ‘Full Circle’ marking the point in the set that the Californian quartet really seemed to find their feet. The Kerrang! Tent was teeming with eager fans bellowing every word back to frontman Patrick Miranda, and this didn’t let up as they launched straight into ‘Colourblind’. Sure to give attention to the ‘Outgrown Things’ EP which put them on the map back in 2016, Movement’s rendition of ‘Kept’ was as sincere as ever, demonstrating the strength across their whole discography. Newer tracks like ‘Lead Pipe’ and ‘Barbed Wire Body’ may not have hit as hard on the heartstrings, but they were still expertly performed, with a special mention to Austin Cressey on bass who held it down exceptionally. Bowing out with the powerful ‘Daylily’ marked a poignant end to a set to remember. [AJ]

Spanish Love Songs

Sad summer season is here, baby. Taking to the stage with a complete air of modesty, there was little fanfare as frontman Dylan Slocum slipped straight into ‘Routine Pain’ after a brief soundcheck. Their flowers came in the form of the loudest singalong that had been seen up to that point. The ultimate form of sonic catharsis, there appeared to be a genuine relief on the faces of the band who unfortunately had to withdraw from the previous lineup. As Slocum recalled how that this time last year he was stuck at home with COVID, it must have felt incredibly gratifying to perform at what they called the “best festival” that Spanish Love Songs have ever booked. What’s more, the future looks incredibly promising for the band, with their newest single ‘Haunted’ not letting the team down as a huge portion of the audience managed to recite every lyric, despite the song only being out for a couple of weeks. [AJ]

Holding Absence

Holding Absence are a band who have found themselves steadily but surely rising up the festival ranks, today appearing proudly on the Slam Dunk main stage. The band bring all the energy we’ve come to expect from a Holding Absence set, but unfortunately for them, their first opportunity to show off music from their upcoming album falls flat – through no fault of their own. The sound on the main stage is lacklustre at best, meaning front man Lucas Woodland’s usually ferocious voice is lost, as are screams from guitarist and back up vocalist Scott Carey, and the drums hit fiercely by Ash Green fail to reach your chest in the way they usually do. As a result, chatter among the crowd can easily be heard, with fans barely having to raise their voices to ensure words reach their friends – words that we usually wouldn’t want to utter as a result of being so lost in the amazing music of this unique, “one to watch” band. It’s hard not to feel as bad for the band as you do for the fans, neither one quite getting the experience we deserved. [YB]

Trophy Eyes

“We just got here” mutters drummer Blake Caruso sheepishly into his mic. Indeed, Aussie four-piece Trophy Eyes were one of multiple artists to experience significant delays upon entering the festival’s site. Not ideal after already travelling over from the other side of the world. Nonetheless, this really feels like a period of rebirth for the band. All three of the singles released to this point from the forthcoming LP ‘Suicide and Sunshine’ featured proudly on the setlist and were met with a rapturous response. Naturally, the cuts from 2016’s flawless ‘Chemical Miracle’ stepped it up a level, with ‘Chlorine’ especially sending the crowd into a frenzy. Unfortunately, Trophy Eyes were also victims of a prematurely cut set, causing fans to miss out on the anthemic ‘You Can Count On Me’, much to the visible disappointment of the band. Music aside, it was impossible to ignore Floreani’s fighting form as he shadowboxed his way through the set. He’s no Vulkanovski, but it still wouldn’t be wise to get in the way. [AJ]

Real Friends

Fundamentally built for this festival, pop-punk mainstays Real Friends wasted absolutely no time in whipping their crowd up into a frenzy. The already-packed Kerrang! Stage descended into a blur of flailing limbs and aggressive finger pointing syncopated with frontman Cody Muraro’s singing. To the delight of all involved, the most feverish of fans flew above the crowd and were sent sprawling over the barrier (hopefully safely). It should go without saying that, as one of the true anthems of the scene, ‘I’ve Given Up On You’ was the standout hit from the set and left the most lasting impression. In their element and loving every minute, Real Friends dropped a set packed out with their brand of all-out pop-punk hits. If it ain’t broke… [AJ]

Boston Manor

Cool as ice, Boston Manor take to the stage with a confidence that commands respect and attention. Going by the amount of festival goers adorned in BM clothing, and the sheer volume of people in the tent during their set, it’s fair to assume that, for plenty, this was the most anticipated performance of the day. Certainly one to catch in person, the Blackpool quintet’s brand of moody, industrious alt-rock sounds infinitely beefier in a live setting. Naturally, this is at the sacrifice of some of the atmosphere that is curated in the band’s conceptual approach to their releases, it’s an entirely different experience, but one that shouldn’t be missed. Featuring a stellar live debut of ‘I Don’t Like People (& They Don’t Like Me)’ and the colossal ‘Halo’, during which frontman Henry Cox demanded “one hundred crowd surfers”, there were plenty of high points in this performance. It is a shame, however, that Boston Manor seem to have left behind anything released before 2018’s ‘Welcome To The Neighbourhood’. Nonetheless, progress waits for no one, and Boston Manor show no signs of slowing down. [AJ]

Four Year Strong

Four Year Strong instantly reminded everyone why they are one of the most steadfast pillars in the alt/pop-punk scene. Bouncing through their chug-tastic selection of aggressive, yet catchy hits, this performance highlighted just how strong the band’s discography has become over the years. Hits spanning from their debut album ‘Rise of Die Trying’ through to 2020’s ‘Brain Pain’ offered fans a blend of reminiscence and excitement. ‘It Must Really Suck to be Four Year Strong Right Now’, ‘Out of My Head’ and ‘Wasting Time’ created an excitable vigour among the crowd, while exhilarating covers of Green Day’s ‘Jaded’ and ‘Brain Stew’ went a long way to win over first-time listeners of the band. The triumphant opening riff to Heroes Get Remember, Legends Never Die summed up the set and was met with one of the biggest roars of the performance – washing the hundreds of fans in the tent with nostalgia before they resumed hurling themselves towards one another. Beards. Chugs. Sing-a-Longs… in that order. [AJ]

The Menzingers

Perhaps one of the last loud and proud rock and roll bands, The Menzingers have been flying the flag for some time now. With six full-length albums under their belt, there was a healthy spread across their discography on offer, with considerable love especially going to 2012’s ‘On the Impossible Past’. Fans were also treated to the live debut of a brand new song titled ‘There’s No Place In This World For Me’ which was respectfully observed by a crowd of fans who will no doubt relish the reveal of new music from the Scranton four-piece. Their formula is tried and tested, but The Menzingers deliver every time and this performance was no different, executed with seasoned expertise. Is there a better band to sip a beer in the sun with? Doubtful. [AJ]

PVRIS

Fronted by superstar talent Lynn Gunn, it’s clear that PVRIS held a core of devoted fans at the festival, who met the band’s walkout with awed cheers and applause. With a setlist featuring a healthy spread across the artist’s esteemed discography, this was a true showcase of the many facets of PVRIS’ dynamic. Gunn’s vocals were hauntingly fragile at points, demonstrating her remarkable range. The louder, more electrifying songs such as ‘Monster’ and ‘Fire’ were unfortunately dampened by what felt to be poor mixing. The heavy peaks were sucked from the stage and disappeared into the open air and, even more disappointing, Gunn’s efforts often fell into the background. Despite a sound quality that left some wanting more, PVRIS performed with spirit and were clearly relishing every minute on their platform. Maybe some of the crowd were feeling the heat by this point, but there was a palpable outpouring of passion coming from that heartbeat of fans who were with PVRIS every step of the way. [AJ]

Creeper

Back with a theatrical bang as multi-instrumentalist Hannah Greenwood strides onto the stage wielding frontman Will Gould’s severed head (not really), it was fitting that Creeper’s time came as an early hue of dusk began to bleed across the sky. The goth/glam/punk outfit boast an aesthetic that is infectiously cool, oozing with horror iconography that gorgeously decorates a sound equally as evocative. Creeper are a band that know how to make the most of their instruments, with the synths adding a particularly effective texture. It initially felt as though Gould’s voice suffered through the skulking verses of ‘Ghost Brigade’ and ‘Born Cold’, but once the band flew into the choruses, Gould absolutely soared. Complete with a (successful!) on-stage proposal before ‘Hiding With Boys’, this set had everything to make a lasting impression on fans both existing and prospective. Wrapping up with ‘Misery’ demonstrated just how powerful this band are, completely abandoning all instruments and microphones for the final chorus, leaving the crowd to shine. They went above and beyond, marking an emotional end to a landmark moment of the festival. [AJ]

Enter Shikari

The festival’s headliners never fail to deliver fireworks, on this occasion, quite literally. Visually stunning, the stage is drowning in digital flames, and LED lava, before Enter Shikari even walk out. Complete with the sun setting behind the stage, the atmosphere was already bliss. Launching into ‘(pls) set me on fire’ commanded attention from a crowd that had been eager for this moment all day. Such is the pull of this band, it’s no wonder they were billed as the main attraction. For years now, Shikari have been at the cutting edge of the scene, pushing boundaries and redefining perceptions of noise along the way.

A glaring downside to the performance, through no fault of the artist, was again the poor sound quality coming from the Rock Scene Stage. The mix was all over the place and resulted in the band’s music, which is consistently so impactful, falling disappointingly flat. One of the finest live acts this country and scene has ever produced were regrettably disserviced by the stage setup on the day.

Nonetheless, a setlist packed with the highlights across their seven-album strong discography served as a reminder, as if one was needed, just how much value can be found in a Shikari performance. London duo WARGASM joined the band onstage for a special run-through of the recent award-winning single ‘The Void Stares Back’, an apt celebration for both artists involved. All things considered, there’s no better band for the occasion, Enter Shikari closed out a challenging festival to the best of their ability, and those standards could not be higher. [AJ]

A spectacular firework display capped off a day of mixed emotions. On one hand, the music on offer was, to an artist, fantastic. Slam Dunk has comfortably graduated from being just a pop-punk festival and hosts a sprawling lineup of some of the scene’s most elite artists, all of which delivered. However, it’s impossible to look past the shambolic organisation of the event. Hours wasted in standstill traffic and queues, leading to numerous acts missed for many, not to mention the countless health and safety red flags. That’s just scratching the surface of what went wrong with this year’s Slam Dunk Festival. Plenty of discourse can be seen across social media as patrons are justly frustrated and disappointed with the festival’s execution.

Let’s just say that Slam Dunk have a lot of work to do if they are to make reparations and restore the faith of a fanbase so loyal and passionate.

As a result, they’ve built an immense amount of trust from a fanbase that is willing to follow them down whichever sonic rabbit hole they venture into. Over the course of a near-two decade career, the genre-bending band have covered a dazzling array of styles from the worlds of rock, electronic, and beyond. So where on the vast spectrum of their former work does Enter Shikari’s latest release fit in?

‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ builds on the poppier, happier sounds they played with on their last record – ‘Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible’ – and dials them up even further. Not only that, but the hooks on this album are unbelievable. Shikari are no strangers to a fantastic chorus hook, but this record really is a hit factory. On your second listen, you’ll know most of the choruses, and on your third, you’ll know every single one inside out.  The result is an absolutely joyous record, Shikari’s catchiest, most instantaneous album yet. The songs sound stadium-ready without the Hertfordshire four-piece losing any of their personality or quality. However, that’s not to say this is a straight-ahead pop record. As you may expect, there are still riffs aplenty, and one song even has a string section.

This is the second Enter Shikari record wholly produced by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Rou Reynolds after 2020’s ‘Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible’. The production is absolutely sublime, and truly squeezes the best out of each of the tracks on the record.

Of the album’s 12 tracks, 3 are reprises of the track immediately before, meaning there are nine songs proper. Every single one of the nine is an absolute ripper without a single moment of filler. Proceedings kick off in suitably barnstorming fashion with title track ‘A Kiss For The Whole World x’. The song leads with a flamboyant horn section punctuated by scuzzy synths, all of which eventually gives way to a chunky low-end riff that’s drenched in electronic effects. The chorus is triumphant and sounds absolutely massive.

Enter Shikari roll back time with ‘(pls) set me on fire’ which is essentially a pop rock song with uptempo synths high in the mix. The track is a nod to the band’s sound on their earlier records, which were effectively a 50/50 split between the heavier end of rock and electronic music.

‘Leap into the Lightning’ is a euphoric rallying cry, urging the listener to keep going through tough times as Reynolds sings “There’s no use waiting for the storm to blow over, just leap into the lightning”. The theme of mental resilience in the face of adversity is also present on one of the album’s singles, ‘It Hurts’.

It wouldn’t be a Shikari record without a curveball or two, and ‘Dead Wood’ offers more than one. It opens with a string arrangement while Reynolds forlornly croons over the top. However, halfway through the song the strings disappear and it transforms into a huge synth-led singalong with an irresistible hook.

‘Jailbreak’ and ‘Bloodshot’ are two of the album’s standout moments, the former a quick vocal-led track and the latter a dancefloor hit in the making, with dirty electronics and effect-laden vocals.

It’s never easy to predict what an Enter Shikari record will sound like before it comes out, but predicting the level of quality is always a simple task. This is a band that rarely puts a foot wrong, and they’ve proven it once more here. If you’re a fan already, you’ll surely love this record, and if you’re not – it’s as good a place to start as any. ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ is a triumph, an exhilarating collection of songs by one of the finest bands the UK has produced in the 21st Century.

ASH BEBBINGTON

With a blinding flair of lights, frontman Rou Reynolds broke into the opening melody of recent single ‘(pls) set me on fire’, where he delivered on a high falsetto that instantly saw a rush of hands form the iconic upside-down triangle – a symbol the band have carried with them since the beginning. Light poured through fingers and onto faces in a moment of unity. That moment passed as fast as it came as the immediate hyper high tempo synth explosion of ‘Juggernauts’ snapped us back to reality, an audible spell that tore the crowd apart to form a room sized pit. The next collection of songs were torn through with the moment blurring via the constant collisions of bodies.

The one thing consistent through any Shikari gig is that you can count on an eclectic mix of people present, each probably collected during a different era of their sound – from metalcore to indietronica, they all come out in throngs to watch. Although the cult group have long since eclipsed the roots of their initial sound, their rebellious nature still rings true even as they’ve evolved. This is partially due to the unwavering charisma of frontman Rou Reynolds who often engages in poignant rhetoric mid set to ground the political lyrics everyone is accustomed to in levity and grace.

Reynolds noted eagerly that the quickfire round – a staple of a Shikari show – was to be updated for the 21^st century. What we came to realise was this meant the electronica elements were faster with a techno edge. ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ was condensed to a two minute blitz with the infamous three part clap echoing against the well-tuned space. Though it was slightly disappointing to not see a full version of the song, along with ‘Havoc B’ and ‘Bull’, it was refreshing to hear the elevated deepcuts.

The relentless pairing of grand synth soundscapes with a mesmerising light show was a sight to behold. A synced-up harmony of instrumentation and production made the pulsing lights illuminate shadows that danced across the stage. Reynolds admitted they were under rehearsed since it was the opening show of their latest tour – but even with the slightly choppier elements, they are a band that excel in the improvised, with it even adding an element to the sound.

Unequivocally preaching on topics from environmentalism to LGBTQ+ rights is a core part of Enter Shikari ethos; it never could be seen as inauthentic. That feeling was marked in the encore as ‘satellites* *’ pulled us all in close and confetti trickled through the air. Their integrity is perhaps their greatest strength, as they continue to lead by example in dedication and quality. They are a joy to behold, with a serendipitous nature that creates an infectious frenzy when translated to a live show.

JESSICA MCCARRICK