Live Music News & Reviews

After the announcement of Reading/Leeds’s line-up it seems Glastonbury may be suffering by comparison. Compared to Reading’s headliners of Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, Glastonbury’s Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur are a little underwhelming. Is Glastonbury becoming too much of an oldies festival? It’s preferable to the 16-year-olds chucking gas cannisters around at Reading, but a lot of the music seems to be catering for the over 50s. Well scratch below the surface of both festivals and you get a different story. At Reading you have Kasier Chiefs, The Prodigy (who shoudl be banging, fair enough) and Bloc Party on before each headliner, and then you are into the likes of Placebo and Fall Out Boy, although Sunday’s support of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Vampire Weekend looks strong.

Glastonbury has much more strength in depth. The festival is so huge it just cannot afford to pay the prices Reading does for its headliners, particularly after last year only breaking even. But look beyond the headliners and you have legends like Ray Davies and The Specials, great live acts such as Doves and Fleet Foxes, plus Dizzee Rascal and Kanye West and tonnes more. There are perhaps a few too many novelty acts - the thought of 30,000 people singing along to Amarillo during Tony Christie makes me cringe already, and don’t even mention Rolf Harris, but with more acts to be announced there will, as ever, be more than enough for all tastes.  

These are a combination of confirmed, to be confirmed and strongly rumoured, taken from www.efestivals.com
10 Ton Tongue
3 Daft Monkeys
360
6 Day Riot
Animal Collective
Anvil
Attila the Stockbroker
Attila the Stockbroker
BabaJack
Baskery
Bat For Lashes
BB King and John Mayall
Benjamin Brunel
Biggles Wartime Band
Billy Nasty
Bjorn Again
Blackberry Wood
Bloc Party
Blur
Boat Band
Bodger & Badger
Bon Iver
Bowjangles
Brassroots
Bridgwater Reggae Soundsystem
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Bruise
Bryony Marie Fry
Calvin Harris
Carnival Collective
Carnival Collective
Carnival Collective
Carnival Collective
Channel One Soundsytem
Charlene Soraia
Chief
CityStereo
Cocos Lovers
Crookers
Crosby Stills and Nash
Darren Poyzer
Dave Linton
Dead Like Harry
Dead Like Harry
Deadsilence Syndicate
Demon Cabbage
Des O’Connor (comedian)
Diesel Dave
Diesel Dave
Dizzee Rascal
DJ Yoda
Dodgy
Doves
Dreadzone
Drunken Balordi
Dub Pistols
Duffy
Eastroad
Easy Star All Stars
Echo and the Bunnymen
Ed Byrne
Eliza Carthy
Emiliana Torrini
Emmy the Great
Empire Of The Sun
Eric Prydz
Erinn
Fairport Convention
Fatboy Slim
Fatima Spar & the Freedom Fries
Fight Like Apes
Fleet Foxes
Florence & The Machine
Formula ©
Formula ©
Franz Ferdinand
Freeland (aka Adam Freeland)
Freida Mai
Glasvegas
Gong
Grace Jones
Gwibdaith Hen Fran
Harp for Hangovers
Hockey-Smiths
Hope & Social
Imelda May
James Taylor
Jamie Harrison
Jan Bell
Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jeevadaku
Jim Masters
Jim Ollier
John Fairhurst
John Smith
Jon Byrne
Joolz
Joolz
Judge Trev
Just Jack
Kami Thompson
Kanye West
Karima Francis
Keane
Kissmet
Klaxons
Kouncilhouse
Kubicle
La Fanfare en Petard
La Roux
Lady GaGa
Ladyhawke
Lay Low
Lazy Habits
Lightning Seeds
Lily Allen
Little Boots
Little Rumba
Little Wonder
London Elektricity
Loonaloop
Lou Brown
Madness
Magic Bubble
Major Major
Mankala
Marina and the Diamonds
Mark Mace Smith
Maura Kincaid
Maximo Park
MC Gaff E
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Murphys Lore
NAPT
Neil Young
Niccie Simpson
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Orkestra del Sol
Pama International
Paolo Nutini
Paul Woolford
Peachy Farmer
Peatbog Faeries
Pete Hunter
Poppy and Friends
Pronghorn
Quest and MC Ken Mac
Ray Davies
Rolf Harris
Scouting For Girls
Scratch Perverts
Sean Taylor
Seth Lakeman
Slam
Smoove
Sonic Youth
Squeeze
Steely Dan
Stornoway
Sub-Universe
Subgiant
TD-Lars
Ten Bears
The Bays
The Bays
The Bays and The Heritage Orchestra
The Blockheads
The Carrivick Sisters
The Carrivick Sisters
The Communicators
The Coral
The Courteeners
The Decemberists
The Gentle Good
The Henry Brothers
The Hit-Ups
The Invisible
The Japanese Popstars
The King Blues
The Kingsize Five
The Lancashire Hotpots
The Lost Brothers
The Malarchy Band
The Mojo Fins
The Operation
The Puppini Sisters
The Rackets
The Rakes
The Roots Union
The Roots Union
The Roots Union
The Rumble Strips
The Slips
The Specials
The Steve Hillage Band
The Streets
The Summits
The Ting Tings
The Travelling Band
The Uncomfortables
The View
The View
The White Stripes
The Wonder Stuff
The Wrens
ThudDub
Tim Clare
Timo Maas
Tom Jones
Tommy Sparks
Tony Benn
Tony Christie
Toy Toy
Trans-Siberian March Band
Ulysses
Unique World
Vampire Weekend
We Have Band
We Were Promised Jetpacks
Who’s Afear’d
Will Scott
Yes Sir Boss
Yr Ods