With Glastonbury over, Download done with, and Latitude having just passed, you'd be forgiven for thinking that festival season might be finished for this year. But such is the diversity in the UK's festival scene, we still have a good two months of action left yet. Bestival, Lounge on the Farm, and V are all on the horizon, while pretty much every city and county has a vast range of smaller, independent festivals on offer, right through until September. What helps make the festival scene here is the huge choice. Between the hundreds of festivals, there are thousands of acts waiting to get out there and make everyone's summers. Reading & Leeds are no exception of course, with a bill this year that contains the like of Arctic Monkeys, Blink 182, Queens of the Stone Age, Paramore, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Vampire Weekend all ready and waiting to play the August bank holiday weekender. But the under-card at Reading & Leeds is what often makes the festival so special; the NME/Radio 1 tent and Festival Republic Stage never fail to impress, while the Lock-Up and 1Extra stages are full of new, hotly-tipped talent for the year ahead. It's often these smaller stages that shape how the main stages will look in years to come, with the likes of Foals, Foster The People, and You Me At Six all graduating from lower spots on the poster. Here are 12 artists that you should definitely go and see if you have a ticket for either festival this year.
12. Misty Miller
Where/When: Lock-Up Stage, Reading - Friday, Leeds - Saturday When teenage artists get signed by record labels, they tend to be a bit rubbish. Names like Jake Bugg, The Strypes, and err, Hanson all tend to spring to mind when it comes to acts that should've just spent a bit longer in school and a little less time annoying the rest of the world. But for Misty Miller, who recorded much of her early material while completing her GCSEs, talent and a knack for writing great songs came in abundance. Now in her 20s, Miller has crafted a formidable, recognisable sound of her own; a little rockabilly, a little blues, a little gritty punk rock, a little indie rock, a LOT of noise, and a LOT of songs you can dance to. With several EPs already behind her, Miller's fanbase continues to grow, and support slots with Bugg, as well as countless other nationwide tours, can attest to that. Combining early Florence & the Machine-style raucousness (think 'Kiss With A Fist') with Laura Marling-esque timelessness, Misty Miller is a perfect fit for a festival setting.