12 Non-Headline Bands You Should See At Reading & Leeds

2. Wolf Alice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z71df68qLp0 Where/When: Festival Republic Stage, Reading: Saturday, Leeds: Sunday Wolf Alice have attracted all kind of record industry hype and journalistic hyperbole, but in truth, Wolf Alice are worth the fuss. The band are a rarity in their apparent approach to songwriting; instead of writing flat out pop songs or rock songs, the band seem to write pop songs and then amp them up to 11, rocking the hell out in the process. The result is that pretty much every song they have, ranging from their earlier releases like 'Leaving You', right through to their recent singles, is drenched in gloriously memorable melodies, infectious choruses, and pounding drums that beg to be moshed to in muddy fields across the country. They might get pegged as "the lovechild of folk and grunge", but since the band expanded with a rhythm section in 2012, things have only gotten heavier, and all the better for it. Whereas they may have suited a Pitchfork-arranged festival out in the sticks somewhere previously, the bands more expansive sound now attracts the mainstream festivals to them, with slots at Latitude and Glastonbury confirming them as festival favourites. Reading & Leeds will be no different, and the blogosphere will still be going into overdrive long past their appearance this bank holiday weekend.