"V Festival is the festival for people who don't
like music but still want to tell people they've been to a festival"
It's the same situation every year, and it goes something like this:
- Festival announces some of the line up
- 70% of the pundits moan ("they're not worthy of a headline spot", "they're not heavy enough", "they headlined about 3 years ago")
- 30% of the pundits rejoice and some will jump to the defence of the announced acts ("if you don't like it, don't go", "they are good live; people will be surprised", "you have no taste so shut up *insert derogatory homophobic slur here*")
I have a few things I want to say about this.
Sometimes I will not get the acts I want at festivals, which is fair
enough; what I consider to be dross someone elsewhere will consider the dogs
bollocks. However, I am entitled to my opinion if I think the headliners or the
other acts are not up to scratch, and I don't think anyone should stand for
this "if you don't like it, don't go" bullshit. When I was a teenager
I went to V Festival six times because I only lived ten minutes away from the
Staffordshire site, so I saw it as my only realistic option to go to a
festival since travelling to other festivals was out of the question due to a
lack of funds/available transportation. Granted, V Festival doesn't boast the
kind of rock bands that I long for, but with its history of acts that it has
hosted since its inception in 1996, it has really gone to pot. Some of the old
fans of this festival complain that V used to boast the best collection of rock
bands, but since then it has turned into a copycat of T4 on the Beach with its
mix of chart-humping pop, radio-friendly rock and generic indie tunes.
I mean, look at the trend of recent headliners:
2006: Morrissey, Radiohead
2007: The Killers, Foo Fighters
2008: The Verve, Muse
2009: Oasis (Staffordshire only - in your face Chelmsford!), The Killers
2010: Kasabian, Kings of Leon
2011: Eminem, Arctic Monkeys
2012: The Stone Roses, The Killers
2013: Kings of Leon, Beyonce
2014: Justin Timberlake, The Killers
Now, in my opinion, that looks like a horrible dip in form. Notice how
The Killers have been headliners four times in eight years? Are V Festival
running out of ideas? And is heavy rock music dying a death at mainstream music
festivals? Let's explore further.
This scenario is now a similar sight at Reading and Leeds Festival. Once
the cornerstone for the best rock and metal acts around the globe, it has
delved into primarily indie and dance territory, although the main stage does
have an eclectic display of genres, but mostly hard, earnest rock. Line ups
from the noughties couldn't be matched by any other British festival with a
healthy mix of rock, mainstream metal and a dash of pop punk; it was a rock
fan's wet dream. It was no surprise to see that when 50 Cent sub-headlined in
2004 (playing before Green Day), he was bottled into submission by a crowd who
clearly do not stand for straight up gangsta rap... Nowadays if 50 Cent
sub-headlined the festival he would most likely be welcomed with open arms.
It's safe to say that Eminem headlining in 2013 brought in another breed of people
to Reading and Leeds who didn't care about any other act but Eminem; YOLO
vests, snapbacks and short-back-and-sides haircuts were everywhere, and it was
difficult to enjoy Foals in 2013 when these dickheads are standing at the front
waiting for Eminem and making a nuisance of themselves during Foals' set.
There is nothing necessarily wrong with rap music (Eminem was brilliant
at Reading), but does it have a place at these sorts of festivals or should it
be saved for somewhere where nobody will moan about their inclusion on the line
up (Wireless, Bestival)? Is Reading becoming the new V? That's what many
pundits have been saying on social media sites after the inclusion of rapper
Macklemore as a sub-headliner provided a controversial talking point. After
having prestigious acts like metallers System of a Down, dance-rock titans Chase
and Status and techno-rock legends Nine Inch Nails sub-headline last year, we
now have Vampire Weekend, Jake Bugg and Macklemore/Ryan Lewis sub-headlining
this year. Does that put it into enough perspective for you?
Rock isn't dying at festivals though, as there are still many other
choices on the smaller stages to enjoy up and coming acts, but it's not them
that the customers pay over £200 to see. Even though we don't really like it,
Reading and Leeds Festival is a business, and they have jumped on the bandwagons
of the revival of EDM and the conception of dubstep, which are
"popular" at the moment and will most likely draw in the customers. I guess if you want guaranteed rock and metal, then go to Download or Sonisphere, even though Download now has its critics for turning its head towards a teenage audience, and even with Sonisphere's big names, the somewhat predictable headliners tend to flip flop between Iron Maiden and Metallica.
I'm not here to preach about what acts festivals need to be booking; I
am just acknowledging why people feel the need to moan on Facebook and Twitter.
It is clear that some festivals are taking a slow turn for the worst with their
bookings, but hey, the music is only half of the British music festival
experience. Grab a beer and chill, and if you feel like checking out some new
music, you might just be enlightened.
