Reading: Backstage Pass

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Meet the Reading Festival team for 2019

Five students from the University of Reading are taking on internships with Reading Festival organisers Festival Republic this year, while three have been given weekend tickets by the University.

All eight students will produce a creative project inspired by their festival experience, to be exhibited later this year.

Find out more about the team below and click to read their full stories...

Sophie Murray (Spanish & English Language)

Social Media & Web Content Assistant

“I can’t wait to capture all the events happening backstage over the weekend, meeting performers and other festival goers while also investigating ‘festival culture’ as a topic. I plan to report the story of the festival from a range of different angles to try and understand how one event can bring people from so many different backgrounds to be part of one community.”

Read Sophie’s story

Katie Lawman (English Literature) Digital Assistant

“It’s a privilege to be able to work with the Communications Team and to be able to gain an insight into what goes on behind the scenes. I am hoping to hold interviews with members of the backstage crew, communications teams and of course the acts themselves to be published in the University of Reading newspaper.”

Read Katie’s story

Chimma Ezekiel (Film, Theatre & Television) Videographer

“My festival story will be the contrast from third year coming and going in a flash, to everything being slowed down at Reading Festival as representation of living in the moment.”

Read Chimma’s story

Thom Robin (History) Photographer

“This will be my fourth year at the festival but my first working as a photographer. I’m looking forward to the challenge of capturing the  energy of the festival and it’s brilliant line up, whilst working within a team to meet deadlines and produce exciting content.”

Read Thom’s story

George Lawrence (English Language) Communications Assistant

“As a recent graduate I’m looking forward to putting the skills learnt through my degree to the test at the festival, in such a dynamic environment, alongside some of the most renowned musicians in the world.”

Read George’s story

Robin Smith (Typography)

“Typography at festivals has been the unconscious - but conscious to designers - way of attracting attendees to make memories for years, taking pictures with the huge lettering that often features. Encompassing this idea with the history of the music at Reading Festival, and paired with the rest of the team’s amazing work, the story of the festival will be clear to see.”

Read Robin’s story

Joke Amusan (Art & English Literature)

“My creative project will comment on the diversity of Reading Festival, and how freedom of speech is exercised. My Art and English Literature degree will help me to express my creativity through the artworks I will create.”

Read Joke’s story

Tom Ashton (Ancient History)

“For me, this is the culmination of a decade’s worth of festival participation finally coming to fruition. I plan to produce a piece comparing festivals from Ancient Greece and Rome with Reading 2019, in the hopes of improving those yet to come.”  

Read Tom’s story

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Head-to-head comparison: Krept x Konan and Nadia Rose

Words by Finley Bald and Laura Beetz

There’s a lot of discussion surrounding the gender gap in rap music at the moment.

We thought it would be interesting to compare male and female rap artists. Fin went to see Nadia Rose, while Laura reviewed Krept x Konan.

Laura

The crowd at Krept x Konan’s set was full of young people, with a good mix in terms of gender. But before they got to experience the London-based rap duo, a DJ warmed them up with a trio of songs.

Of course, once Krept x Konan did hit the stage, the crowd went wild and instantly chanted along to every lyric.

Even though I don’t usually listen to this kind of music, I did appreciate the atmosphere and how they hyped up the crowd.

One of the reasons I’m not a fan of their music is because of the lyrics. For example, “On My Life”, may have had the crowd rapping along, but it features so much swearing.

This aside, they did a great job at getting the crowd jumping, and seeing Karl ‘Konan’ Wilson crowdsurf was a great way to end the set.

Finn

Similarly to Krept x Konan, Nadia Rose had a mixed crowd. Not only that, but she also had a DJ open up for her with three songs.

She began rapping as soon as she stepped onto the stage, which sent the energy levels soaring into the top of the tent. 

As she is an up-and-coming artist, the audience didn’t know all the words to her songs unlike most other acts I’ve watched over the weekend. But that wasn’t enough to stop them from dancing along.

Rose asked the crowd, ‘Who is ready to dance right now?!’ and received a huge cheer in return. Her four background dancers kept the audience engaged – pointing, jeering and twerking – and throwing plenty of sass into an already impressive performance.

This was one of the most energetic sets I’ve seen over the weekend, and I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

What did we think overall?

When reflecting on the performances, we think we found more similarities than differences. It was interesting that they both had a DJ on to hype up the crowd. It’s a clever tactic – what better way to ensure you come out on stage to a warm welcome?

The notable difference was how the artists kept up the energy. Krept x Konan made the crowd do the work (mosh pits, singing along), whereas Rose and her back-up dancers took it upon themselves to energise the crowd through a high-impact performance .

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Ahead of his set headlining the Festival Republic stage tonight, Georgina caught up with the brilliant Tom Grennan who is just as awesome in person as we had imagined.

#backstageatreading

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nia on Twitter

“Today’s pit highlights so far: @Jhus && @LNIPB ⚡️ #BackstageAtReading”

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Getting close to the action in the main stage photography pit

Words by Rikki Sandhu

Standing in the festival crowd is great.

Not only do you get to soak up the atmosphere, but you’re also able to have a sing-along and boogie with your best friends.

I’m the type of person who wants front row seats to everything, and I will happily wait hours and hours to be touching the barriers right at the very front. As fun as this is, it can be extremely exhausting, not to mention a very long wait for something that is over so quickly!

I had the amazing opportunity to go into the main stage photography pit during Krept & Konan’s performance. I can’t put into words how incredible this was. I didn’t know what to expect – and I wasn’t expecting much – but it was a very pleasant surprise.

I walked straight in – no queuing for me! I felt like absolute royalty. I then headed into a separate area that’s exclusively reserved for professional photographers. I assumed this area would be very busy, but there was so much room! It meant I could move around freely and get the best angles of the artists.

We were only allowed to be in there for three songs, but I can honestly say that it was such a fantastic opportunity. By the end, I was soaked from the rain and looked like a drowned rat, but it was a very small price to pay for such an amazing experience.

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Sexual harassment at festivals - what are we doing to stop it?

Words by Tzeitel Degiovanni

On Friday, five of us interns went to watch Fall Out Boy after a full day of working at the Festival. An all-girl group, we danced and sang our hearts out to hit after hit, without a care in the world. We felt safe and at ease despite being surrounded by thousands of strangers in a dark field.

But, is that truly the case? Festivals are a place to let your hair down, fully immerse yourself in the music, and thoroughly enjoy yourself. However, in recent years there has been an influx of news stories surrounding sexual assault at festivals across the country.

Delving a bit deeper, I’ve discovered the numbers are truly shocking. According to the latest research, one in five British festivalgoers have been victim to sexual assault or harassment at an event, with 43% of women under 40 experiencing unwanted attention. Even worse, only 2% of festival goers who experience sexual assault actually report it to the police.

Drugs, alcohol, or the flawed belief that “boys will be boys” should never be an excuse for this kind of behaviour. And this needs to be made loud and clear. Because only then can the stigma against reporting and challenging sexual harassment be eradicated.  That's why I was pleased to learn Reading Festival has partnered with Safe Gigs for Women, an initiative established by everyday gig lovers.

Based in the green camp, Safe Gigs for Women tackles all forms of sexual harassment – not just when it’s targeted at women. They spread the word that groping and intimidating, threatening behaviour will never be tolerated.

In support of this goal, the welfare services team, (located in green camp next to the emergency tent), also tackles issues of sexual health and mental wellbeing, and aids festivalgoers in reporting incidents to the police.

“We thank Festival Republic and Live Nation for their dedication and commitment to the sexual safety of their patrons,” said a Safe Gigs for Women spokesperson. Paul Reed, the chief executive of the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) sums it up nicely. “Festivals have a duty to make their events as safe, secure and enjoyable as possible.”

He strongly encourages festivalgoers to immediately report any incident of sexual harassment they may witness. "If people don't intervene, then this behaviour becomes normalised," he added. Only by changing behaviours and challenging perpetrators can we eliminate sexual harassment once and for all. And so long as it continues to be allowed to happen, it’s everybody’s problem to deal with – not just the victim’s.

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Interview with Matt Murphy, Assistant Video Editor for The Independent

Words by Nia Stokes and Princeton D’Almeida

What’s your name and what do you do?

My name’s Matt Murphy and I’m the Assistant Video Editor at The Independent. On a day-to-day basis, I make sure that there are certain videos on the website. For example, I make sure that there’s a clip of Donald Trump saying something on top of a piece about Donald Trump. The majority of my job is spent in the office, at the desk, making sure that all the pieces put up have video on them.

What’s your favourite part of the job?

Going out and doing original stuff, interviewing people and filming some more long-form pieces.

Do you have any advice for young aspiring journalists?

I think it depends what you’re going into, because it’s such a broad industry. What I would say – and I hate saying this – is be prepared to do a lot for free to begin with. But once you’ve proved yourself, and you’ve worked your way up the ladder, it gets easier and easier. Once someone trusts you to do something they’ll give you a bigger job, and everything will gradually get bigger from there.

On the other hand, do have the confidence to be asked to pay for something sometimes. But don’t be too arrogant. And if you’re going to do work experience, prove yourself but don’t walk away and expect a call back – but do push those people! Don’t be afraid, because everyone’s been there, so everyone understands where you’re coming from.

Another piece of advice would be to find who the section heads are of things that you’re interested in. Tweet them if you’re really interested in that area, and keep trying until you get a response.

Sometimes it does take a case of being a little bit humble, but you will make it – just keep pushing.

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Up-and-coming punk bands give the crowd a much needed boost on a very wet Sunday

James Allen battled his way through the rain and mud to check out Household Dogs and Husky Loops.

Household Dogs

Household Dogs took to the stage immediately informing the audience of their roots in Leeds. And their first song highlighted the significance of this northern heritage.

Declan Newcombe, frontman of the band, had an intense stage presence that instantly matched that of Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division. At the same time, the euphoric, jangly guitar notes chimed to form an opening number that that resembled alternative rock and protopunk bands of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Supporting the complimentary fusion was drummer Patch Morgan, who added a repetitive, catchy beat that transformed the melancholic style. It gave the audience something they could truly engage with.

Newcombe further embraced the punk ethos, by breaking down the barrier between audience and performance. He jumped out into the crowd, circling them while he performed the last few verses.

He returned to the stage, perfectly summarising my own thoughts at the time by stating “all good things must come to an end”, before declaring the next track would be their last.

Husky Loops

Over on the Festival Republic stage, Husky Loops started with a promising low, dramatic bass, delivered by Tommaso Medica.

It resembled a heartbeat, creating a tense atmosphere before guitarist Pier Danio Forni pierced through it with a buzzing, space effect on guitar. The shrill, siren-like repetition of the sensitive guitar slides built up, and then dramatically transitioned to raw power chords.

As the sound continuously altered, with the bass turning from a repeated single note to a far more complex funk riff, it became near impossible to fit the range of songs into one genre – you could be forgiven for thinking the band were performing a medley.

Despite the mix of songs, Husky Loops maintained a tight sound throughout the entirety of the set.

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Look of the Day - Sunday at Reading Festival

Words by Nia Stokes

Name: Flint Read

From: I’m from Glastonbury, so I usually work there too but obviously they’re taking a year off.

Where’s your outfit from? This suit’s from Opposuits, I have loads, and they’re great because the material means you can throw them in the wash when they’re muddy after a festival!

Are you seeing any acts today? I jump in and out of tents, but I’m mainly based in Welfare as I’m volunteering this year. So that’s my main priority. I love seeing what goes on behind the scenes, and it’s a really rewarding experience.

Name: Justine Welsh

From: Glasgow

Where’s your outfit from? The shoes are from H&M – I’m on my fourth pair now – the playsuit is New Look, and I bought this jacket from Primark especially for festivals as it’s great to just throw on.

Who are you looking forward to seeing today? Kings of Leon. I saw them two nights ago and they were amazing!

Name: Matt East

From: London

Where’s your outfit from? My hoodie is from Weekdays and the dungarees are Bershka. Also the hat’s from a company called Counterparts.

Who are you looking forward to seeing today? We’ve got Don Broco and Lil Pump to go to today.

Name: Ashton Collinson

From: Kent

Where’s your outfit from? The shirt was from Leeds Festival and it’s the best one I’ve ever owned  – it’s so warm! The trousers are Topshop, the t-shirt is from a Billy Idol concert, jacket is Missguided and I have a New Look bum bag. The shoes are my staple Docs. 

Who are you looking forward to seeing today? Kings of Leon obviously, as I’ve never seen them before. I’m here for Light Girl too, who’s also my best friend!

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The Compozers speak to University of Reading Ambassadors Tzeitel and Nia about their experience of performing at festivals and their success in the 1Xtra live lounge.

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Last year we asked the Reading Festival crowd to choose between Rock and Grime, and Grime came up trumps. This year, we headed back out into the festival to see whether opinions had changed and rock could reclaim the top spot.

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REVIEW: Kendrick Lamar - performing is in his DNA

Words by Princeton D'Almeida

To say Kendrick Lamar has had a very successful year would be an understatement.

From Grammy-winning album DAMN to his superb soundtrack for Marvel’s Black Panther, it’s easy to see why Kendrick is one of 2018’s hottest artists. The size of the crowd he pulled in at his Saturday night set this year was further proof of his immense, unwavering popularity.

The crowd were hyped up before he even graced the stage. And when he finally did come out, you could almost feel a burst of electricity surge through the atmosphere.

He opened with ‘DNA’, a track from DAMN that explores his black heritage and culture. He then threw it back to his fans. Referring to everyone in the crowd as “real ones”, he jumped full force into his 2012 hit ‘Swimming Pools’.

I also liked that he didn’t shy away from performing his older tracks, such as ‘King Kunta’ from To Pimp A Butterfly. It was a nostalgic event for a diehard Kendrick fan such as myself.

As the end of his set was nearing, the crowd started to chant “One more song” and “Oh, Kendrick Lamar!” He returned to the stage for one final performance, singing his classic ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’.

As the show came to a close, Kendrick dropped a not-so-subtle hint about future releases: “I’ll be back.”

I know I’m looking forward to it.

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The team tell us their favourite Reading Festival moments so far this year following a rainy start to the third day.

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How Welfare Services are looking after you

Words by Laura Beetz & Georgina Shaw

Welfare is high up on the agenda at this year’s Reading Festival.

Located next to the emergency tents in the green camp, Welfare Services are open from Wednesday to Monday 12:00pm. The team offers confidential advice about drugs, alcohol, sexual health and any issues you may have about your wellbeing.

This morning, I went to their tent and had a chat with Kelly Headingree, who works as a team leader for the National Event Welfare Service.

What services does the welfare tent offer?

We provide safe spaces, monitored rest and recovery areas, general information and signposting. Additionally, we offer basic supplies for people who have run out of something or are in an emergency spot. It is quite a broad spectrum of services, and we are made up of volunteers who are mainly from different public sectors.

Why did you decide to work as a volunteer for the Welfare Services team?

I love music festivals and I have been going to them since I was 18. I always used to buy tickets and this year I decided to work as a volunteer instead. I give a little bit to the festival and I get a little bit back, which is great. 

What services do you offer specifically for women?

People come for advice once we establish that they are disclosing sexual assault cases or rape. We give them the advice about speaking to the police and how the medical procedure works. We are a confidential service, but if there are any safeguarding concerns, we have a duty to report it to the police. We have a secluded safe space here, which is a private area for them to talk to the police. Additionally, we just give out basic information or advice. 

Have got any tips to stay safe and happy?

Know who your friends are, don’t go off on your own.

If you are getting intoxicated, be safe, try and be sensible.

Have a plan in case you lose your friends.

Have a phone on charge.

Don’t go off with strangers.

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We’re not gonna let it rain on our parade! Day 3, here we come...

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G&T interview Izzie Gibbs, fresh from his performance on the BBC Radio 1 Xtra stage at Reading Festival 2018.

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Review: It’s Saturday night – Panic! At the Disco

Words by Georgina Shaw

Panic! At the Disco “threatened us with a good time” in the lead up to their headline set with a 900-second countdown.

Brendon Urie – frontman and last remaining original band member – kicked things off with a simple brass and string trio.

With a drum intro from Dan Pawlovich, Urie interacted with bassist Nicole Row and guitarist Kenneth Harris, showing that the friendship between the musicians is just as strong on stage as it is off set.

All hands reached for the sky as everybody “praised” Urie during ‘Hallelujah’ and smiled their way through ‘The Ballad of Mona Lisa’.

Changing up the stage formation, Urie jumped onto the piano for ‘Nine in the Afternoon’ but continued to boogie as he declared fully that ‘Dancing’s Not A Crime’. The crowd certainly agreed as they jumped in unison. Switching up the dynamic further, Urie took to the guitar through ‘This Is Gospel’

Before beginning ‘Girls/Girls/Boys’, Urie explained that although the song’s origins lie in a past sexual experience, he’s now proud and overwhelmed that it’s become an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community.

A boy standing in front of me cried as he told his friend that this song helped him through hard times when coming out to his family.

Urie then literally flipped his way across the stage for ‘Miss Jackson’, and the crowd bounced as he well and truly proved he was ‘King of the Clouds’.

Before continuing with their 2016 number one ‘Death of a Bachelor’, Urie thanked the audience for their support and enthusiasm, before recounting Panic! At the Disco’s first Reading Festival experience in 2006.

That performance began with Urie getting knocked out by a bottle. Incredibly, he returned to deliver the full set just two minutes later. And, safe to say, he emanated that same fierce defiance onstage last night.

An amazing cover of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ set the crowd alight with torches, and it definitely felt like a Saturday night during ‘Say Amen’.

An impassioned statement followed, with Urie proclaiming to the audience that everyone not only deserves love, but can also make a positive change.

Panic! At the Disco finished their set with ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’ and ‘Victorious’, topping everything off with a beautiful display of red fireworks. It was clear proof that the awesome foursome are as strong as ever.

We love them and we will never let them go!