Banding together

Sarah Stead • Published 10 Mar 2010 13:55 0 Comments

READING Festival is undoubtedly one of the best things about the town. A vast number of people descend on Reading each August, bringing the world's media - and spending money - with them.

The festival is one of the country's biggest, and one of the planet's biggest, and the town's capability in hosting it is undoubtedly proof that Reading fully deserves city status.

Huge bands play the festival - but what are our local bands getting out of the massive musical opportunity on the doorstep?

Well, historically, not so much. Last year Sixty Watt Bayonets were the only Reading band to play the festival after they were chosen through BBC Introducing's rigorous selection process.

Pete Doyle, who runs the Reading Rock Academy, hopes to change that this year.

He is starting a campaign to beef up the local representation at the festival, and told The Guide: "With my Reading Rock Academy hat on I want to encourage Reading bands, and teaching and learning. But also as a local person I would love to see more Reading bands make it big.

"We host this worldwide famous festival and a lot of people come into Reading for that weekend and then go away, and I think we should be giving something back to the Reading bands.

"I just set up a Facebook group asking the question, 'Who wants to see more Reading bands at the Festival?', and there's been an amazing response.

"There's definitely a strength of feeling around the young people of Reading and they are the people who buy the tickets."

Nobody from organisers Festival Republic was available for comment as The Guide went to press.

Find out more at http://bit.ly/bBKZck and read more in The Guide as the campaign progresses.

Tweet

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 04 Mar 10

Post a comment

Your Comment:

Registered users log in here

Username or email

Password

If you are registered with us, you can login here. If you are not registered, do so now.
Once logged in you wont have to complete word verification each time you post.

Prefer not to register?

Screen Name *required

Email (not displayed) *required

Usernames must be 4 - 20 characters. Registration only takes a few minutes. Registered users can also take part in competitions and other features of the site.

Word Verification:
Enter the text as shown.

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our The Guide archives.

Follow @rdgchronicle