Reading Festival 2025 Preview: Glitter, Guitars & Glorious Chaos Incoming

Hold on to your bucket hats – Reading Festival 2025 is about to blow the roof off Richfield Avenue from August 21–24 (well, if it had a roof). Whether you’re there for the music, the mosh pits, or the memories you probably won’t remember, this year’s lineup is stacked, chaotic, and gloriously genre-bending

Blink-182 @ Reading Festival 2024

Blink-182 @ Reading Festival 2024 (Nick Allan)

Headliners: All Killer, No Filler

Travis Scott is touching down for a European exclusive – expect bass drops that rattle your bones, lasers that could land planes, and mosh pits that could open portals. Utopia? More like Read-topia.

Then there’s Chappell Roan, the neon-clad pop queen bringing theatrical bangers, unapologetic queer energy, and probably more glitter than is legally advisable. It’s her world – we’re just in it.

Need a soulful comedown? Hozier has got you. He’s back with his first UK No. 1 album, Unreal Unearth, and ready to gently crush your heart while making you feel weirdly euphoric.

And because it’s not Reading without at least one breakdown that makes you question your life choices, Bring Me The Horizon return with Post Human: Nex Gen, set to melt faces and maybe summon a few demons (the fun kind).

Lineup Lowdown: Legends, Lunatics & Future Faves

You want variety? We’ve got you:

The Kooks and Bloc Party are bringing peak indie sleaze nostalgia. Side fringes optional, but encouraged.
AJ Tracey will tear up the stage with grime-laced hits, while Becky Hill is basically a walking, belting Ibiza sunrise.
Enter Shikari = pure adrenaline. Conan Gray = dreamy angst. Wunderhorse = gritty guitars and future cult status.
Fancy a musical curveball? Try Balming Tiger, Amyl And The Sniffers, Lambrini Girls a or Bakar – genre boundaries don’t apply.
And don’t sleep on future headliners Good Neighbours, Matilda Mann, Nieve Ella and Nell Mescal. Catch them now so you can brag about it later.

The Vibe: Mud, Mayhem & Magic

Reading isn’t just a festival – it’s a rite of passage. It’s where you lose your voice, your inhibitions, and probably your tent pegs. It’s sunrise sing-alongs, impromptu raves, glitter explosions, and at least one emotional breakdown in front of a falafel stand.

And for those who like to plan (or just not get lost looking for the loos), the festival app will be back with set times, maps, alerts and probably a friendly reminder to hydrate.

The Need-to-Know

Tickets are flying faster than a pint thrown in the pit. Snap yours up via Ticketmaster, See Tickets, or the official Reading site. Whether you’re camping in a field, glamping in style, or just showing up for the Saturday chaos, there’s a ticket with your name on it.

Reading Festival 2023 (Luke Dyson)

What’s My Age Again?! Friday Night At Reading Festival 2024

White Lies Illuminate The Roundhouse On Night Two Of Their Hometown Return

White Lies step onto the Roundhouse stage to the chiming of keys, joined by touring keyboardist Tommy Bowen as a vast rectangular lightboxs loom behind them, each member framed by a glowing panel that shifts colour with the mood of the music. It’s an immediate statement of scale and intent, fitting for the second of two sold-out hometown shows for the Ealing-hailing trio.

The Molotovs Announce Major UK & Ireland Tour As Debut Album ‘Wasted On Youth’ Fuels Chart Surge

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Teen Suicide Announce New Album ‘Nude Descending Staircase Headless’, Share New Single ‘Idiot’

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Jinjer @ O2 Forum Kentish Town (Daniel Caceiro)

Jinjer Command O2 Forum Kentish Town With Relentless Precision And Power

With modern metal heavyweights Jinjer returning to London, O2 Forum Kentish Town became the setting for a night built on precision, power and carefully controlled chaos. Supported by the forward-thinking technical edge of Unprocessed and the long-awaited return of prog-metal veterans Textures, the bill promised intensity from start to finish — and delivered on every front.

Liam Price @ Water Rats (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Liam Price Stakes His Claim At London’s Water Rats

For an artist stepping out under his own name for the first time in the capital, expectations were high at The Water Rats. With a reputation already built through tribute work and years of live performance, Liam Price arrived at this London headline show carrying both momentum and curiosity. What followed was a night that felt less like a tentative introduction and more like a defining moment — a confident step forward that suggested this chapter of Price’s career is only just beginning.

Scouting For Girls @ Latitude Festival 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Scouting For Girls Share New Single ‘Don’t You Go Solo’ Ahead Of Album ‘These Are The Good Days’

Scouting For Girls have launched 2026 with the release of their brand new single Don’t You Go Solo, offering another taste of their forthcoming album These Are The Good Days, due out on 27th March. The single arrives as the chart-topping trio continue to enjoy huge demand for their upcoming UK and Ireland headline tour, with the majority of dates already sold out.

The Great Emu War Casualties Announce Debut Album ‘Public Sweetheart No.1’ And Share New Single ‘Donut’

Australian art-rock risers The Great Emu War Casualties have announced their debut album Public Sweetheart No.1, set for release on 27th March, alongside the arrival of its latest single Donut.

Lily Allen @ Mighty Hoopla Festival 2018 (Kalpesh Patel)

Boardmasters 2026 Complete As Lily Allen Announced As Final Headliner In Major Wave 2 Reveal

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