- Title: Sold out! Reading music festival gets underway
- Date: 27th August 2021
- Summary: READING, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (AUGUST 27, 2021) (REUTERS) TIMELAPSE OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THE ARENA ENTRANCE FROM THE CAMPSITE (MUTE) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH CROWDS FEET OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH CROWDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH MUSICIAN, DECLAN MCKENNA, SAYING: "It's lovely. It's pretty normal, it's pretty, it's you know, it's very friendly, I think, you know, being in our dressing room and all of that and having bands around, again, it's just like nice to see everyone who's been, you know, doing bits over the last sort of year or so not been able to see each other. So, yeah, it's really lovely. I think it's a nice atmosphere. And like, obviously, Reading is unlike any other festival in the world. So it's a very exciting time." PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THE CROWD IN FRONT OF THE STAGE GROUP OF WOMEN BEING INTERVIEWED IN ARENA (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH MUSICIAN, DECLAN MCKENNA, SAYING: "People are just buzzing to be out there and yeah, going a festival now or a gig now. It's like, you know, flying away into space. I've been saying it's just like going to a whole new place. We haven't been in the last year. And yeah, as you say, it's everyone coming together with their friends and doing things that they haven't been able to do for so long. So, you know, some people here are probably so young they've never been to a festival before because the last two years haven't even been able to say so it's pretty exciting I think." PEOPLE WALKING IN FRONT OF THE MAIN STAGE "WEST" (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER OF BAND THE SNUTS, CALLUM WILSON (R), STANDING NEXT TO BAND MEMBER JORDAN MACKAY(L), SAYING: "It's definitely the liveliest we've, the crowd we've ever heard. It feels like people have been like totally making up for nearly two years with no live music like it was that was bouncing like we really enjoy that. It was good. Even just feeling the energy of a live crowd again." (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN SINGER, ASHNIKKO, SAYING: "I miss performing and like actually feeling what people feel when they listen to my music. I think it's different reading a comment section and seeing how many people are like watching your videos and consuming your music. That's different. It's totally like inhuman. But to have that connection with people one on one is irreplaceable." (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBERS OF BAND WARGASM, MILKIE WAY (L) AND SAM MATLOCK, SAYING: MATLOCK: "I think the thing that people are thinking is people are excited to be back. Actually, people just forget the impact of music and art has in everyone's lives, you know? What might look like, oh, people are going ham because everything's returned. I think they were always going that ham you just don't know how important it was." WAY: "When it's gone for so long, you forget about it." MATLOCK: "Does that make sense, do you know what I mean?" WAY: "I think it makes sense." PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THE ARENA (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBERS OF BAND BOSTON MANOR, HENRY COX (L) AND ASH WILSON, SAYING: COX: "It's incredible. You know, it's festivals like this, the home of live music in the UK. And we feel really lucky to be a part of it. And, yeah, you know, it's just great to see people kind of coming together and celebrating and enjoying themselves." WILSON:" "They look like they're living again. Yeah." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING AROUND ARENA (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBERS OF BAND BOSTON MANOR, HENRY COX (L) AND ASH WILSON, ASKED HOW NORMAL IT FEELS TO BE AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL, SAYING: COX: "Well, weirdly normal." WILSON: "It's kind of scary how normal it actually does feel like seeing everybody's like in such close proximity to each other and everyone just like jumping around, screaming and stuff, it just feels like home again." PEOPLE QUEUING UP FOR FAIRGROUND RIDE AND PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THE CROWD VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH CROWDS IN FRONT OF RIDES
- Embargoed: 10th September 2021 20:33
- Keywords: Ashnikko Boston Manor Britain Declan McKenna Music festival Reading Stormzy The Snuts Wargasm coronavirus
- Location: READING, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: READING, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe,Music
- Reuters ID: LVA001ES22C7H
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Live music returned to one of Britain's most popular music events as the Reading Festival got underway on Friday (August 27).
Reading and its twin event, Leeds, will be two of the biggest since the government removed restrictions in July following a rapid vaccine rollout.
Headlined by Stormzy, the first day of the three-day festival saw almost 105,000 people descend upon the arena at Little John's Farm.
Performers and revellers were elated to be there, many experiencing hearing live music for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Main stage artist Declan McKenna compared attending a music festival to going to space but said being at Reading felt very normal.
"I've been saying it's just like going to a whole new place. We haven't been in the last year... It's everyone coming together with their friends and doing things that they haven't been able to do for so long. So, you know, some people here are probably so young they've never been to a festival before because the last two years haven't even been able to say so it's pretty exciting I think," said McKenna.
Members of Scottish indie rock bank The Snuts said it felt like everyone was making up for the lost crowd and the crowd was one of the "liveliest" they had ever seen.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Reading Festival and Henry Cox and Ash Wilson British band Boston Manor said they felt really lucky to be a part of it.
Performers Wargasm and Ashnikko emphasised the importance of performing live, both for artists and fans.
"To have that connection with people one on one is irreplaceable," said American singer Ashnikko.
"People just forget the impact of music and art has in everyone's lives, you know?" Wargasm's Sam Matlock said.
"What might look like, oh, people are going ham because everything's returned. I think they were always going that ham you just don't know how important it was."
(Production: Ben Makori, Mindy Burrows) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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