News
28 April 2009 The Lock-Up Stage - Full Bill Announced
“The highlight of my year is always Reading and Leeds. It's the perfect way to end the summer. To be able to be a part of it and have a stage there still blows my mind. We've worked long and we've worked hard to come up with a bill that everyone will enjoy and I think we've done a great job. If you're a fan of punk rock, hardcore, ska and rock'n'roll then you're going to want to get to the tent early and be prepared to spend the whole day/night there. That's how good a line-up it is.”
MIKE DAVIES, THE LOCK-UP, RADIO ONE
The Lock-Up Stage returns to the twin sites for another two days that are sure to see huge crowds from start to finish. A well loved permanent fixture of Reading and Leeds, The Lock-Up Stage always delivers a host of top names in their genres year on year and this time is no exception with two classic headliners at the front of a bill that is a run down of the best punk, hardcore, ska and rock ‘n’ roll names you could hope to see.
OUR HEADLINERS
Reading Festival on Friday 28th August / Leeds Festival on Sunday 30th August
After a decade of hard work and near on non-stop touring BILLY TALENT broke through in to the punk mainstream with their eponymous debut ‘Billy Talent’ in 2003, the album went on to become triple platinum in Canada with success soon following across Europe and the US. ‘Billy Talent II’ followed in 2006, Spawning hits such as the infectious ‘Devil In A Midnight Mass’ and ‘Fallen Leaves’, the album has sold over a million copies worldwide.
Renowned for the sheer energy of their live shows Billy Talent first graced our shores with their live show at the Reading and Leeds Festival in 2003, and have steadily built a fiercely loyal fan base here in the UK, with three UK headline tours and numerous festival appearances. With a new album due in June, these shows are sure to see them replicate their Stateside success in the UK.
MORE INFORMATION – www.billytalent.com
Reading Festival on Saturday 29th August / Leeds Festival on Friday 28th August
Chicago punk-rock champions RISE AGAINST are back to their potent political best with their current album ‘Appeal To Reason’. A band renowned for their single-minded political outlook, ‘Appeal To Reason’ is an embodiment of the band’s feelings about the world around them. Nowhere is this more greatly channeled than on forthcoming single, ‘Re-education (Through Labour)’ - a powerful statement against the use of sweat-shops in the modern world supported by a controversial, hard edged video. Never has the Rise Against message been more powerful – ‘Appeal To Reason’ is their rock manifesto - a statement of intent and a powerful message to the world.
FOR MORE INFORMATION – www.riseagainst.com
The Full Line-Up
Reading Festival on Friday 28th August / Leeds Festival on Sunday 30th August
They may have lost their old arch nemesis in January, when he handed down the Oval Office to Barack Obama, but the Bush administration’s legacy should keep ANTI FLAG in songs for years, from the War in Iraq to what his friends have done to our economy. Steeped in their politics and one of the hardest touring bands on the face of the planet, having created the non-profit organizations Military Free Zone (combating a provision in the No Child Left Behind act that invades students’ privacy for Military Recruitment purposes) and Underground Action Alliance (a networking site for social justice), forthcoming album, ‘The People Or The Gun’ (June) finds this most compelling of punk bands in the form of their lives.
FOR MORE INFORMATION – www.anti-flag.com
ALEXISONFIRE rose up out of the Southern Ontario underground in late 2001 like some monstrous and utterly captivating car-accident-in-progress. A band that often describes its music as “the sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight”, This is music for both sides of your brain. In your left ear, the poignant and melodic vocals of Dallas, injected with the devilishly sweet phrasings of the axe-wielding Wade, speak of impulse and introspection. In your right ear, George offers the testimony of the tortured soul, syncopated power-scream vocals that energize and counterpoint -- a couple of cartoon-character angels and devils sitting on your shoulders, offering 2 very different interpretations of the same musical message.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.theonlybandever.com
You can count the number of bands who've stayed together for 20 years on two hands, and you can use just one to count those who've consistently released quality material for two decades. This year, THE BOUNCING SOULS enter that esteemed category, and in keeping with their D.I.Y. roots, they've done it without major labels, corporate radio, MTV, or teen magazine pinups. Frequent attendees of their gigs hail the Souls as one of the best bands in the world and, with twenty years behind these legends from the Garden State, there's a lot more still to come from The Bouncing Souls.
FOR MORE INFORMATION – www.bouncingsouls.com
Intensely political, LEFTOVER CRACK declare themselves ANTI-RACIST, ANTI-SEXIST,ANTI-HOMOPHOBIC, and ANTI-BREEDING but PRO-CHOICE. Their combination of heavy breakneck riffs, conscious lyrics and sometime ska rhythms combined with a constant touring schedule in their native US has seen them become a feted underground band and expect their name to be on many lips following these performances at Reading and Leeds.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.myspace.com/leftovercrackofficial
THE AGGROLITES are more than a band they are a movement unto themselves. They carry a banner - one created with their own hands. This banner reads, “Dirty Reggae,” and represents their signature fusion of reggae, soul, grit and determination. For seven magnificent years, this dirty reggae bunch has rolled from city to city, across the pond and up main street USA, rallying the kids, the parents, the students, the cops, the bosses and the drifters.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.aggroreggae.com
Seven guys, seven different musical backgrounds, seven different personalities, one band, one unique and unmistakable voice. Formed four years ago in New Jersey as an ad hoc group intended to put out one album and disappear, one thing lead to another and within a few months of their debut release, ‘Everything Goes Numb’, STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO were officially a full time touring band, travelling the world, spreading their infectious and energetic tunes to all who would listen. Three albums later, their burgeoning fanbase will be further swelled by these shows.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.streetlightmanifesto.com
Growing up is never easy, but when you’re in a band it often seems impossible. Make the same record twice and you’re chastised for being repetitive, but if you make too large of a sonic shift your fan base will desert you. Luckily Naples, Florida’s FAKE PROBLEMS have never had to deal with this dilemma because with each release they’ve organically reinvented their sound, as perfectly shown on current album, ‘It’s Great To Be Alive.
FOR MORE INFORMATION – www.fakeproblems.com
In the wake of a somewhat checkered past, the infamous RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS have re-emerged with characteristic determination and reckless abandon. Leaving behind the images of broken teeth and lacerated body parts, the Gamblers push their unique brand of blistering piss ‘n vinegar anthems and quirky pop serenades over the edge on 2009’s ‘Underneath The Owl’, the bands most expressive collection of songs to date.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.theriverboatgamblers.com
After their debut album won over fans and music critics all over Canada and the US with its catchy melding of ska-punk anthems, THE FLATLINERS returned with a new sound, a new international label, and a very promising future in 2007 with ‘The Great Awake’ on Fat Wreck Records. Hand picked by Fat Mike himself after hearing some demo recordings, they are the newest band to join the Fat Wreck Chords family, their audience can only grow, as THE FLATLINERS evolve into artists that stand-out among their peers on an international stage.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.theflatliners.com
Having kicked, screamed and fought their way out of Brighton, England in early 2007 with awe-inspiring debut full-length ‘This Is Where The Fight Begins’, THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND have rapidly become one of the UK’s most valuable and unique musical assets, thanks to their unhinged, uncompromising and utterly invigorating style. In June, the quintet return with an album that doesn’t just tear up the rule book, it sets it ablaze and leaves it on your doorstep in a middle of the night drive by.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.myspace.com/theghostofathousand
Why does Hardcore have to be so rigid? Wasn’t Punk all about breaking the rules in the first place? THE PLIGHT draw on a vast range of influences, from British classics like Black Sabbath and Led Zep, right through to American pioneers such as The Stooges and Scissorfight. With a debut full length recording which will be due for September 2009 to follow 2007’s mini album ‘Black Summer’ and praise from the likes of Kerrang and Rocksound, the Leeds lads are sure to pull large crowds not just on home turf but at Reading as well.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.myspace.com/theplight
Reading Festival on Saturday 29th August / Leeds Festival on Friday 28th August
THURSDAY have always been difficult to categorize. Although they famously rose out of New Brunswick, New Jersey’s basement culture they’ve always been far too cerebral to be considered a traditional hardcore band. Over their eleven-year career they’ve toured with everyone from the Cure to Cursive, but have retained an inherent aggressiveness that can only come from being weaned on similarly independent nineties acts like Ink And Dagger and Lifetime. All of these references to other bands only serve as guidelines—and with new album ‘Common Existence’ Thursday have finally reconciled all of their seemingly disparate literary and musical influences into a collection of songs that span the spectrum of human emotions from frustration to hope and, above all, love.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.thursday.net
THE BRONX is what punk needs: they harness the genre's classic fire but then bend it to their whim, forging rock n' roll swagger together with hardcore grit. The L.A. quintet churn out raw riffs and piercing hooks, and their third offering, ‘The Bronx (III)’, brandishes enough savage charm to spark a revolution. Their home town has been "in the know" about The Bronx for years, but with this album, the band's about to expose the whole world to their bleeding and ravenous rock n' roll spirit.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.thebronxxx.com
The MAD CADDIES stand alone in their latest musical achievement. Combining elements of rock and roots reggae that evokes memories of the Clash, the Police and Sublime, the upcoming record ‘Keep It Going’ (May 2009) takes the listener on a musical journey from lively Jamaican dancehalls to the underground DIY music venues of America. The Mad Caddies’ talents reach far beyond the boundaries of ska and punk, enabling them to throw a musical curve ball into the mix without notice. Reggae, dixie, jazz, surf, rockabilly, country and swing are all styles in which the group is well versed and aren’t afraid to inject into their unique brand of rock.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.madcaddies.com
The return of RIVAL SCHOOLS is a cause for celebration and their shows are sure to be a massive draw. Currently working on material for their second album in their Brooklyn studio, recent tour dates in Australia and mainland Europe have seen the group comprised of former members of such seminal bands as Quicksand, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits and CIV return after a hiatus. These shows will be a first opportunity for fans to hear tracks from that new album and a timely reminder of the power of one of the US’s most important bands.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.myspace.com/rivalschoolsmusic
Born out of the Bay Area punk scene, SET YOUR GOALS released an EP in 2006 and their critically acclaimed, fan favorite full length, ‘Mutiny!’, later the same year. Immediately grabbing the attention of their fellow bands and fans, the group would go on to tour with the likes of Alexisonfire, Anti Flag and Saves The Day over the next few years. In 2007 the band was featured on the Punk Goes Acoustic 2 compilation and in 2008 they recorded Lil Jon’s “Put Yo Hood Up” for the ‘Punk Goes Crunk’ compilation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.myspace.com/setyourgoals
Legends of British punk, SNUFF return from a long hiatus to remind everyone of what they have been missing. Always a band with their tongue planted firmly in their cheeks, the list of classic Snuff cover versions such as Tiffany’s ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ stand equal to the band’s own songs but all are delivered at breakneck pace for what will undoubtedly be classic sets at this year’s Lock Up Stage.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.myspace.com/kilburnsnuff
Born in the sewers of Richmond, Virginia during 2000, with the aim of spreading the shred, each of MUNICIPAL WASTE’s super-short songs is a memorable anthem to post-apocalyptic mutants, beer, thrash music...or, indeed, all of the above. The band's dedication to their art is deadly serious, yet they are not afraid to bring the fun back into hardcore. Bashing out songs with such titles as 'Thrashing's My Business And Business Is Good', 'Thrash? Don't Mind If I Do' and 'Drunk As Shit' (as well as a split EP whose songs were all based on Kurt Russell films), Municipal Waste have earned themselves the tag of the ultimate 'party thrash' band.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.facethewaste.com
After a relentless touring schedule that found A WILHELM SCREAM in far reaches of the developed world with bands like Rise Against, Strung Out, and Lagwagon, the band that Alternative Press hailed as the new heirs of the skate-punk scene finally settled down in their second home: Blasting Room studios to record new album 'Career Suicide'. The album is just as smart, just as anthemic as forerunners 'Mute Print' and 'Ruiner', but this time around A Wilhelm Scream speeds up their formula to a neck-breaking pace.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.awilhelmscream.com
One listen to ‘Feast Or Famine’, and it is undeniable that the deep, gruff voice that once screamed powerful punk anthems belongs to none other than CHUCK RAGAN. The former Hot Water Music frontman has become a musical troubadour, writing stripped-down acoustic songs that retain the same passion evident in his punk rock career. Feast or Famine, his debut studio album for SideOneDummy, beautifully captures the sound of a gifted singer/songwriter as he journeys into the next chapter of his musical life, with an acoustic guitar in hand.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.chuckraganmusic.com
With their upcoming debut album named one of the Most Anticipated Releases of 2009 by Alternative Press, POLAR BEAR CLUB is already off to an incredible start. Formed in 2005, the band released the EP ‘The Redder The Better’ before they hit the studio to record 2008's critically acclaimed ‘Sometimes Things Just Disappear’, which was also named one of AP's Top 10 Most Essential releases of '08. Rising stars on the scene, this is a great early opportunity to see a band that will figure highly as the year goes on.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.myspace.com/polarbearclub
So here's the deal - THE COMPUTERS consist of Alex (guitar / main vocals), Sonny (guitar / vocals), Nic (bass / vocals) and Will (drums). They live in Exeter and they fuse garage rock'n'roll with 80's hardcore. Think Black Flag playing Chuck Berry or The Nerve Agents covering Elvis Costello and you're getting the picture.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - www.myspace.com/thecomputersfromexeter
KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR MORE BANDS AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENT
With a stellar line-up already confirmed there is still plenty more to come. Look out in the coming weeks for the remainder of the bill on the Main Stage and the NME / Radio One Stage, the Line-up for The Dance Stage, the entire Festival Republic Stage where the headliners of the future make their debut appearances, the line-up for The Alternative Stage featuring the best comedy and cabaret in addition to exclusive film showings and unique musical collaborations and the BBC Introducing Stage, the platform for unsigned acts to get seen at the twin sites.
ALL TICKETS FOR THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL ARE SOLD OUT
FESTIVAL REPUBLIC RECOMMEND VIA GO GO FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR TICKETS
