BBC Introducing stage will showcase new talent at this year's event
The Reading And Leeds Festivals is to get a brand new stage that will showcase unsigned talent at this year’s event (August 22-24).
The BBC Introducing stage will make its debut at this year’s event, and will be curated by the network’s DJs from across the country, who have a picked a host of up-and-coming and unsigned acts to play across the three-day event.
Huw Stephens, who presents one of the young blood talent shows and was involved in picking the bands, said although the stage has already had spots at Glastonbury and Latitude festivals he’s more excited about its debut at the Reading And Leeds event.
“Reading And Leeds is an amazing festival so it’s going to be great,” he told NME.COM. “They’re not all just guitar bands, there’s a real selection, so it’s a really nice addition to all the other stage line-ups.”
Stephens has worked closely with local BBC shows across the UK to finalise the band list, which includes The Horrors‘ protégés Ipso Facto and hotly-tipped indie outfit Thomas Tantrum.
The full BBC Introducing stage line-up is:
I Concur
Pulled Apart By Horses
Razmatazzlorryexcitement
The Cherry Cob Cartel
The Last People on Earth
Skeletons
Hungry Ghosts
The Maybes
Thomas Tantrum
Fangs
General Fiasco
Tripwires
Ipso facto
Fox Cubs
Attack Attack
Flash Guns
Tiger Shadow
Eureka Machines
Darlings Of The Split Screen
Kid iD
Situationists
That Fucking Tank
Loqui
FF’ers
For more on the new stage and a longer interview with Stephens get this week’s issue of NME, on UK newsstands now.
NME.COM is bringing you live coverage straight from both sites of the Reading And Leeds Festivals 2008. For the latest news, blogs, pictures and video interviews head to the Reading And Leeds Festivals index now.