BBC Introducing brings wealth of new music to Reading and Leeds Festival

BBC Introducing today announces the line-up for its stage at the Reading and Leeds Festival next month. Between Friday 26 and Sunday 28 August, the BBC Introducing Stage will showcase 36 under-the-radar artists from across the UK. The first stage at Reading and Leeds Festival was in 2008, so now returns for its fourth year. 

Jason Carter, Editor, BBC Introducing, says: "Giving new artists the opportunity to play at Reading and Leeds across the bank holiday weekend is exactly what BBC Introducing is all about, new musicians' access to play at one of the premier UK festivals. Our selection panel was top notch for the event, including presenters and music producers across BBC Radio 1, Later… With Jools Holland and also the NME – we have a great final line-up. As well as the performance opportunity, audiences watching the BBC coverage will get to hear and watch all the highlights from the stage, giving the new musicians even wider exposure."

Stages at each site will boast a range of local artists from Leeds and Reading, as well as highlight new talent from around the UK. Festival-goers can enjoy the wealth of genres of offer, from the rock 'n' roll, experimental sounds of A Genuine Freakshow and Cardiff band, Cuba Cuba, to singer-songwriter, Rae Morris and four-piece indie rock group, This Boy Wonders. Each site will host the same line-up on different days across the weekend. 

The bands that will be performing on the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading and Leeds are:

• A Genuine Freakshow
• Anguish Sandwich
• Black Diamond Bay
• Clock Opera
• Courage Have Courage
• Cuba Cuba
• Daughter
• Discopolis
• Don Broco
• Kirk Spencer
• Mexanines
• Milk Maid
• Rae Morris
• Rainy Boy Sleep
• Save your breath
• The Bronze Medal
• The Kill Van Kulls
• The Original Rude Boys
• The Winchell Riots
• These Furrows
• This Boy Wonders
• Tomahawks for Targets
• The Minutes
• Funeral Suits
• Spector
• Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles
• Castrovalva
• The Simon Pollard Band
• Circles
• Heart-Ships
• Ham Sandwich

This year, the stage will once again feature the "returners slot" – artists who have been supported by BBC Introducing in previous years, who have now started to find a wider audience, are given the chance to return to the stage where it all started and perform a headline slot. General Fiasco return to Reading and Leeds after working in the studio for the past year and are ready to deliver their new material to the festival. Fixers are back after a great year, which kicked off with them being the first act to feature in the BBC Introducing Radio 1 Playlist in January. Finally, Rizzle Kicks return to the festival to thank BBC Introducing for their early support, after storming the charts this year.

Previous artists that have graced the BBC Introducing Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festival include the recently Mercury Music Prize Nominated, Everything Everything, as well as Pulled Apart By Horses and The Brilliant Things. 

Live music highlights from the BBC Introducing stage are broadcasted across BBC Local Radio, Asian Network, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra and BBC Radio 6 Music. 

Bands are chosen by a combination of the BBC Introducing Network, Leeds promoters, Futuresound, and promoters, Festival Republic. 

(Source : BBC Press Release)