News Reading & Leeds 2011: Grouplove

LA types Grouplove are playing their first ever Reading and Leeds this year, mid-way up the bill on the Festival Republic Stage, presumably playing much of debut album, ‘Never Trust A Happy Song’, which is released on 5th September. Answering our Q&A on behalf of the band is Sean Gadd.

Have you played the festival before?
We have never played Reading and Leeds before, so we are really excited to be playing this year.

Have you ever been as a fan?
My dad actually worked at Reading festival and would take me on the side of the stage when I was a kid. I saw Nirvana in ‘92. Even though I was really young, I think that was the moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

Reading and Leeds is known as a ‘rock’ festival. What’s the least rock ‘n roll thing you’ve ever done?
The least Rock n’ Roll thing I’ve ever done at a festival is leave early, but it can’t be helped unfortunately, when we have to be back on the road!

What’s the best thing about playing festivals?
The best thing about playing festivals are the crowds. Not only are the crowds big but people really let themselves get loose at festivals. People feel free and the energy completely lifts the spirit of the band. It’s a beautiful thing.

A few rainy festivals this summer have seen artists going on stage in their wellington boots. Is this something you’ve done or would consider?
I don’t really see what’s wrong with playing in your wellington boots. Everyone else is wearing them.

Which artists are you hoping to catch live at Reading and Leeds?
We are hoping to catch as many artists as we can. Reading and Leeds has such a great line-up, we are just proud to be part of it.

What’s the secret to festival success?
There are many components you need to making a festival succeed. Firstly you need the right piece of land, appropriate camping areas. Good sound systems. You need people that know how to build stages and where they will be placed on the site. You need good food sellers. Good alcohol. All different types of licensing. You will need permission from the council before you even start. You need appropriate portaloos. Appropriate security but not too heavily policed - you want the people feel like this is ‘their festival’. You need medical areas and nurses because no matter what, there’s always someone down n’ out at some point. Whether it’s heat exhaustion or someone’s done too much acid, there are a million different reasons why people might need medical care at festivals. You need clean drinking water. You need all night raves for after the bands finish, so people have a choice, in case they don’t wanna sleep early. You need polite and helpful staff. You need other interesting things to do beside seeing bands, this what separates a festival from a live show in the city. There is so much work that goes in to making a festival great, so organisers need to think long and hard before setting up new festivals and study how the most loved and successful festivals succeeded. Overall music festivals should be about people, fun, laughter, freedom and occasionally falling over.