Metronomy’s Joe Mount: “I really love Reading”

Metronomy are Reading & Leeds stalwarts, rarely missing an opportunity to grace the muddy sites, and this year is no different as they take on the NME / BBC Radio 1 Stage this evening (Friday 22nd August) in Reading, and tomorrow (Saturday 23rd August) in Leeds with their new album.

“We did our first [‘Love Letters’] shows in February,” frontman Joe Mount says of the band’s year so far, when tackled back stage. “Since then we’ve had a week here and there… it’s been great, busyness is great, you know?

“America is about three years behind in… everything… no, I’m only joking, it’s just in us,” he laughs. “It’s always a bit slower for English bands in America, so apart from that all the tours sold out with amazing crowds, it feels very good.”

“We were trying to work it out,” he continues, touching on their return to Reading & Leeds, “last year we didn’t play, but before that we did five in a row or something, maybe even more. I really love Reading.”

“It hasn’t really changed I guess,” guitarist Oscar Cash adds, ”Reading and Leeds has always been what it was. It was the first festival that I ever went to, and there are kids out there now that are the age I was, doing exactly the same thing. It’s really cool.”

“The one that really sticks out [for me],” Joe muses, “was when Prodigy and Beastie Boys were headlining [in 1998] and there was a big kerfuffle about ‘Smack My Bitch Up’. Like, Beastie Boys said it was irresponsible… Anyway, Supergrass were playing. I remember sitting and drinking cider, watching Supergrass. It was perfect.”