The Districts: “It was fun. It was awesome.”

Philadelphia newcomers The Districts made their Reading & Leeds debut earlier today with a sweeping set in the Festival Republic tent. Showcasing tracks from their ‘Telephone’ debut, the Fat Possum signings kept it short but sweet in a hype-affirming preview of what’s to come.

For a new act, still learning their trade, they took on the big guns - there’s such a force to the way they play, wig-outs aplenty, that they practically spill out of the Festival Republic tent themselves. Frontman Rob Grote leads the band with ease, and they range from frenzied and shape-throwing to calm as can be. They take time between songs, encourage the odd handclap, but they’re entirely in their own space. There’s a comfort to how they play, and it translates brilliantly.

Reflecting on the band’s set, Grote told DIY: “It was fun. It was awesome.

“At first we didn’t have the means of recording or anything, so we just played shows. The goal was always to play live and write originals. That came after. We started out playing covers.”

Initially the group had experience playing in local haunts (“coffee house things, the school cafeteria, spots around town like burrito shops”) but now they’re becoming festival fixtures. “In the States, we did SXSW and Lollapalooza, which is one of the big names for us growing up.”

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