Suuuuurprise! You Me At Six take on the The Pit at Reading 2016

In 2014, it was Green Day that decided to make a last minute appearance at Reading. Last year, Foals took up the gauntlet. This year, the secret set responsibility got passed to You Me At Six, who took on the challenge and ran with it. Instead of taking to the fairly reasonable confines of the NME / BBC Radio 1 Tent, like the secret guests before them, they decided to whip up even more of a frenzy, by scheduling themselves in on The - comparably teensy - Pit.

Having been over twelve months since their last live gig proper, needless to say, fans spend their first two blistering tracks trying to cram themselves further inside the already-packed tent. Even after just a few hours’ warning - and a few graffitied posters as a tip off - people are finding it almost impossible to get close to the tent. The reaction, though, is electric from the off. Earlier appearances from the likes of ‘Room To Breathe’ and ‘Loverboy’ ensure that huge singalongs are the order of the day, while their new offering ‘Night People’ sounds suitably massive, even in the small tent.

Closing with a tremendous rendition of ‘Bite My Tongue’ - that comes with a dedication to Architects’ Tom Searle, who sadly passed away last week - the band depart almost as quickly as they arrive. After today, there’s a strong sense that we won’t be seeing them in a tent like this again at Reading - their climb up the Main Stage ranks looks set to continue next year.

Photo: Sinéad Grainger / DIY.