Felix Bartlett

Freelance Photographer, Journalist and Print Editor based in London. Usually found in the pit capturing snaps for CLUNK

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Our debut year at Reading & Leeds Festival is only days away so to get you in the mood here are our top 10 artists hitting the stages this year!

The long awaited Reading and Leeds Festival 2023 is almost upon us! As the sun sets on another summer and the stage is set for a fresh wave of sonic euphoria, festival-goers from around the globe gather to celebrate this years festival edition with the likes of The Killers, Billie Eillish, The 1975 and more heading to the hallowed grounds.

If you’re looking to get stuck in and check out some of the incredible talent at this years festival then make sure to catch the following artists as recommended by the CLUNK team.

HIMALAYAS

Hailing from South Wales the four-piece rock band from Cardiff take on the Manic Street Preachers mantle of intense yet populist melodic indie rock. Heavy guitar lines, dual vocals and huge anthemic hooks hold and captivate audiences old and new. Having played at countless festivals including previous years of Reading and Leeds and SXSW, sold out local venues and received an impressive amount of radio and international interest in 2019  they started the New Year with plans to step up their game.  And then 2020 happened and nobody was expecting that!

Three years on the band are stronger than ever and are bound to put on a spectacular performance for their Friday set on the Festival Republic Stage. Oh and if that wasn’t enough the band were recently announced as support for the one and only Foo Fighters for their 2024 tour!

HOT MILK

Fresh off the announcement of their second EP ‘I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD‘ power punks Hot Milk, have continuously proven how much of an epic live sensation they are. We caught them earlier this year on the main stage at Download Festival and were greeted to one of the most explosive shows we’ve seen in a long time.


The bands first EP, 2019’s ‘Are You Feeling Alive?’, proved to be an eclectic collection of gutsy emo-pop which established them as one of the most exciting new bands in the UK. 2019 saw the band perform with the likes of Foo Fighters, Deaf Havana and You Me At Six, as well as playing some of the UK’s biggest festival stages. If you’re heading down Sunday make sure to catch them tear down Main Stage West.

SOFT PLAY

Having already made waves across the scene under their previous alias ‘Slaves‘, Soft Play have returned in triumphant glory and with a ferocious new single ‘Punk’s Dead’ and their surprise announcement for this years Reading & Leeds Festival.

We caught Soft Play earlier this year as they descended upon The Forum, Tunbridge Wells for an electric night of chaos and mayhem. Given these two have taken to the stage before and will be returning with brand new music under their belt we’re pretty sure all those in attendance will be in for one hell of a treat!

YONAKA

YONAKA have had a busy year, with the release of ‘PANIC‘, ‘Welcome To My House‘ and ‘Give Me My Halo‘ all showcasing the exciting new phase of this band and with no signs of slowing down the band have continuously showed exactly why they are the most under appreciated acts out there in their live perofrmances.

Starting their story a few years ago when they met at Brighton university, vocalist Theresa Jarvis, bassist Alex Crosby, drummer Rob Mason and guitarist George Werbrouck-Edwards instantly jelled, quickly building their name with raucous live sets and a seamless merging of pop, rock and hip-hop inspired beats.

Catch them this Friday on the Festival Republic Stage.

DON BROCO

You’d have to be living under a rock since 2011 to not have caught wind of the genre bending Don Broco. Unique, and forever pushing boundaries, Don Broco are never ones to follow the trend and their new album ‘Amazing Things‘ once again delivers in capturing this. It’s yet another genre-bending masterpiece with electro, rock, pop, metal and more all wrapped up in their own unique blend, bringing to mind the likes of Deftones, Beastie Boys, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit amongst others… but simultaneously sounding like nobody else on earth.

Having toured with the likes of Bring Me the Horizon, Papa Roach and also performing at R+L countless times it has to be said it’s always a party when Don Broco are in the house! Catch them on Main Stage West this Sunday.

JESSE JO STARK

Creative, mysterious, gutsy, and rock n’ roll. That’s one way to describe Jesse Jo Stark, the daughter and designer of the fashion family brand Chrome Hearts, but as of late she is the badass rock-glam singer who dominates the stage.

Growing up listening to a variety of music styles, and recording head-banger tunes like ‘Dance to the Cramps‘ and ‘Baby Love‘ and strutting into country territory with ‘Driftwood‘ and ‘Silver Kiss‘. Her latest album ‘Doomed‘ has a variety of emotions and sounds including, ‘So Bad‘ featuring the Neighborhood’s Jesse Rutherford, a disco-influenced track with ‘Pussycat‘ and the jump-inducing beat in ‘Trippin’.

With all that in mind it can be easily said that you never know what you’ll get with Jesse, but you can be damn sure it’ll be a great time! You can catch her Friday on the Festival Republic Stage.

THE SNUTS

If you want a taste of that West Lothian legends The Snuts are all about them I implore you to check out ‘Galsgow‘ for a taste of why we’re all pumped to catch these boys take the stage this weekend.

With a fanbase built on their emphatic live reputation their debut album “W.L.” stormed the charts in 2021 to beat Demi Lovato in a tense chart battle to number 1, making them the first Scottish band in 14 years to release a debut number-1 album.They released their follow-up album “Burn The Empire” to rave reviews in September 2022.

With lyrics that attack subjects affecting the youth of today, addressing corrupt corporations and politicians, as well as the lethal effects of poverty across Britain and its impact on society you can be sure as hell that there’s something for everyone in this bands setlist. These boys are well on their way to being one of the most vital band of recent years. Catch them on Main Stage West this Sunday.

HOTWAX

New comers on the scene HOTWAX have been making waves across the scene ever since their debut EP ‘A Thousand Times‘ earlier this year in May. The band have proved to be a raw punk powerhouse that are ripping up the template and ripping up stages across the UK.

With a handful of self released tracks, and barely out of school the band have proved that they are a force to be reckoned with! If you’re looking for a high octane and unforgettable performance nows your chance to catch HOTWAX before they head to bigger stages. They’ll be hitting up the BBC Music Introducing Stage this Saturday.

YARD ACT

Yard Act formed in Leeds in September 2019 when Ryan Needham found himself temporarily living in James Smith’s spare bedroom. Settling into a system of programming, looping and layering, the alchemy between the two created a base from which to build their complex and ever expanding narrative world.

The band have quickly become one of the UK’s most exciting new indie outfits and are no strangers to Reading & Leeds Festival. After the success of their debut album ‘The Overload’, the band found themselves skyrocketing to success. Now they make their way across the world treating fans to their poignant, often tongue-in-cheek, witty lyricism. Their raw, high octane energy, matched with their insightful songwriting are going to make Yard Act a must watch at this years edition. Catch them Main Stage East this Friday.

WALLICE

We chatted with Wallice back in our third zine about her rise to fame with her music being known for blending bedroom pop with the energy and ethos of indie rock. Her unapologetic, funny and often self-deprecating lyrics have seen her tracks embraced as hyper-relatable Gen-Z anthems.

This June she released her debut EP Off the Rails and followed it up with her original Spotify single ‘Nothing Scares Me,’. With new music and an exciting journey ahead it’s we can expect her debut Reading & Leeds performance to be something to remember. Wallice will be taking to the BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage this Sunday.

Foals and The Killers return to headline, while Sam Fender, Billie Eilish and Imagine Dragons all make the step-up. Lewis Capaldi was set to headline Saturday night but had to pull out due to ongoing mental health issues – The 1975 will play their debut album in full in the replacement slot.