Reading Festival, Friday review: Sun (and school) is out for summer

Headliners Kasabian cover Nirvana and Daft Punk along with some of their best original material, while Queens of the Stone Age perform a short-and-sweet secret show

Kasabian's performance was muted as Tom Meighan was ill (Getty)

Friday at Reading Festival 2017 comes with less of the feral madness you might expect from a horde of teenagers who have just received their exam results, and more an air of relief that school is finally out.

As the gorgeous August sunshine makes the recent downpours at Y Not festival feel like a distant memory, Louis Berry does a storming performance on the Festival Republic stage, following on from newcomer Barns Courtney who has charm and charisma in spades, despite having to hop around on one leg after breaking his foot at another recent show.

The lineup at Reading for the past two or three years has felt like the festival is undergoing some kind of identity crisis; clinging on to its rock history but wanting to continue to appeal to its young demographic, most of whom weren’t even born when this year’s three headliners were formed. Surprises such as Skepta and Stormzy joining Lethal Bizzle on the NME stage are fantastic, but you feel as though such a performance should be prioritised over the likes of the evening’s headliners You Me At Six.

A secret show from Queens of the Stone Age is the absolute highlight of the night, after an agonising wait for the crew to set up the band emerge to perform a couple of tracks off their brand new album Villains, along with head-banging renditions of “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” and “Little Sister”.

Queens of the Stone Age perform a secret show on the NME Stage at Reading Festival, 2017 (Rex)

As fans filter out after the QOTSA set, Kasabian, who cover Nirvana and Daft Punk as well as playing some of their best original material, are headlining Reading & Leeds for the second time; preceded by Bastille who seem like dead certs as headliners in the near future.

While their typically raucous, blokey swagger is still there, Kasabian’s performance is somewhat muted: likely due to singer Tom Meighan recovering from a recent illness. A little further away from the crowds at the main stage, stragglers are chilling out on the grass or grabbing some food before they head back to their tents. It’s a satisfying first day, just not particularly spectacular.

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