BBC To Air Classic Reading & Leeds Sets From Billie Eilish, Haim And More This Weekend
Beginning today at 12 noon BST, the festivities will run until Sunday, also taking in sets from the likes of Radiohead, Muse and more.
The BBC have announced a huge schedule for their Reading & Leeds celebrations this weekend. Classic festival sets from Billie Eilish, Radiohead, Foo Fighters and more will be aired on iPlayer to mark what would’ve been the 2020 edition of the August bank holiday festivals.
Reading & Leeds 2020 was officially cancelled in May due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, and the new BBC virtual alternative set for this weekend mirrors The Glastonbury Experience, which saw legendary past performances aired all weekend on what would’ve been Glastonbury 2020, back in June.
Beginning today, August 28, at 12 noon BST with a past set from Yungblud, the festivities will run until Sunday, taking in more sets from the likes of Twenty One Pilots, Biffy Clyro, Muse and more.
See the full line-up for the BBC’s Reading & Leeds coverage, which will play out on a dedicated iPlayer channel. See the social media announcement below.
Celebrate #RandL20 WEEKEND with three days of incredible archive sets from the festivals 🍻 Check out the dedicated #RandL channel on @BBCiPlayer that kicks off at 12pm on Friday the 28th of August 🎉
Reading ❤️ https://t.co/42KRmk9Apx
Leeds 💛 https://t.co/qlxoNpJ8Gc pic.twitter.com/RG1YKuPiWN— Reading & Leeds Fest (@OfficialRandL) August 27, 2020
“We’re buzzing to announce that we’re teaming up with BBC Music to bring you live performances from Reading & Leeds over the years,” festival organisers said of the weekend’s activities.
“We’ll be marking the August bank holiday with a selection of exclusive performances and unforgettable memories.”
Announcing the cancellation of Reading & Leeds 2020 back in May, organisers Festival Republic said: “We’ve been closely monitoring this unprecedented situation, and we were hopeful we could deliver the ultimate festival to you in August, something to look forward to in these strange and confusing times. However, it’s become clear that it’s just not possible for this year’s festival to go ahead.”
The twin-city festival was due to take place across the UK’s August Bank Holiday weekend with headline sets from Rage Against The Machine, Stormzy and Liam Gallagher. After telling ticket-holders back in March that they were hoping to go ahead and see the event through while “implementing recommendations and instructions appropriately”, the organisers were eventually forced to pull the festival until 2021.
Listen to the best of Billie Eilish on Apple Music and Spotify.
