So we’re back again with another special edition of Buy Or Sell. This week Lewis Lowe and Kyle Prangnell tackle the tough questions that R&L’s fans have been debating for the best part of three months.

1. My Chemical Romance will pull off their headline slot successfully.

Kyle Prangnell: Sell

This must be one of the most hotly debated and controversial topics in the run up to this year’s festival. It can’t really be denied that there has been a mostly negative reception for My Chemical Romance headlining the Festival, but will they pull it off?

Although there will be many die-hard fans, who will just be there for MCR and will love it, that can be said for any band. So the real issue is will they be able to win over those who aren’t bothered, or aren’t fans at all? Personally, I don’t think they will. MCR haven’t ever been known for their live performances, and although they’ve recently been seen to be improving, the fact that they’re already a controversial choice means they’ll have to be sensational to be a success, which I personally can’t see happening.

Lewis Lowe: Sell

My fellow writer Kyle has hit the nail well and truly on the head with this one. There has been a hugely negative response to the news that My Chemical Romance would be headlining the festivals this year, and rightfully so. The band doesn’t have the substance to pull off the coveted top slot and they sure as hell don’t have the class. Past live performances have sounded horrific with Gerard Ways vocals sounding increasingly shoddy, but this won’t matter to their fans, or ‘MCRarmy’, as most seem to be deaf anyway. They will never pull it off.

Strictly Our Opinion: SELL

2. Elbow will not be greeted as fondly at Reading as they were at Glastonbury.

Kyle Prangnell: Buy

For me, Elbow are certainly a band that are more suited to Glastonbury than Reading and Leeds. On the whole Glastonbury appears to gather an older audience, which would certainly be more geared towards listening to Elbow. Another point to consider is who Elbow will be sub-headlining to. At Glastonbury, Elbow subbed to Coldplay, and it would be fair to assume the two bands would have an older and similar following. Whereas when it comes to Reading and Leeds, Elbow will be subbing to Muse, who will almost certainly have a mass amount of people camping out, waiting to see Origin of Symmetry, and possibly not even caring about Elbow’s set. Of course there will be many Elbow fans around, but I believe that at Reading and Leeds there will be a lot of people waiting around for Muse and then singing along to ‘One Day Like This’.

Lewis Lowe: Buy

Again I am agreeing with Kyle on this one. Elbow enjoyed a huge sales boost after Glastonbury festival this year but I can’t see the same happening after Reading and Leeds. They just don’t really have any cross over appeal and I can’t see them winning many fans that have come to see other bands over the weekend. At Glastonbury they were complimented by a whole host of acts that share the same demographic of fan including headliners Coldplay. This time however they are preceding Muse, a band who are famed for their live performances and I just think that as soon as they take to the stage people will forget about Elbow.

Strictly Our Opinion: BUY

3. Reading And Leeds Are Losing Their Edge

Kyle Prangnell: Buy

In Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem, James Murphy is quoted saying ‘But I’m losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.’ It looks like this may also be the case for Reading and Leeds. With the increase in the number of festivals around in the UK now, what is really making people go to Reading and Leeds? The headliners other than Muse are playing other festivals, and not even headlining, and even Muse are a band that have played the UK a huge amount in the last couple of years. Also, with the likes of Sonisphere getting huge draws such as the Big Four for the first time in the UK, it seems that, the kids are coming up from behind.

Lewis Lowe: Buy

With the festival market growing year by year everyone has to up their game to keep getting the punters through the gates. The major problem is that with so many big festivals competing for so few worthy headliners that some festivals have begun to suffer. Reading and Leeds are a prime example, their bookings have been going downhill over the last couple of years, and this year it has started to see slower sales as well. The fans that have kept returning year upon year have finally become fed up with paying the rising ticket fees for a festival which isn’t improving accordingly. What Reading and Leeds organisers Festival Republic can be relieved about is that they still have a huge fan base, and with a few better bookings next year, they can re-establish themselves as one of the best festivals in the country.

Strictly Our Opinion: BUY

It’s time for Kyle and Lewis to change places, and for Lewis to take the lead.

4. The veteran acts (Pulp, Madness, Offspring, etc…) will show their younger counterparts how it’s done in 2011.

Lewis Lowe: Sell

Despite the years of practice, hoards of fans and back catalogues good enough to play numerous shows without repeating a song I just can’t agree that the younger bands at Reading and Leeds festivals will be shown how it’s done. I just think there are some really good bands that could easily stand toe to toe with some of the festivals established heavy weights.

Acts such as The King Blues, Ed Sheeran and Cage the Elephant to name just a few, have all had exciting new music out in the last couple of years and although they haven’t necessarily felt the huge success of the veteran bands they have been winning over the critics and fans alike. The importance of the live show is also a huge part of a up and coming band’s arsenal with artists new to the scene playing exhilarating gigs and look thoroughly comfortable doing so. A prime example would be Frank Turner, hardly a new hand, but not around enough to be classed alongside the likes of Madness or Pulp, he has built up a huge reputation for playing fantastic shows.

Only a total fool would think that the veterans are past it and I believe that they will all put on fantastic shows. Despite this there are just so many really decent up and coming artists I refuse to believe they will be outshone this summer.

Kyle Prangnell: Sell

As Lewis has said, the veteran bands will no doubt put on a good show, and there’s no doubt that the fans will enjoy it. But the younger acts have some fantastic music, and can also put on great live shows. Sure, the likes of Pulp will probably put on one of the better performances of the festival, but it cannot be said that the younger and newer acts will be shown how it’s done. As mentioned, Cage the Elephant and Ed Sheeran are two of the most hotly awaited acts of the festival, and Frank Turner has a huge live reputation that he’s bound to live up to. Plus even newer acts such as The Joy Formidable and Pulled Apart By Horses are beginning to make a name for themselves on the live scene.

So overall, I’ll have to agree with Lewis on this one; yes, the veteran’s will definitely put on some great shows, but that’s certainly not to say that some of the younger ones will be giving them a run for their money.

Strictly Our Opinion: SELL

5. For all the criticism the 2011 line up has received, the decision to have The Midnight Beast headline the Festival Republic stage remains the single worst booking.

Lewis Lowe: Buy

This year Festival Republic seems to have made it their sole objective to book as many poor acts as possible, not only that, but they have decided to place them in some really questionable slots. Strong criticism has been aimed in the direction of My Chemical Romance headlining the main stage and Thirty Seconds to Mars subbing on the same day, but for all the haters those bands have, there are a lot of fans that can’t wait to see them play. Now, if you really want to see some disastrous booking then look no further than Festival Republic Stage headliners The Midnight Beast.

Their booking is completely mind-boggling, I just can’t understand it. I know their whole act is a joke, they say some funny stuff sometimes, but on the whole it just comes across as a bit embarrassing, and having them topping a stage is a big joke on Festival Republic. Other headliners on that stage over the weekend are The Horrors and Peter Doherty, both considered credible artists who put out some really decent stuff, The Midnight Beast however haven’t.

The band could have quite easily have been booked elsewhere on the line up but a headline slot on one of the stages, even if it is one of the smaller ones, is quite frankly awful.

Kyle Prangnell: Buy

Ok, so I don’t like The Midnight Beast. I don’t think they’d be a particularly good booking wherever they were on the lineup. However, I don’t think I could really criticize if they were playing in the middle of a lower stage, as that would be an understandable booking. The thing that really gets to me, like Lewis, is the fact that they’re headlining.

Pete Doherty is a big Reading and Leeds favourite, especially following his spectacular performance with The Libertines last year, and The Horrors are also a very credible band, and a brilliant booking in my opinion. The Midnight Beast on the other hand, just do not live up to the talent of the other two in any shape or form. In the past few years we’ve had the British Sea Power, Ash and Dan le Sac vs Scroobious Pip. The Midnight Beast simply pale in comparison.

Strictly Our Opinion: BUY

6. Jared Leto’s Thirty Seconds To Mars will upstage My Chemical Romance and are this year’s dark horse to steal the show.

Lewis Lowe: Buy(ish)

I will get this out there straight from the start; I hate both of these bands with a passion. I think their music is crap and I dislike everything about them which makes this quite tricky, so I’m going to go about this by who I think will be the least terrible act of the two.

Both bands have annoying front men, annoying music, and by targeting the same demographic share the same annoying fans (huge stereotype alert). What does make them different is that Jared Leto can actually sing whereas My Chemical Romances Gerard Way has proved numerous times he cant perform live. I generally like Thirty Seconds to Mars’ records more; I’d even be a liar if I said I didn’t sing along to ‘The Kill’ when it was on the radio. It’s catchy, but then so is malaria.

To wrap this up, My Chemical Romance have had a bigger impact socially and their records have been more successful but Thirty Seconds to Mars actually have a singer who can perform live and, seering as they are performing at a festival, there can be no contest. MCR are destined to prove once again how bad they are leaving Thirty Seconds To Mars looking the better band (just).

Kyle Prangnell: Buy(ish)

Again, I agree with Lewis with this one, but only think that by default. As with Lewis, I’m by no stretch of the imagination a fan of either band, but I dislike 30 Seconds to Mars slightly less. Also, the fact is 30 Seconds to Mars will put on a better live show; Leto can sing a lot better than Way. Although they may bring a better performance than My Chemical Romance, that’s not really saying too much, and there’s no way they’ll steal the show.

Strictly Our Opinion: Buy(ish)