The Top 100 Reading Bands Of The 21st Century

Welcome one and all to Strictly Festival’s latest and greatest feature: a weekly countdown of the 100 bands that have helped to define Reading and Leeds Festivals in eleven years since turn of the millennium (2000-11).

Now before anyone complains about the title, this list will represent both Reading and Leeds, we’re just using Reading as short hand for the two festivals, because lets face it, all those conjunctions and plurals kill the flow of an otherwise smooth sentence. It’s not a snub, it’s just short hand.

So without further ado, it’s about time we answered some pressing questions.

So How Does The List Work, And How Was It Made?

Strictly Festivals polled a select group of writers, commentators, festival insiders and festival superfans (both past and present). The final list is based on a fair and even vote, where each voter was asked to submit his or her own Top 50 Reading bands in order.

All the lists were then combined and converted into points. For a band to make the final list they had to receive at least two votes, and amass a minimum of 30 points.

The voting was extremely tight and the winner was decided by the final vote cast, so we expect controversy, turmoil, and lots of angry comments.

So That’s How The List Was Made, But What Is It Really About?

Strictly’s Top 100 list is all about preference and personal experience, we wanted our list to represent the fans and critics’ true feelings about the bands and the festival, we simply asked that our voters to keep one criteria in mind.

Every writer had to consider a band’s sheer Readingness, still confused? Don’t worry, it’s not one tangible thing, it’s the essence of the festival, and it comes in many forms.

Are Biffy Clyro the definitive Reading band because they rock hard and have played the festival more than five times? Or are The Pixies the perfect Reading band, they may have only played once, but their one performance was so sensational and atmospheric it created a “Reading Moment” and became a legend in its own right.

Is it important that the band help to tell the story of the decade? Gun ‘n’ Roses have gone down in Reading history for all the wrong reasons, while the ascent of both The Darkness and Arctic Monkeys have helped to codify the Reading narrative in completely different, but entirely essential ways.

Is the past, present or future of the festival more important? Are headliners more important than undercard acts? Is one style or genre more Reading than another? Who can say?

It was up to each voter to interpret what it means to be “a Reading band”. After all, that’s the beauty of the festival; it means different things to different people, and by polling as varied a field as possible, we hope to have captured something of the essence of Reading.

So tune in on Monday, and every weekday, as we’ll be counting down a host of bands each day, celebrating the great sets and moments that have helped to make Reading…well…Reading; as we seek to crown The 21st Century’s Definitive Reading Band.

So Who Will It Be?

Pulp?

Rage?

Metallica?

The Libertines?

Frank Turner?

2manyDJs?

The Killers?

The Polyphonic Spree?

50 Cent?

The Rasmus?

Daphne & Celeste?

We’ll find out sooner rather than later, and you never know, we could shock everyone! Or we might play it incredibly safe, you’ll have to wait and see.