This weekend, we’re ‘on the ground’ at Reading 2022. Featuring some of the biggest and most exciting bands and artists on the planet, alongside the buzziest new acts, we’ll be bringing you coverage of everything you need to know. That includes photos of all the key sets, including these snaps of Wolf Alice, who took to the Main Stage East on Saturday (27th August).
Last time Arctic Monkeys headlined Reading, Wolf Alice were on the Festival Republic stage. This time around they’re playing right before them, staking their claim as the next in line.
Playing off their Glastonbury arrival chaos (where they almost didn’t make their Pyramid Stage performance thanks to cancelled flights), they open with a skit about waking up late for their show but making it in time by arriving on choppers.
But make no mistake, they’re not fucking around. They’ve spent this album cycle warming up to a moment like this, with Theo referring to the Saturday sub-headline slot as sacred ground. Throwing themselves straight in with ‘Smile’, the pacing is fantastic, and slower tracks like ‘How Can I Make It Ok?’ are received just as well as the roaring ‘Greatest Hits’.
It’s fair to say no band deserves this reception more than Wolf Alice. They’re (hopefully) a shoe-in for a headline slot in the near future and have spent the last few years making themselves unmissable on any bill. As ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ swells as the final track, it’s an emotional and euphoric ending for a band at the best they’ve ever been.
