Undoubtedly the biggest breakout electronic act in recent memory, Fred Again and his distinctive brand of emotional electronic music captured a lockdown (and eventually, post-lockdown) feeling of partying through collective grief and uncertainty.
It quickly progressed to a staggering live show, bolstered by an impressive Boiler Room set and sealing the deal with a four-night Alexandra Palace run and an Other Stage standout at Glastonbury 2022. It’s a show that’s drawn record-breaking crowds at other festivals (Helsinki’s Flow Festival and Budapest’s Sziget Festival both saw staggering numbers this summer), and Reading is no different.
“We don’t normally start a show like this,” he says of the rumbling ‘Turn On the Lights again..’ that kicked off tonight’s set, “but I knew exactly how I was gonna start this, because I know how it feels to be in that crowd”. It quickly becomes apparent that Reading’s Main Stage has never seen a show quite like this. Aside from the fact that electronic music hasn’t had top billing since Disclosure headlined in 2016, the scale of this show and the size of the crowd could mark a significant shift in Reading’s booking habits.
Largely forgoing the heartfelt speeches and slow-building piano tracks that set him apart from any other DJ or producer, Fred is firing on all cylinders tonight. Big hitters like ‘adore u’, dedicated to his little sister, and glitchy banger ‘leavemealone’ arrive early on, Fred dashing between his scissor lift opening set and the main stage.
Needless to say, Fred Again is so much better when it’s just the bangers. The earth-shattering run of ‘BerwynGesaffNeighbours’, ‘Jungle’ and ‘Rumble’, all from 2022’s ‘USB’, the latter polished off with an extra Baby Keem sample and a heavy D&B outro, is inimitable. It’s the Saturday night at Reading, and with nothing billed against him bar the late 2000s indie of The Wombats, he’s making every minute count.
After that intense high, we’re back to classic Fred for the home stretch. ‘Angie (i’ve been lost)’ and ‘Clara (the night is dark)’ set the stage for his breakout hit, the Blessed Madonna collaboration ‘Marea (we’ve lost dancing)’ that cut straight to the heart of those missing partying during the pandemic. A lot of Fred Again’s ‘Actual Life’ series is a clear descendant of artists like James Blake and Caribou, but as is evident in this very field, nothing cuts through like Fred.
By the time ‘Billie (loving arms)’ and ‘Delilah (pull me out of this)’ arrive to close out, there’s a kind of euphoria felt across the festival that doesn’t come around often. Booking Fred Again.. to headline a festival usually berated with “I thought this was a rock festival!!” comments could’ve been a risk, but it’s one worth taking when the payoff is this intensely good.
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