Melvin Benn, the organiser behind Reading & Leeds, has spoken to NME at the opening day of the 2025 event, and revealed that the festival is already well underway with booking headliners for next year.
Check out the interview in the video above, or read it in full below.
The festival organiser caught up with us backstage at day one of Reading Festival (August 22), and shared what it was like to see the event come together after months of preparation, as well as details the new changes introduced to the site for 2025.
It comes as he revealed details of an “overhaul” to the camping design at the start of the year – introducing bespoke sections, carved out especially for solo punters, eco-friendly visitors, the LGBTQ+ community, and more.
Explaining how the idea arose, he tells us: “I think it’s not just the biggest overhaul in the festival’s history, but in all festivals’ history. I was reflecting, and I realised that I was here in the ‘70s, and the campsite hadn’t changed very much since then!”
“Reading Festival is always perceived as just for 16-year-olds, but actually, there are a lot of other age groups here. So the idea that we would have a calm campsite for people who don’t want to stay up all night had been knocking on my door for a little while,” he adds. “So I had the idea that we would have a campsite that focused on the LGBT+ community, and a women’s campsite, and an eco campsite, and one for people that come on their own. The response has been wonderful. I mean, much better than I anticipated.”
“We invested a lot more money into the toilets and the showers and these ‘Get Ready With Me’ stations— and the idea that people would want to blow dry their hair at a festival is not something I would have anticipated 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago. But this new generation want to do that, and I’m glad to be able to provide it for them.”
Check out the full interview with Melvin Benn below, where he also tells us about what made Bring Me The Horizon, Chappell Roan, Travis Scott, and Hozier stand out as headliners, plans for the 2026 line-up, and more.
NME: Hi Melvin, what’s it like to be back at Reading Festival in 2025?
“It’s lovely for me, it always is. This is my happy place, it’s a highlight of the year, and it’s the most important weekend in live music for such a lot of people.
“The whole team and the crews have been here since late July, building campsites and essentially making a small town for a period. We’ve made quite a lot of changes this year, and people have been excited about change, which is nice for me, when they’re not resistant.”
The changes aren’t just in the facilities, but also in the ways that punters can keep busy once the live performances end…
“Yeah, we have silent disco and the silent karaoke, which is always hysterical. The silent disco was something we found hilarious when we first brought it to the UK, but then we introduced silent karaoke and it’s a scream.
“In Reading, we’re in the middle of the town so we can’t make too much late night noise. Whereas in Leeds, there’s much more of a late night vibe because it’s more rural and we can make more noise. We’ve designed both so it doesn’t stop – we’ve got movies in the campsites too, and we’re trying to make the weekend completely full for everybody.”
Speaking of something for everybody, the line-up this year shows off some incredibly diverse headliners. What was it about these artists that stood out to you?
“Ultimately, their popularity stands out because we have to book artists that will fill the audience, but it’s also about what today’s ticket buyer wants. I think across the three nights we’ve ticked absolutely every box.
“Bring Me The Horizon and Limp Bizkit are going to be just incredible. Bring Me played a few years ago, and the effort that they put into the production is amazing.
“For Travis Scott, he’s at the peak of his career so far, and that phenomenon may get bigger and bigger. He’s probably my favourite live act on the planet at the moment. I’ve done a number of shows with Travis over the years, and it’s always incredible. It’s mind-blowing how good he is, especially to say that it’s just a single person on stage. Everybody should make the effort to see him because he really is very special.”
And who can forget Chappell Roan and Hozier?
“Yeah, they’re here in Reading tonight, and it’s great because pop is very much back in full force, and I have to reflect that. We can’t just stand still and say when it has to be only rock or it has to be only hip-hop. Pop is alive and flourishing and well.
“Hozier has proved to be, as his manager described him, a sleeping giant, in that sense. He’s amazing live; what a voice. Then, Chappell, she’s the statement of a generation, particularly of young women’s generation. She has a point of view, and Reading Festival loves people with a point of view. It’s going to be a joy to see her on stage because this is the right moment for her to be here. I’m sure she’ll go on to be even bigger, but at this point in time, this is the perfect play for her.”
Is that anyone who has caught your eye who could be a headliner in future years?
“Yes. There are two or three on the bill this year that I think are future headliners… but I’ve stopped predicting that to the public because I think it’s a burden on the artists to say, ‘You’re tipped as being a future headliner… but will you be?’
“One of the things that we do here is give acts a chance to go through the ranks. Let them start on one of the smaller stages and come all the way through.”
With the new improvements here to stay, it looks like 2026 will be one to remember. Do you think Glastonbury having a fallow year may lead to more eyes on Reading & Leeds? Are you planning anything around that?
“We’re not going to increase the capacity. And while there is no Glastonbury in 2026, people always come to Reading Festival because of the artists that we book. The Reading Festival is not a second choice in that sense.
“I’ve already got headliners for two of the three nights booked already for next year, and I’m really confident about the artists. I feel like we’re in a stronger position than I can remember for an awfully long time. I can’t remember when I’ve ever had two of the three nights booked by this stage. We’ve had one booked by this stage, but I can’t remember ever having two of the three.
“We’re not far away from having the third one already booked, so I think we’re in a really good place. Plus, I think the changes that we’ve made will make people want to come back even more. Ultimately, they’ll come back to see the headliners, and I think we’ll be presenting great headliners for them.”
Check back here for all of NME’s coverage of Reading & Leeds 2025.
