Reading Festival information

The Race, Mr Fogg and Twice Upon A Time

A triumvirate of Reading Festival bands

First of all, how does it feel to be playing at the Reading Festival?

Dan from The Race: "I'm really excited. I still don't think its has quite sunk in, it's been something we have always worked towards and dreamt of doing being from Reading."

Mr Fogg: "The most important thing for me is knowing that music industry professionals, who ought to know what they're talking about, have picked my music out of the pile. That's not to say it's not fantastic to be playing at Reading - it's a festival that is known all over the world."

Twice Upon A Time

Andrew from Twice Upon A Time: "Really, really good! It makes us feel so proud to have achieved something that we've dreamt about doing since we began."

Will you be nervous? What will be going through your mind?

Dan: "I don't think we will be nervous, we'll just have fun and enjoy our half an hour or so. It's an amazing opportunity to play to loads of new people who are pretty open-minded about music. You can't really lose."

Mr Fogg: "I don't get nervous before gigs. It's good to be hyped and excited about playing, but I'm not one of those people who panics before a gig. What I do get, though, is the fear that I've left a vital cable or power adapter at home."

Andrew: "Yes! It's easily the biggest thing we've ever done, so we're going to want to make sure we perform as best we can, because we might never get this chance again."

Why do you think the judges chose you?

Dan: "Because they liked it I guess, it's such a subjective thing with individuals and what kind of music they like, so we are just thankful to have been asked to play."

Mr Fogg: "Indie guitar music has been ‘hot' for a couple of years now. The advantage of not being part of that scene is that you automatically seem a bit different to people. But what I concentrate on most of all is writing the best songs and melodies that I can, irrespective or style or genre, and hopefully that makes my music stick in people's minds."

Andrew: "Not quite sure really, the quality of bands in the final was so good! I think our slightly heavier sound fits the bill of Reading on the Sunday, which Neil commented on when he announced that we'd be playing."

What does it mean for you/your band to play Reading?

Dan: "A LOT. The last time I was at the festival, I spent the whole time dreaming of playing there and I found it so inspiring, now to finally live out those dreams is an amazing thing."

The Race

Mr Fogg: "It means that people are starting to take notice of what I'm doing, and hopefully it means another step towards being able to make a living as a musician. But in the meantime, it means at least another year of being able to justify not starting a more sensible career elsewhere."

Andrew: "So much! We've all grown up in Reading, going to the festival for the last few years, just imagining what it would be like to be on the stage. We now have that chance, and hope to use it to move forward as a band."

What can the crowds expect from your performance?

Dan: "I don't like that question. Much of the usual really."

Mr Fogg: "I've never found one-man-and-a-laptop shows very exciting, and there's nothing like a great live band, so when I play live I bring in other musicians to give it more of a band feel. For Reading that will mean a five-piece including live drums, bass and keyboards."

Andrew: "A good wake up for the day!"

What's in store for you in the near future?

A rare photo of Mr Fogg in the flesh

Dan: "Download single Find Out comes out on Monday 21 August as a lead in to the album, which is out on 11 September. We'll be doing some key dates and in-stores around then before going off on another extensive tour in October to coincide with the first proper single When It Falls, which will be out on 31 October. It's going to be rather hectic between now and Christmas."

Mr Fogg: "I have a new single called Seciov coming out on Worst Case Scenario Records in September on seven inch and download, and I'll be doing a string of tour dates around the release. I have also just made a video which is going to be pre-loaded on Creative's new Zen mp3/video player, and I've been recording some new tracks with Martin Rushent."

Andrew: "We're going to keep going the way we always have, practising, writing new songs, and playing gigs. We understand that this slot isn't going to instantly lead to bigger things, but we want to use this opportunity to move forward, hopefully gaining invaluable experience, and maybe even some exposure."