Now, it’s nice to catch one of the good ol’ rock legends that have been going ever since you were residing in your mother’s womb, but let’s face it -when all they play are festivals, release no new music, play no private gigs and generally hog a slot that could showcase another worthy legend, contemporary or not, that’s where the problem lies.
It's great to catch one of those legendary bands you have been desperate to see and they pop up out of the woodwork for that once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch them again. But now it's becoming a craze for the same artists to seize repeated spots on the same bills, with the same set list and it just gets downright boring. It’s no secret that playing festivals is technically, a cop out. It’s a lot shorter than a tour, there is no effort involved in organizing it, and in the music world it has been quoted as being the lazy option to gaining some fast cash for otherwise stale artists.
Although you can probably guess which acts they are going to be, I have identified the top five culprits: 5. Chemical Brothers The dance outfit just released their seventh studio album last year and so are placed at numero cinco on the list. At least they have offered something fresh and have been vaguely scarce with their choice of festival appearances for the previous five years. They are making up for lost time, however, as they have headlined Coachella both in 2009 and 2011, headlined Ultra Music Festival already this year and also have Electric Zoo scheduled in. There are lots more European Festival dates coming up in various locations as well which include; Prague Open Air Festival, Hurricane and Southside in Germany and the UK's Wireless, Creamfields RockNess and Glastonbury. No avoiding them across the Atlantic either then... 4. Queens Of The Stone Age These guys have been going since 1997. That, my friends, is long enough to rack up an impressive number of festival appearances. Fourteen years worth to be exact. They had been staying relatively clear of the US festivals for a mere three years (although Homme took this time to headline with Them Crooked Vultures instead), but this brief QOTSA interlude has been blown out of the water and they are back with a headlining vengeance. Previous headline-hoggage has included V Festival and Reading and Leeds in the UK and Rock En Seine in France. They have already appeared at SXSW this year and have an unprecedented schedule still to come; Azkena Rock Festival, Glastonbury, Werchter Rock, Arras Main Square Festival, Eurokeenes Festival, St. Gallen Festival, and Soundwave. Even the obscure Belgian Festivals can't be rid of their egotistical insistence to capture the coveted headlining spot. 3. Foo Fighters Now don’t get me wrong. A percentage of this band descends from grunge legends Nirvana, who had a renowned appearance at Reading festival in 1992 when Kurt Cobain was wheeled on stage before putting on a performance that has, and will continue, to transcend the ages. Foo Fighters do have some new music on the cards, but their headlining has gone on for a while, with or without the PR needed for a new record. Their last album was recorded in 2008 and I can’t remember when their last private tour was held (although they have scheduled some tour dates in between festivals this year). As well as being on the bill for Lolapalooza, they are also down for headlining Alabama’s Hangout Festival and Southside and Hurricane Festival in Germany. The seem to be a mega fan of UK festivals and have headlined The Isle of White Festival for the second time within five years. They're also set to headline Oxegen in Ireland and T in The Park in Scotland. It looks like they aren't moving from the top spot either, as Dave Grohl has been reported to say about the forthcoming album, "It's a festival album." 2. The Strokes Everyone loves The Strokes, but there are so many great bands coming through the musical gauntlet now that surely it's time to relinquish their status as Indie Kings in order to let some others get a look into how it feels to play an vast audience of outdoor music lovers? Surely? No? Even with their latest tidbit, Angles released this year, it would still be nice to see another New York band in their spot once in a while who can inject some excitement and don't take for granted their passion for performing. So far this year they have already played Sweetlife, Coachella, Bonnaroo and Isle of White. They've also lined up Austin City Limits, Hurricane, Southside, RockNess and Reading and Leeds. 1. Muse
These guys hog the headlines so much that I’m actually surprised when I stumble across a line up that they aren’t on. They're (obviously) set for Lollapalooza, Outside Lands Music Festival, Kanrockas, and even Australia's Big Day Out. Then there are the European Music Festivals where Germany actually held an award for the best headliner. Guess who? Yup. Muse. Although I think they might have been voting on frequency rather than quality. Other European headlining includes; Rock Am, Plastic Beach, Leeds and Reading.... jeez, I'm getting bored just listing them. The fact is this: if it's got the word festival in, Muse will undoubtedly be playing it.
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