James R | On 15, Aug 2020

With the 2020 Reading and Leeds Festival not taking place this summer, due to the coronavirus pandemic, BBC Music will instead broadcast a weekend of highlights from previous festivals.

From 28th to 30th August, BBC iPlayer will launch a pop-channel featuring sets recorded live, including Anne Marie, Biffy Clyro, Charli XCX, Enter Shikari, Muse, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Sigrid, Stefflon Don, The Libertines, Pale Waves, The 1975 and more.

BBC Four will broadcast highlights from last year’s headline set from rock titans Foo Fighters at Reading Festival from midnight on the Friday until 2am. A pop-up BBC iPlayer channel streaming live sets from the festival’s history between midday and midnight across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A selection of performances from the BBC Music Introducing Stage at Reading Festival in years gone by will also be available on BBC iPlayer, including The Big Moon, Georgia and Olivia Nelson.

On Radio 1m Dev and Jordan North will host two special shows on Saturday and Sunday afternoon featuring some of their favourite past live performances while on BBC Radio 1Xtra, fans can tune in throughout the day on Friday and Saturday to hear select live tracks from 1Xtra artists at Reading and Leeds over the years, including AJ Tracey, J Hus and Wizkid.

Special editions of The BBC Introducing Mixtape on BBC Radio 6 Music (Sundays, 1am-2am) and BBC Music Introducing on Radio 1 with Huw Stephens (Sundays, 11pm-1am), will celebrate Reading and Leeds with some of standout archive performances from the BBC Music Introducing Stage.

Local Introducing shows across BBC Radio Leeds, BBC Radio York, BBC Radio Humberside and BBC Radio Sheffield will come together in a four-way simulcast (Saturday, 8pm-10pm) to celebrate Introducing acts from across the North of England who have performed at the festival, while BBC Music Introducing in Berkshire will recognise Introducing artists from Reading and the surrounding areas (Saturday, 8pm-9pm). Across the weekend all 36 of BBC Music Introducing’s local radio shows will play out past live performances at the festival by Introducing artists from their own local areas.

On BBC Sounds, BBC Music Introducing’s Hot List mix will feature a selection of the 20 freshest tracks from the BBC Music Introducing Uploader from new and emerging artists who would have been put forward to play the festival by the local Introducing shows across the UK.

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