10 different genres that people moshed to at Reading on Friday
In years gone by, the Reading festival menu could stand accused of being a teensy bit limited. Basically you could have any genre you wanted, as long as it was rock. Indie rock, punk rock, rap rock and metal were all acceptable variants. But anything that wasn't rock was likely to get bottled off. Thankfully times have changed, tastes have expanded and Reading is now a broad church.
Don't get us wrong, bands still have to rock. They just don't have to be rock bands. And as this year's crowd have proved, you can mosh to pretty much anything...
1. Grime
Grime came of age as a festival force last year when Skepta shut down Glastonbury and Stormzy stormed Reading. This year made the step up from the dance tent to the main stage and the , chanting every word to anthems like Man Don't Care, Pow (featuring Lethal Bizzle) and Too Many Man.
Boy Better Know - Too Many Man (Reading + Leeds 2016)
You can always rely on BBK to bring the noise
2. Pop house
House music on the Reading festival main stage? Back in the noughties there would have been outrage but 's irresistible tunes have converted all but the most stubborn metalhead. Their dazzling light-show made them as the sun finally disappeared.
3. Alt RnB
Anything of a more sultry, soulful bent has typically been a hard sell at Reading. But former Odd Future associates made it look easy with a set of gorgeously off-kilter RnB grooves. Frank Ocean to headline in 2017?
4. Electro pop
The three members of used to be in underachieving guitar bands until they realised it would be much more fun to embrace out-and-out pop (without surrendering any of their indie attitude). Judging by the reaction to their , the Reading crowd prefer it this way too.
CHVRCHES - Bury It (Reading + Leeds 2016)
A sublime slice of synth-pop
5. UK rap
Although has some crossover with grime - his medley of Kano's 3 Wheel Ups and JME's Man Don't Care was a raucous highlight of - he comes from a slightly different UK rap tradition that has been under-represented at Reading until now. Hopefully his mighty performance here will change all that.
Giggs - Whippin' Excursion (Reading + Leeds 2016)
Get your grime fix from the NME / Radio 1 Stage
6. Indie pop
Among all the acts pumping out high-tech beats, ' set of goofy, unpolished indie-pop was quietly revolutionary - and .
Hinds - Bamboo (Reading + Leeds 2016)
Get a taste of the Spanish indie rockers' fun-filled set
7. Synth punk
Despite not having any guitars in their band, have always been assured of a good reception at Reading thanks to their gothy, punky attitude. Now featuring new singer Edith Frances, 2016 might have been their , their relentless strobe lights pummelling everyone into submission.
8. Zef
OK, zef isn't strictly a musical style - it's more of a South African subculture that identify with. But whatever you want to call it, their brand of unhinged horror-rap-rave sounds like nothing else we've ever heard, while still getting the masses moshing.
9. EDM
Skrillex used to be an emo kid, which is probably why he spotted the gap in the market for electronic music performed with the dynamism and showmanship of rock. But is something else again - more than just EDM, call it turbocharged pop music for the 22nd century.
10. Rock
Oh, we almost forgot. It might be a wildly eclectic, genre-bending mash-up these days, but Reading is still the best place to come for , as proved admirably.
Lower Than Atlantis - Work For It (Reading + Leeds 2016)
Performing live on the Main Stage on Friday
