The summer’s festival season is in full swing. There are plenty of amazing festivals here in Britain and you get to enjoy some of the best acts in the whole world at these events. Summer festivals are also fun for making new discoveries and introducing yourself to fresh new bands. If you are heading down to Reading this year, the line-up is going to provide amazing experiences for all music lovers. These are the five must see bands at Reading in 2014.

1. Blink 182

Blink 182 were one of the biggest rock bands at the start of the millennium. The boys had a bit of a break a while back, but are now back in action. Blink 182 have headlined Reading before and if their previous gigs are anything to go by, it is guaranteed they will put up a great show for everyone to enjoy. Furthermore, the band was the first announced headline act for this year, so expectations are high.

“Blink-182 2011-12-11 10″ by IllaZilla – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The band will be playing on the main stage on Sunday and the show is guaranteed to give the festival audience a great goodbye. You will most likely be hearing old favourites including ‘All the Small Things’ to new songs from their upcoming seventh studio album.

2. Jake Bugg

Summer festivals are often the stepping-stone for musicians and Jake Bugg is one such success story. Even before he had his first album out, he had already played at the Reading festival stage. This quirky rock star has made his way from the Festival Republic Stage in 2012 to the main stage in 2014.

Image Credit: Antje Naumann via Wikimedia Commons

Jake Bugg knows how to entertain the crowds and his second album ‘Shangri La’ has received plenty of attention around the world. Bugg takes the main stage on Saturday just before Arctic Monkeys, so you can expect an energetic gig that will set the mood for the day’s final act.

3. Queens of the Stone Age

Reading festival’s stages have definitely been kind to Queens of the Stone Age, with the band playing on these stages four times before 2014. If you are a big fan of the band, then you must head down to Reading since it’ll be their only UK gig this summer. Being such a unique occasion, the gig will definitely be energetic and the boys will do their best to please the crowds.

“Queens of the Stone Age at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007″ by Bruce Turner. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons –

This rock band is perfect for a summer festival, since their tunes offer something for all music lovers. Josh Homme’s unique vocals are great for a festival stage and the quirky guitar riffs are something worth learning to play at home. If you want to have a good time, then you need to head down to the main stage on Friday evening, 22^nd of August.

4. Of Mice & Men

Reading’s line-up is great because it offers something for everyone. And if you are a friend of metal music, then Of Mice & Men will get you going this summer. The band is making its debut at Reading and it is going to be one loud and energetic gig for sure.

The band’s previous albums ‘The Flood’ and ‘Restoring Force’ have both received plenty of adulation from the audience and critics alike. Furthermore, Of Mice & Men recently sold out London’s Koko venue, so there is plenty of expectation that they are going to be one of the must see bands at the festival. If you want to get to know this band, then you can see them perform on the Lock up Stage as well as the Pit.

5. Nero

On top of the above bands, Reading will also offer something for fans of electronic music. Nero will provide the closing set for Saturday on the BBC Radio 1 Stage. This electronic music trio from Britain will have plenty of hits to play from ‘Guilt’ to ‘Innocence’ and they are sure to get the audience jumping. You should check out their interview from 2011 at the Hey Man Check My Band blog.

Reading festival will definitely provide plenty to see this summer. The above bands are just the selected few that you must see if you are heading down to the festival area. Perhaps it’ll spark your passion for learning to play an instrument as well!