大象传媒

The best thing about Reading + Leeds? The crowds. You’d be hard pressed to find a set not welcomed by flailing arms and mosh pits. Budding new bands are treated like superstars, adored from the first note. There’s no such thing as too much excitement, here. And few feelings top being front row, singing every word to a festival anthem.

Judging by the line-up, this year’s Reading + Leeds could be full of anthems. These are the songs we hope to soundtrack 2017’s fest - fingers crossed!

One of the Leicester lads’ oldest and dearest tunes, Club Foot is proof that the group’s fest-ready prowess was there from the get-go.

Best lyric: “One, take control of me / You’re messing with the enemy.”

What a tune. The Haim sisters became superstars thanks to The Wire’s foot-stomping brilliance. Try listening to this without playing air guitar.

Best lyric: “Always keep your heart locked tight / Don’t let your mind redial.”

Liam Gallagher plays his first Reading + Leeds solo set this year, and he's sure to play some Oasis classics. Don't Look Back In Anger has taken on extra poignancy this year in the wake of the tragic Manchester attack, becoming a de-facto soundtrack of togetherness for the defiant city. Sure, Liam's solo stuff is exciting, but the festival needs to hear this.

Best lyric: "And so, Sally can wait / She knows it's too late as we're walking on by / Her soul slides away / But don't look back in anger / I heard you say."

Back when grime was having its first moment in the late ‘00s, this was the anthem. Seeing this live = two minutes of absolute carnage.

Best lyric: “Usually drink, usually dance, usually bubble.”

Halsey shot to fame in 2015 with this wise-beyond-its-years story of excess, boredom and pop culture.

Best lyric: “Raised on Biggie and Nirvana, we are the New Americana.”

In their early days, Muse mastered riled-up anthems in the league of Plug in Baby, taken from their seminal second album Origin of Symmetry.

Best lyric: “Baby you’re gonna lose, your own game.”

Atlanta rappers Migos are huge because of this song. 2016’s ‘Bad and Boujee’, featuring Lil Uzi Vert, is the moment trap broke into the global mainstream.

Best lyric: “Raindrop (drip), drop top (drop top)”

Anyone new to Taylor Momsen’s hedonistic, fuzz-laced pop should start with this, a wild and free soundtrack to rebellion.

Best lyric: “Oh lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below.”

Nu-metal gets its big Reading + Leeds moment this year. Expect the festival’s most massive pit to open when Korn play this Grammy-winning hit.

Best lyric: “Nothing in my life is free, is free.”

Only these Oxford odd-poppers know how to make a legitimate anthem with lyrics about “peanut butter vibes” and the Amazon rainforest. Glass Animals are weird, and all the better for it.

Best lyric: “I just wanna go where I can take some space.”

Until recently, ‘Lean On’ was the most streamed song ever, and it remains Diplo and co.’s biggest calling card. Here’s hoping Danish popstar Mø, who guests on the song, joins them on the Main Stage.

Best lyric: “Blow a kiss, fire a gun / We need someone to lean on.”

• 大象传媒 Music at Reading + Leeds 2017
• Reading + Leeds 2017 - Line-up
• Playlist: Reading + Leeds 2017