Reading And Leeds Memories: Huw Stephens

Radio 1 DJ, festival compere and all-round top geezer Huw Stephens remembers his first festival experience some 14 years ago this weekend!

Posted Thursday, 25 August 2011 by Rock Sound in

Blog

In 1997, I got my GCSE results. While I don't remember what I got exactly, I do remember what happened after opening those results. I got on a train to Reading, and experienced my first ever festival. Stereophonics opened the main stage; I remember Steve Lamacq introduced them on stage. Manic Street Preachers were one of the headliners along with Metallica and Suede. Lower down the bill on the Radio 1 stage, a new Welsh band called Catatonia played, as did Swedes the Wannadies. Ah, the joys of indie guitar goodness! I remember being down the front for the Boo Radleys, and I still have the drummer’s drumstick.

I haven't missed a Reading since then, and love being there every year. I compere the main stage, playing music in-between band sets and welcoming groups on stage. I love the atmosphere before a band goes on stage; you see this massive crowd going wild and the bands strutting about, sometimes nervous and group-hugging, sometimes doing stretches. With my role at Reading, I was out in Kenya recently with Melvin Benn who runs Reading and Leeds. The ActionAid charity has been involved with Reading for ten years, and we went out to see the work being done in Africa through the young people at Reading. The ActionAid tent is now legendary at the Reading campsite of course, loads of ace DJs are on every year, and so it was great to see how the work in Reading directly benefits those in Kenya.

Here's to Reading 2011!

For more on ActionAid's work click here.