Fred Again.. was pretty much the perfect artist to soundtrack this new, post-COVID world.
His introspective, vulnerable lyrics speak of anxiety, uncertainty and a resilient lust for life while the glitching rave offers a much-needed sense of euphoria. 2021’s debut album Actual Life made Fred Again..
. the hottest name in dance but he quickly broke out of that scene as well, helped by a mesmerising sunset slot at Glastonbury last year and a headline gig at Coachella 2024 alongside drum & bass hellraiser Skrillex and electro maestro Four Tet. This summer, Fred Again.
.’s been busy helping a number of European festivals break all-time attendance records. It’s been a rapid rise to the top, which is perhaps why Saturday night’s headline slot at Reading Festival saw Fred Again.
.cling so desperately to intimacy. “Holy shit, I’m nervous,” he admitted early on during his biggest UK gig yet.
The show started with him in the middle of the crowd on a floating platform for the laser-strewn “Turn On The Lights Again..” while the clever production used the various speaker stacks dotted across the arena, which made the absolutely massive audience feel as close to the action as possible.
That closeness was showcased throughout the show as well. Sarah Benaim’s tumblr poem “Explaining My Depression To My Mother: A Conversation” was turned into an atmospheric interlude while Fred Again..
encouraged the crowd to repeat the mantra “I’ll let you take a piece of me, I hope you get the peace you need” throughout the night. Then there were tracks like the chirping “I Adore U”, and the tender “Angie (I’ve Been Lost)” which were about as sappy as it gets. Those heartfelt reflections may have been what drew people to Fred Again.
. in the first place, but the restless Saturday night crowd at Reading Festival came here to party. “I know exactly how you’re feeling because this was my first festival when I was 16,” Fred Again.
. told the crowd. “I still remember exactly how it feels to be out there”, with the producer doing everything in his power to make the night as memorable as possible.
The set leant heavily on rowdy transcendence and breakout tracks like “Jungle”, “Rumble” and “Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)” caused absolute pandemonium in the crowd. The twitching “Places To Be” was urgent and fiery while the glitching “Delilah (Pull Me Out Of This)” started delicate before an explosive, firework-strewn breakdown closed out the night in epic fashion. A reprise of “Peace U Need” then sent the audience home with a sense of hope, warmth and togetherness.
Fred Again.. is an easy target for criticism.
His sample-heavy style of music has seen the producer accused of being a culture vulture with many purists dismissing him as the Coldplay of dance. He’s also so posh, his family tree features a number of actual Earls. It’s hard to argue with a show that felt so massive but communal though.
You can’t buy the sort of excitement that Fred Again.. inspires and despite how big things have got in recent years, his Reading Festival headline set felt like another massive step up.
Surely stadiums await..
