Reading Festival: Arctic Monkeys headline after banning BBC live coverage

We may not have the video evidence yet, but Arctic Monkeys did headline the Reading Festival last night, just FYI. 

Hours before the special event, the BBC announced it would not be airing Arctic Monkeys’ headline set from Richfield Avenue as it happened live ‘at the artists’ request’. 

Instead, fans at home who weren’t able to attend the music festival in person will get to catch all the on-stage magic tonight when the performance will air in full. 

It may be a few hours yet before the visuals are broadcast, but at least we have the photographic evidence for now. 

Images from the performance show frontman Alex Turner looking dapper on-stage wearing a smart blazer and shirt with trousers, while Matt Helders took charge of the drums and Nick O’Malley rocked the electric guitar. 

Arctic Monkeys fans weren’t disappointed by the setlist – apparently – as the band treated them to classics such as Do I Wanna Know?, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor (ah, the nostalgia), R U Mine? and Teddy Picker. 

They also gave the crowd a listen of their new song, I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am, lifted off their upcoming album The Car, which is due in October.

Their encore included One Point Perspective and Arabella. 

On Saturday morning, BBC Radio 1 broke the news to fans that they’d have to wait a whole day to watch the Arctic Monkeys in action. 

The tweet read: ‘At the artists request, we will not be able to bring you the Arctic Monkeys set live this evening.

‘But you will be able to watch them tomorrow on BBC One, from 23:35.’ 

Reacting to the news, one fan said: ‘I’m so annoyed about this! I was so looking forward to watching their set as they’re one of my favourite band.’ 

Another theorised: ‘It’s probably because they want people that paid to see it live at Leeds to see it before people at home which is understandable.’ 

Before Arctic Monkeys performed as the closing act on Saturday, Bring Me The Horizon lit up the main stage and brought a surprise guest along for the ride, with Ed Sheeran joining them to perform their remix of his number one bop Bad Habits. 

Reading Festival will continue tonight with The 1975 headlining, while Arctic Monkeys and Bring Me The Horizon will move onto Leeds Festival.

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