Dream festival line up

I was asked to do this task for a university interview so here's what I put:

Arctic Monkeys- Possibly the biggest band in the world right now so they would make an ideal headliner. Their fifth and latest album (AM) has received rave reviews including a 10/10 from NME so therefore the critics definitely love them. Plus they’ve got five albums worth of hits that a lot of people would instantly recognise. All five of these albums reached number 1 in the UK and from these albums, 12 singles have reached the top 40 so there’s no denying that Arctic Monkeys aren’t popular.

Blur (cover stars)- Blur would be perfect because they would appeal to older audiences seeing as the band were huge back in the mid 90’s. Also the band don’t play many gigs these days so it would be a special occasion if they were on this dream line up. What on earth is going on with that new album as well? Will it be out soon? Or will we have to wait about 20 years just like Guns N Roses Chinese Democracy? Frontman Damon Albarn has been, and is a very busy man so it would interesting to ask him a few questions about his collaborations. For example will we ever get another Gorillaz album? It would be good to get a scoop on things such as this. Other questions that could be included are: what do you have in store for the setlist? Will there be any new songs? Why don’t you tour that much? Etc. There could also be questions about their Britpop rivalry with Oasis back in the day and how they felt about the whole situation. Overall, with so many topics to talk about, I think Blur would make ideal cover stars for a programme.

The Pixies- I have only just recently got into The Pixies but I am well aware that they keep changing their bassist. This could make for a fascinating article in the programme if we asked the band why they have changed their bassist twice? Also why does the bassist have to be female? Are you trying to get someone who is as close to original bassist Kim Deal as possible? Also The Pixies would certainly appeal to those who like their rock music a bit heavier so it would add a bit of variety to the line up. Plus the band are highly influential to many and Kurt Cobain famously said that he “ripped off The Pixies” whilst writing Smells like Teen Spirit. This booking for the dream festival would certainly be a special one given the fact that the band has done a lot for alterative rock.

Flight Of The Conchords- It might seem like a bit of an unusual decision putting Flight Of The Conchords on a dream festival line up but hear me out. The New Zealand comedy duo would surely belong on a comedy stage but I think that this act is big enough to fill up a main stage festival field. This is because the band have actually played at Wembley Stadium a couple of times and they have a large cult following too. A lot of people would probably find their quirky brand of folk/rap/pop/comedy quite entertaining too so this is why I think this would make a good booking. Also a humorous article could be written about how they feel about being the only comedy act on the bill.   

Vampire Weekend- The New York indie rockers have three albums worth of songs so they certainly have enough material to entertain a crowd. Also the band has a loveable twee like charm about them and they have played to a large Glastonbury crowd a few times. A nice booking if you ask me.

Florence and the Machine- This act would add more of a pop variety to the bill and plus she would be the only solo act so again, this fact adds more variety. Plus she has a few recognisable hits so this will please the audience.

Crystal Castles- This band would please the festival goer that’s looking for the more obscure. The duo are usually described as being noisy, electronic and gothic so this would add a bit more of an ambiguity feel to the line up. Plus they could certainly get a mosh or two started.  

Los Campesinos- Only really on here because of personal preference. I think this artist is criminally underrated so it would be good for them to get some decent exposure at this festival. They have opened the main stage at Reading and Leeds festivals before so it wouldn’t be a risky booking. They would pull in a decent sized crowd.