Mallory Knox: “We’re Really Excited To Be A Part Of Reading & Leeds!”

Joining the Reading & Leeds 2017 bill are Cambridge rockers Mallory Knox! We chat to frontman Mikey Chapman about their previous experience of the festival, and what we can expect from their set in August…

Hey, Mikey! The last time you played Reading & Leeds was in 2015 on the main stage – how did you find that experience?

“So when we played main stage it was just the most terrifyingly amazing experience, I guess. It wasn’t really the notion of it that scared me too much because it’s like playing any other show, really, but when you start thinking about who has been on that stage and what it represents, the gravity of it was quite profound. I remember the sound as well, when we introduced the crowd, but when you hear that, the amount of people out there, it’s a whole different sound. It really hit me of just how special it was, which I’m hoping for a repeat of.”

Are you raring to go for this year, then?

“Massively! I mean, we missed out on it last year, which is fine – it’s all part of the process, you know, doing the new record and all that. But, yeah, we’re really hungry to get back there, we love the festival circuit, and the cherry on top is Reading & Leeds for us.”

Did you ever attend the festival before you started a band?

“I never did, I never went to a festival before I was in a band, not through choice, but through lack of money and stuff. Festivals are a world that have been open to me because of what we do.”

Who are you looking forward to seeing on the line-up this year?

“The line-up is quite mixed and varied, isn’t it? I’m really excited to be a part of it. I never caught Eminem last time, so I think that will be one that I’d love to see, just to say that I’ve seen him. Obviously all of our peers… we’ve known Sleeps for a while – they’re smashing it. I guess the big thing for us is actually playing the show and making sure we get it right for anyone who comes to see us because that’s the way it goes with bands, you might have this fantastic day planned, then you kinda end up doing press, then you go and meet some people, then you pack away your stuff, then by that time you’ve missed 90 per cent of the bands you wanted to see.”

Finally, will this mark the next chapter in the Wired touring cycle?

“Oh, for sure. I am really excited to hear how a few of these songs on the new record translate onto a festival stage. Part of the wonder of releasing new music is seeing how it all fits in the scheme of what you do – ‘How does it fit into an intimate venue?’, ‘How does it feel playing to a Roundhouse sort of show?’, and ‘How do certain songs feel when you playing them out to tens of thousands of people at Reading & Leeds?’ There’s a few that may go down treat, but I can’t wait to find out to see if they do.”

Tickets for Reading & Leeds Festival 2017 are currently on sale from the Kerrang! Ticket Store.

Check out the line-up below: