Solo artists vs bands at UK festivals: which do you prefer?

You’re growing up with a group of mates obsessed with music. You want to form a band and have dreams of one day headlining a summer festival or being the next Oasis.

This past bank holiday weekend saw thousands braving the wind, rain and mud to converge at Reading and Leeds.

The headline acts were Fred Again.., Gerry Cinnamon, Liam Gallagher, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Blink-182 and Lana Del Rey – mostly solo acts.

The same festival 10 years ago had Queens of the Stone Age, Paramore, Arctic Monkeys and again, Blink-182. A line-up full of bands.

So is the type of music we hear at festivals changing, and is it harder for newer bands to get top billing?

Last year, only four new songs released by bands made it to the top 100 Singles Charts.

And other big festivals this year such as Glastonbury and Radio 1’s Big Weekend saw Coldplay as the only band headline act.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat at Reading, Welsh pop-punk band Neck Deep have only ever experienced fame as a group, never solo.

Guitarist Sam Bowden feels that bands are “a dying part of the industry”.

“It’s financially crushing for bands now,” he says.

“It’s hard to go out there and break even.”

Like with lots of things in the past few years, costs in the industry have gone up, whether that is buying equipment, travelling and even finding music venues where bands normally start out.

In 2023, 125 UK venues abandoned live music, with over half of these shutting entirely due to financial stresses.

Another possible factor is the way the modern industry is now more geared towards solo acts.

With TikTok and streaming, algorithms increasingly dominate music discovery, with it potentially being easier for solo artists to chase viral moments.

Neck Deep drummer Matt Powles feels it’s easier to follow one person on apps like TikTok instead of a band with multiple people as there’s less information to have to take in as fans.

The Wombats frontman, Matthew “Murph” Murphy agrees and told Newsbeat he thinks the industry is leaning towards solo artists.

“They’re easier to sign, they’re cheaper to promote, there’s only one consciousness to deal with rather than four,” he says.

“It’s going to take guitar bands to break through to change the culture,” he adds.

But does it matter that fewer bands are taking the charts by storm?

Pop star CHINCHILLA, who was born in London, released her debut single Elements back in 2019.

She says she’s glad to have had an opportunity to be a solo artist for Reading and Leeds.

“I feel empowered by it,” she says.

Since her debut single, she has supported bands like McFly on tour, and played festivals across the UK and Europe.

CHINCHILLA started making music in a band back when she was younger, but always knew it was solo work she wanted to do.

“All the people who I’m inspired by are big, female solo artists,” she says.

She feels being solo allows her to have full creative control.

“I just wanted to make music I could shake my bum to,” CHINCHILLA adds.

“I think it’s easier for bands to have disagreements.

“Especially if they’re your best friends. You probably have the best times and the worst times,” she says, adding she has a lot of respect for bands.

The benefits of being solo also mean greater individual focus, according to Zino Vinci.

The rapper was first to take to the main stage on Saturday at Reading – his debut festival appearance.

“You can have a band in rap, but I like the limelight too much,” he laughs.

“So I kind of want it to be just me up there.”

Zino says he grew up on video games like Fifa, that played a lot of music from bands like Slipknot and Nine Inch Nails, so there was a part of him that wanted to perform in a group at one point.

But as the middle child in his family, he jokes he “wants all of the attention”.

Callum Nurse, Charlotte Tambinayagam and Saphia Lamb, all 21, attended Reading Festival for the weekend.

Charlotte and Saphia agreed that solo artists were their favourite to listen to.

“I feel like it’s easier to sing along [to solo artists] when you’re doing karaoke,” says Charlotte.

She does think bands are better live though.

She says she could only ever name the lead singer when it comes to bands, not the other members.

Saphia likes solo artists because she likes to listen to different genres of music.

“I see artists for different reasons,” says Callum.

“Bands are a better vibe,” he says. “There’s much more going on.”

He think that when you see bands, you’re there for the music and the instruments, but with solo artists you’re there for the lyrics.

However, all three of them said if they were to become musicians, they would be in bands and not do it solo.

And for Neck Deep, being in a band is more than just music.

“If you’re a solo artist you live and die by your personal success,” drummer Matt Powles says.

Sam imagines doing it solo is probably quite lonely, and enjoys getting to have a laugh with his mates on stage every night instead.

The group said being in a band helped them through some tough times on the road too.

“It is about the people you’re in it with,” Sam adds.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.