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Lumineers praise UK festival crowds

The Lumineers have praised British festival crowds for going "wild" for them this summer.

As well as playing their first ever festivals in the UK this year, they are also celebrating their self-titled album going platinum.

Bassist Benjamin Wahamaki said one thing he wished he could change was the weather.

As a shower of rain hit the largely sunny Reading site on Sunday afternoon ahead of their main stage set, he said: "I thought we were finally going to get to play at a UK festival when it wasn't raining."

Pianist Stelth Ulvang added: "Leeds was so muddy. It was worse than Glastonbury."

Describing the reaction they had on Friday in Leeds, Wahamaki said: "It was great. They were more of a rock crowd, but still excited to be there. Some of us went out into the audience and they were pretty crazy."

Ulvang added: "We got pretty close up to them. We had to retreat quite quickly and get back onto stage."

The band, headlining the iTunes festival in London next month, said they were pleased there were so many good bands on the Reading/Leeds line-up, adding they had seen the sets by Nine Inch Nails and System of a Down.

Wahamaki said: "It's pretty wild. Even the name is legendary. You always hear about people's Reading and Leeds gigs. It's surreal to be here ourselves. We'd be pleased if just 200 people came to see us. It's such an honour for us."

He said he was surprised by how quickly the band's popularity had grown in the UK, less than a year after they first performed here. "We've been thrilled," he added.

Source: music.uk.msn.com
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