Balu Brigada, Reading Festival 2025 REVIEW: There are instances where you know you are right in the middle of a perfect storm. Where everything is placed for something rather extraordinary to happen. And in between their support slot with Twenty One Pilots across the UK and Europe earlier this year and the release of their debut album 'Portal' next week, Balu Brigada’s appearance on a Festival Republic Stage that keeps on getting busier and busier feels exactly like that. It’s clear why the band have struck such a deep chord, too. Their breezy brand of pop-rock is wonderfully addictive, with the delicate notes of ‘What Do We Ever Really Know?’ and the unrestrained freedom at the heart of ‘Backseat’ getting heads nodding, feet tapping, and arms waving effortlessly from front to back. Though what really puts them in even higher stead is just how much the unanimous support means to Henry and Pierre. Dancing like no one is watching, beaming from ear to ear and looking at each other with ...