For me, this year’s Reading Festival would turn out to be my sixth in a row. It really got me thinking that I now find myself representing the old guard of attendees who would normally make camp at the festival these days. There has certainly been a shift in terms of the popularity of the event, i.e. not instantly selling out, but still managing to fill the grounds, and with a line-up that was respectable and not too different from previous years. There was plenty on offer to showcase how great a pull Reading still is on the festival circuit – so here’s my experience of the weekend.
Friday
O’Brother – To kick things off, it was straight to the Festival Republic Stage, host of many fresh acts soon to breakthrough, alongside some already established names. For O’Brother, this was their first visit to the UK, and there are plenty of good reasons why we should keep a look out for these guys. Having drawn comparisons with the likes of Brand New and Thrice, and even been given the seal of approval by Biffy Clyro, they ripped through a short five song set including tracks such as “Lo” and “Poison!” They’re not particularly a festival- sounding band, and you would be better off catching them at one of their headline shows, should they come over here again. But they pulled off a genuinely solid performance, especially this early in the event. (8/10)
Palma Violets – Following this was an upcoming four piece from Lambeth. It appeared that the majority of the audience in the tent was made up of friends, judging by the amount of interaction during sound check. And there really wasn’t anything to get excited about here. Their 25 minute set felt like one of those dirge-like student indie nights from 2007/08, where there would always be some earnest soul trying to wring out some meaningful lyrics. There is nothing we haven’t heard before from these guys, and it’s doubtful their career will take off any time soon, if this is the direction they are continuing in. (4/10)
Fidlar – There had to be a definite wake up call after Palma Violets, and that we were rewarded with, courtesy of some lo fi punks. Fildar sum up nearly everything that is great about rock and roll. They mainly specialise in frantic and urgent punk rock tunes e.g. “Wake Bake Skate”, but also provided some bluesy influenced numbers and some catchy indie sounding anthems, including “Max Can’t Surf”, written about their drummer! By far one of the more entertaining sets of the weekend. (8/10)
Savages – If anyone was to dampen the light- hearted mood that had just occurred, Savages were just the ticket. Having received a fair amount of praise from the likes of NME and The Guardian, the all- female four piece needed to prove if they could really live up to their reputation. The majority of their set felt like different rearrangements of Transmission by Joy Division, given their significant bass tone, but there were, on occasion, some slightly intense guitar driven moments, almost Sonic Youth-esque. A relatively plausible effort, but when their album drops, will the hype still be intact? (7/10)
Jeff The Brotherhood – This weekend looked like a victory lap for two pieces involving just guitar and drums. And whilst by no means is that to say, there is no need for bass players, it’s always fun to see just how much noise a duo can create. Jeff The Brotherhood are a great example of this, demonstrating some of the fuzziest sounds of the weekend. Highlights of their set included “Mellow Out” and “Heavy Days”, giving off some early Queens Of The Stone Age vibes. There’s not much to add here, rather than to go and see these guys when you get the chance. (8/10)
A Wilhelm Scream – It was off to the Lock Up Stage, the residency of all things punk and hardcore. It has to be noted, that I haven’t been particularly familiar with A Wilhelm Scream, but having been recommended by some trustworthy individuals, and additionally because there was a bit of a gap in my provisional schedule, it was worth the gander. Sadly, there wasn’t anything that stood out in particular. They came across as a bog standard hardcore act, with a few technical bits and bobs thrown in. However, at least they showed they were competent musicians, just lacking in the department of delivering songs to latch onto. Hopefully, given a bit more time, I’ll give these guys another try. (6/10)
Touche Amore – Along with the likes of La Dispute, Touche Amore are amongst a wave of exciting hardcore acts to have emerged over the past couple of years, and it would have been foolish for anyone to turn their nose up at them, for this was the key band to watch out for on this very stage. Remarkably, they managed to cram in an impressive seventeen song set in the space of half an hour, many of which were taken from their latest record “Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me”. And for once, there was some real intense crowd participation, causing the biggest circle pits The Lock Up had witnessed in some time. “The Great Repetition”, “Home Away From Here” and “Uppers/Downers” were just a handful of tracks demonstrating the reason why they are the real deal, so much so that they will be playing as main support to Converge when they come over here in November. This is one bandwagon that is acceptable to join. (9/10)
Bombay Bicycle Club – Heading to the main stage, it was time for a much needed change of pace. Bombay Bicycle Club in recent times have really become a staple act of the festival, with this year being their fifth appearance in six years . Their transition from a standard indie band to a much-cherished household name in a short period has certainly been a talking point, so it was intriguing to find out how their main stage debut would turn out. It was a shaky start, which saw Jack Steadman’s vocals lost in the mix, but eventually were recovered. The set consisted mainly of tunes from latest effort “A Different Kind Of Fix”, which included “Your Eyes”, “Beg” and of course their biggest single to date “Shuffle”. They even threw in a brand new dub influenced track entitled “Carry Me”. There was still room for some older material such as “Dust On The Ground” and a ska flavoured version of fan favourite “Always Like This”. Despite generally being warmly received, they were very much lacking presence, and came across as slightly intimidated by the size of the crowd. The festival’s promoter Melvin Benn stated that the band had the potential to become a future headliner, but judging by this performance, they may have sadly reached their peak. (6/10)
Paramore – When the initial line- up announcement was made, Paramore looked like an easy target for critics, since they had played the same position just a couple of years ago. And with no new album to promote, many have commented on how much their slot could easily have been allocated to a more deserving band. Since their last appearance, Paramore have gone through significant changes, with two former members Josh and Zac Farro departing, demoting them officially to a trio. But throughout their set, they seemed very adamant to prove they were still a “thing”, and judging by the size of the audience, clearly they hadn’t been forgotten. The band ploughed through the majority of their more well known tunes including “Decode”, “Ignorance” and their pathetic attempt at a power ballad “The Only Exception”. There was even the inclusion of “Renegade”, a song that was part of their singles club releases from last year. Frontwoman Hayley Williams seemed very honoured to once again be greeted by a more than healthy proportion of punters, and thanked them for their patience during their downtime. To round their set off, they generously invited a fan on stage to sing the last part of their hit single “Misery Business”, though it looked as if her microphone hadn’t been switched on! Aside from this event, the set wasn’t particularly thrilling and once again, they took too much time imploring the crowd for participation. Come the release of their next album, it will be interesting to see if they have upped their game, but worryingly it doesn’t look that promising. (5/10)
The Cure – Although Reading has always been about getting A-list names and whatever is considered fresh and exciting at that time, it’s nice to see once in a while the promoters are willing to take risks by booking some well known cult acts. It’s amazing to think that this would be the first headline appearance from The Cure, when you take into account just how long they have been around. As most fans would know by now, Robert Smith and co don’t do your usual headline slot, and here they were allocated an astonishing 150 minute set time. With a discography as big as theirs, they would have no problem filling the slot. It’s easy to forget, but the band have a substantial amount of well known songs, so every now and then, they would have a wild reception for an old time favourite. For those who were casual fans, this would be a test of endurance. There were a couple of moderate hit singles showcased, including “High” and “The End Of The World”, but it was “In Between Days” that was the first big anthem to be aired. “Pictures Of You” and “Lullaby” swiftly followed, and it was only when Robert was tuning his guitar that he mentioned, “It might be out of tune, but at least this is the right day.” That was the moment when everyone knew what was to come, and they guessed right when “Friday I’m In Love”, by far their defining tune was performed. After that, it felt like a fallow period where their more bleak and self indulgent material was played, which at this point saw the crowd numbers become more sparse. Another of their fairly well known tracks “A Forest” was included, although it did take a while to figure out what it was. But for the majority of the set, it definitely was quite the spectacle, especially given the setting. After two hours of non stop action, the band departed but typically would return for an encore, where they performed their more commercially accessible hits including “Close To Me” and “Lovecats”. Robert Smith was very grateful to the audience, even mentioning that he still has trouble interacting with them, after all these years. With that, they finally closed their mammoth set with “Boys Don’t Cry”, proving they are without a doubt, one of the finest acts this country has produced. Who knows what will be next on their agenda? If this is the last hurrah for them, we can safely say this was a job well done! (9/10)
Saturday
The Minutes – The start to Saturday was a very unusual affair. Prior to the festival, there had been some strong rumours that pop punk legends Green Day would be making an appearance, after alleged photos of a T shirt from their current tour had Reading included in the dates listed. However, when the set times had been released, it was hard to work out where they would fit in. It seemed this really was kept well under wraps, but come Saturday morning at 10.15am, a message from frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s Twitter account simply stated, “Green Day on stage in 45 minutes at NME/Radio One tent”. By this point, a flock of fans had already rushed towards the main entrance, and by the time they had taken stage, there was no chance of gaining access inside the tent. Whilst this may have been a little disappointing, it didn’t dampen my spirits, and so I continued with my schedule as planned for the day. It was not a surprise to see that Irish rock and roll act The Minutes would play to a niche crowd seeing as how that other band had stolen their thunder! But despite a very short set, they still pulled off an impressive performance including “Gold” and “Black Keys”, an ode to Sunday’s sub headliners. A nice way to lighten the mood! (8/10)
Blood Red Shoes – For Steven Ansell and Laura Mary Carter, their journey as Blood Red Shoes has been a slow but steady rise, and so it meant a great deal to finally grace the main stage at one of their favourite festivals. And with a trio of substantial quality albums, what could really go wrong here? Well the weather certainly played a part, when there was a brief downpour and Steve humorously remarked, “Welcome to Great Britain!”. Aside from that, they played a healthy mix of old favourites such as “It’s Getting Boring By The Sea” and “I Wish I Was Someone Better”, as well as a few tracks from new album “In Time To Voices”, including “Cold” and “Lost Kids”. They rounded off their set with the ferocious 90 second “Je Me Perds” which sounded even more effective when another set of showers hit the grounds. Another impressive performance from one of the most exciting acts in the UK right now. (8/10)
Twin Atlantic – One other band that is finding a new found success, Twin Atlantic, certainly proved how far they have come in their short existence. Back in 2009, the Scottish four piece played to a quarter full tent at Sonisphere. Today, they had filled the majority of the 18,000 capacity NME tent, a triumph for all the constant touring and big name support slots they had earned. Kicking off with “Edit Me”, things certainly got into full swing when that was quickly followed with “Apocalyptic Renegade” and the grungy sounding “The Ghost Of Eddie”. Just one track from their debut mini album “Vivarium” was aired, that being fan favourite “What Is Light, Where Is Laughter”. The rest of the set consisted of one big sing along after another, particularly with the acoustic balladry of “Crash Land” and the title track of their album “Free”, a sign that they truly are still weaving their way close to that headline slot they really deserve. (8/10)
Dry The River – By this point, I had another relatively vacant spot in my schedule. The pop rock antics of Don Broco weren’t enough to sway me, and I certainly was not convinced to watch the diabolical and petty excuse of a hip hop group, Odd Future. All that was left was to take a chance with indie folk troupe Dry The River. Having heard a few of their singles and not being too impressed, I was not sure what I would be buying into. The outcome turned out one of the pleasant surprises of the weekend. Though the band still very much focus on harmonic- driven songs in the same vein as Fleet Foxes, there are also touches of The National and Band Of Horses, adding a more intense atmosphere. One track “No Rest” benefited from a live environment, and at times there were moments almost leading towards post-rock, with the final track culminating in a distorted loop of effects. Quite impressive for a band of their ilk! (7/10)
The Shins – Back to the main stage, where one of the finest US indie bands of the last ten years was to arrive. The Shins definitely work well as a festival act, that is if the weather is on their side. Whilst there was only cloud to be seen, James Mercer and friends still managed to deliver an acceptable performance, with the inclusions of “Australia”, “Phantom Limb” and from their latest record “Simple Song”. Although reluctant to interact with the audience (apart from the odd “Thank You”), their cult classic hit “New Slang” still managed to get a positive reaction from their dedicated followers at the front. A decent performance, but maybe next time they would be better off in a tent. Why I say that, well even I can’t answer that! (7/10)
Miike Snow – The rest of the day would be spent in the not so intimate surroundings of the NME/Radio One tent, with a healthy dose of heavy rock to look forward to. Unfortunately, one act really had to crash the party, and Swedish electronica outfit Miike Snow seemed to be experts in this field. Having listened to some of their first album, I was intrigued how they would pull this off live. Sadly, their uninspiring and overproduced setlist left much to be desired, almost to the point where I felt the need to buy my own tent and have a little snooze inside. A disappointing affair all round. (3/10)
Billy Talent – Canadian four piece Billy Talent have established themselves as firm festival favourites wherever they play, and with a new record due for release in September, “Dead Silence” (their first to break the tradition of self titling their albums), they knew just how to use their allocated time slot wisely. Having not witnessed these guys for the best part of five years, it was refreshing to hear tracks such as “Line And Sinker” and “Devil In A Midnight Mass”, as well as the airing of a couple of new ones, “Surprise Surprise” and “Viking Death March”, the latter dedicated to the recently imprisoned Russian punks Pussy Riot. The turnout for them also had a positive impact, and they praised the organisers for putting Green Day on first and At The Drive In last on the stage. There was even the brief and mildly humorous chant of “Fuck Kings Of Leon”, a reminder of what occurred when the band were put up against their headline slot in 2009. The set came to a close with “Red Flag”, a great way to finish for a band who surprisingly stole the day. (9/10)
Mastodon – Heavy music at Reading is very much few and far between. Since the inception of festivals like Download, there hasn’t been much need to put on a significant amount of acts from the genre. But on occasion, it is important to diversify, and this year, the festival was lucky to bag one of the biggest modern metal acts of the past ten years. Mastodon have always been the type of band that have reached out to those who may not listen to much metal, and judging by the sales of their recent album “The Hunter”, and a sell out tour in February, they made the right decision to come over. The majority of their setlist consisted of mainly newer material, which although it is a lot more accessible, still has intense moments, which the band have always been well known for. At one point, outside, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, which seemed to work in their favour, as the numbers inside took a steep incline. Even the top part of the tent was now starting to leak, and somehow managed to dampen the stage giving rise to guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds’s remark that their bassist Troy Sanders had in fact pissed himself. Highlights of the set included “Black Tongue”, “Curl Of The Burl” and old fan favourite “Blood And Thunder”. Although the crowd may have been particularly rowdy compared with headline shows, Mastodon were still quite the spectacle, and deservedly will be moving up the ranks sooner rather than later. (8/10)
The Cribs – It’s strange to think that once upon a time, you couldn’t get more indier than thou than The Cribs, so much so that they even recruited Johnny Marr formerly of The Smiths. But since his departure last year, the Leeds three piece have opted for a macho rockstar stance completely contrary to their ethos. This was certainly apparent when they came on stage to Kiss’s version of “God Gave Rock And Roll To You”. Starting off with “Come On Be A No One” from their latest record “In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull”, they didn’t look afraid to turn their amps up a gear. Following this they threw a couple of older numbers, “Hey Scenesters” and “Mirror Kissers” in the mix. Frontman Ryan Jarman was happy to interact with the crowd, where he hilariously pleaded for “metal day” to return, after noticing the band were sandwiched between At The Drive In and Mastodon, though the former are not considered a metal act. They ploughed on with more new tracks showcased in the form of “Glitters Like Gold” and “Chi Town”, as well as the earlier favourites “I’m A Realist” and “Men’s Needs”, gathering the best reaction of the night. It was only with their closing track “City Of Bugs”, that they decided to make an effort to deafen the audience, and in true old fashioned rock and roll style, Jarman destroyed his guitar, whilst brother Gary didn’t look as if he was ready to leave the stage, continuing to play bass. Eventually all operations were ceased and the band departed. After all these years, they’re still a worthy live act, and this performance certainly put them back on the map. (8/10)
At The Drive In – And so for the final band of the day, and one which many had been looking forward to for a good number of years. 2012 has certainly been a year of big comebacks, particularly in the punk/post-hardcore world. Two of its most influential acts, Refused and At The Drive In, had announced their reformations, right at the beginning of the year when their names appeared on the lineup for Coachella. The latter has since had heaps of praise upon their return to the live circuit but many have cast doubt as to whether they really were playing for the love of music, or simply to pay off their debts. With this being their first appearance in the UK for nearly twelve years, there was every reason to be concerned whether they had the ability to deliver the chaotic performances that had been well documented in their prime. Upon their arrival, it was a relief to see frontman Cedric Bixler Zavala had retained his sense of humour by bringing a broomstick on stage, and inquiring of the audience what exactly they were doing here? With that they broke into opening track “Arcarsenal”, from their seminal masterpiece “Relationship Of Command”, following this with “Pattern Against User”. On stage, there did appear to be some awkwardness, notably with guitarist Omar Rodriguez Lopez , who did not look as if he had any desire to participate in the action, whilst Cedric made some deliberately abysmal jokes about Reading being a literature festival. Aside from this, he was grateful to the festival, as it had helped the band to break into wider territory even though it would be short lived. Rounding off their set was the one song every casual fan had been yearning for, “One Armed Scissor”, where at the end, the band left with a quick thank you and hastily rushed off stage. Although the performance slightly exceeded how I imagined it would go, this didn’t compare to the comeback Refused had made, in terms of passion and effort, but at least it’s one box ticked off in my essential bands that must be caught live. (7/10)
Sunday
The Cast Of Cheers – For the final day of the weekend, it seemed all of a sudden some of the standout artists were starting to be revealed. Although Cast Of Cheers may not have filled the generous space of the Festival Republic Stage, the Irish four piece still managed to pull off a proficient performance. Combining the best parts of Foals, Minus The Bear and Two Door Cinema Club, the band rattled through a 25 minute set, consisting of titles from their recent album “Family”, with the highlight as the title track. Keep an eye out for these. (8/10)
The Flatliners – A bit of a sparse period admittedly. I didn’t expect to be blown over by Canadian punks The Flatliners, and it just so happens that during their time on stage, the idea of watching Miike Snow again suddenly seemed appealing. You can tell that was a sign that a new found level of boredom had been reached. Dull, dull, dull x infinity. (2/10)
Mongol Horde – It’s fair to say that this year will go down as one of Frank Turner’s greatest in his career. Not only did he manage to play to a packed out audience at Wembley Arena, but he also had the honour of performing at the Opening Ceremony at The Olympics, reaching out to the millions watching across the globe. It seems the only way is up for Frank, but for those who may have felt uncomfortable over his incredible surge of popularity over the past couple of years, thankfully he still has not forgotten his roots. Last year, he discussed the possibility of starting up a new hardcore outfit with his former bandmate in Million Dead, Ben Dawson. And sure enough, a year on, he has kept to his word, whilst adding Sleeping Souls (Frank’s live band) keyboardist Matt Nasir into the fold for guitar duties. Unsurprisingly, the Lock Up was packed to the rafters before they had taken to the stage, and Mr Turner certainly got a hero’s welcome. So far, the band have released a few tracks online, notably “Casual Threats From Weekend Hardmen” and “How The Communists Ruined Christmas”, which got by far the best reaction of the set. It was definitely a pleasure to watch Frank back at his most visceral and provocative self, something that has been absent from his solo venture. The last couple of songs to be played were in fact covers, the first being a hardcore sounding version of “Don’t Mug Yourself” by The Streets, and to finish things off, “Territorial Pissings” by Nirvana. Although this wasn’t as well a kept secret as Green Day, it was indisputably one of the most intense performances you would find all weekend. (9/10)
Dz Deathrays – The heavy vibes were still continuing, and this time it was courtesy of some Australians. DZ Deathrays have received significant amounts of hype, and have drawn comparisons mainly with Death From Above 1979. It’s fair to say they do indeed resemble elements of that sound, but instead of using a bass guitar, theirs is a standard electric but heavily reliant on a loop pedal. They ploughed through a hectic 30 minute set, including “Dollar Chills” and “Gebbie Street” from their debut record “Bloodstreams”. The only gripe was that frontman Shane Parsons went into the crowd whilst what appeared to be a backing tape was playing in the mix, thus raising questions over their ability to play live. Aside from that, there were no other complaints. Another seal of approval. (8/10)
Polar Bear Club – Just a few years ago, Polar Bear Club were considered one of the most exciting new bands within punk rock, but since then, a new set of hardcore/post-hardcore acts have come through and at the same time, may have just stolen the NYC five piece’s thunder. Playing in support of their latest record “Clash Battle Guilt Pride” released last year, there appeared to be an incredibly vacant and lukewarm reception compared with their last visit here. One of the highlights came from their previous effort, “Living Saints”, although a newer track “Killin It” seemed to get a seal of approval. Sadly though, for the rest of the set too much time was spent on gathering crowd participation by frontman Jimmy Stadt. It is never a good sign when you have to resort to that kind of activity, and so, this may look like the beginning of the end for them. (5/10)
Alberta Cross – In 2010, Alberta Cross were due to perform at the Festival Republic Stage, but pulled out a few weeks before for undisclosed reasons. For a handful, this must have been one agonising wait, but thankfully the Anglo American folk rock troupe finally redeemed themselves performing in a relatively similar position to the one they had been booked the previous time. With a new record under their belt “Songs Of Patience”, the band aired a couple of new tracks “Lay Down” and “Magnolia”, alongside some older material, “Leave Us And Forgive Us” and “ATX”. Disappointingly, the crowd was noticeably thin at this point, so the band failed to provoke much of a reaction apart from the usual applause, but for the most part, it was a pleasant and much needed relaxed occasion for a mid-afternoon slot. (7/10)
Bullet For My Valentine – Where Mastodon represented the complex and articulate side of metal, Bullet For My Valentine certainly fly the flag for the commercial sector. 2012 has been a fallow year for the Welsh titans. The majority of it has been spent on recording a new album, which is likely to be released next year, coinciding with Matt Tuck’s new project Axewound featuring Liam Cormier from Cancer Bats. Therefore this set could have been billed as their “greatest hits” to date. Coming on to stage with “Your Betrayal”, they were determined to expose the masses to what a typical metal show is like. As per usual, it was full of uninspired clichés we’ve heard several times, i.e. encouraging mass circle pits, and making sure hands were raised to the sky, although the band do evoke a sense of nostalgia for me, and so tracks such as “Four Words To Choke Upon” and “Tears Don’t Fall” were just about bearable at this point. But again, this was nothing that would offend or mesmerise- just business as usual here, delivering another slice of mediocre metal. (5/10)
Kaiser Chiefs – At one stage in their career (about four or five years ago), Kaiser Chiefs would easily have made it as a headline act for Reading. But during their peak period, they were either snapped up to headline other festivals, or instead Mean Fiddler/Festival Republic made some questionable bookings, e.g. booking Razorlight as headliner in 2007. Whatever the situation, the band’s popularity certainly isn’t what it was all those years ago, and so it appeared on paper that placing just below the top was the right decision. But to the surprise of some, they managed to draw a substantial number still craving for some of the biggest anthems of the mid 00’s. Prior to their arrival, they were introduced by a rather special guest in the form of fellow Leeds citizen and now former Radio One breakfast show host, Chris Moyles, declaring them as one of the best bands the country had given birth to. Whilst we may scratch our heads over that statement, they picked a great choice of song for their build up moments before they hit the stage in the form of “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits. They proceeded with “Never Miss A Beat”, smoothly transitioning to “Everything Is Average Nowadays” and “Everyday I Love You Less And Less”. There was even room for their cover of “Pinball Wizard” which the band had the privilege of performing at the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Predictably their best reaction came with their biggest hits to date, “I Predict A Riot” and “Ruby”. Sadly there were a few filler tracks included in the mix, taken from their last couple of records, but they managed to redeem themselves in time for the closing track “Oh My God”. Though the band still aren’t the type that will ever achieve the highest critical acclaim, it must have been comforting to know plenty still hadn’t forgotten them, and for that you really have to hand it to them. (7/10)
Black Keys – For the best part of a decade, Black Keys attracted a large cult following and it seemed they weren’t going to progress further in commercial popularity, although they were still hammering away making records that were highly acclaimed. It wasn’t until last year’s release of “El Camino”, that all of a sudden their profile was raised and now they found themselves one place from the top spot on the billing. For Dan Auberach and Patrick Carney, this would be another success after headlining one of the biggest festivals going, Coachella. The blues rock duo’s set mainly consisted of their last three records, opening up with “Howlin For You” and “Next Girl”. Being a band of few words, they were determined to plough on and cram in a collection of tunes worthy of a sub headline slot. One of the highlights was a grittier sounding version of their biggest single to date “Gold On The Ceiling”, alongside their other recognisable numbers “Tighten Up” and “Lonely Boy”. It felt surreal to be watching these guys at this level considering their first few records had failed to bother the top half of the charts. One gripe to be found was that some of the audience seemed unfamiliar with the band and may only have been there to save a suitable spot for tonight’s headliners. Their set drew to a close with the vibrant slow jams of “I’ve Got Mine”. With an arena tour planned for the end of the year, it won’t be long before they’ll be rewarded with the status of festival headliner. (8/10)
Foo Fighters – This was it. By far the biggest scoop the festival had managed to catch in the past few years, you just had to feel some sympathy for the other acts playing in the tents when their competition was Foo Fighters! It goes without saying, that Dave Grohl has had an extensive history with Reading and this year was the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s historic performance. With 150 minutes allocated, it was certainly going to be enthralling just to see how they would use this time. But one thing you certainly had to applaud them for was their entrance. Whilst many bands chose to come on stage with obnoxious introductions, Dave and Co came rushing out literally with a bang (or a light explosion!). And what better way to commence their set than the frantic sounding “White Limo”, which led into “All My Life”. Already at this stage, energy levels were running high, and it would stay like that for “Rope” and “The Pretender”. The first of their big anthems “My Hero” was next, and although delivered in flawless fashion, did feel an age to complete. “Learn To Fly” and “Breakout” eventually injected a new-found hysteria in terms of audience reaction. As well as achieving what felt like their greatest performance in a long while, it was also a very touching one on occasions. One track off their latest record “Wasting Light”, “Walk”, was dedicated to Grohl’s daughter who then happened to make an appearance on stage! Not only that, but Grohl revealed that his mother was part of the nigh on seventy thousand strong crowd watching tonight, explaining that next week was her birthday, leading to perhaps not the most engaging sing-along of Happy Birthday! As the big man pointed out, there were three generations of Grohl on board tonight. Much to the relief of older fans, the band aired a couple of rarities from their debut self titled record, “I’ll Stick Around” and “Alone + Easy Target” but with “Best Of You” there was another special mention. Grohl dedicated the track to Radio One sound engineer Miti Adhikari who had worked for the station for over twenty years, recording various sessions and performances, one of which included Nirvana’s set. Tonight’s show was to be the last he would be recording before retiring. And so, with the cameras focused on the man himself on the big screens, Miti was greeted with an overwhelmingly deserved round of applause. It was at this point the band had departed, but like with the majority of these shows, it was inevitable they would return for an encore. And they did – well apart from every other member that wasn’t Dave. Prior to the next tune, he explained about the time he had joined forces with Nirvana, and how initially he was shocked to hear about the numbers you could attract at the festival, pointing out that there must have been double the amount the first time he had come to perform here. Beginning with a subtler take of “Times Like These”, the rest of the members joined him to perform the last 60 seconds. Again, they paid homage to their older material, this time it was the ferocious sounding “Watershed” and “Exhausted”, a song that hadn’t been performed for nearly ten years. Their two and a half hours was drawing to a close, and fittingly, they couldn’t get away without one final big anthem to see out the festival. No previous headline act has done it better with a song like “Everlong”. Complete with fireworks, they couldn’t have asked for a better send off. With this being one of the band’s last shows for a while, they certainly proved how you put on a headline show. Some may disagree but to my mind they are the best band at their level as far as value for money is concerned. A perfect finale to the weekend. (10/10)
