Yes, the festival season has been and gone and while I may not have attended any other festivals I can tell you that Reading Festival was by far the best, barring the ridiculous Glastonbury-style weather of course. All the Early Bird ticket holders were treated to soggy clothes, a tent on a swamp and tramping around in a foot of mud for a whole extra day... nice. Aside from the bizarre weather, the camping experience was as you would expect it; a huge mess of piss-covered tents and a lot of cringe worthy singalongs at 3am. Good times. Reading campsite:
8/10FRIDAYSo it's midday on Friday, everyone has rammed themselves through the entrance and into the arena, it is deemed acceptable to eat unhealthy takeaway style food for breakfast and just at a first glance you can tell who's been here since Wednesday and who rolled through the gates earlier this morning. The difference? Most people look like they've been living rough for a year and the music hasn't even started yet.
Heading over to the main stage, the opening band for Reading Festival 2010 are Young Guns who recently released their debut album 'All Our Kings Are Dead'. If you've read my Kerrang! Relentless tour review, you'll know that in a small venue they're a pretty decent band with strong songs but being the first band on the Main Stage at Reading proves too much. They fail to connect with the majority of the crowd although an energetic bunch down the front construct a relatively small mosh pit.
55/100
The crowd pour in for A Day To Remember and it's clear that there are high expectations for this band. And it's as if ADTR have telepathic powers, because from start to finish they deliver an impressively energetic performance. It's not just old fans having a good time here; new fans are being converted every second. Even those that haven't really woken up (or never went to sleep) have a smile plastered across their face.
76/100As A Day To Remember leave the stage and the next band begin to set up, there is a surge towards the main stage through which I try and fail to escape. This leaves me wedged between a few thousand Billy Talent fans who are fired up and ready to have a good time. A huge roar greets Billy Talent as they take to the stage while I try and fix my mindset to 'open minded'. So here is my open minded opinion: The music was average, only bordering on good but my dislike remains firmly in place for one simple reason; Benjamin Kowalewicz has the most bloody annoying, helium-fuelled vocals in existence. Enough said really.
47/100Moving over to the somewhat significantly smaller Festival Republic stage I'm immediately greeted by the news that Summer Camp (who the bloody hell are they?) are running late. This would be acceptable if they were actually good but, if possible, they passed beyond bad and into the realms of utter crap. Looking particularly awkward, the two on stage dither around as though they have just realised that yes, they really are that bad. The only up side to the 45 minutes of ear-bleedingly painful music were the free Kit Kats thrown into the angry crowd between songs to keep them quiet.
12/100The vast majority of the crowd (approximately 99.99%) lingering through Summer Camp's set (let's not talk about that anymore) were actually waiting for the next band, Leeds finest: Pulled Apart By Horses. As they walk on stage to set up their own instruments they're treated to a wholeheartedly enthusiastic cheer. Having seen them last year supporting Biffy Clyro I knew what to expect and I most definitely wasn't disappointed. This band don't just make exceptionally entertaining music, they put on a superb show too. Crowd pleasers 'I Punched A Lion In The Throat', 'Meat Balloon', 'Back To The Fuck Yeah', 'High Five, Swan Dive, Nose Dive' and 'E=MC Hammer' are sung back with vigour while PABH perform with a raw, driven energy that makes them one of the best live bands around at the moment.
94/100
The evening is drawing in, the atmosphere is cranked up a gear and thousands of people head back over to the main stage for one of the more anticipated bands on the lineup; Lostprophets. While they may have the confidence to hold together their hour-long set, the sound quality is so poor that I'd rather listen to Cliff Richard on repeat while someone scrapes their fingernails down a chalkboard. Ok, maybe that's pushing it a bit far.
52/100After doing my toe in during Lostprophets set (wrong size wellies) I stepped out for some room to breathe and trip to the local cesspit (that's the toilet to all of you) before catching Biffy Clyro's performance. However, at a first glance Biffy Clyro appear to have been replaced by a band fronted by a slim and rather handsome Santa wearing nothing but a spectacular pair of bright pink skinny jeans. Oh wait, a second glance tells me that this is in fact a bleached-beyond-belief Simon Neil which is a relief because who knows what kind of music a skinny jeans wearing Santa Claus would make. Biffy perform as their usual, captivating selves; they're not really big on talking but they perform to such a high standard that they set the bar for other British bands.
75/100
By the time Biffy finish, the sun is setting and I wander over to the NME/Radio 1 stage to watch Mumford & Sons who have just hit the big time with their debut album 'Sigh No More' which has reached 2X Platinum in both the UK and Australia. No pressure then. Luckily, Mumford & Sons are one of those bands that pull off a stunning live performance which is few and far between. Marcus Mumford's vocals are exceptional and the quality of their live performance and the crowd's reaction is enough to raise goosebumps (although to be honest it was getting a bit chilly outside by that time). Definitely one of the better bands of the weekend, they brought the true festival spirit to life.
92/100So, can Guns N' Roses top that performance? Well, that's a question we'll never know the answer to because at that precise time of the night I was escorting a completely off-her-face girl backed to her tent. One of the many benefits of remaining sober at a festival of course. However, according to accurate sources (everyone who DID see Guns N' Roses) there appears to be a unanimous opinion that they were, put simply, crap.
Best band of Friday:
Pulled Apart By HorsesSATURDAYGetting up late on Saturday morning means that I conveniently miss Rolo Tomassi's set so it's off to the main stage to watch The Futureheads followed by Mystery Jets who were so similar that the two sets seem to have blurred together to produce a vague and hazy memory of slight boredom. I can't really expand on that... The Futureheads and Mystery Jets get a combined score of
42/100.
Covering the fence to the right of the main stage is a huge poster which reads something along the lines of "Pendulum: be here at 14:00 on 28/08/10". So, it's 2pm and a small crowd has gathered around the poster restlessly awaiting the arrival of Pendulum. Approximately ten minutes later there's still no sign of, well, anything so one man/boy/whatever takes it upon himself to hoist himself up the fence (with a little help from his friends) and peer upon the backstage area. After avivdly gazing around his expression changes to one of disappointment and he announces that "They're all having lunch." Quite possibly the anticlimax of the century.
After that huge letdown it's off to the NME/Radio 1 stage for 3OH!3 (who have apparently just had a lawsuit filed against them by wrestler 'Diamond' Dallas Page for the unauthorised use of his trademarked, erm... hand gesture.) While I may not have appeared outwardly enthusiastic about this band (the 'gangsta' vibes were slightly embarrassing) they were actually extremely entertaining and their energy was infectious.
82/100While it would have been nice to catch Hadouken!'s set, there was a more important matter at hand and this was getting a decent spot for The Rats (I wonder who they are) so instead I found myself at the Lock-Up Stage watching the end of Paint It Black's set. From what I can remember, a fairly standard set involving a mosh pit with no moshing (Yeah, I didn't really understand that either) and some semi-decent songs.
44/100So, who are The Rats? Well, as Frank Carter points out The Rats are "the worst kept secret at Reading Festival" which must be true as the tent is rammed full of, you guessed it, Gallows fans. The atmosphere in this tent is unbelievable and the cheer that fills the tent as the Grey Britain backdrop is raised is a sign of the chaos that's about to follow. And chaos does certainly follow. Gallows absolutely tear the place apart; there's a circle pit that's almost as big as Katie Price's ego (pretty darn huge), there's a wall of death with a backflipping man inside, there are crowdsurfers galore (including one man and his wheelchair) and at one point Frank disappears into the crowd and nobody really knows where the hell he went. Of course there are no real highlights as the whole set was one big mess of bloody fantastic music and carnage. Everything a gig should be.
99/100The next band on the bill have got a lot to live up to and sadly for Trash Talk nothing can top a Gallows set. Lee Spielman attempts to make up for this by going completely berserk, throwing the water bins into the crowd, swinging his microphone round like it's a crazy cat and never actually staying on stage but diving headfirst into the crowd at the start of every song and only emerging at the end. Even the security guards wear a look of sheer panic as they are almost hit in the face with the full force of a 100mph out of control microphone. Because of this, the crowd tend to overlook the other band members. That is until bassist Spencer Pollard takes it upon himself to scale the dangerously swaying lighting rig. Their set is appropriately finished with a stage invasion.
57/100
Somewhat bizarrely the next band on stage are Zebrahead. Taking to the stage in what looked like their pajamas, I was deceived into assuming that this was going to be a complete waste of time. How spectacularly wrong I was. Although the music isn't the most groundbreaking in existence, the various chants of "Minge" (yes, you heard me correctly) and banter between the band members provide an extremely enjoyable show.
79/100
The first thing that really captures your attention as Cancer Bats appear on stage is how silky soft Scott Middleton's hair looks. The second is how all their songs sound exactly the same. To be honest I don't know which is worse. That a man can have softer hair than me or that a band who could pull off a potentially awesome show turn out to be one of the most boring on the lineup.
39/100
What would my review be without a nice slice of St Albans finest Enter Shikari to fill it up? Bloody crap is the answer to that. Yes, I'm back in the NME/Radio 1 tent and I've just survived a fifteen-minute song by Crystal Castles which somehow managed to sound both good and awful at the same time. Luckily, Enter Shikari don't leave us all hanging for too long. They've flashed the cash when it comes to their stage setup this year but while the lights may be bright enough to blind the front row, they can't disguise the fact that the tent is just too darn full to move, let alone get a decent mosh pit going. And while all four members of Shikari may be giving it everything they've got; without the usually rowdy crowd to accompany them, you just can't help but feel that it's a slight disappointment.
75/100Finishing off the night are Pendulum and if you don't know who they are then you've probably been living in a cave for the past couple of years. They've built up a reputation for being one of the best live acts in the UK right now and it's easy to see why. From start to finish they give a dynamic performance which looks as if it could be contagious because there isn't a single person in this tent who isn't moving. Even a glow stick in the mouth can't ruin the mood. Tonight Pendulum prove that they deserve a No. 1 spot on the UK Album Chart and a place headlining the NME/Radio 1 stage at Reading and Leeds.
95/100Best band of Saturday:
PendulumSUNDAYSo the final day of the Reading Festival is upon us and today is all about the main stage. First up are Motion City Soundtrack who have that conventional American-style sound which, in theory, should bring a smile to the face of anyone watching. Unluckily this isn't the case as, while their music may hold a certain charm, a strong percentage of the crowd aren't really having any of it. A mediocre performance which probably would have sounded much better had it been at one of the smaller stages.
54/100Up next are the King Blues and let's be honest: today is really not their day. Even the weather is against them; with the arrival of the King Blues marks the first rain of the weekend. Once again, watching them feels more like a political campaign than an actual gig which may work at their own live shows but at a festival when all people want is a good time the angry speeches fall flat and fail to gain enthusiasm from the crowd.
42/100Following them are Thrice, a somewhat confusing choice for the main stage. You can vaguely see why they've been chosen; they have an almost epic sound to their songs but being one of the first bands to take to the stage means that the sound quality is too poor to allow for the full potential of their sound. On a more positive note, had the sound quality not been sub-standard, this could have been an impressive performance.
61/100All Time Low are the musical equivalent of Marmite. However, unlike Marmite, All Time Low have charisma, enthusiasm and a good sense of humour. The steadily worsening rain can't hold them back; it's all smiles and jokes and they seem genuinely pleased to be here. They play all the crowd-pleasers: Weightless, Dear Maria, Count Me In, Poppin' Champagne and Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't). Overall an impressive set only slightly marred by the toned down sound.
76/100It looks like today is every screaming fangirl's dream as up next are You Me At Six. Being one of the youngest bands on the British music scene and half-hanging off the back of the 'emo' bandwagon has meant that they've had to work their arses off to earn respect so landing a spot on the main stage must be a welcome relief. And while they're gaining an ever increasing amount of fans, they're determined to make the most of it. Therefore, it seems disastrous that someone has turned down Josh Franceschi's microphone right before he appears on stage. You literally need a hearing aid to make out what it is he's singing but luckily, the previously mentioned fangirls (and quite a few boys) appear completely unfazed and sing the words back with enough enthusiasm to make up for the technical fault.
72/100After skipping a few bands in favour of some paracetamol I head back to the main stage for the penultimate band of the festival: Paramore. And while there may have been plently of hormone-filled girls hovering around the main stage for You Me At Six, Paramore clearly have the opposite effect. Instead I find myself surrounded by boys who all seems to be thinking along the same lines as I hear various murmurs of "OMG Hayley Williams" etc. On CD Paramore may sound slightly generic but their live performance couldn't be more different. On stage they're full of energy and confidence and their interaction with the crowd is effortless. Paramore may not make music that will define a generation but if there is one thing that sets them apart from other bands it's their huge stage presence.
84/100So after three days of mud, music and a bit more mud we've reached the moment that everyone has been waiting for... The return of Blink 182. And if there's one thing that was certain before they even took to the stage it's that they were going to be more entertaining than any other band on the bill. An example? Well, before peforming the biggest crowd pleaser of the night 'All The Small Things' Tom DeLonge decides to take the time to thank 'Jedward' for letting them use their song. And this isn't the only crowd pleaser. The setlist comprises of a grand total of twenty-two songs including; Feeling This, The Rock Show, What's My Age Again?, I Miss You, Down, First Date and Dammit. However, the real highlight of the night (and the whole darn weekend) takes the form of Travis' drum solo which takes place on a revolving platform. It is quite possibly the most insanely talented thing I've ever witnessed and from the expressions of shock on the faces of those surrounding me, the feeling is mutual all round. Blink 182 aren't exactly technically accurate as a live band (with the exception of Travis Barker), but they are one of the most enjoyable, amusing and hilarious bands going. It's good to have them back.
93/100Best band of Sunday:
Blink 182And that's the end of Reading Festival 2010. Here's a few other ratings for you:
MAIN STAGE: 7/10NME/RADIO 1 STAGE: 9/10FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE: 7/10LOCK-UP STAGE: 7/10BBC INTRODUCING STAGE: 8/10G4 ROAD: 9/10 (One mark deducted for the ridiculously extortionate £2.50 charge on the cash machine.)
CAMPSITE TOILETS: -100/10ARENA TOILETS: 7.5/10READING FESTIVAL: 100/100
